Being a good hero takes a lot more than being the most powerful person in the room. In the end, it shows how well one can use their strengths. Izuku “Deku” Midoriya from My Hero Academia is a fitting example of a promising hero who relies on more than the Quirk he possessed to succeed.
After years of studying pro heroes, teachers, villains, and his classmates, Izuku has devised enough strategies to get him out of the most difficult situations. While not all of them are successful, there is no doubt that he has generated some interesting ideas.
10 Deku passes Mr. Aizawa’s Quirk Comprehension Test by aiming his power into a single branch
It is safe to say that Izuku has had some of the hardest first school days ever. Mr. Aizawa is forcing his students to perform various exercises to test their ability under threat of extinction.
Deku still gets to hang his Quirk at this point, and Aizawa forbids him to go out and recklessly break his arm. Instead, Izuku directs his modern power into his branch at the last second, minimizing damage and displaying his control. Although not the most complex plan, it is still commendable given its lack of use.
9 He uses sweet criminal obstacles against it
Gentle Criminal may not be the most dangerous or threatening enemy Deku has ever had but he is far from being the weakest. Gentle wants to introduce the UA School Festival, and, in the process, uses his Quirk, Elasticity – creating air barriers to block Deku.
His mistake disregards Deku’s ability to remember the locations of all the air obstacles. This allows bullets of air under pressure, kicking them off the obstacles to hit Gentle. Quite surprising considering this is Deku’s first fight against the villain.
8 Deku teams up with Ochako and Hanta to pass first stage of temporary license test
As part of the first phase of the Temporary Hero Licensing Test, participating students must dismantle by hitting the weak points of the other fighters using colored balls. Fortunately, Izuku has his friends to help him with his strategy.
Acting as a bait, he and Hanta Sero lure their opponents into a trap where Ochako releases a tape-tied swimming debris – moving their opponents with the sticky tape after releasing the debris. This will allow their team to eliminate the others without much effort, taking it to the next level. Who says simple plans can’t be good either?
7 His first victory against Bakugo calls for a reckless, but ultimately effective plan
It’s not every day that someone gets a chance to fight back against their bully – even with a teacher’s permission. During the Class 1-A Battle Test, students are divided into teams of two, with one serving as lieutenants and the other heroes.
With Bakugo in the villain team and Midoriya playing a hero, it’s inevitable that the two of them would all fight and go all out. Deku’s plan calls for some self-sacrifice, but it bothers Bakugo, allowing the first one to break the roofs above him. This then gives Ochako enough debris to use as ammo to attract Tenya’s attention, thus winning the game. A careless plan but no one can argue that it is ineffective.
6 Deku wins at the UA Sports Festival obstacle race coming out of nowhere
UA Sports Festival kicks off with Obstacle Race in which students must enter the stadium while dealing with robots, tight rope walking, and a minefield – a harrowing challenge, considering Izuku to go through without making his Quirk worse. It is not until he reaches the minefield that he shows his ingenuity.
Using a robot plate and the combined blasting force of several mines, Izuku blasts himself into the lead, passing Bakugo and Todoroki. While winning makes everyone focus on him in the next challenge, it’s a tough strategy since Deku won without using his Quirk.
5 He designs the final stand against nine
In My Hero Academia: Heroes: Rising, Izuku and Class 1-A students work together on an island to stop the powerful Nine-theft Quirk speaker – who intends to pick up Quirk from a child. With no way to contact the mainland, Izuku establishes a terminal on the adjacent island.
The class protects the islanders by hiding them in the caves as they attack Nine in waves, gradually lowering it until it reaches its end. Even though Deku’s plan works technically, Nine uses a powerful last-minute drug, gets his second wind and almost kills Izuku. If nothing else, his plan protects the locals, no matter how dangerous the decision.
4 Deku stops moonfish with help from Rogue Quirk at Fumikage
During the Class 1-A League of Villains ambush during their training camp, Izuku has come to a difficult decision. He can either save Bakugo from the sinister troubled Moonfish or stop Fumikage out of Quirk’s control, Dark Shadow. Naturally, Izuku refuses to choose just one, devising a plan to solve both issues at once.
Using Mezo Shoji to lure the Dark Shadow towards Bakugo, Deku makes sure Moonfish conquers the Quirk. Dark Shadow is quickly eliminated thanks to the powerful attacks of Todoroki and Bakugo. The only real question is what threat was creepier.
3 He strategizes a Great Plan for the elimination of the Shipwreck Zone
Class 1-A have always known that they will have to fight some real lies at some point, but none of them are ready when the League of Villains attack the USJ Separated from the rest of their class, Deku, Tsuyu , and Mineta locked a ship into the Shipwrecked Zone, with low-level chains closing in on them.
In the meantime, Deku makes use of all three of their Quirks to save themselves. Using a high-powered attack, he creates a vortex in the water, and Mineta has thrown his sticky hair balls to catch the chains – after which Tsuyu transports his teammates to safety. While not technically part of the test, hopefully all three will be at the forefront of such a great plan.
2 Daring Deku’s plan to rescue Bakugo from all for one
As hard as it is for Deku to stand up to him and not help his mentor fight All For One, the mission to free Bakugo from the Villains League is more important to him. While he and his friends are unable to fight, he devises a plan to save his classmate without a fight.
Joining multiple Quirks, Tenya, Kirishima and Deku launch themselves into the air, urging Bakugo to blast himself up for them. The latter capture Kirishima and the four of them leave the battlefield, allowing All Might to focus on the action at hand. This plan of Deku is one of the few that does not involve self-harm.
1 He uses Eri’s Quirk as he fights rebirth
Finding Eri held captive within the depths of Shie Hassaikai’s head office is bad enough, but fleeing with her is worse as Izuku has to face Renewal in the process . Any other hero would be at a disadvantage while fighting with Eri sticking to them, not to mention her unruly Rewind Quirk taxing their bodies, but not Izuku.
If anything, he uses his Quirk to repair his body every time he makes a devastating attack against Renewal, that would usually have put too much strain on his body and broken him. Deku can finally go out against tormentor Eri and make him pay for everything he did.
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