, also known by his hero name , is a superhero and the main protagonist of the manga series My Hero Academia, created by Kōhei Horikoshi. In the series, he is an ambitious first-year high schooler and the 9th (and current) holder of "One For All" (ワン・フォー・オール, Wan Fō Ōru), a superpower which combines six different individual superpowers, or "Quirks", together and creates powerful bursts of energy, and also has the unique ability to be passed off to other people.
Initially born without a "Quirk" to call his own, Izuku would still grow up with aspirations to become a superhero in his own right. In this universe, Quirks are what we would generally refer to as superpowers or superhuman abilities. Mockingly nicknamed "Deku" by childhood classmate and former bully Katsuki Bakugo, Izuku would later save him from a villain, in turn winning over the interest of All Might, Izuku's childhood idol and #1 hero, who in turn passes down his Quirk, One For All, to him. After being accepted into U.A. High School, Izuku's classmate Ochaco Uraraka inspires him to embrace his nickname and he uses it as his hero name.
In the anime adaptation of the manga, Izuku is voiced by Daiki Yamashita in Japanese and Justin Briner in English. His character has received praise from critics for his development and personality. The voice performances in both Japanese and English dub also received praise. The character has also made consistent appearances in popularity polls related to the series, most commonly placing second.
Creation and conception
Izuku Midoriya was initially created as , an ill salaryman working for a superhero supply company. This prototype appears only in a 2008 one-shot comic written by Horikoshi called My Hero. He was later changed to a high-school student for My Hero Academia (with the chronic illness repurposed for All Might's character), however, his character remains largely unchanged. This prototype for My Hero Academias main protagonist was , a black-haired Quirkless boy who would have utilized gadgets to become a hero. Horikoshi revised the design of Akatani's character, as he was especially dissatisfied with the hair and shortened it for Midoriya. Initially the protagonist was to remain Quirkless. Horikoshi changed the direction of Midoriya's character by adding his acquisition of One For All, due to suggestions from editors that argued that a powerless main protagonist would be overshadowed by other superpowered characters.
Voice actors Izuku's Japanese voice actor, Daiki Yamashita, commented on how he played differently during the time Izuku has changed. He said that while he played the character as the series progresses, he tried to gain a strength for himself as well. And when he acted against the villains, he tried to not back down but to convey the mental strength in his acting as well. Yamashita also stated that during voice recordings he had to eat a lot to prepare due to how often the character screams.
English voice actor Justin Briner originally auditioned for other characters, who are mostly in Class 1-A, the same class as Izuku. When he saw the character, he felt that this gave him strength as a voice actor. He also stated that he did not want to get his hopes up when he tried for the role. He described Izuku as "nerd" due to how relatable he is, and his sheer passion for heroism in the world that he lives in. Briner felt thankful that he lived for his character to voice throughout the series. He noted that voice acting had little nuances that he did not expect.
Appearances In My Hero Academia Izuku is first seen in My Hero Academia as a 4-year-old boy about to be beaten up by three classmates, one of them being Katsuki Bakugo, who can create explosions. Unlike his parents and 80% of the world's population, Izuku is Quirkless, as in he was born without any unique superpower, or "Quirk", to call his own. Despite this setback, he grew up with aspirations to be a hero in his own right and began to idolize the superhero All Might. Izuku was raised primarily by his mother, Inko, who can make small objects float towards her. His father, Hisashi, whose Quirk allows him to breathe fire, is not seen because he is working abroad in the United States. Throughout his childhood and into his teen years, Izuku would often be bullied by Katsuki Bakugo, who would give him the nickname "Deku" (an alternate kun'yomi reading of his given name's kanji that is homophonous with 木偶, meaning "useless person; good for nothing"; treated as a clipped compound of "Defenseless Izuku" in English translations) to mock his perceived worthlessness in superhero society.
Ten years later, 14-year-old Izuku has a chance encounter with Toshinori Yagi, otherwise known as All Might, and asks him if he, too, could be a hero, even though he possesses no Quirk. All Might, after he reveals his true appearance, responds by telling him to dream more realistically and to consider becoming a police officer. Later, when an unnamed villain with mud-like liquid abilities attacks Katsuki, Izuku, without proper thought, runs up to try and save him, which in turn gives the worn-out All Might (who can only do hero work for about three hours a day due to a fight with All for One that destroyed half of his respiratory system) the motivation to finish off the villain.
Later, an impressed All Might meets up with Izuku and tells him that he wants him to inherit his Quirk "One for All". Izuku accepts the offer and, after ten months of training under All Might in order to prove his worth (in that time, Izuku turns 15), he is asked to eat a strand of All Might's hair to obtain One for All, just hours before the UA entrance exam. Izuku first uses One for All during the practical part of the exam to save Ochaco Uraraka from being attacked by a giant robot, causing him to pass the exam. In honor of his acceptance, his mother Inko fabricates him his very own super-suit, a teal-colored suit based on a sketch Izuku once drew. Izuku is placed in a class with Katsuki and Ochaco, the latter of whom inspires him to embrace "Deku" as his hero name due to sounding similar to "dekiru" (出来る), which roughly translates to "you can do it." He also became secretly infatuated with Ochaco, as he almost always blushes around her, and is the one girl he cares about the most; however, he keeps his feelings for her hidden out of fear of rejection, not knowing she also develops romantic feelings for him as well.
Throughout the course of the series, Izuku becomes an encouraging influence to his classmates, such as allowing class prodigy Shoto Todoroki to let go of traumas that prevented him from using his powers to its fullest potential, helping Ochaco Uraraka win the hero vs. villain exercise, teaching Fumikage Tokoyami how to use his Quirk for defense purposes, and helping Kyoka Jiro organize her notes for the school festival. After nearly a year of school activities and internships, some of which are intercepted by villain attacks, Izuku learns that All For One's apprentice Tomura Shigaraki has become powerful enough to steal One for All. Due to this, Izuku decides to leave U.A. so he can combat Shigaraki and his army of villains without endangering his classmates, who he had informed of his departure. Prior to leaving, he informs his classmates and several of the top heroes about One for All, the latter of whom assist him in hunting down the villains. His classmates tracked him down and were able to bring him back to U.A. successfully, while reminding him about how helpful he was to his class and why they see him as a friend even though he was born Quirkless, as well as Katsuki apologizing for his bullying attitude to Midoriya.
In other media Izuku plays central roles in the movies My Hero Academia: Two Heroes, My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising, My Hero Academia: World Heroes' Mission, and My Hero Academia: You're Next. He also appears in the spinoff light novel series My Hero Academia: School Briefs, and the comic parody My Hero Academia: Smash!!, which depicts My Hero Academias events in a more comedic manner. He appears as a playable character in the video games My Hero Academia: Battle for All, My Hero One's Justice, My Hero One's Justice 2, My Hero Ultra Rumble, My Hero Academia: Smash Rising, and My Hero Academia: All's Justice.
In a crossover promotion with Avengers: Infinity War, Izuku shares a brief conversation with Captain America. He also appears as a playable character in the video game Jump Force along with All Might, Katsuki and Shoto. He also appeared in a Pixel Gun 3D set event, but is named "Quirky Boy", alongside two of his own weapons, the Double Quirk, and the Grenade Quirk.
Izuku appears alongside Katsuki, Ochaco, and All Might in Fortnite as crossover characters. He was also a character skin option as Tracer for crossover promotion in Overwatch 2, which became available from October 17 to 30, 2024. In May 2026, My Hero Academia collaborated with the popular mobile game Brawl Stars, where Midoriya, alongside Katsuki, All Might, Tomura, and Uraraka were all featured skins.
Shin Tamura portrayed Izuku in a My Hero Academia stage play.
Powers and abilities Izuku's Quirk, One For All, can stockpile one's power, increasing the user's physical capabilities and being transferred from one person to another. Since this Quirk can be passed down from user to user, the different Quirks of the previous One For All holders also become embedded into One For All as well. These powers are:
Gearshift – The Quirk formerly held by the second user Toshitsugu Kudo. This allows the user to shift the speed of himself and anything he touches, ignoring inertia in the process. Fa Jin – The Quirk formerly held by the third user Bruce Lee. This enables the user to build up and store kinetic energy as they move, this energy can then be released as an explosive burst of speed and power. Danger Sense – The Quirk formerly held by Hikage Shinomori, the fourth user. This enables the user to detect nearby threats. Blackwhip – The quirk formerly held by Daigoro Banjo, the fifth user. This enables the user to use streams of black energy in order to grab objects and capture enemies. Smokescreen – The Quirk formerly held by En Tayutai, the sixth user. This enables the user to create thick clouds of smoke, hindering vision. Float – The Quirk formerly held by Nana Shimura, the seventh user. This enables the user to levitate.
Equipment After transferring One For All from his body to defeat Shigaraki and AFO, Izuku's powers eventually disappear, rendering him quirkless once again and retires from heroism. 8 years later, Izuku receives from All Might a prototype powered suit that replicates his old quirks joint-funded by his classmates and All Might's old colleagues, which he uses to become a hero again.
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