There is a lot that goes into creating compelling foreshadowing. As a literary device, foreshadowing is important for authors to establish a throughline in their stories, especially when they are long-running. Creators can help guide the audience to draw their own conclusions about what is likely to happen in the plot. Experiencing a story can be like a massive group project — everyone is working together to speculate on the possibilities of what could happen. Anime can have a bit of a mixed reaction when it comes to the use of foreshadowing. It either does it really well or it does it incredibly poorly, and there is very little in between.

My Hero Academia is no stranger to some pretty blatant foreshadowing. Dabi might be the most obvious example, as the reveal of him being the eldest Todoroki sibling didn't exactly take people by surprise, but it did manage to garner a large reaction from the fandom regardless. There have been a lot of little plot threads like that, plots where Horikoshi has made the effort to leave enough breadcrumbs for the audience to follow along to try and draw their own conclusions. The UA traitor was one such plot that, at first, felt like the resolution came out of nowhere but, upon closer inspection, it is obvious that there was a lot of foreshadowing involved.

10 The USJ Incident Is A Subtle One

The UA Traitor was a topic of conversation very early on in the anime, all the way back to the USJ Incident. It was noted that the League of Villains showing up when they did was oddly suspicious, especially with All Might's recent inclusion on the UA Staff. Before the incident began, Aoyama was paired with Hagakure during the training exercise. After the League appears, however, he is nowhere to be seen and Hagakure is with Ojiro instead.

When the League left, he asked his friends to ask where he had ended up and this could have been done to obfuscate his true whereabouts. Aoyama was placed within UA mainly as an informant, and it would make sense that he would separate himself from the group as needed early on.

9 He May Have Distracted Uraraka As An Attempt To Keep Them Away From The Training Camp

Indirect Actions Can Have Massive Consequences Down The Line

During the Final Exams arc, Aoyama was paired with Uraraka to compete against Thirteen and their Black Hole quirk. During the exam, Thirteen uses their ability, leaving the two of them hanging on for dear life. As Uraraka is thinking of a plan, Aoyama points out that she's probably thinking about what Deku would do and pretty much calls her out on her crush on everyone's favorite fanboy.

This, of course, distracts her and she only just barely avoids a near fatal injury. It is extremely odd that Aoyama would outright act to distract his partner during something he is being graded for. That said, he also could have been hoping that serious injury during the final exams would make them postpone or even stop the trip all together.

8 Dabi Did Not Set Aoyama On Fire During The Training Camp

Aoyama's Knack for Escaping Danger Seems More Suspicious Now

During the training camp with the Wild, Wild Pussycats, Class 1-A is given the opportunity to strengthen their quirks and learn to work together in different environments. This camp, of course, is one of the big betrayals as Aoyama is the one to expose their position to the League of Villains and lead to Bakugo's kidnapping.

During the arc, Aoyama is seen hiding in the bushes, and he makes direct eye contact with Dabi who does not make an attempt to fry him on the spot. It's an odd moment for sure, as Dabi had not held back to this point, but it would seem that he knew Aoyama was an ally in the cause and didn't have the authority to kill him.

7 Aoyama Wasn't Just A Coward During The Rescue Bakugo Arc

His Emotional Displays Could Be Examples of Strategic Incompetence

One of the major outcomes of the disastrous training camp was Bakugo being kidnapped by the League of Villains. While the teachers (particularly Aizawa) told them that they would have nothing to do with Bakugo's rescue, they still wanted to help. Kirishima, in particular, was very adamant about saving his bro and he ended up roping in Todoroki, Iida, Deku, and Yaoyorozu.

While not everyone went, Aoyama was the only student who said that they should outright listen to the teachers. While, at first, this just seemed like cowardice, it was more likely that he did not want things to get complicated with All For One as he was supposed to be reporting everything to him.

6 Aoyama Was Starting To Lose His Nerve During The Provisional License Exam

All of Aoyama's Intentions Come With An Asterisk

The Provisional License Exam arc was almost something of a reward for Class 1-A. They had proven themselves to be capable as heroes and this was their opportunity to get the certifications that would allow them to actually do some hero work, despite being a bit younger than normal for this exam. Aoyama is the only one who doesn't really participate, as the other students are trying their best.

While Aoyama has been established to have a cowardly streak, this does come off more like he was trying to fail. His participation was downright comical — even by his standards. Aoyama is shown to be riddled with guilt later on, so trying to get kicked out of the program in some way may have been lurking at the back of his mind.

5 Aoyama Is Stated To Eat His Lunch Alone

This Piece of The Puzzle Certainly Stood Out

While this is a minute detail, in the aftermath of the Overhaul arc, Aoyama is stated to mainly take his lunch breaks alone. For a character like Tokoyami or Bakugo, this wouldn't be suspicious. Aoyama, on the other hand, always seems to be drawing attention to himself and working to be in the spotlight.

Aoyama also comes off as very friendly and social, making this even more strange in hindsight. It could be that his lunch breaks mainly centered around passing information off to All For One, or he was purposefully distancing himself from people he was supposed to be betraying.

4 Aoyama's Deku Stalking Showed Off A Dark Side

Weird Activities Are Often a Precursor To Weirder Activities

There is something to be said for walking out onto your balcony to see "I know" spelled out in cheese. Not only is it threatening, it is incredibly weird, and it leads into one of the weirder moments in Deku's life as he hunts down the culprit. While it turns out to be Aoyama, of course, this also reveals that Aoyama has been stalking Deku pretty regularly.

At this junction, he has drawn the conclusion that his quirk hurts him in the same way Aoyama's does. His body is not built for it and that is something that both boys can feel, as they were both formerly quirkless, though Aoyama's status would only be exposed later on. This stalking does show off a lot more dark stuff for Aoyama, despite his intentions.

3 Aoyama's Quirk Drawback Seems Too Severe

Since His Discomfort Is The Hardest Aspect To Quantify, It Is Also The Easiest To Use For Manipulation

Aoyama's quirk, Navel Laser, has a massive drawback that requires him to use a support device in order to not feel like his organs are exploding. His body is simply not adapted to his Quirk and while that can happen — Toya Todoroki being an excellent example — the sheer level of Aoyama's discomfort is the biggest hint that something is off.

It feels a lot more like Deku's adaptation to One For All and even Aoyama points this out, almost as a subtle hint to his own nature. Even Dabi's quirk drawback can be regulated to a point without a support item, so Aoyama's reactions to his quirk being so violent implies a lot more in hindsight. He also seems to think Deku got his quirk from All For One.

2 Volume 10 Had An Easter Egg On The Spine

The Most Prominent Teaser About Aoyama's Truth May Have Been On Manga Covers

This one is a little niche, but is one of the more fun inclusions that Horikoshi made to the collected manga editions. Every manga has a character on the spine of the book, and each one is looking ahead. Except for Aoyama.

Aoyama is the only character seen looking down on the spines of the manga. He also graces the book that is titled after "All For One". This acts as a fun bit of foreshadowing that would only be obvious to those collecting the manga volumes themselves and taking a closer look.

1 He is One Of The Only Characters Not To Come To Bring Deku Back

Situations Like These Require All Hands On Deck, Right?

During the Dark Deku arc, the main character leaves the campus as he believes he is the reason the League of Villains keeps coming after them. He reveals his Quirk's true origins to everyone in letters and that inspires the class to come after him. Conspicuously, Aoyama is one of the few characters to not come to fight Deku and force him to come back.

He also isn't there to defend Deku from the media. Hagakure also isn't there, but she never had much interaction with him. Aoyama, on the other hand, seemingly had built a friendship with him at that point. It is likely that his guilt had kept him away.