All For One from My Hero Academia and Yuuki Terumi from BlazBlue are classic "card-carrying villains" — antagonists who openly embrace their evil. They share several key characteristics:
Similarities
Sadistic Masterminds: Both delight in causing suffering and manipulate others with cunning. All For One enjoys toying with heroes and manipulating Tomura Shigaraki, while Terumi relishes tormenting his victims with cruel glee.
Grandiose Ambitions: They both seek ultimate power and control. All For One aims to be the "Demon Lord" by controlling all Quirks, while Terumi desires to destroy and reshape reality by annihilating the Master Unit Amaterasu.
Lack of Empathy: Neither character possesses remorse or moral justification for their actions. All For One views people as possessions, and Terumi is explicitly designed to be "absolutely evil without exception."
Resilience and Contingency Planning: Both are incredibly hard to defeat, surviving major setbacks through elaborate backup plans. All For One uses body doubles and Quirk transfers, while Terumi employs self-observation and vessel merging.
Theatrical Flair: They are self-aware villains who enjoy the spectacle of their evil. All For One mocks heroes and gives grandiose speeches, while Terumi is known for his "trollish" antics and sarcastic taunts.
Differences
Motivations: All For One's actions are subtly tied to a twisted, possessive attachment to his brother, Yoichi, giving him a slight emotional layer. Terumi, on the other hand, is driven purely by hatred and a desire for universal destruction, lacking any emotional ties.
Methods and Powers: All For One primarily uses his Quirk, All For One, to steal and grant abilities, focusing on societal and biological manipulation. Terumi uses alchemy, magic, and energy projection to manipulate souls and reality, fitting BlazBlue's metaphysical setting.
Personality: All For One maintains a calm, condescending demeanor, with moments of childish rage. Terumi is erratic, chaotic, and overtly sadistic, with a more unhinged persona.
Narrative Role and Deconstruction: All For One's story deconstructs the villain by showing how his sociopathy and reliance on power lead to his ultimate downfall due to a lack of emotional willpower. Terumi's deconstruction highlights his hubris, as his overconfidence and chaotic nature lead to temporary defeats, though his divine nature makes him harder to permanently eliminate.
Relationships with Allies: All For One builds a network through manipulative charisma but betrays followers, leading to their rebellion. Terumi's overt cruelty limits his alliances, relying on fear rather than loyalty.
Foil Dynamic
All For One and Terumi serve as foils, showcasing different aspects of the card-carrying villain. All For One represents calculated control and a personal, tragic obsession, while Terumi embodies chaotic destruction and pure, universal malevolence. Their contrasting approaches highlight the versatility of the archetype: All For One is a grounded, societal tyrant with a humanizing flaw, whereas Terumi is a cosmic, unadulterated force of evil. Both revel in their villainy, but their differing motivations and methods create compelling distinctions.
Conclusion
Ultimately, both All For One and Yuuki Terumi are iconic card-carrying villains who revel in their evil. All For One's more subtle, tragic villainy contrasts with Terumi's chaotic and unapologetic malevolence. Their shared traits establish them as quintessential examples of the archetype, while their differences explore the varied ways a villain can embody power, control, and destruction within their respective narratives.
