Ever since obtaining One For All, My Hero Academia's Deku has become notorious for breaking his bones for the sake of others. Unfortunately, most of his peers do not recognize the reason why, simply calling him "crazy" or "reckless." This aspect of his character has become normalized as it happens so often, but in reality, it's really scary. Later in the series, Deku resolves not to worry anyone, but it took time for him to get there.

Deku, otherwise known as Izuku Midoriya, is the main protagonist of My Hero Academia, and his journey to becoming the world's greatest hero is the series' main plotline. He is determined, kind, hardworking and has a fierce love for others -- a common trope with shonen protagonists, but a trait that has become his motivation to continuously put his life on the line for the sake of others.

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A Robbed Childhood

izuku and inko

The biggest event to impact Deku as a child was finding out that he is Quirkless. After dreaming of being a hero on an almost obsessive level, being told he couldn't achieve this shattered him. What made it worse was that he was constantly bullied and looked down upon by all the other kids who did develop a Quirk. What we know about his formative teachers is that they most likely turned a blind eye to the terrible treatment of Deku. As seen in the very first episode, "Izuku Midoriya: Origin," the homeroom teacher dispassionately announces how Deku also plans to apply to U.A and doing nothing to stop the class from making fun of him for it. Aside from being friendless at such a young age, no one -- kid or adult -- stood up for him. Instead, Deku learned to fend for himself.

Despite being treated horribly for years, Deku still held on to the hope of one day becoming a hero and applied to U.A despite knowing that his being Quirkless would prevent him from passing the physical portion of the entrance exam. It can be speculated that holding onto that dream, no matter how out of reach it seemed, was the only thing keeping him going during his younger years. Deku's childhood bred desperation in him thanks to being surrounded by so many people who had what he didn't.

Trouble At U.A

MHA Izuku Midoriya

To unexpectedly obtain a Quirk, Deku proved himself to his idol and Number One Pro-Hero, All Might. Unfortunately for Deku, One For All is an incredibly dangerous Quirk and his body could not handle it, even after spending 10 months rigorously training. So, in order to use his newfound Quirk without injuring himself, he had to learn to use only a small percentage of his power at a time.

However, unlike his classmates, who each had a minimum of 10 years to grow accustomed to using their abilities, Deku's inexperience was obvious. This led to him regularly breaking his body to stand on an equal playing field, which we see in Season 1, Episode 5, "What I Can Do For Now" and Episode 6, "Rage, You Damn Nerd." The only test that Deku did well in, he broke his finger for and still ended up in last place. If he hadn't done this, he risked being expelled on the first day, reinforcing the idea that pain equals gain.

There were many other instances in the first season of My Hero Academia where Deku was immediately thrown into training and had no choice but to use his Quirk. In Episode 7, "Deku vs. Kacchan," Deku is prompted to fight in order to prove something to Bakugo, as well as solidify the fact that his "Deku" no longer means "useless." During the Sports Festival, Deku didn't want to use his Quirk at first -- even managing to get first place in the obstacle course without it. What prompted him to go all out was Todoroki. After hearing Todoroki's backstory, Deku recognized how sad he looked and did what he thought he needed to help someone who wasn't his friend at the time, even throwing away his chance at winning the tournament to do so.

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Deku was constantly put down as a child for not having a Quirk, but even after getting one, he's once again either put down or misunderstood by his peers for his recklessness. Iida misunderstands his nervousness for arrogance; Bakugo originally thinks Deku had tricked him for years, while his connection with All Might causes Todoroki to declare war on him. It isn't until he proves himself to be courageous and selfless in a fight that other characters come to understand him.

Unfortunately, in most instances where Deku breaks his bones (i.e. saving Uraraka in the Entrance Exam; saving All Might at USJ and saving Kota against Muscular), it's because he has no choice. This is the trait that proved to All Might how worthy of One For All he really was.

Apart from trying to make up for lost time, Deku isn't given the opportunity to use Quirk freely since he always seems to come into contact with villains by virtue of being the main protagonist. And when these villains get involved, the lives of his friends are put in danger. Deku isn't concerned with preserving his body over saving a life or stopping a criminal. As the League of Villains grow stronger, will Deku be able to bring out his full potential and defeat them without permanently breaking his body? These villains will not wait for him to grow stronger, so he does what he must to save lives in the meantime.

Actions Have Consequences

izuku midoriya all for one

Deku's heroism does not come without consequences. There is no doubt that Deku has accomplished a lot for the little time he's had his Quirk, but achieving such things without having full control has taken a great personal toll. Deku's body is thoroughly scarred -- the most prominent of which is on his upper right arm, which he obtained after his fight against Muscular. This is also a scar that he always needs to wear a compression sleeve over. After the camping trip arc in Season 3, it was revealed that Deku's recklessness was finally reaching a limit: he can only take on that same amount of damage two or three more times before his arms will become permanently paralyzed. This is why he switches his fighting style from mostly using punches to kicks, but the threat of losing his arms is still something to keep in mind. His injuries are no longer something that Recovery Girl is guaranteed to heal perfectly.

Apart from the physical consequences, Deku often causes concern in the people around him. His mother is horrified to see her only child breaking his bones to achieve his dream. At first, Deku did not take his mother's worries seriously -- until Season 3, that is, when she turned against the idea of him attending U.A. Deku never stopped to think about his mother's concerns, nor his friends and teachers, because he's been too focused on doing what he needed to do to become a great hero.

Overall, Deku's recklessness has been achieved through disregarding self-preservation. After being put down for years, All Might gave him a once-in-a-lifetime chance, and Deku tries to live up to that expectation. This is something Deku struggles with particularly in Season 4, even offering his Quirk to Mirio upon doubting himself as All Might's successor.

There is also an immense external pressure on Deku from the rapidly increasing strength of the League of Villains. Deku may need more time to control his Quirk but the villains are not going to wait for that, and so Deku feels a continuous urgency to save lives despite the odds. All of these things give him tunnel vision about his hero's journey. It's also why it takes him so long to recognize that there are people who are concerned for him. His ability to care for others takes over as he throws away his own wellbeing.

Deku has always stood up for others even when he had no Quirk of his own. But from childhood, he's become used to people not caring or looking out for him in return because of his lack of power, which makes it easier to break his bones without much remorse in pursuit of his goal. Now, however, to prolong his life (in general and as a hero) Deku is slowly finding ways to save others without hurting himself in the process.

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