Inspired by Kohei Horikoshi’s eponymous Japanese manga series,My Hero Academiarevolves around the misadventures of a Quirkless boy namedIzuku Midoriya, aka. Deku,who aspires to become a hero. Despite being mocked and insulted by his peers for chasing his seemingly impossible dreams, he refuses to let his limitations become his shackles.
Through a remarkable display of unwavering determination and fearlessness, Izuku manages to convince the great hero All Might to choose him as his successor, andenrols in U.A. Highto kick off his hero journey. Each villain and challenge that Deku encounters in his path fuels his dramatic rise in the hero world. While several episodes focused on him stand out in the series, the following five truly capture his growth as a friend, colleague, and future hero.
5Season 6, Episode 23 “Deku Vs. Class A”
Deku’s U.A. High Friends Convince Him To Return
In light of earlier events and realizing thatAll for One is after him, Izuku Midoriya decides that he will work alone to ensure that no one gets hurt because of him. His vigilantism pushes him to make reckless decisions, and his friends at U.A. High grow impatient, worrying about his well-being. They launch a search for him, and manage to trace his location soon afterwards.
WhenDeku’s friends confront him, he refuses to listen to them and tries to run away, but the U.A. High students work together to catch him again, after which Bakugo has a heart-to-heart with his old friend. Kacchan’s emotional apology for his mistakes and his kind appeal calm Deku, after which he collapses from exhaustion.
We’re here to step in when you can’t handle it on your own. Because to live up to those ideals and surpass All Might, we gotta save you, the civilians in the U.A., and the people on the streets. Because saving people is how we win.
This emotional episode revolves around themes of friendship and leaves a lasting impression on viewers. It also reveals a mature Bakugo who is willing to set his ego aside to apologize and attempt to make amends for his mistakes.“Deku vs. Class A"marks the end of Izuku’s vigilantism and the start of a new chapter in his life.
4Season 2, Episode 10 “Shoto Todoroki: Origin”
Deku Heroically Convinces Shoto To Embrace His Quirk
In the U.A. Sports Festival Arc, a battle tournament is organized in which the students fight one-on-one against their peers. During the quarterfinals, Deku finds himselfup against Shoto Todoroki. Since Endeavor is present in the stadium, Shoto refuses to activate his fire, as he is conflicted because of his traumatic childhood.
It turns out thatEndeavor was so obsessed with power and prestigethat he abused his wife and isolated Shoto from his siblings. The memories of the past continue to haunt him to this day, and Shoto appears unwilling to give Endeavor the satisfaction of thinking that he was right for treating his family horribly just for the sake of creating a potential future hero who will surpass All Might.
Deku, despite being Shoto’s opponent in the fight, empathizes with Todoroki. Instead of taking advantage of the fact that his adversary is not activating fire, Izuku argues with Shoto and tries to convince him to embrace his powers. What makes his efforts even more heroic is the fact that Deku was himself struggling to control his quirk, and was unable to fight without breaking his bones in the process. Although"Shoto Todoroki: Origin"is focused on the eponymous character, the episode gives viewers a glimpse into the never-give-up attitude and heroic values that Izuku carries with him wherever he goes.
3Season 3, Episode 23 “Deku Vs. Kacchan, Part 2”
Katsuki Bakugo Confronts Izuku About One For All
Sometime after the Kamino Incident,Bakugo figured out that All Might’s quirkwas passed on to Deku. Still blaming himself for All Might’s retirement, Kacchan invites Izuku to Ground Beta for a conversation. After everyone goes to sleep, the frenemies finally meet, and Bakugo confronts Deku about One for All. By that time, Deku had already known that his classmate would come to this conclusion sooner or later, so he was prepared and readily admitted that his hunch was accurate. Kacchan has always looked up to All Might, and since his hero chose Deku over him, he suggests that the two have a no-holds-barred fight.
Meanwhile,All Might learns of what’s going onand decides to meet his students to dispel all doubts. Before he can get there, Bakugo and Izuku are already engaged in an emotionally charged fight in which they finally talk about their feelings toward each other. The heated argument, action-packed battle, and All Might’s wise words to calm the two down all come together to make"Deku vs. Kacchan, Part 2"an emotional rollercoaster that shapes the two friends' fate forever.
2Season 3, Episode 4 “My Hero”
Deku Pushes Himself To The Extreme To Protect Kota
In the Forest Training Camp Arc, the students at U.A. High School participate in a summer training camp following the completion of their first semester. The leader of Wild, Wild Pussycats brings her nephew, Kota Izumi, with her. Following the untimely demise of his parents, Kota has become disillusioned with the hero society. Even though Deku tries to have a conversation with him, he refuses to listen. Then things take a dark turn whenthe Vanguard Action Squadattacks the camp.
Kota is alone in the mountain when Muscular finds him. It turns out that the villain had killed his parents some time ago. When Izuku learns about the attack, he rushes to save Izumi, aware that he is without help. Deku arrives just in time and barely manages to push Muscular away. With nowhere to go, he realizes that he must put his life on the line to fight the villain and save Kota.
Little kids are always so quick to say it’s someone else’s fault. Don’t get the wrong idea. It’s not like I took them out because I was mad about the eye thing. I wanted to kill people, it’s as simple as that, and those two tried to stop me. What happened was the result of all of us doing our best. The real travesty is promising to do something you aren’t able to do. That’s why your dear old mommy and daddy died.
The battle that ensues pushes Izuku to his physical limits, but determined to save Izumi,Midoriya demonstrates remarkable courageand endurance. The high-stakes fight leaves both combatants battered, but despite the power difference, Deku refuses to give in and manages to surpass his limits and defeat his adversary. As the dust settles, Kota looks on in disbelief and amazement. Deku’s triumph and selfless fighting spirit change his heart, and Kota recognizes him as his hero.
1Season 4, Episode 13 “Infinite 100%”
Deku Uses One For All At 100% To Save Eri From Overhaul
Kai Chisaki, a.k.a. Overhaul, wanted to create a monopoly on quirks and revive the yakuza to repay his debts. His ruthless commitment to his evil goal pushed him to conceptualize the Quirk-erasing drug. When the heroes discover that he has been using Eri to execute his evil schemes, they plan acovert operation to stop Shie Hassaikai. Eventually, the heroes successfully track down Overhaul and his underlings, and a high-stakes battle between the forces of good and evil starts to look inevitable.
Deku had allowed Eri to return to Overhaul some time before, not realizing what Shie Hassaikai’s leader was up to. Desperate to make amends, he confronted Overhaul as soon as he could. Eri remembered the kindness and warmth she had experienced with Izuku, and used the opportunity to leap into Midoriya’s arms. Naturally, Overhaul was not going to let him get away with Eri, so he attacked immediately.
Why doesn’t anybody see the big picture? I’m going to tear down this entire world! Destroy its very foundation! You’re all blinded by some outdated sense of what’s right! You’re just pretending to be heroes! I won’t let you stand in my way.
At the time, Eri was relatively ignorant of the positive abilities that her quirk granted her, but as the fight got intense, she accidentally healed Izuku’s injuries using Rewind. Deku realizes that in order to avoid getting rewound out of existence, he must keep getting injured at an evenfaster pace than Eri’s quirk. This allows him to access One for All 100%, and once he engages with Overhaul again, he manages to finish off the villain in style.
The fight is an emotional one, with Nighteye predicting that Deku will be killed in action. Contrary to all the doubts he faced, Izuku’s triumph over Overhaul and access to One for All 100% paint a positive picture of the future in light of All Might’s retirement and the resulting vacuum.“Infinite 100%“also gives Deku fans a glimpse of what he would be like as a hero once he utilizes his quirk with authority, confidence, and precision.
