Depending on how one gets them, nicknames can be a source of pride or frustration. An affectionate nickname given by friends can be a name people use almost as frequently their real name, while a mocking one given by a bully or even a teasing sibling can be something a character might just bury.
The lead character of My Hero Academia, Midoriya Izuku, took the name Deku and embraced it so much that even the fandom calls him Deku rather than Midoriya. Of course, he's not the first character in anime history to go by his nickname--here's a handful of characters who grew to embrace their nickname, allowing either friends or people closest to them to call them that as often as or more than their real names.
10 Izuku Turned A Nickname From His Childhood Bully Into His Identity (My Hero Academia)
Midoriya's problems began when his childhood friend Bakugou began calling him Deku to make fun of the fact that he didn’t have any powers. The name is technically supposed to mean "useless," which is incredibly cruel but fairly on brand for how kids make fun of one another. But when his fellow Class 1-A member Ochaco decides that she thinks it sounds similar to a phrase meaning “you can do it," Deku decides to embrace the name. He takes this so far that he decides to turn it into his superhero name, a smart yet understated way of proving his tenacity.
9 Korosensei Makes Up His Own Name And Prefers That Students And Co-Workers Alike Use It (Assassination Classroom)
Korosensei is both the main character and main antagonist of Assassination Classroom. He’s thought to be an alien due to his incredible abilities: in addition to being largely invincible, he’s both capable of moving at speeds up to Mach 20 and has blown up part of the moon. He spends much of his time raising Class 3-E of Kumigigaoka High School, while they train to figure out how to kill him. As far as his name, it’s actually never revealed—even when his true past is revealed, they still simply refer to him as Korosensei.
8 Jiraiya Lets Naruto Call Him Pervy Sensei (Naruto)
Jiraiya is one of the best characters in the original Naruto series, but there’s no denying he’s a bit of a pervert. He’s even known for writing a book called Make-Out Paradise! It’s something that Naruto notices in him, and for that he dubs Jiraiya, “Pervy Sage."
It’s a title that Jiraiya isn’t all that happy to hear when they first meet, as he demands the respect owed him as a member of the Sannin. But after three years training together, Jiraiya just accepts it as the nickname bestowed upon him by his favorite student.
7 Lelouch Allows His Best Friend Shirley To Call Him Lulu (Code Geass)
Lelouch is the lead protagonist of Code Geass, where he aims to get revenge against the people of Britannia out of belief that they took his mom from him. This rage results in him taking on a role as the masked terrorist Zero, and he uses this identity to strike back against Britannia and slowly gain back control over Japan to give it back to the people. Zero isn’t Lelouch’s only “nickname” though. His best friend-slash-love interest Shirley has a habit of calling him Lulu. Hilariously enough, the otherwise serious genius strategist actually doesn’t have a problem with this nickname.
6 Morgiana Has No Problem With Aladdin Calling Her Mor (Magi: The Kingdom of Magic)
As a member of the Fanalis tribe, Morgiana is known for two things: her brightly colored hair and her incredible super-strength. She teams up with Aladdin and Alibaba early in Magi: The Kingdom of Magic and proves to be the muscle between the three of them for most of the series. But despite being generally terrifying in combat, she’s actually a sweet girl, and doesn’t mind Aladdin’s nickname “Mor.” Aladdin is constantly coming up with nicknames though, as he calls his long-time genie friend Ugo, even though his real name is Uraltugo.
5 Evangeline Goes By Yukihime As The Leader Of UQ Holder (UQ! Holder)
Immortals tend to pick up lots of nicknames. That’s what happens to Evangeline A.K. McDowell, a vampire who wandered the Earth for seven centuries. During Mahou Sensei Negima!, the character is known by multiple names: people who are terrified of her call her Dark Evangel, while her close friends call her Eva. Eighty years later, Evangeline has started going by the name Yukihime after she starts running the UQ Holder business. A title meaning snow princess, it’s a fitting name considering her ice-based powers and that the people of UQ Holder treat her like the daughter of a yakuza group.
4 Accelerator Doesn't Have Another Name And Decides To Go By The Name Of His Powers (A Certain Scientific Accelerator)
In the A Certain Magical Index universe, the most powerful person in Academy City is a person known as Accelerator. And that’s it—no one actually knows his real name. He simply goes by Accelerator, which is a reference to his powerset.
He can control the magnitude and direction of any object that has vectors—that means anything from bullets to electricity. Accelerator is a major villain for part of the original series, but after his defeat he finds himself unable to continue with his goal of becoming the most powerful ESPer in the city. Eventually, he shifts into becoming an anti-hero, gaining his own series in A Certain Scientific Accelerator.
3 V.T. Uses Her Name As A Mystery No One Is Able To Solve (Cowboy Bebop)
A third of the way through the series, Spike runs into a space truck driver named V.T. V.T. can’t stand bounty hunters, but when Spike gets stranded trying to track down his latest bounty, she winds up helping him anyway. Throughout the episode, she has a game running for people who are capable of guessing her real name, as she’s switched to being referred to by her nickname only. Eventually though, Spike figures out the name thanks to a picture she has hanging up in her ship: Victoria Terpsichore, the wife of a legendary bounty hunter.
2 Android 17 And 18 Had Names Before They Were Transformed By Dr. Gero (Dragon Ball Z)
Does anyone actually think their names before they were androids were Android 17 and Android 18? A little-known fact from Dragon Ball Z is that they were named Lapis (17) and Lazuli (18). But when they were transformed by Dr. Gero into Androids, they gave up their human names and began using the titles that Dr. Gero gave them. Even after killing Dr. Gero for revenge, the two of them continued to go by their Android designations, presumably because they had left their old lives behind.
1 Scar Abandons His Name When Going On His Quest To Battle Against The State Alchemists (Fullmetal Alchemist)
Scar was originally one of the main threats of Fullmetal Alchemist, as he was a character who hunted down State Alchemists. Eventually, it’s revealed that his rage comes from the State Alchemists having wiped out so many of the Ishvalan people. His powers come from him using one half of the alchemic process, choosing to destroy rather than create with his abilities. As for his name Scar, it’s a reference to the scar on his face. His actual name is never revealed, largely because he believes he’s left it behind along with all remnants of his past self for the sake of getting his revenge.