If you’re a fan of both My Hero Academia and League of Legends, you’ve almost certainly stumbled across the viral fandom question: does Shigaraki play League of Legends. Cross-fandom theories pop up constantly when two massive global franchises share huge overlapping fan bases, and this one has been circulating on Reddit, TikTok, and Twitter for years now. We dug through official manga lore, creator interviews, animator commentary, and hundreds of fan posts to separate fact from headcanon, and break down exactly where this fun theory came from in the first place.
Where Did the "Does Shigaraki Play League of Legends" Theory Originate?
The first documented mention of the theory popped up on the r/BokuNoHeroAcademia subreddit back in 2021, when a user shared a screenshot of a bonus manga panel showing Shigaraki lounging in the League of Villains hideout holding a game controller. The blurry screen in the background had a distinct blue and purple color palette that looked nearly identical to a Summoner’s Rift loading screen, and the post blew up almost instantly. It crossed over to the r/LeagueOfLegends subreddit a few days later, where fans started connecting more dots between Shigaraki’s character and LoL tropes.
Fans quickly pointed out that Shigaraki’s decay quirk would make for an incredibly broken champion ability if he were added to the game, and started drafting custom kit ideas for him as a playable champion. The theory spread further when a 2022 anime filler episode showed the League of Villains hanging out in a game cafe, with a background screen displaying a character that looked almost exactly like Jinx from Arcane. There is zero official confirmation of the reference from Kohei Horikoshi or Riot Games as of now, but that hasn’t slowed down fan speculation at all.
Official Lore Clues That Support or Debunk the Theory
There are a handful of small canon details that fans use to back up the theory, starting with Shigaraki’s confirmed backstory. Before he was taken in by All For One, Tenko Shimura spent years isolated in his room playing video games to cope with his abusive home life, and he continues to play games to pass time in the villain hideout as an adult. He’s shown multiple times using controllers and gaming consoles in both the manga and anime, so we know for a fact he is a regular gamer.
The counterpoints are pretty concrete, though. Horikoshi mentioned in a 2023 interview for Shonen Jump that the only games Shigaraki is confirmed to play are classic 2D fighting games and open-world fantasy RPGs, with no mention of MOBAs of any kind. Animators for the MHA anime have also stated that background easter eggs of game screens are almost always generic placeholders, not intentional references to specific existing games. If you were holding out hope for a canon crossover, you'll be disappointed for now, but that doesn’t mean the theory isn’t still fun to engage with.
What Would Shigaraki's LoL Main Be If the Theory Was True?
Even if the theory isn’t canon, that hasn’t stopped fans from creating entire detailed headcanons about what Shigaraki’s playstyle and main champion would be if he did log into the rift regularly. Before we jump into those headcanons, it’s worth noting that a lot of fandom theorists who spend hours digging for easter eggs like to take casual gaming breaks to avoid burnout. They don’t want to commit to a 40-minute ranked match when they’re in the middle of cross-referencing manga panels, so they pick quick, casual titles that fit 10 to 15 minute gaps, including Rummy91.
Fan votes for Shigaraki’s most likely main are pretty consistent across both MHA and LoL fandom spaces, with four champions topping most lists:
- Veigar: Fans point to Veigar’s edgy, chaotic personality, his desire to destroy all order in Runeterra, and his burst damage one-shot kit as a perfect match for Shigaraki’s decay quirk and world-ending goals. He’d definitely spam the laugh emote after every takedown, too.
- Zed: Zed’s entire motif revolves around shadow magic and hand-based abilities, which lines up perfectly with Shigaraki’s design covered in disembodied hands and his contact-activated decay quirk. Most fans agree he’d main mid lane and refuse to roam to help his team no matter how badly they’re losing.
- Mordekaiser: The ruler of the death realm fits Shigaraki’s goal of destroying existing hero society and building a new world in his image, plus his ultimate ability that traps enemies in a separate dimension feels exactly like something Shigaraki would use to take out pro heroes one on one.
- Shaco: The trickster villain who lives only for chaos and destruction is another popular pick, with fans noting Shigaraki would love playing him just to tilt his entire team and the enemy team every single game, no matter if he wins or loses.
Most fans also agree he’d be an incredibly toxic player. He’d type insults in all chat every time he dies, refuse to play support no matter what the team needs, and dodge lobbies if someone picks his main before he can. He’d probably be hard stuck Silver because he spends more time trolling than actually trying to win, which lines up perfectly with his chaotic, petty personality in the show.
Will We Ever Get an Official Crossover Between MHA and LoL?
Riot Games has a long history of collaborating with big media franchises for limited-time skins and events, from Arcane’s Netflix tie-ins to collaborations with brands like Louis Vuitton and popular music artists. My Hero Academia is one of the biggest anime franchises on the planet, with a massive global fan base that overlaps heavily with the LoL player base, so a crossover is not entirely out of the question down the line.
Fan demand for the crossover is already really high, too. Hundreds of fan artists have created custom MHA-themed LoL skins that have gotten millions of views across TikTok, Twitter, and Instagram, and multiple petitions for a crossover have gotten tens of thousands of signatures. If a crossover does happen, we'd almost definitely get official confirmation of whether Shigaraki plays League of Legends, plus a set of themed skins for champions that match MHA characters.
Even if we never get an official crossover, this theory is a perfect example of how fun fandom spaces can be. You don’t need official approval to enjoy silly cross-fandom jokes, create custom headcanons, or bond with other fans over shared interests in two different franchises. The theory has already sparked thousands of fun conversations and creative fan works, and that’s worth more than any official confirmation.
At the end of the day, the answer to does Shigaraki play League of Legends is no, not in official canon – but that doesn’t take away from how fun the theory is for fans of both My Hero Academia and League of Legends. Whether you’re here because you saw the theory on TikTok, you’re a fan of both franchises, or you just wanted to know if there’s a secret crossover you missed, we hope this breakdown answered all your questions. Who knows, maybe one day we’ll get a surprise announcement from Riot and Horikoshi that makes this theory a reality. Until then, you can always make your own Shigaraki-inspired champion build, or joke with your friends about how that toxic Zed on your team last night was definitely Shigaraki logging on for a quick match.