Izuku Midoriya

Izuku Midoriya, also known as Deku (デク), is the main protagonist of My Hero Academia.

Though born without a Quirk, he manages to catch the attention of the legendary hero All Might due to his innate heroism and has since become his close pupil and also a student at U.A. High School. All Might passed on his quirk to Izuku, making Izuku the ninth owner of the Quirk One For All.

Appearance
Izuku has round dark-green eyes, messy dark green hair with dark shadows, and four symmetrical freckles on both cheeks underneath his eyes. During his days, he wore a black  uniform with yellow buttons, accompanied by plain white sneakers. While at home, he wears a green jinbei over a white shirt and grey sweatpants.

At U.A., he wears the standard male uniform: a light grey blazer over a white dress shirt and dark green dress pants, along with a red necktie which he does not tie properly, making it shorter than it should be. Izuku usually wears oversized red boots.

Though he was initially very skinny, Izuku has gained an array of well-developed muscles after his ten months of extensive training with All Might. As time progresses it is seen that Izuku's body keeps becoming more muscular and defined. Izuku is often described as being very plain-looking.

Izuku's first Hero Costume was a green full-body jumpsuit with a red belt, elbow pads, knee pads, and gloves, along with his red boots. He also wore a mask with long ear-like protrusions that resembled All Might's haircut, and a respirator with a smile on it that also reflects said hero's. The costume was severely damaged after Izuku's mock battle with Katsuki Bakugo and had to be repaired.

During the USJ Arc, while his costume was being repaired, Izuku wore the U.A. gym uniform: a blue tracksuit with thick white lines over his upper body and legs, which form the letters "UA". He also bought a replacement respirator.

Izuku's second Hero Costume has a few changes, and though some of the original aspects were brought over, it now looks sturdier and more combat-efficient in appearance. His second costume is a dark green full-body jumpsuit with the same red boots and elbow pads. The knee pads have been extended to his legs and reach up to his thighs. His new gloves are tinted beige, and have blue stripes decorating them. His respirator is now metal, diamond-shaped, and has two holes on the top and bottom, left to right. Izuku foregoes the face-covering mask entirely in his second suit.

During the Provisional Hero License Arc, Izuku had his costume upgraded to suit his Shoot Style by adding iron soles to his red boots to increase the power of his kicks, and extending his gloves and added arm braces to them to keep his arms from breaking and causing further damage. His knee pads now have yellow bolts fastened into them. Much later, Mei Hatsume created machine gloves to better help him use his powers without putting the strain on his arms.

After his fight with Shoto Todoroki, the fingers on his right hand became a little deformed, and he gained two scars on the sides of his hand. His right arm was further damaged after his fight with Muscular, leaving various scars throughout it. Following his recovery after said fight, Izuku wears a compression sleeve on his right arm in order to support the heavy damage it sustained.

Personality
Izuku is a very timid, helpful, and polite boy, frequently overreacting to abnormal situations with exaggerated expressions. Due to being bullied since childhood for being born without a Quirk, he is initially portrayed as insecure, and being more reserved and non-expressive. These actions are especially present around Katsuki Bakugo, who constantly subdued him for his aspirations to be a hero. However, after being accepted into U.A. High School, making new friends, and facing Katsuki during the Battle Trial Arc, he has gradually turned into a more confident and brave person, to the point of developing some leadership skills.

Izuku is also very diligent and strong-willed. His dream of becoming a Hero drove him to develop a habit of writing down notes about everything he knows in regards to their Quirks. Because of this practice, Izuku has developed a great analytical mind and is easily able to form complex battle plans in a matter of seconds, taking advantage of his allies' and enemies’ Quirks to put them in motion. Izuku externalizes his observations through endless mumbling, a habit which annoys or scares his peers. Izuku often writes down his observations in a notebook he refers to as Hero Analysis for the Future.

Izuku is a caring person, and will never hesitate to rescue someone in danger, even if he knows that he is not strong enough to do it. Often, he does this on a whim, taking a more careless approach than the usual overthinking he goes through. Izuku has also shown to be selfless enough to try to help people with personal, emotional problems, even if it does not concern him, claiming that a Hero is someone that meddles in the lives of other people. Izuku's heroic spirit is recognized by many, having earned the loyalty and gratitude of characters that were previously antagonistic to him such as Tenya Iida, Shoto Todoroki, Kota Izumi, and leading him to be acknowledged as a true hero by Stain.

Of all Heroes, the Symbol of Peace All Might is the one that has had the most impact in his life, with the formerly Number One Hero having shaped most of the goals and beliefs that Izuku follows since childhood. Many of Izuku's decisions and actions are inspired by his desire to become a Hero similar to All Might, and thus he has a great devotion for him, to the point of collecting several pieces of various Merchandise related to the Hero and emulating several 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 is succeeding the greatest Hero of all time.

Izuku appears to have a more brash and abrasive side to him that mostly 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 Midoriya'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 was also a key factor greatly in helping his ability to protect himself and others. Before gaining his Quirk from All Might, he took on the Sludge Villain and rescued Katsuki because of his boldness and applications of heroic skills.

All Might trained Izuku for months in order to get his body physically ready to inherit One For All, so he gained a muscular physique that allows him to perform at parameters higher than that of an average student outside U.A.'s hero course. After inheriting One For All from All Might, he was granted the ability to harness a stockpile of powerful energy. He could move faster than the eye can see and take down an enormous villain bot in a single punch. However, the physical backlash 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.

Despite the intense drawbacks of One For All, Izuku's wits allowed him to use One For All in ways that were still effective in battle. He also retains his ability to act instinctively based on his notes and possesses basic hand to hand combat knowledge. This was shown when he was able to fight with Katsuki for a short time during the battle trial thanks to his knowledge and novice combat experience even though Katsuki is the superiorly talented student. Even more impressively, he overwhelmed Shoto Todoroki in single combat because the latter was only using his ice. Even only using his right side, Shoto was the most promising student in Class 1-A at the time, but Izuku was able to force him to use his left side.

Following his training with Gran Torino, Izuku gained more control over One For All and improved his overall skills greatly. While using One For All: Full Cowl, Izuku gains greatly enhanced maneuverability, strength, and a reduction in the physical backlash using his Quirk creates. This allows him to compete more closely with his classmates in the physical aspects of the Hero Course and even allows him to fight properly against villains like the Hero Killer. As his mastery over his Quirk improves, so do his practical skills. His bravery, resolve, and intelligence remain steadfast, pushing him to get stronger as well.

Izuku eventually develops his own unique fighting style in order to separate himself from All Might. This further propels Izuku's skills to elite status. By their second fight, Izuku is able to fair much better against Katsuki. Even though Katsuki still held the advantage in physical traits and won, Izuku was able to injure him, showcasing his drastic improvement. By the time of the U.A. Cultural Festival, Izuku played a key part in defeating several capable villains like Overhaul and held his own against members of the League of Villains. He was even able to best Gentle Criminal in battle on his own after the villain was powered up by La Brava's Quirk.

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. It is usually his intelligence that has helped him more than his Quirk. Izuku is able to formulate strategies that take advantage of the situation and uses his knowledge to creatively utilize the Quirks of other people to their full potential, such as working together with Tsuyu and Minoru to escape the villains at the flood zone in the USJ. Izuku also has extensive knowledge on Pro Heroes, his classmates and their Quirks, as well as he wrote them down in great detail in a notebook called Hero Analysis for the Future. Izuku's intelligence has allowed him to figure out One For All's mechanisms, allowing him to utilize the Quirk more efficiently in a short span of time. Gran Torino even compliments Izuku's intelligence, saying that Izuku is the type of person who thinks before he acts. Izuku's intelligence is so vast that it allowed him to rank fourth in the academic exams, which showed that all of his training doesn't hinder his studies. During Provisional Hero License Exam Arc, Izuku also deduced the strategies of the schools and correctly figure they would come after his class first after seeing the Sports Festival.

High Pain Tolerance: Izuku has shown in many occasions that he is able to handle and bear with a lot of pain, such times are mostly because of the repercussion of over-using his Quirk. However, he can still manage to move his body despite feeling excruciating pain, which was seen in his fights with Muscular and Katsuki.

Quirk
One For All (ワン・フォー・オール): Given to him from Toshinori Yagi, Izuku's Quirk gives him access to stockpiled power, granting him superhuman strength and greatly enhanced agility and mobility by spreading his power through his body.

Though he has yet to demonstrate superhuman speed, immense reflexes, and durability on the level of All Might, Izuku has shown to be able to properly control a small percentage of One For All's power, using it to enhance his strength, speed, and agility. If Izuku does not keep One For All below his current limit of 20%, his body can be immensely damaged by the force of his movements. Izuku has also displayed a type of mental connection to the previous users of One For All.

Recently, Izuku's reflexes and speed have improved with the use of One For All, being able to hold his ground against various incoming attacks during the Provisional License exam. Izuku's control of One For All has improved as his current maximum is 20% of One For All's power while in Full Cowl, at the time of U.A's Cultural Festival.

Super Moves

 * Detroit Smash (デトロイトスマッシュ): The same as 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): Izuku flicks his finger to create a powerful wind pressure shock wave that has enough force to break large chunks of ice. 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.


 * One For All: Full Cowl (ワン・フォー・オール フルカウル): Through his training with Gran Torino, Izuku was able to unlock this stage of his power and get better control of his Quirk. This technique allows Izuku to activate 20% (previously 5% which was then improved to 8%) of One For All throughout his body, letting the power course and flow through him instead of concentrating it in one location. According to Izuku, this technique gives him greater maneuverability. Activating this technique gives him enhanced strength, speed, mobility, and agility. It also prevents him from breaking his bones when attacking. The cost of using this technique reduces the damage of how much his attacks do since instead of centering the power into a certain area, Izuku spreads it throughout his body.
 * 5% Detroit Smash (5 パーセント デトロイトスマッシュ): Izuku activates One for All: Full Cowl at 5% then jumps into the air and delivers an enhanced downward punch to the opponent. He has also used this move in the form of a straight, forward facing punch.
 * Delaware Smash Air Force (デラウエアスマッシュエアフォース): Izuku uses his upgraded gloves that Mei Hatsume made for him to direct a blast of compressed air against his foe, possessing enough concussive force to stun Gentle while he was in mid-air, giving Izuku an opening to catch up to him. By using all five of his fingers, he can launch up to four Delaware Smashes simultaneously.
 * 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 Todoroki (causing Izuku to get surgery on his right hand due to injuries) and Muscular (leaving multiple scars across his right arm).
 * 100% Detroit Smash (100 パーセント デトロイトスマッシュ): This move involves Izuku activating One For All at 100% in his arm and then striking his target with a lunging punch.
 * 1,000,000% Delaware Detroit Smash (1000000 パーセント デトロイトデラウエアスマッシュ): This move involves Izuku activating One For All at 100% during an adrenaline rush and then striking his opponent with a full-swing attack. When performing the move Izuku first uses a full-handed Delaware Smash, then delivers a devastating Detroit Smash. During the climax of his battle with Muscular, Izuku not only managed to overpower but launch his augmented opponent with enough force to create an impact crater in solid rock with the strike alone.
 * One For All: Full Cowl - Shoot Style (ワンフォーオール フルカウル シュートスタイル): While using One For All: Full Cowl, Izuku uses a fighting style that focuses more on kicking. Izuku concentrates One for All: Full Cowl's effects in his torso and legs rather than his arms, allowing him to put out even more power due to the fact that the human leg muscles are naturally stronger than the human arm muscles, granting him enough power and stability and allowing him to step away from the shackles of having to imitate All Might.
 * Shoot Style: St. Louis Smash (シュートスタイルセントルイススマッシュ) While using the Shoot Style, Izuku leaps into the air and before swinging around to deliver a roundhouse kick to the opponent's face. Izuku used this move to incapacitate Gentle Criminal, who had been empowered by La Brava's Lover Mode Quirk to match Izuku's use of One for All: Full Cowl at 8% of its power.
 * One For All: Full Cowl - 20%: Izuku uses 20% of One for All's full power and distributes it throughout his body, giving him an even greater power and speed boost. While it won't cause his bones to break, it does put immense strain on Izuku's body, causing him great pain to the point that it feels like his bones are on the verge of breaking.
 * Manchester Smash (マンチェスタースマッシュ): Izuku leaps into the air and flips forward to bring down an axe kick upon his opponent. Although Chisaki managed to dodge it, it pulverized the ground thoroughly enough that Chisaki wasn't able to completely retaliate with his Overhaul Quirk.
 * One For All: Full Cowl - 100% (ワン・フォー・オール フルカウル 100): Izuku activates One For All to its fullest extent throughout in Full Cowl, granting him a tremendous boost in speed and strength that allowed him to easily overwhelm the likes of Kai Chisaki. This was first used against Chisaki to protect 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 the villain.

Equipment

 * Costume Gamma (コスチューム): Following Izuku's decision to change his combat to Shoot Style, Mei Hatsume upgrades his second costume. New additions consist of improved arm bracers that span the length of Izuku's arm in order to prevent further damage to them and iron soles to increase his kicking power.


 * Iron Soles: Created by Mei Hatsume, the Iron Armor Soles attached to Izuku's signature red shoes. Upon kicking something, the soles absorb the impact and redistribute the kinetic energy back out to increase the impact strength of Izuku's kicks.


 * Support Gloves: Mei Hatsume gives Izuku a further upgrade to his costume with the addition of high tech support gloves. They allow Izuku to utilize pressurized air created by Full Cowl and use it as projectiles by flicking his finger.

Trivia

 * In the early concept stages, Izuku was known as "Mikumo Akatani". He had a longer and curlier hairdo, with bangs blocking one of his eyes. He was Quirkless in this concept, relying more on makeshift gadgets and luck to deal with obstacles. His hero costume was also slightly more intimidating. However, Horikoshi commented that he was unsatisfied with Mikumo's design, especially his hair. This made Horikoshi think up the current design with slightly shorter hair.
 * Regarding Izuku's academic life and performance, his U.A. data is as follows.
 * Student No. 18 in Class 1-A.
 * Ranked 7th during the U.A. Entrance Exam
 * Ranked 20th (last) for the Quirk Apprehension Test.
 * Ranked 4th in Class 1-A's mid-term grades.
 * Ranked in the Top 8 of the U.A. Sports Festival First-Year Stage.
 * Izuku's surname "Midoriya" contains the kanji for "green" (緑), "valley" (谷), whereas his given name Izuku is a combination of the kanji "coming out/being from a certain place" (出) and "long ago" (久).
 * "久" is also homophonous to "nine" (九), which refers to him being the ninth user of One For All.
 * "Deku" (デク) is another reading of his name Izuku (出久). Written with different kanji, it can mean a wooden figure or puppet, used as an insult for someone who can't do or achieve anything.
 * Izuku's nickname, "Deku", was given to him by Katsuki when they were little as an insult.
 * Later, Ochaco finds the nickname inspiring and says that "Deku" gives off a feeling of "I can do it" (頑張る), because of its similarity to the word meaning "to be able to do" (できる), pronounced "dekiru".
 * In the FUNimation dub, both Katsuki and Izuku indicate that his nickname is an abbreviation of a different nickname: "Defenseless Izuku", hence Deku.
 * It can also be a reference to the race from The Legend of Zelda franchise, who are seen as weak by many but can hit hard when they first attack.
 * Izuku's rankings in the Popularity Polls are as follows;
 * Izuku ranked 1st in the First Popularity Poll which made him the most popular character in the series.
 * Izuku ranked 2nd in the Second Popularity Poll and Third Popularity Poll
 * Izuku's favorite food is Katsudon, a pork cutlet bowl.
 * Izuku was first planned to be an adult, as seen in the one-shot My Hero.
 * Izuku shares his birthday with from Bleach, another  series.
 * He also shares his birthday with another U.A. Student, being Mirio Togata.
 * Izuku is similar to from the  series.
 * They both have black hair with a green outline.
 * They both have main abilities that involve enhanced strength.
 * They both have self-harming tendencies.
 * In the U.A. Student Information Sheet that Shota Aizawa was using during Episode 39 of the anime, it was shown that Izuku’s Quirk is registered as “Super-Power” in public records, in order to protect the secret about One For All.

Quotes

 * (To All Might) "I have to work harder than anyone else to make it! I'll never catch up otherwise...! I want to be like you...! Like you. The strongest hero."
 * (To Katsuki Bakugo) "I'm not gonna be your worthless punching bag Deku forever... Kacchan. I'm... I'm the Deku who always does his best!"
 * (To Shoto Todoroki) "Just trying to meet expectations! A smiling... dependable... cool hero... That's what I wanna be! That's why I'm giving it everything! For everyone! Your experiences... your determination... I can't even begin to imagine what all that's like... but... If you become number one without giving it your all... Then I don't think you're serious... about denying him everything! That's why I have to win! I have to surpass you!"
 * (To Tenya Iida) "I-I've got a lot to say to you, but... That'll have to come later...! Because it's like All Might said... giving help that's not asked for... is what makes a true hero!"
 * (To Toshinori Yagi) "I'll do my best! Whatever you say, All Might... I'll step up to the challenge! As long as you're by my side, I can do anything... That's how I feel, anyway!"
 * (To Kota Izumi) "If all the villains attacking tonight are on his level... everyone's in trouble. And they might be after us students. I need to tell Mr. Aizawa and the Pussycats what I know. If my actions can save any of them... Then I've gotta do something."

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