SPOILER WARNING This article contains HEAVY SPOILERS for the My Hero Academia manga. Please read at your own risk.

Overview

Gallery

Synopsis

Relationships

Overview Gallery Synopsis Relationships

A smiling... dependable... cool hero... That's what I wanna be! That's why I'm giving it everything! For everyone! Izuku Midoriya explaining his motives to Shoto Todoroki in "Shoto Todoroki: Origin"

Izuku Midoriya ( 緑 ( みどり ) 谷 ( や ) 出 ( いず ) 久 ( く ) , Midoriya Izuku?), also known as Deku (デク, Deku?), is the primary protagonist of the My Hero Academia manga and anime series.

Though born Quirkless, Izuku manages to catch the attention of the legendary hero All Might due to his innate heroism and strong sense of justice and has since become his close pupil as well as a student in Class 1-A at U.A. High School. All Might passed on his Quirk to Izuku, making him the ninth holder of One For All.

Contents show]

Appearance

Izuku is somewhat short for his age, his round face framed by a short mess of fluffy dark-green hair which sticks up at odd angles around his head, casting noticeably dark shadows onto itself. His eyes are large and somewhat circular, their irises the same green color as his hair, which at times are very watery, usually stretched quite wide, giving him an innocent appearance. He has a set of four symmetrical freckles in diamond formations, one on each cheek, but despite these prominent traits, he's often described by others as being plain-looking.

Though he was initially very skinny, Izuku has gained toned muscles after his ten months of extensive training with All Might, and as the series progresses, these are shown to become more developed and defined as he gradually grows stronger.

After his battle against Shoto Todoroki, the fingers on his right hand became slightly deformed, and his hand shows scarring. His right arm was further damaged after his fight with Muscular, leaving various other scars all over it. Following his recovery after said fight, Izuku wears a black compression sleeve on the upper portion of his right arm in order to support the heavy damage it sustained: it is partially visible when he wears short sleeves.

During his Junior High School days, he wore a plain black gakuran uniform with yellow buttons, accompanied by white sneakers. While at home, he wears a green jinbei over a white shirt and gray sweatpants.

At U.A., he wears the standard male uniform: a light gray blazer with dark turquoise trimmings over a white dress shirt and dress pants, along with a red tie which he doesn’t do up properly, leaving it much shorter than it should be. Instead of the plain brown shoes worn by the majority of the student body, he usually wears oversized red boots with thick white soles, laced up to the top.

Izuku's original hero costume is a green full-body jumpsuit with a red belt, elbow pads, knee pads, and gloves, along with his signature red boots. He also wears a mask with long ear-like protrusions that resembles All Might's haircut, and a respirator with a makeshift smile on it that also reflects that of the said hero. The costume was severely damaged as a result of his first battle against Katsuki Bakugo and has to be repaired, which is why, during the U.S.J. Arc and My Hero Academia - Save! Rescue Training, Izuku had to wear the U.A. gym uniform. This attire consists of a dark blue high-collared tracksuit with thick white lines over his torso and down his legs, forming the letters “U” and “A,” and along with this, a respirator.

His second hero costume has a few changes and now looks sturdier and more combat-ready in appearance. The knee pads have been extended to his legs and reach up to his thighs, and his new gloves are tinted beige and are decorated with blue stripes. His respirator is now metal, diamond-shaped, and has eight holes. Izuku goes without a mask in his second suit, and although the mask is still present, he doesn't wear it much.

During the Provisional Hero License Arc, Izuku had his costume upgraded again to suit his new fighting move Shoot Style, by adding iron soles to his red boots to increase the power of his kicks. Arm braces were added, and his knee pads now have yellow bolts fastened into them (they were originally added in his second costume in the manga). Sometime later, just before the School Festival, Mei Hatsume creates support gloves to better help him use his powers for long-range attacks. Prior to the Joint Training Arc, Izuku adds the gloves to his hero costume and uses them in combat.

Gallery

Personality

Izuku is a very timid, reserved, and polite boy, frequently overreacting to abnormal situations with exaggerated expressions. Due to years of being looked down on by Katsuki for lacking a Quirk, he is initially portrayed as insecure, tearful, and non-expressive. These traits are especially present around Katsuki, who also constantly harangued him for his aspirations to become a hero. However, after being accepted into U.A. High School, making new friends, and facing Katsuki during the Battle Trial Arc, Izuku gradually matured into a more confident and brave person who's always eager to prove his worth as a hero, eventually developing strong leadership skills, which, combined with his passion and strategic abilities, have turned him into a central figure within Class 1-A alongside Katsuki.[3]

Izuku is a quite diligent and strong-willed student, being extremely (and sometimes scarily) enthusiastic about topics related to heroes. His dream drives him to write down notes about everything he learns in regards to heroes' Quirks and fighting capabilities. Thanks to this practice, Izuku has developed a great analytical mind and can form complex battle plans in a few seconds, factoring the best ways he can utilize the Quirks of allies and enemies alike for his own advantage.

Izuku externalizes his observations through endless mumbling, a habit that annoys or creeps out his peers. Izuku often writes down those observations in a variety of notebooks he titles as Hero Analysis for the Future, checking on them regularly during school activities or at night.

Izuku is caring and emotional, never hesitating to help or rescue someone in danger, even if he knows that he might not be strong or qualified enough to do it. Often, he does this on instinct, taking a more careless approach than the usual overthinking he goes through and putting himself on peril in order to protect someone.

Izuku is known to help or lecture people with personal and emotional problems, regardless if it's his business or not, claiming that a hero should meddle in other people's lives. This audacious spirit, while initially viewed as perplexing or even insane by others, is also recognized by many, has earned the loyalty and gratitude of characters that were previously antagonistic to him such as Tenya Iida, Shoto Todoroki, Hitoshi Shinso, Kota Izumi, Sir Nighteye and even the Hero Killer: Stain.

He has a strong fascination with heroes and is shown well-versed in their history, sometimes surprising the heroes with his vast knowledge.[4][5][6] Of all heroes, the Symbol of Peace All Might has impacted and modeled Izuku's life the most. Many of Izuku's decisions and actions result from his desire to become a Pro Hero similar to All Might, and thus he has a great devotion to him.

Izuku is an avid collector of All Might merchandise, has knowledge of his several feats (no matter how minor) and emulates many of his traits. Having inherited his Quirk, one of Izuku's current priorities is to be able to live up to his idol's legacy, as he is always looking for ways to improve his usage of One For All, being aware of the immense pressure that comes with succeeding the greatest Hero of all time. The unwavering trust and approval Izuku receives from All Might has been vital to his development as a hero, especially when feelings of self-doubt and unworthiness plague his mind.

Izuku appears to have a more brash and abrasive side to him, which typically shows up when he finds himself in combat. This side of him makes him act more like Katsuki, being rather loud and unwavering, and also with a strong drive towards victory. He claims that this is because he sees Katsuki as the embodiment of what someone who strives for victory should be. He has also admitted that he doesn't like this side of him very much and tends to keep it in check.

Abilities

Overall Abilities: Izuku’s greatest asset prior to receiving his Quirk was his vast knowledge of fundamental hero skills and tactics. Izuku studied Pro Heroes for years and is able to apply that knowledge during crisis situations in a practical manner. His immense bravery and desire to become a hero were also important factors in giving him the mentality to protect others. Before gaining his Quirk from All Might, he took on the Sludge Villain and rescued Katsuki because of his boldness and application of heroic skills, something that deeply impressed the then No. 1 Hero.

Having been trained by All Might for 10 months in order to get his body physically ready to inherit One For All, Izuku gained a muscular physique that lets him perform at parameters higher than that of an average student outside U.A.'s hero course. During the Quirk Apprehension Test, he demonstrated a grip strength of 56 kilograms and the ability to run the 50-meter dash in 7.02 seconds (15.93 mph/25.64 kph).

After inheriting One For All from All Might, he was granted the ability to harness a stockpile of powerful energy. He can move faster than the eye can see and take down an enormous villain bot in a single punch, but the physical backlash at the time prevented Izuku from being able to fight properly or compete with his peers on an even playing field. Even so, he still possessed impressive physical durability, and his drive allowed him to withstand the drawbacks of One For All for the most part.

Despite the intense drawbacks of One For All, Izuku's wits provide him with ways to use One For All that are still effective in battle. He also retains his ability to act instinctively based on his notes and possesses basic hand-to-hand combat knowledge. By applying those correctly, Izuku is able to fight toe-to-toe with even the strongest students of Class 1-A, such as Katsuki and Shoto.

Under the tutelage of Gran Torino, Izuku acquired more control over One For All, leading to the creation of One For All: Full Cowl, a technique that would eventually become a key component of his fighting style. With Izuku gaining greatly enhanced maneuverability, strength, and a significant reduction in the physical backlash created when using his Quirk uncontrollably, he was able to drastically improve his overall fighting capabilities; his newly attained abilities garnered praise from Gran Torino, who noted that Izuku was on a higher level than he was compared to the Sports Festival.[7] This specific improvement enabled Izuku to compete more closely with his classmates in the physical aspects of the Hero Course and even allows him to fight properly against top Villains like the Hero Killer: Stain, who had single-handedly bested various Pro Heroes.

As Izuku's mastery over his Quirk improves, so do his practical skills. Also, when his skills and experience increase, so does his confidence, which is said to be a source of inspiration to his classmates as well.[3] His body, however, still remains relatively vulnerable to One For All's drawbacks, which gives Izuku a disadvantage against enemies like Muscular or Overhaul, whose Quirks were proven to be too powerful against One For All's weaker outputs, forcing scenarios where Izuku had to sacrifice his body in order to go all out. In order to protect his own body, particularly his arms, Izuku eventually develops his own unique fighting style, diverging himself further from All Might's.

Currently, Izuku is acknowledged by his classmates as a strong, reliable, leading figure, with both his strength and intelligence being respected equally. However, Izuku's Quirk is still an enigma for them (including Izuku himself), which makes him an unpredictable ally for better or worse. As Izuku keeps growing, so does One For All, and with the prospect of having new abilities unlocked in the future, Izuku has to work even harder in order to fully dominate the Quirk that was passed to him.

Trained Muscles: Usage of One For All requires the user to have strong muscles, as One For All is a lot to handle and could cause the user's body to be blown apart if they don't possess the necessary bodily strength.

Enhanced Stamina: Izuku has shown on many occasions that he is capable of handling large amounts of pain. Such times were mostly side-effects of overusing his Quirk and frequently led to various broken bones. Izuku is able to avoid those repercussions by staying in a safe range of One For All power output (currently, this is around 45%).

Should he be forced to output more power, Izuku is still capable of fighting decently even with broken limbs thanks to the effects of adrenaline, but will succumb to exhaustion a while later. Izuku also has to be wary of his arms, which have grown weary due to his repeat injuries and could eventually stop working altogether if he doesn't restrain himself.

Keen Intellect: Izuku has proven to be exceptionally intelligent on many occasions, displaying both keen observation and analysis as well as adept intuition and resourcefulness. His grades are among the highest of his class, showing that his One For All training rarely interferes with his studying. Izuku's intelligence has probably been a more useful asset to him than One For All so far.

Izuku is a quick learner, which has helped him figure out most One For All's mechanisms in a short span of time and work around its limitations. While some of his moves have been directly inspired by All Might (if not, outright copied), the majority of Izuku's moves and techniques were all conceived by him during sudden sparks of inspiration, a proof of his creativity.

Izuku also has extensive knowledge of Pro Heroes, his classmates, and their Quirks, taking notes of them in great detail in his Hero Analysis for the Future.[4] This is fruit of excellent observational skills coupled with his own desires in becoming a hero by learning from the best, meaning that Izuku always has a natural interest in expanding his knowledge further and further.

Izuku is an exceptional strategist and tactician. By combining his aforementioned quick learning and knowledge about Quirks, Izuku is able to devise plans that take advantage of his friends' abilities to the fullest. Izuku's calculations have been crucial at several moments of his school life, allowing him to earn victories (like the Battle Trial), escape dangerous situations (the U.S.J. Incident) and save lives (the Vanguard Action Squad Invasion and Kamino Incident).

His intelligence is greatly respected by everyone in Class 1-A as many of his peers look up to him for planning and follow his strategies to the bottom line. Even Momo Yaoyorozu, the smartest student in the class, has looked up to Izuku as a reference.[8]

Leadership Skills: As a natural consequence of his bravery and strategic mindset, Izuku has displayed incredible leadership skills on various occasions.

By the start of his U.A. High School life, Izuku had already earned the trust of Ochaco Uraraka and Tenya Iida thanks to his actions in the U.A. Entrance Exam, which was enough to allow him to be voted class representative early on (having relinquished the position to Tenya shortly after). Tsuyu Asui and Minoru Mineta also placed their faith on Izuku during the U.S.J. Incident, following his instructions with little hesitation. By the time of the First Term Final Exam, he had already fought alongside Katsuki and Shoto, who were previously antagonistic to him.

Izuku might not be aware of this, but he is one of the main motivators within his class alongside Katsuki, thanks to a combination of his heroic drive and practical intellect.[3]

Quirk

One For All (ワン・フォー・オール, Wan Fō Ōru?): Transferred to him from Toshinori Yagi, Izuku's Quirk allows him to stockpile an enormous amount of raw power, allowing him to significantly enhance all of his physical abilities to a superhuman level. This results in unbelievable levels of strength, speed, agility, and durability.

Izuku can focus the stockpiled power into a single body part, or spread it across his entire body evenly, though, focusing the power in a single part puts a greater strain on that part of his body. He is also able to control what percentage of his full power that he uses. He is currently able to handle 45% of his full power without breaking his bones, with 30% being his normal output.[9]

The Quirk factors of the previous power holders have merged with the core of One For All and have drastically increased in strength since. This grants Izuku the ability to access and utilize the Quirks of the previous holders of One For All. The known Quirks within One For All are:

Blackwhip 黒鞭 ( クロムチ ) , Kuro Muchi ? Daigoro Banjo. This Quirk allows Izuku to generate tendrils of black energy from his arms that are good for grappling. It is useful for grabbing things from long distances, as well as increasing Izuku's mobility.

Daigoro Banjo. This Quirk allows Izuku to generate tendrils of black energy from his arms that are good for grappling. It is useful for grabbing things from long distances, as well as increasing Izuku's mobility. Float 浮遊 , Fuyū ? Nana Shimura. This Quirk allows Izuku to levitate and suspend himself in mid-air.

Izuku has also displayed a type of mental connection to the previous holders of One For All.[10]

Super Moves

Detroit Smash デトロイトスマッシュ , Detoroito Sumasshu ? All Might's move, except Izuku does it in the form of an uppercut. [11]

All Might's move, except Izuku does it in the form of an uppercut. Delaware Smash デラウエアスマッシュ , Derauea Sumasshu ? [12] Due to using this attack at 100%, it fractures said finger, limiting the time he can use this move without gravely injuring himself up to ten times.[13]

One For All - 100% : A technique that allows Izuku to attack using the full power of One For All in the desired part of his body, with the cost of said body part breaking upon execution. Further usage of the same limb after an initial attack can cause scarring, as seen with his fights against Shoto (causing Izuku to get surgery on his right hand due to injuries) and Muscular (leaving multiple scars across his right arm). [25] 100% Detroit Smash 100% デトロイトスマッシュ , Hyaku Pāsento Detoroito Sumasshu ? [26] 1,000,000% Delaware Detroit Smash 1000000% デトロイトデラウエアスマッシュ , Hyaku-man Pāsento Derauea Detoroito Sumasshu ? Muscular, Izuku managed to overpower and launch his augmented opponent with enough force to create an impact crater in solid rock with the strike alone, thus defeating the villain. [26] Wyoming Smash ワイオミング スマッシュ , Waiomingu Sumasshu ?

: A technique that allows Izuku to attack using the full power of One For All in the desired part of his body, with the cost of said body part breaking upon execution. Further usage of the same limb after an initial attack can cause scarring, as seen with his fights against Shoto (causing Izuku to get surgery on his right hand due to injuries) and Muscular (leaving multiple scars across his right arm).

One For All: Full Cowl - 100% ワン・フォー・オール フルカウル 100 % ( パーセント ) , Wan Fō Ōru Furu Kauru Hyaku Pāsento ? Eri. The power increase seemingly gives him fire-like trails coming from his eyes and light-colored hair. He can currently only use it infinitely with no damage done to his body while in physical contact with Eri. Since Eri has the ability to Rewind the state of a person's body, any damage done to Izuku's body by using One For All at 100% would continually be undone by Eri's Quirk which proved useful in his fight with Kai.[30]

Stats

Power 1/5 E Speed 1/5 E Technique 4/5 B Intelligence 4/5 B Cooperativeness 5/5 A Izuku's stats, according to the Ultra Archive Book Power 5/6 A+ Speed 5/6 A Technique 5/6 A Intelligence 5/6 A Aura 1/6 E Izuku's stats, according to the Ultra Analysis Book

Equipment

Costume Gamma (コスチューム γ ( ガンマ ) , Kosuchūmu Ganma?): Following Izuku's decision to change his primary combat technique to Shoot Style, Mei Hatsume upgrades his second costume. New additions consist of improved arm bracers that span the length of Izuku's arms in order to prevent further damage to them and iron soles to increase his kicking power.[31]

Iron Soles アイアンソール , Aiansōru ? [32] Izuku requested the soles to strengthen his kicks after resolving to change his fighting style.

Izuku requested the soles to strengthen his kicks after resolving to change his fighting style. Air Force Gloves: Created by Mei Hatsume, these gloves allow Izuku to focus and aim bursts pressurized air that he creates by flicking his fingers.[21] This allows Izuku to use long-range projectile attacks.

Full Gauntlet (フルガントレット, Furu Gantoretto?): Created by Melissa Shield, it was given to Izuku after she figured out that he was limiting his output of One For All, during the faux villain course at the I-Island Expo. The device allowed him to use his Quirk at higher percentages without the risk of self-injury. The gauntlet was later destroyed at the climax of Izuku and All Might's fight against Wolfram.

Full Gauntlet. Improved arm braces for better arm support. Iron Armor Soles for increased kicking power. Air Force Gloves for long-range combat. Costume Gamma upgraded.