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The following contains spoilers for the My Hero Academia manga.
One of the major themes explored inMy Hero Academiais whether someone can achieve their dreams or rise to the occasion without natural talentor a strong Quirk to become a hero. While Deku quickly starts to incorporate his inherited One For All Quirk into his hero work after initially being Quirkless, his Quirkless upbringing gives him an edge over other members of his class that he otherwise wouldn’t have.
Initially,Deku could barely utilize One For Alland was still able to put out impressive performances against powerful Quirk users without relying on it. Just how strong would Deku be later in the series if he handicapped himself by not using One For All? With his accumulated hero fanboy knowledge and combat experience, would he still be a powerful hero worth reckoning with inMy Hero Academia?
Deku’s Hero Knowledge is Unmatched
Why a Quirkless Deku Is Stronger than He Appears
Those watching later seasons ofMy Hero Academiamay be used to seeing Deku using his Quirk abilities to the max. Still, it’s easy to forget that early on, he had nothing but his strategies and wits to rely on. Although he may have appeared weak, Deku was able to come in first place in the initial round of the UA Sports Festival without using One For All a single time. During the race, he was able to come up with a plan to overtake both Todoroki and Bakugo, who, up until that point, had dominate performances.
In Season 1, Deku was able to counteract Bakugo’s moves during the hero training exercise, much to the surprise of his former bully. Remembering the Sludge Monster incident, All Might was impressed with Deku’s reaction time and ability to think quickly on his feet. Deku applies this knowledge to help maximize the effectiveness of the vestige Quirks he gets later on, to great effect. However, even if he were restricted from using One For All in battle, he likely would have plans for taking down his fellow classmates even without it. Aside from One For All,Deku’s tireless note-taking and striving to be betteras a hero is his greatest superpower, one that is relatively unmatched by many characters in the series.
Where Would Quirk-Restricted Deku Stack Up?
He Is More Powerful Than Most Would Think
As we have seen in the ending chapters and one-shot after the conclusion of the main storyline, Deku is able to get ranked within the Top 10 of pro heroes even after losing his ability to leverage One For All. This proves that even without being blessed by his chance meeting with All Might, Deku’s potential for being a successful hero was there from the beginning.
Even without his Quirk,Deku would do surprisingly well against many of his peers. During his training to clean up the beach, Deku worked out enough to do push-ups with an over 500-pound All Might on his back and developed an impressive musculature. During the sports festival, he easily managed to muscle Shinso out of the ring even though his finger was broken when dispelling the effects of the brainwashing Quirk. Deku’s physical strength without One For All is nothing to underestimate. In the manga, he asserts that because of how strong his body already is, a 5% boost from One For All doesn’t actually improve his power that much. This means that at that point, Deku had already molded his body into a physical powerhouse through regular strength training.
“Given the level my body’s at, even when I control it… it only gives a small increase in power" -Deku, considering the limits of his abilities with One For All in Chapter 32.
His intensive planning and knowledge of every hero would also mean that he would know what to do in practically every matchup he would go against. His original plans for being a hero were made when he was Quirkless, so Deku would know the best ways to counteract the weaknesses of other Quirks even if he didn’t have One For All to rely on.Deku’s experience personally fighting against so many powerful villainson his own would also be a huge advantage, even with his Quirk restricted in battle. It’s very possible that even without his Quirk, he would be able to overwhelm and defeat the majority of his classmates with just his planning and physical strength alone. While strong, he would still likely fall to heavy hitters like Ida, Todoroki, and Bakugo in the majority of cases, but the battle would not be entirely one-sided.
My Hero Academia
Cast
In My Hero Academia, some humans have superpowers called quirks. Izuku Midoriya, nicknamed Deku, is not one of them. Deku has always idolized heroes like the number one hero, All Might, and since he was a child, he has always wanted to be a hero. However, his lack of a quirk has always held him back, but a chance encounter with All Might after discovering a classmate in danger sets Deku on the path to becoming a true hero. My Hero Academia centers around Deku and a class of heroes-in-training at UA. This school shapes young quirk users into future heroes through fake rescue missions, combat training, and other hero-tempering tasks. With young Deku inheriting the “One-For-All” quirk, he will learn what it means to be a true hero while facing off with dastardly supervillains.
