Spoiler Warning: This piece contains spoilers for My Hero Academia Season 7.
When we are first introduced to Izuku “Deku” Midoriya (Daiki Yamashita, Ragna Crimson), he is one of the few people in his world born without a quirk. Despite this seemingly terrible fate, Midoriya showed the unwavering determination that would become his trademark by never giving up on his dream. Now, with My Hero Academia in its seventh and final season, it’s time to look at how the boy who could never be a hero became the most pivotal player in the battle to decide the world’s fate.
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Who is Izuku Midoriya?
Early in My Hero Academia, Deku’s most striking characteristic is his unrestrained love of heroes. Bordering on obsession, Midoriya keeps numerous journals collecting everything he’s learned about heroes and villains, their quirks, and fighting styles. While the young man loves all heroes, one stands above all the others in his eyes. That hero is the Symbol of Peace himself: All Might.
In the early seasons, Izuku Midoriya’s drive to emulate his hero is seen as pure good. However, it eventually hinders his growth as a hero. Because Deku watched with the world as All Might carried superhero society on his shoulders alone, Midoriya tries to do the same.
Unwilling to endanger others, even those who also desire to be heroes, Midoriya tries to carry more and more of the burden himself. When it becomes clear that All For One will never stop hounding him, he leaves UA to protect his friends. This isolation quickly begins to wear on Deku’s mind, pushing him beyond healthy limits. Only when his friends intervened did he finally understand that he doesn’t have to carry everything alone.
Midoriya is generally presented as a respectful young man who listens to those in authority. However, when he is forced to choose between following the rules and aiding those in danger, Deku always chooses the latter. This can get the youngster in a considerable amount of trouble. But even as his teachers scold him for it, they cannot help but inwardly acknowledge that it is his singular drive to help others that will make him a great hero.
Another key element of Midoriya’s personality is his willingness to show pain. Unlike many shonen protagonists, Deku is never afraid to allow his tears to flow when he is hurting. This creates a degree of empathy for the character that is lacking in many others.
After all, this is a child who, mere months before the series started, was living a normal life. Then, over a year(ish), he fights countless life-or-death battles, sees the rock his world is built on reduced to a shadow of his former self, and becomes the central target of villains bent on reducing superhero society to rubble. That much sudden pressure would reduce anyone to tears a few times.
Despite how much Izuku Midoriya’s personality puts the character in a positive light, he does have some failings. His biggest is his tendency to devalue his worth. Likely a side effect of years of bullying, Deku struggles to see himself as important. This manifestation of low self-esteem frequently causes him to take unnecessary risks. In the show’s early seasons, Midoriya repeatedly taxes his body using One For All, breaking his limbs to accomplish tasks that are not worth the cost he pays. Even though he views these moments as necessary to become a hero, it is only through the effort of his teachers and friends that he manages to process how such damage can cost him far more than it is worth.
While this trait causes Midoriya a lot of pain he couldn’t be a hero without it. After all, if he valued himself as fully as he does others, would he be able to risk his life for a lone little boy, as he does during his battle against Muscular? Deku’s lack of self-concern forces the viewer to wonder whether some failings are necessary to accomplish some goals. And if necessary, is it truly a failure, or does it speak to a flaw in what society forces heroes to be in Deku’s world?
What are Deku’s Powers?
Initially quirkless, a chance encounter with his hero All Might sees the aspiring hero inherit All Might’s quirk, One For All. Initially, One For All gifts the boy with increased physical attributes Deku’s unprepared muscles and bones cannot handle. This causes him to frequently damage himself until he can gain greater control over how much power he releases during fights.
Just as Deku seems to be perfecting his control over One for All, a training exercise sees him manifest a new, unexpected ability. Shortly thereafter, Midoriya gains the ability to summon the quirks of the previous holders of One For All, greatly increasing his potential in battle, as well as his capacity to rescue people. (For a deep dive into the nature of One For All and all the powers it offers to Deku, check out our full feature here.)
Once One For All’s full powers begin to manifest Deku can employ the full spectrum of its powers thanks to his naturally analytical mind. Having studied heroes and their abilities to a near-obsessive degree, he can naturally pull the strings of One For All together. Izuku Midoriya is the perfect person to combine the plethora of tricks the powerful quirk comes to provide.
What Is Izuku Midoriya’s role in the final season?
As the final confrontation between the heroes and All For One and Shigaraki plays out, Deku finds himself in the middle of the action. With the recent defeat of Star and Stripe and the subsequent loss of New Order, One For All is the only power left to challenge the villains’ might. While the quirk’s impressive power set allows Deku to overcome much of what the villains throw at him, he is forced to sacrifice the quirk in an attempt to save Shigaraki from the villainous path laid out for him by All For One.
While this attempt is ultimately thwarted by the untimely intervention of All for One, Midoriya finally ends the conflict when he deals the last blow, powered by nothing but the final embers of One For All. This gives the young hero one final chance to emulate his idol. Just as All Might burned his power out, so too does Midoriya. It is the perfect final moment of his hero’s journey.
And that is everything you need to know about Izuku Midoriya. Rather than rehash every notable moment in the hero’s story, there are so many, that I thought it would be more useful to focus on what makes him the hero who best embodies UA’s famous motto: PLUS ULTRA!
