Deku’s Best Fights In My Hero Academia

My Hero Academia is one of the most popular anime around, concluding on a high note as almost every character got the closure they deserved. The main character has been through a major journey, slowly accustoming his body to use One for All at manageable levels.

Midoriya’s powers have only increased over time, allowing him to take on tough opponents and emerge victorious by unleashing immense power when required. Some of the best fights in My Hero Academia involve this character putting everything on the line to secure victory.

8 VS Class 1-A

An Exhausted Deku Admits Defeat And Is Brought Back To U.A.

• Takes Place In: Dark Hero arc
• Victor: Class 1-A

After the Paranormal Liberation War arc, Midoriya makes the critical mistake of bearing the fate of the world on his shoulders instead of relying on anyone else. This causes his classmates to arrive and force him to come back to U.A. and rest before he burns himself out.

Midoriya’s exhaustion prevents him from fighting at full strength, while Bakugo’s apology makes it clear that he is making the wrong choice by ignoring his friends. He agreed to go back to U.A. and enjoyed a long rest that helped him freshen up for what would serve as the final conflict.

7 VS Kaina Tsutsumi (Lady Nagant)

Shows Just How Far Midoriya Has Come, Unveiling New Powers

• Takes Place In: Dark Hero arc
• Victor: Izuku Midoriya

Despite being exhausted as he took out numerous villains, Midoriya was still alert enough to try and stop Lady Nagant from carrying out her villainous actions. He used his newly acquired Fa Jin to enhance his speed and outrun the accurate bullets she fired.

However, Deku never went overboard and tried to help Lady Nagant see the light. He managed to make her experience a change of heart, although this triggered a Quirk that triggered an explosion planted in her body by All for One. However, Midoriya managed to save her, turning her into a valuable ally during the Final War.

6 VS Katsuki Bakugo

A Fight To Settle Differences That Expands On Bakugo’s Character

• Takes Place In: Provisional Hero License Exam arc
• Victor: Katsuki Bakugo

Bakugo bullied Midoriya all the time for being Quirkless, only to find himself playing second fiddle to his victim as he suddenly acquired a powerful Quirk. However, the breaking point in their relationship came when Bakugo blamed himself for All Might losing his powers.

The two friends clashed in a hellish battle where Bakugo emerged victorious and let out his insecurities. This prompted Midoriya to tell Bakugo the truth, alleviating his burden and helping the fiery hero focus once again.

5 VS Goto Imasuji (Muscular)

A Brutal Battle Where Midoriya Proves The Worth Of A Hero

• Takes Place In: Forest Training Camp arc
• Victor: Izuku Midoriya

My Hero Academia‘s hero training exercises become fatal more often than not, with the Forest Training Camp arc being a great example of the same. The League of Villains wreaks havoc once again, with Midoriya facing off against a psychotic villain by the name of Muscular.

He’s forced to exert 100% of his power to stop Muscular from harming civilians. The fight feels like a losing effort until Midoriya pulls out all the stops with a Hail Mary attack that stops Muscular in his tracks once and for all.

4 VS Kai Chisaki (Overhaul)

Eri’s Powers Allow Deku To Use 100% Of One For All

• Takes Place In: Shie Hassaikai arc
• Victor: Izuku Midoriya

Overhaul is one of the most diabolical villains in the series. The idea of him hurting Eri causes no end of torment for both Mirio and Midoriya, who could’ve stopped this villain but failed to identify the threat. The end of the Shie Hassaikai arc involves Nighteye losing hope and suffering a mortal blow after his Foresight Quirk fails him.

However, Midoriya proves him wrong by unleashing 100% of his power to save Eri, only to find out that the little girl’s Quirk prevented his body from suffering any lasting harm. This allowed him to go 100% with his Full Cowl ability, unleashing a series of hellish blows that pummeled this foe brutally and led to an emphatic defeat as Midoriya saved the day and dismantled Overhaul’s diabolical gang.

3 VS Shoto Todoroki

The Best Fight In The U.A. School Festival Where Todoroki Finally Accepts His Powers

• Takes Place In: U.A. Sports Festival arc
• Victor: Shoto Todoroki

For an arc that seemed like an excuse to let viewers have some fun, it’s amazing to see the epic clash between Midoriya and Todoroki. The latter was intentionally muting his fire powers, which didn’t sit right well with Midoriya.

He wanted Todoroki to perform at the highest level possible to become the strongest hero he could possibly be, with his words striking a chord as Todoroki finally accepted his father’s powers and chose to make them his own. What followed was an immense clash of powers that caused the teachers to intervene, reducing the impact as Midoriya was knocked out of the ring and defeated.

2 VS Tomura Shigaraki

The Final Clash Of The Paranormal Liberation War Where Deku Pulls Out All The Stops

• Takes Place In: Paranormal Liberation War arc
• Victor: None (interrupted by Gigantomachia)

The finale of the Paranormal Liberation War arc showed just how much Shigaraki’s powers had grown. He could use his Decay Quirk without touching anything, causing untold destruction in his wake that could only be stopped by Aizawa’s Erasure Quirk.

Midoriya made the most of this opportunity to beat up Shigaraki as much as possible while saving the people around him. He unlocked the Float power in the process but was unable to finish the job, with Gigantomachia’s interruption giving the villains all the leverage they needed to turn society against the very idea of Pro Heroes.

1 VS Tomura Shigaraki/All For One

Tomura And All For One Fuse To Make For Deku’s Strongest Opponent

• Takes Place In: Final War arc
• Victor: Izuku Midoriya

The Final War is one of the most bombastic arcs in My Hero Academia, serving up a spectacle as the heroes team up to stop the Paranormal Liberation Front from destroying the world. To make things worse, All for One was trying to take over Shigaraki’s body, causing them to merge and form a psychotic entity that needed to be stopped by any means necessary.

With the other heroes lying defeated, it was up to Midoriya to save the world from this imposing threat. He pulled out all the stops, fusing two Quirks to use the Blackchain power and tactically enabling Gearshift to force this unstable Shigaraki to make mistakes. With an assist from Lady Nagant, Deku gets the upper hand as Tomura manages to regain control of his body at the end of a brutal battle.