Izuku Midoriya, AKA Deku, is the popular protagonist of one of the biggest Shonen anime right now, My Hero Academia. Deku, a Quirkless boy, is given the opportunity to achieve his greatest dream of being a hero when his idol, All Might, passes his Quirk on to him.
Fans have journeyed with Deku as he attends a prestigious high school in hopes of becoming the number one hero, worrying with every villain encounter and cheering along with every success. However, just because Deku is the main character doesn't mean he's beloved by all, as he has certainly made decisions and behaved in particular ways that have ruined his likeability for fans.
10 He Lacks Any Motivation Before Meeting All Might
Deku's dream since he was a toddler has never changed - to be a hero. Even after he discovers he's Quirkless, Deku still claims to want to reach that goal despite its unlikeliness. While this is already an unrealistic goal for him, the fact that he does nothing to try and work towards becoming a hero before he meets All Might leaves fans confused.
Even before he meets All Might, Deku reveals that Quirkless students can attend UA, which is what he's hoping for - but besides his obsession with hero analysis, he's done little else to prepare for this future. It isn't until after he meets All Might that he starts training his body and practicing in other ways to become a hero - things he still could have been doing prior to meeting All Might.
9 He Sticks His Nose In Everyone's Business
Deku has a bad habit of involving himself in everyone else's business, whether they want him to or not. He can be annoyingly persistent even when rejected, refusing to give up on anything or anyone that he believes in.
While this idea is generally regarded as a heroic trait in the series, it's also fair to say that Deku has a tendency to push this to the extreme. Fans know he has good intentions and just wants to help people, but that doesn't erase the fact that some of his behaviors can come off as stalkerish and unwelcome. This is especially apparent in interactions with classmates like Todoroki and Bakugo, where his attempts to help aren't always appreciated.
8 He Can Be Reckless To A Fault
Deku can have massive impulse control issues, which causes him to frequently leap into danger without consideration for the consequences or his own well-being. While the idea of 'your feet moving without thinking' is closely aligned with acts of heroism in the series, Deku uses this notion to be impulsive to a fault.
It can be difficult to watch Deku constantly throw himself into dangerous situations with hardly a care about his own well-being. Even though he's been told multiple times that he could lose the use of his arms, this doesn't stop him from engaging in extreme situations again and again. There's a fine balance between being a hero and being necessarily reckless, and Deku has crossed this line on more than one occasion.
7 He Is A Boring Protagonist
One of the more basic ways Deku ruins his likeability isn't necessarily anything he's personally done, but his overall fairly boring nature as the protagonist. Deku's plainness is often outshined by his fellow classmates like Bakugo, Todoroki, and even Kirishima. All of their identities and character development are bold focuses even though they aren't the leading character.
Deku has certainly overcome difficult odds to be where he is, but he doesn't continue to be nearly as interesting as other characters beyond that. It's difficult to like Deku as much as some other characters when it often feels like he isn't developed much beyond his identity as an aspiring hero.
6 His Constant Stream Of Waterworks
Since the very first episode, Deku has spent too much of the series crying. While at times it's understandable, at others, it simply comes across as annoying - especially in the beginning, when it feels like he spends more time crying than not.
Deku's frequent crying undercuts him as a character and undermines the function of crying further into the series. While being emotional is definitely an important aspect of his character, the excessive crying at the start only deterred many fans from liking him as the protagonist.
5 His Beliefs Can Be Too Idealistic And Unrealistic
Deku is very stubborn in his convictions, even if they aren't completely realistic. This is especially visible in his desire to save everyone. His need to save any victim from danger is idealistic at best, but his longing to save villains from their evil ways has the potential to be dangerous.
His belief that anyone can and should be saved is a difficult belief that has led to some fans' dislike of his unrealistic convictions. While this should be the ultimate goal of any hero, Deku's stubbornness in this belief could lead to questionable decisions in his future as a hero.
4 He Is Not Very Confident
Despite Deku's growth into a stronger character, he still seems to consistently lack self-confidence. Deku is often excited to admire other heroes and his peers, but he rarely, if ever, shows the same level of excitement for himself.
Deku is typically shown without much belief in himself, doubting himself and his abilities. He constantly worries over his Quirk and does not always have the same pride in his Quirk and self as his classmates. This is frustrating for fans, as, while Deku has undoubtedly grown stronger over the course of the series, it's difficult to gauge just how much he's developed internally.
3 He's Too Quick To Forgive
One of Deku's most important relationships is that of the questionable friendship between Bakugo and him. Bakugo severely bullies Deku, presumably for years, making extreme comments that should have never been tolerated or accepted.
While Deku forgiving Bakugo isn't in itself bad, the way in which he does so is questionable. It's obvious Deku doesn't harbor any ill feelings towards his former friends despite what he says, and never shows any negative emotions towards Bakugo. Even now, while Bakugo has shown growth into a better person, he has still yet to apologize for his heinous acts. Deku's forgiveness of Bakugo comes across poorly and leaves fans frustrated and upset on Deku's behalf as he doesn't seem to have ever held any resentment towards Bakugo or truly held him accountable for his previous behavior.
2 He Has Difficulty Controlling His Anger
Deku doesn't always have the best grip on his emotions, even disregarding his frequent crying. This is most clearly seen with his anger, as he has demonstrated a pattern of making serious errors when he isn't able to rein in his anger.
The biggest issue with this is it has happened more than once, and while Deku is usually able to control himself after the initial outburst, the fact that it keeps happening is problematic. For example, this happens in his match against Shinso during the Sports Festival and again during the Joint Battle Training. His inability to control his anger during important fights is likely to continue to cause problems until he learns how to manage it.
1 Deku Can Be Too Self-Sacrificial
Deku constantly values the lives of everyone else above his own to a dangerous degree. While saving people is part of being a hero, with the lengths he goes to and the situations he rushes into, it's a miracle he's still alive.
In encounters like those with Stain, the summer training camp, and Overhaul, Deku consistently enters extremely dangerous fights against often older and more experienced foes to save someone else. While rushing into danger to help others is a heroic act, sometimes fans wish he would take it just a bit slower to engage with a plan instead of rushing forward blindly.