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If I can't save the one small girl in front of me, how can I become a hero that saves everyone?
„
~ Izuku steeling himself to beat Overhaul to save Eri.
“
It's not all black-and-white. Most things in this world are in shades of gray. A blend of fear and anger. Which is exactly why... I've gotta extend a helping hand!
„
~ Izuku expressing his motives to Lady Nagant
Izuku Midoriya, also known by his hero name Deku, is the main protagonist of the My Hero Academia franchise.
He was originally a Quirkless individual, which led to him getting bullied and mock by many of his peers, including his former childhood friend, Katsuki Bakugo, but after meeting his idol, All Might, and impressing him with his bravery, he is given the legendary quirk, One For All, becoming its ninth user.
He is voiced by Daiki Yamashita in the Japanese version of the anime and by Justin Briner in the English version
He is shown to be patient and friendly around others and willing to work along with his classmates and teammates.
He shows a passion to want to serve the community and be a hero. He is not shown to be motivated by fame or money like what many heroes are usually motivated by.
Despite being bullied by Katsuki for practically his entire life, he does not show any negative emotions or hatred towards him, going so far as to admire him and emulate his personality during battle.
He’s shown to be a pacifist who wants to believe in the good of anyone and everyone, whether it be corrupt heroes like Bakugo and Endeavor to criminals like Gentle and Lady Nagant to even mass murderers like Shigaraki. His lack of sympathy for villains such as Dabi and Flect Turn comes from the way how they’re openly trying to use their past as an excuse for their heinous actions. He was even willing to save and help Overhaul despite him murdering his mentor and torturing Eri and showed pity for even All For One in the latter's final moments.
Background[]
Despite being told all his life, he could never be a hero because he was Quirkless, he still remained hopeful and believed in himself and his capacity to be a hero in the future.
Even as a child, he was a completely friendly individual, defending a kid being bullied by Katsuki despite being quirkless and trying to help Katsuki after he fell in a river.
Season 1 (The Entrance Exams Arc & The U.S.J Arc)[]
When Katsuki was being held captive by the Sludge Villain, decided to sprint into action to try to save him, telling his childhood playmate that he couldn't just sit there and watch him die, inspiring All Might to take action as well. This is in spite of the fact Katsuki told him to go kill himself earlier that day.
During the Entrance Exam, destroys the Zero Point robot, breaking his limbs and sacrificing his chance to pass the exam in order to save Ochaco, despite barely even knowing her.
Develops a close friendship with just about everyone in Class 1-A (except the ones he never really talks to due to never getting the chance of time), even the most disliked members of the class like Bakugo (for being a jerk) and Mineta (for being a pervert).
During the Hero vs Villain Team Exam, when he saw Bakugo about to attack him and Ochaco, he imediatly grabbed and protected her from Bakugo's Exposion Blast.
Manages to make a plan to restrain the villains at the U.S.J. and chooses to fight alongside Asui and Mineta even though he was scared.
Attempted to comfort Mineta while he was crying.
Tried to protect Asui from Tomura.
Attempts to save All Might by stopping Tomura's attack, and while Izuku was nearly killed, it still gave enough time for the other heroes to arrive and subsequently saved All Might's life.
Season 2 (The U.A Sports Festival Arc, The Hero Killer Arc, & Final Exams Arc)[]
During his fight with Shoto, instead of trying to win the match, he urges Shoto to use his full power, helping him to realize an important part of himself.
He was concerned for Tenya after his brother was attacked by Stain and tried reaching out to him and comforting him
Protects his friend Tenya against the infamous Hero Killer, Stain, and along with Shoto, helped Tenya to see the error of his ways of desiring revenge, changing him for the better.
When Katsuki is overpowered by All Might in the Final Exam, instead of abandoning him and running to the gate, he chooses to save Katsuki.
My Hero Academia: Two Heroes[]
When I-Island is attacked by Wolfram and his men, he refuses to run away and instead encourages the rest of his classmates to disable the security system to save the island.
Despite knowing that David Shield committed a crime by attempting to steal the Quirk Amplification Device, he was still set on saving him, and when the professor told Izuku to leave him, he reminds David of his daughter waiting for him.
Defeats Wolfram alongside All Might, saving the island.
Season 3 (The Forest Training Camp Arc & The Hideout Raid Arc)[]
Saves Kota from a potentially fatal fall.
Attempts to reason with Kota and help him change his views about heroes, succeeding in making Kota accept the value of heroes and becoming a more open person.
Puts his life on the line and pushed past his limits against Muscular to save Kota, despite the child having been very rude to him and punching him in the scrotum.
Even when grievously injured from his fight with Muscular, he continues fighting to help his classmates, helping Shoji to get Fumikage's Dark Shadow under control and attempting to rescue both Katsuki and Fumikage from Mr. Compress and later Katsuki again from Dabi.
He is willing to go against the rules of U.A. High Academy to save Katsuki from the League of Villains with his classmates and succeeded.
Treats the rival students really well despite competing against them for the Provisional Hero License.
Season 4 (The Shie Hassaikai Arc & The U.A School Festival Arc)[]
Tried to save Eri from Overhaul the first time he met her, despite being ordered by Nighteye not to cause suspicion, refusing to leave her due to noticing the scars she has from Overhaul's abuse towards her.
Alongisde Mirio, vowed to save Eri after learning of Overhaul's horrendous treatment of her, much to their horror.
Saved Mirio after Overhaul de-powered and was about to attack him.
Saves Eri from the Shie Hassaikai, promising he will never let her go again and defeats their boss, Overhaul as well as trying to save Nighteye from being killed by Overhaul despite Nighteye having been rude to Deku earlier.
Refused to hand Eri back over to Overhaul, starting he will never let her go back to him again and that her Quirk is a kind blessing, rejecting Overhaul’s years of psychological abuse towards her and driving her to tears of gratitude.
While fighting Overhaul, purposely hit him into the air and then threw him back towards the hole after he defeated him to limit damage to the area.
He stops both Gentle Criminal and La Brava from trespassing the school and canceling the School Festival. Furthermore, Izuku actually sympathizes with Gentle and his past, screaming out his name in concern when Gentle pushes him away, and when the teachers apprehend Gentle and ask Izuku what happened, he lies and says they just had a small disagreement.
He and his classmates' performance brought Eri into the light and made her smile during the School Festival.
My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising[]
Even after being scolded by Maharo for taking too long to save Katsuma, still expresses happiness that Katsuma is safe, and says that's all that matters.
Speaks to Katsuma about being a hero and expresses his belief that Katsuma can become a hero despite not having a combat-oriented quirk.
Rescues Maharo and Katsuma from Nine and holds the villain off to protect both of them.
Makes a plan to deal with Nine's group, which succeeds in separating them and stopping their rampage.
Fights Nine alongside Katsuki despite being grievously injured; then, when Nine nearly steals Katsuma's Quirk, arrives at the last second and saves Katsuma, commending him for his bravery in trying to protect his sister.
Gave One For All to Katsuki knowing it was the only way to defeat Nine. Even though the power returned to him in the end, he had no way of knowing and was fully ready to become quirkless if it meant saving Katsuma and Mahoro. He even tries to apologize to All Might for said actions
Defeats Nine alongside Katsuki, saving Katsuma, Maharo, and Nabu Island.
Season 5 (The Joint Training Arc & The Endeavor Agency Arc)[]
In the anime, when fighting Amajiki as part of a training exercise, instead of punching him, he merely restrained him and asked him to surrender, not wanting to hurt Amajiki.
Had a possitive outlook on both his classmates and Class 1-B during the Joint Training, admiring their individual strategies and will to win their respective matches
When he lost control of Blackwhip during it's awakening, he tried to control it and told Shinso to run away
Apologized to Ochaco for indirectly hurting her with Blackwhip
Tried to help Endeavor fight Starservant
Talked to Shoto about his relationship with his father and tried to give him advice on how to move forward
Helps rescue Natsuo from Ending along with Katsuki and Shoto.
Saved the civilians whose cars had been sent flying by Ending
When Takeshi Bushijima used his Poison Gas Quirk, the other heroes initially assumed that Takeshi was a villain due to his dangerous Quirk but Izuku stopped them from arresting him, knowing he was unable to control his own poison and was suffering because of it. He lead the others to help Takeshi release his pent-up gas without harming anyone, and when he is arrested he is given a shorter sentence due to the truth being known. Had Izuku not been there to show him mercy, Takeshi would have still be seen as a villain by society and he might even have became a villain for real.
My Hero Academia: World Heroes' Mission[]
Helped Bakugo and Shoto stop two jewel thieves.
Stopped the police from shooting Rody Soul.
Pays for his and Rody’s bus ride, refusing to ride illegally despite being under no obligation to.
Saves Rody from being killed by Beros.
Protected Rody from being shot with a arrow by Beros, even though Rody betrayed him. He makes it clear he will always help anyone he can, because that’s what makes a hero.
Didn’t laugh at Rody after hearing his Quirk was Pino (a bird who expressed his true feelings).
Personally defeated Flect Turn and helped Rody stop his plans of genocide on heroes and many Quirk users to collapse Hero Society, being motivated on by his many classmates fighting across the world to stop Humarise as well.
Helped Rody after Flect shot him with one of his lasers and seriously wounded him, comforting him that he did it and successfully saved the world.
Hugged Rody good-bye as he left back to Japan from Otheon, noticing Pino crying to indicate Rody would miss him.
Season 6 (The Paranormal Liberation War Arc & The Dark Hero Arc)[]
During the Paranormal Liberation War, helps the evacuation efforts and saved the lives of many innocents from Tomura Shigaraki's decay wave.
During the fight with Tomura, saves all of the heroes from Tomura's Decay using Blackwhip and his newly unlocked quirk, Float.
He singlehandedly fights against Tomura, sacrificing all of his limbs to ensure that Tomura was defeated.
Even when his body was seriously broken, he shoots out Blackwhip from his mouth, intervening in the fight with Shoto and Dabi.
Though he is fully aware of Endeavor's past, still defends him, saying to Dabi that while the past never dies, it is all the more reason he's looking to see Endeavor become a better person. These words touched Endeavor and inspired him to deal a final strike to Gigantomachia, which was the final blow needed to knock him out of commission.
Attempts to stop Tomura and All For One as he escaped from the battlefield with his Nomu in spite of his horrendous injuries, and despite hating Tomura for everything he did, still notes that he looked as though he wanted help when he was fighting for control with All For One in the mental realm.
Even when being put into a coma with all of his limbs horribly damaged, he still worries about how everyone else was doing after the battle with Tomura Shigaraki and the Paranormal Liberation Front.
When asked by the One For All vestiges if he has the determination to kill Tomura, Izuku remarks on how he felt the pain of a crying child inside Tomura's heart, and in spite of all of the things that Tomura did, Izuku wants to try and save Tomura first and only kill Tomura if absolutely necessary.
Will only kill villains if necessary.
Leaves U.A. High in order to protect his classmates and the other students from an attack by All For One and Tomura Shigaraki.
Saves Shindo from being killed by Muscular.
After his confrontation with Tomura, has become more pacifistic towards villains in general, now preferring to find alternate methods besides combat before fighting them.
As he is fighting with Muscular, he attempted to reason with him and understand him better, only choosing to use violence after seeing Muscular refuse to converse or change his ways.
Defeats Muscular, turning him into the authorities and putting an end to his rampage.
Saves a woman with a mutant quirk from being attacked by a group of people believing her to be a villain, comforting her and giving her an umbrella.
Saves Overhaul from Lady Nagant (unaware that she wasn't actually trying to shoot him), despite Overhaul being an irredeemable monster who tortured Eri to the point she couldn't even smile.
Saves Lady Nagant from falling after he defeats her , catching her arm
Tries to reform Lady Nagant, knowing she doesn't want to help All For One, and is horrified when the latter betrays her.
When Hawks almost falls while carrying an unconscious Lady Nagant, due to him not being able to fly, Izuku saves the both of them with his Blackwhip and informs Hawks about the self-destruction Quirk.
He's disheartened when he sees that Overhaul still doesn't feel remorse for what he did to Eri and still holds hatred towards him to the point of calling him a "diseased maggot", but he still decides to honor the deal Overhaul made with Lady Nagant to see his boss even after everything he did to Eri and Sir Nighteye.
He decides to distance himself from All Might to protect him from any assassins sent by All For One, assuring him he'll be alright.
He spends several days without eating or rest traveling across the country, defeating villains and helping people, bearing the burden of fighting All For One, and protecting the fractured hero society all by himself.
Hesitates while fighting a villain, Dictator, due to being unwilling to harm the innocent civilians being bound by his Despot Quirk.
Attempted to leave after his classmates rescued him due to believing they would only be safe if they were away from him and the danger of Shigaraki and All For One.
While fighting his classmates, he attempts to avoid combat with them as much as possible, trying to assert all of them that he was fine and remind them of the threat they'd face with All For One hunting him.
After hearing Bakugo's words and apology, he gives his own apology to his classmates for telling them they couldn't keep up.
While listening to Ochaco's speech to the crowd of panicked citizens asking them to allow Izuku to stay at U.A. High, he falls to the ground in tears, reminiscing to when he first met Ochaco and feeling extreme gratitude for her support.
After finally relaxing at U.A High, he thanks his class for their support and again apologizes for the trouble.
He expresses the guilt he feels to his class over having abandoned All Might, not wanting to sleep until he can talk to him again.
When All Might apologizes for not having helped Izuku more, he insists that All Might has already done so much for him. He also displays gratitude for the Tonkatsu Bento he constantly gave Izuku, assuring All Might he only ended up in such a bad state because he wasn't with his mentor.
My Hero Academia: You're Next![]
With the support of his classmates, he successfully apprehended several escaped convicts.
When he witnessed Anna being kidnapped, he immediately tried to save her. Even after her quirk injured him upon contact, he continued the chase without hesitation.
He didn’t hesitate to leap in front of Giuilo’s speeding bullet to shield Anna from harm.
After "Dark Might" recklessly destroyed an entire city block, injuring countless civilians, Deku confronted him, unwavering in his belief that a true hero always prioritizes the safety of others.
Even after his quirk was erased, he pressed on, determined to reunite with and rescue his classmates.
When Deborah trapped him in an illusion, Deku resisted the allure of his dream world with the guidance of One For All’s previous wielders. He then helped Giuilo and, eventually, the rest of his friends break free from their illusions.
Leading the final battle against Dark Might, Deku unleashed his full arsenal of "Smash" attacks. With Bakugo and Todoroki by his side, he defeated Dark Might, showcasing his growth and proving he’s ready to carry on All Might's legacy.
Season 7 (The U.A Traitor Arc & The Final War Arc)[]
When he heard from Toru Hagakure that Yuga was the traitor, Izuku accompanied her to find him out of concern. When Yuga fired a laser at him (only to be deflected by Toru's Quirk), he restrained him with Blackwhip, telling him that Toru exposed him to stop him from harming anyone else and offers to take him in so he won't have to be the mole anymore.
While some of Class 1-A felt betrayed and angry towards the revelation of Yuga being the traitor, and Yuga himself believed that he was a rotten villain, Izuku reminded him that he still helped Fumikage and Katsuki at the training camp and left the cheese as a secret cry for help, telling him that he shouldn't blame himself since having to obey All For One was beyond his control and nobody should be labelled as a villain for the rest of their lives just for committing crimes. In the end, he offers his hand Yuga to convince him that he can still be a hero.
Hugged his mother and bid farewell to Kota and Eri as he left U.A.
Thanked Ochaco for defending him in her speech and sympathized with her drive to understand Toga, saying he wants to do the same with Shigaraki.
Saved Mirio from Shigaraki.
Even after seeing Shigaraki injuring Bakugo, he still wanted to save him from All For One.
Tackled Shigaraki off of UA so he couldn’t use his decay and kill everyone there.
His heroism inspired heroes like Death Arms to return to the war.
Manga[]
Tearfully restrained himself from personally saving All Might from All For One only because Shigaraki made it clear he’d kill everyone at UA if he went to go help All Might.
Used his power to help Bakugo reach All Might in time to save him from All For One while also keeping Shigaraki at bay with his Black Whip.
Used his quirk to prevent Shigaraki's decay from reaching Mt. Fuji and erupting it, which would cover everything with lava.
Refused to give up on saving Tenko/Shigaraki, noting that if he really moved on from his past, he wouldn't have so much hatred inside of him and remembered Shigaraki's speech of how Hero Society sweeps the suffering of others under the rug, stating he won't stop fighting until he's shredded that rug with his bare hands.
Was willing to give up One For All if he meant he could break Shigaraki’s hatred and save Tenko Shimura.
Despite knowing it was just a flashback/memory, he still attempted to protect Tenko from his father’s abuse.
Stopped Shigaraki from accidentally decaying his sister in the vestige world, despite nearly losing his own arms in the process.
Successfully reached through to Shigaraki and got him to open up, with Shigaraki deciding to stop attacking him and explaining he’s a villain because he wants to be the hero for other villains that follow him.
Even after losing his arms, tried to keep fighting against All For One after he possessed Shigaraki's body.
After regaining his arms, he defeated All For One while he was possessing Shigaraki’s body, saving the world.
Even after everything All For One did, showed sympathy to him in his final moments, telling him that while he can’t forgive him for everything he’s done, he doesn’t think he’s a demon lord or a monster beyond understanding but just a very lonely man. He also intentionally transferred the power in a way so All For One could spend his final moments with Yoichi.
Comforted Shigaraki in his final moments after they joined forces to the destroy All For One’s vestige, telling him that while he couldn’t forgive him, he also wanted Shigaraki’s sadness and suffering to end before comforting him that in the end, he destroyed what he really needed to; All For One, allowing him to die with peace and dignity and free from his hatred and suffering.
Still felt sad over his failure to save Shigaraki’s life.
He relayed Tomura's final message to Spinner as he had promised and told him that he had dedicated his message just for him, even after Spinner distrusted him for Tomura's death.
When Spinner tried to grab him in a fit of grief, he stopped the doctor from asking for restraints and comforted Spinner over the death of Tomura, reassuring him that he saw him as much of a friend the same way he did.
When Spinner told him he'd write a book about the villainous legacy of Tomura and the League, Izuku encouraged him to portray it as a comic and that he wouldn't forget about Tomura, softening Spinner enough to ask him to give encouragement to Mezo Shoji.
Keeping his promise to Overhaul, he requested the Police Force to have his boss visit him in prison.
Helped in rebuilding Japan alongside the rest of his class.
Comforted a crying Ochako through her survivor's guilt from Himiko Toga sacrificing her life to save hers, telling her that he felt the same way towards Tomura. He then praised the selfless things she did for his sake and told her that she was his hero.
Became a teacher at UA to inspire future generations of heroes.
Helped Dei after he fell while visiting All Might's statue, then repeated the same motivating words All Might told him many years ago.
After being given an upgraded version of All Might's armor from his battle with All For One years ago, he became a hero once more, even if he's quirkless.
Alongside his former classmates and friends, he left to assist Hawks with a nearby landslide, while informing the reader that they will "continue to reach out".
Kept his promise to Spinner and kept on thinking about Tomura even 8 years later.
Alongside the rest of his friends, went to stop a carjacking.
✓
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