His heroic alias, Deku, is but another term for Izuku Midoriya – a boy with green hair who became something so much more. With a history that spans over eleven years (and counting), this hero has grown and developed since the day he was first introduced to us. He is more than just All Might’s student, Katsuki Bakugo’s arch-rival, Ochako Uraraka’s love interest or Tomura Shigaraki’s worst nightmare. It would seem we forgot to mention some things about this stronger-than-ever hero – which only goes to show how little people know about him!
Deku Was Supposed to Be an Adult
According to Deku’s early character designs, the entire school structure of My Hero Academia was an afterthought, as can be seen in the characters’ early concept art. Horikoshi decided that a story set in this setting would be much more interesting than the content of the original one shot manga (which he had been planning for) so he included this detail and now it looks like his work paid off–the detail really makes sense. Furthermore, before starting his design for Deku (who appears at first glance to look very similar), he designed several other characters who seem to fit alongside him; these are some features about those earlier creations we know from interviews with Horikoshi himself.
First Appearance: One-Shot Comic
For someone who has always wanted to become a hero like their favorite idol, but never thought they would actually get there; it only gets sweeter when they finally do reach this goal. My Hero Academia first appeared in Akamaru Jump’s winter issue of 2008 and was written as an one-shot comic that would eventually grow into being so popular. Even though Jack had changed his name to Deku now, he still remained determined and became even more passionate about this goal of becoming what he had always dreamed of – because now that he had reached this point in time after years and years of hard work, nothing could stop him from realizing his lifelong dream.
Originally, He Was Supposed to Remain Quirkless.
When MHA was first being written, Izuku was set in stone to stay unafraid despite the fact that 80% of people have quirks. To explore this idea more, Midoriya Deku started off the show without a quirk until he received One-For-All – one of the best quirks featured in the entire series. When All Might saw Deku’s worth, he knew there wasn’t anyone else who could handle it and so decided to give him it out of appreciation for his courage and strength through adversity.
His First Costume Was Cheap.
Purchasing Izuku’s first hero outfit set him back $370.53 for the professionally designed tailored uniform meant to be worn in battle, it seems like a lot of money at first glance; however, when you compare his costume to Todoroki’s – which also cost an additional 350 dollars – then what he paid isn’t so bad after all. It’ll only cost even more once they start designing more outfits just for him!
Deku Went to Great Lengths to Hide His Quirk.
The fact that Deku had a super-power was not meant to be public knowledge; only close friends and All-Might are privy to this information. So when Deku went to register for school, he entered Super Power on the list of abilities rather than One-For-All. Though it may have seemed like a sensible decision at the time, would anyone think less of him if they found out about his superpower?
Puns Are All Over His Real Name, Which Tells His Story.
In Anime, the punny names of various characters often mean something about who they are or what their motives are. Izuku Midoriya’s name holds many implications about himself and is translated as such in English subtitles. Midori refers to green colors – both his eye color and hair – while Izuki means valley. Dorya contains the words for ‘turn’ or ’round’ or ‘opportunity’ – so it can be inferred that he has been met with difficulties before and will now fight through them valiantly against all odds. He also has an alternate persona named Izu which could be interpreted as one’s turn.
His Nickname Could Have Had a Nicer Origin.
Though Izuku Midoriya did not have an extraordinary quirk, he was proud to call himself Deku after achieving it. In the beginning, Bakugo would use the name Deku as an insult against him due to how much they looked alike. He meant that even though there might be some hope for Deku yet, all Deku could do is take punches. Ochako Uraraka reassured him and told him that his surname meant to be able to do. This changed everything for Izuku; understanding what made up his new identity gave him a sense of peace and vigor never before felt by this boy with no superpowers.
A Big Fan of Katsudon.
We’ve spent a lot of time with Deku, but we don’t know much about him personally. There are plenty of glimpses into his battles, relationships with his peers and adults, but little did we know that one of his favorite foods was Katsudon – a Japanese rice bowl filled with cutlets, eggs and various other toppings. Although it’s merely a small part in their culture; this dish is immensely popular among many people who reside there.
Deku Never Won First Place in Anything.
The series’ viewers are continuously shown that Deku is not always the smartest student. The scores he received for understanding his quirk were abysmal, and we’re still unaware of five major aspects of his quirk. Even though Deku consistently places within the top four students in his class, there may be a very good reason why he hasn’t won anything yet. Just as Deku hides from us what lays behind those papers – so does he hide himself from everything else around him.
Documentation Don’t Reflect His Real Quirk.
It is critical for Izuku to keep his inheritance of One For All secret. This means that the academy knows – though they know him only as a Super-Power user. With regards to his academics, he has falsified records at U.A., stating that he possesses no quirks whatsoever.
He Has the Third Most Number of Quirks.
It seems like most people in My Hero Academia are limited to having just one quirk, but there are exceptions. As it happens, One For All is a lot more complicated than initially meets the eye; because every user who had this power before allows for someone else- namely Izuku- to also possess their quirks when they come into contact with them. So far he has been confirmed to have seven different powers- including Four Quirks that are still beyond his reach at the moment. He ranks third on this list alongside Nine from the second movie.
Izuku and Mirio Share the Same Birthday!
A character’s birthdays doesn’t sound like much, but in this case, it is. It turns out that Izuku and Mirio share a birthday of July 15th – they’re both Cancerians!
He Will See His Father One Day.
Even though Izuku Midoriya is raised by a single parent, he actually has a father that is away on business at the moment. All other information about his father are unknown besides the fact of him possessing an unconfirmed supernatural power called ‘Fire Breath’.
Fans of the show shouldn’t stay in the dark for long. It has been confirmed by Horikoshi that Izuku’s father will make an appearance at some point. For now, it’s unclear when or how he’ll do so.
His Birthday Is the Same as Ichigo Kurosaki’s.
Ichigo Kurosaki, the protagonist of Bleach, is another famous fictional character. Like Izuku Midoriya before him, Ichigo began as a regular high-schooler with no extraordinary qualities.
He became a master Hollow slayer with time. Eventually, Deku rose to the status of a legendary hero pro-hero– despite his birthdate being an unfortunate coincidence. However, we’d prefer to believe that Horikoshi had planned for it this way all along.
Izuku’s Personality Is Based on Horikoshi’s Own.
Kohei Horikoshi, like many other writers, draws inspiration for his characters from personal experience. During an interview with Shueisha Inc., Bleach creator Tite Kubo said I know Deku’s a huge worrywart, and talking to you just confirmed that before Horikoshi replied saying I designed Deku to be plain and average on purpose. However, the animator went on to say he wasn’t sure why he made him so boring either.
He goes on further detailing how both himself and Izuku Midoriya share similar weaknesses; they are both too worried about what could happen next or what people might think of them. And because of this, they struggle to make any real progress in life since they’re constantly doubting themselves.
Here are some of the most interesting facts about Deku from Boku no Hero Academia. There may even be a few things you didn’t know before! Let us know if there is anything we missed in the comment section and please share your thoughts on who your favorite My Hero Academia character is. We would love to hear what you think!
