Heroes by nature are self-sacrificial. It comes part and parcel with the title, especially in an anime like My Hero Academia. Makes sense when your job is to literally save and rescue people, whether from mortal peril or everyday simple tasks. Self-sacrifice is not a quality that’s amiss among Cancers. In fact, Izuku Midoriya – ninth holder of One for All, protégé of All Might, childhood friend of Katsuki Bakugou, also known by the hero name Deku – is a model Cancer with his sensitivity, sentimentality and of course, self-sacrificial tendencies. The proof is in the people Deku has saved all throughout MHA.
Midoriya’s qualities as a Cancer have been discussed before. Of how being a Cancer makes him a better hero. How his sensitivity allows for his bravery and empathy of other people. It’s the way his sentimentality drives him forward in improving his use of OFA. There’s also his charisma drawing people in and inspiring them to be better heroes. But it’s more than even just all of that. Each and every time he puts himself on the line for the sake of somebody else, he catalyzes something amazing. That’s the make of MHA. It’s how every little thing Midoriya does creates a ripple effect that pushes the plot and other characters forward.
As the days count down to the end of the MHA manga, it’s nice to look back on his journey. There are also a lot of things to be celebrate in regards to MHA. Whether it’s the English BD/DVD release of the third film World Heroes Mission, the upcoming sixth season – there’s always something happening in the world of quirks, heroes and villains. For today – July 15th – it’s Midoriya’s birthday, and this list of people Deku has saved is how we celebrate.
KATSUKI BAKUGOU
A hero’s journey usually starts with the tale of their downtrodden past. Midoriya is born quirkless in a world where everyone has something special about them. As a child, he lives a life of bullies, hopeless wishes, absent fathers and a seemingly unsupportive mother. Worst of all, his childhood friend Katsuki Bakugou – someone he endearingly still calls Kacchan – turns into his tormentor. Midoriya and Bakugou have a very complicated relationship. They’re complete opposites in the spectrum of heroism. One born quirkless and the other gifted with an especially powerful quirk – one aims to win to save while the other wants to save to win.
All that said; Bakugou’s development from childhood-friend-turned-bully-to-ally is one of the most well-written parts of MHA. It all starts with that one little save from Midoriya in ‘What it Takes to be a Hero’. Suffocated by the slime monster that All Might accidentally let go of; Bakugou struggles under the gaze of helpless heroes and gossiping bystanders. As he slowly fades out of consciousness, there Midoriya stands and sees in his eyes a plea for help. That’s all it takes—Midoriya’s body moves on its own in a futile attempt to rescue Bakugou.
It’s that one small step for Midoriya that sparks several different things to happen. He inspires All Might to fight through the pain. This prompts the No. 1 hero to see Midoriya as worthy of receiving OFA. Midoriya not only earns a quirk, a father figure, and gradually the support of his mother. He also catalyzes Bakugou’s redemption arc, mending the broken bridge of their relationship. In a way, by saving Bakugou, Midoriya also saves himself. As one of the people Midoriya has saved, Bakugou’s call for “Deku” is now somewhat of an acknowledgement of Midoriya as a hero.
OCHAKO URARAKA
Every hero has a love interest that pushes them to their fullest potential. Think Astrid from How to Train Your Dragon; how she pushes Hiccup to see his worth outside of Toothless. There’s Erina Nakiri constantly challenging Souma Yukihira in Food Wars: Shokugeki no Souma; prompting him to work harder to finally have her say that one word he so desperately craves to tumble out of her mouth. Even Diana Prince – Wonder Woman that she is – has a Steve Trevor guiding her through the world of man. Circumstances aren’t so different for Midoriya and Ochako Uraraka. She’s one of the people Deku has saved and constantly supports him from behind. To Midoriya, Uraraka is the one person that sees there’s something more to his nickname.
It all starts so simply. Nervous to take the entrance exam to UA, Midoriya trips and almost faceplants the ground. Uraraka uses her quirk and stops his fall while simultaneously introducing herself to him. During the practical portion of the exam, Midoriya is unable to earn any points. That’s when the zero pointer comes bulldozing into the scene as everyone scrambles to get away. Except, Uraraka’s stuck and can’t get free. Just like when he saved Bakugou, Midoriya’s body moves on its own. But this time, he has OFA coursing through his veins.
Midoriya punches the zero pointer and promptly destroys it – and himself in the process. Once again, he falls to the ground only to be saved by none other than Uraraka. This catalyzes a very give and take cycle in their relationship. Midoriya inspires Uraraka to be a better hero for herself. Meanwhile, Uraraka and her comment on his nickname reminds Midoriya that “Deku” doesn’t have to mean “useless”, it can also mean “you can do it”.
TOSHINORI YAGI
There’s something about mentor/mentee relationships that just gets a lot of people. It’s all the different possible dynamics. Of the adopted father and son tandem, pseudo-sibling relationships, and whatever anybody wants to call Osamu Dazai and Atsushi Nakajima’s mentorship as. When it comes to All Might and Midoriya, people often associate All Might as the savior. Which is not wrong; he gives Midoriya a quirk and a chance at the start line. Meeting All Might literally changes Midoriya’s life, for better or for worse.
But All Might – or Toshinori Yagi – is actually one of the people Deku has saved. It’s not even just from villains or stray debris and falling concrete. Before meeting Midoriya, All Might has almost lost his spark as a hero. He’s down on his luck with his injury and time limit. All Might treats heroism more like a tedious job he has to do rather than a passion. When he meets Midoriya, he crushes the kid’s dreams of becoming a quirkless hero; almost losing sight of the fact that he himself was born quirkless. While All Might is right in his realism, there’s obviously more to being a hero than just a quirk.
That’s what Midoriya eventually shows to All Might. He opens All Might’s eyes and has saved his idol in dire situations. First against Tomura Shigaraki at the USJ. There, he buys All Might a little bit of time for the other teachers to arrive. Then again at Camino Ward when he takes Bakugou out of the equation to allow All Might to go all out against All for One. It’s this bravery and instinct to act that All Might sees in Midoriya. To him, Midoriya isn’t just a reflection of his younger self, but the future of hero society.
SHOUTO TODOROKI
Season 2 of MHA is a very significant turning point for the show. It’s the season that really propels the anime’s popularity. The writing in Season 2 is just spectacular; everyone’s character developments are so well-structured. Even the introduction of Mei Hatsume and Hitoshi Shinso add color to the rest of the series. There are so many memorable fights that aren’t all just action, but actual character arcs. Examples include Bakugou versus Uraraka, and of course, Midoriya versus Shouto Todoroki.
A Cancer through and through, Midoriya has an uncanny way of drawing people in. He inspires others to take action and his sensitivity allows him to empathize with other people’s struggles. That’s why, after hearing everything about Todoroki’s past and seeing the loneliness and suffering wrapped around the heterochromatic boy’s back – Midoriya knows right then and there what he needs to do. Following the code of All Might – “meddling when you don’t need to is the essence of being a hero” – Midoriya pushes Todoroki past his limit during their match. He sacrifices every limb and bone in his arms to force Todoroki to use his fire. Midoriya wants to remind Todoroki that it’s not Endeavor’s quirk.
Once Todoroki understands, he ignites the flames of his left side. He remembers right at that moment the kind of hero he wants to be. It’s that one act in Season 2 that prompts Todoroki’s journey to self-acceptance and forgiveness. Deku has saved many people throughout the course of MHA. But none of them compares to how much he changes the life of Todoroki. Midoriya helps Todoroki mend his relationship with his mother. He helps Todoroki reconcile with his hesitance of using his own quirk. More importantly, he gives Todoroki a better outlet of standing up to his father.
KOTA IZUMI
Speaking of Midoriya and his constant meddling; he’s the type to pry people open with concern and genuine interest. Even Todoroki has accused Midoriya of “cutting to the heart of other people’s feelings”. But this is what makes him a better hero than most. When someone understands another person’s feelings and are able to do something about it; that’s the mark of a hero. Todoroki gets through to Iida in Season 2 because he understands what it’s like to be consumed by his own anger and rage.
One fine example of this phenomenon is Midoriya and Kota Izumi. At first, Kota shows an extreme disdain for hero society and quirks. Reasonable due to the nature of his parents’ deaths. While they died as honorable heroes, the fact of the matter is, they left their child behind. That’s a hard pill to swallow, especially for someone still too young to understand. Midoriya who has wanted to be a hero his entire life doesn’t quite see eye-to-eye with Kota. But he continually tries to befriend and understand the boy. When the villains attack the summer training camp, Kota is nowhere to be found. But thanks to Midoriya and his persistent efforts with Kota, he remembers the child’s hideaway. Midoriya arrives just in the nick of time to save Kota from Muscular. Ironically, Muscular is also the one responsible for Kota’s parents’ deaths.
The Season 3 episode ‘My Hero’ ends on such a fantastic note. Seeing Midoriya stand victorious over Muscular, Kota recalls the words Mandalay once told him. Of one day finding someone who will show him true heroism. As the episode fades out, Kota as one of the people Deku has saved, cries as the title card ‘My Hero’ flashes on top of Midoriya’s broken and beaten body.
ERI
From Kota to Katsuma Shimano in Heroes Rising; Midoriya really has a way with kids. Eri is one of the people Deku has saved and she’s also another child to add to the list. There’s a lot of tragic backstories in MHA. But none will probably compare to what Eri has gone through. Accidentally killing her father as a toddler, she comes into the care of Kai Chisaki; AKA Overhaul. There she endures countless of torturous blood-drawing as Overhaul works to figure out her quirk. Upon realization of how to contain and monetize Rewind, Overhaul proceeds to take over the underworld market. All the while, Eri is trapped in a never-ending cycle of being torn apart and pieced back together.
That is until she bumps into one kind stranger in the middle of the street. Of course, it’s Midoriya. He feels her trembling body close to his and suspects Overhaul has been abusing Eri. He holds her tight, not wanting to let go as Mirio Togota stands by. Unfortunately, that’s the last they see of Eri as she runs back to Overhaul. She fears he might hurt Midoriya and Mirio if she doesn’t comply. Fortunately, a whole raid operation to rescue Eri gives these two a second chance at saving her. Several injuries and lots of action later, Midoriya finally comes face to face with Overhaul once again.
While Overhaul separates himself and Eri from the rest of the heroes, Eri looks to Mirio’s flying cape. She thinks over everyone doing their best to save her; the efforts people put into her safety and then, Rewind activates. As Overhaul feels the backlash of her quirk, Eri falls right into Midoriya’s arms. A version of Might*U plays and Midoriya promises he won’t let go. And this time, he doesn’t.
What do you think makes Midoriya a good hero? Which of the people Deku has saved is your personal favorite? If you have any thoughts on this article, be sure to hit us up over on our Instagram and Twitter! Be sure to also checkout our previous article, 6 Anime Characters To Celebrate Cancer Season.
