The Most Important Story Arcs For Midoriya

My Hero Academia‘s story is essentially split up into two sections: the school activities, and the hero missions. These portions of the plot make up the different story arcs that Midoriya and the side characters of My Hero Academia partake in throughout their adventure. However, when it comes to the protagonist himself, there are a few key select sections of the story where he was forced to push beyond his limits to prove himself worthy of inheriting One For All and continuing on All Might’s legacy.

Related

My Hero Academia: Every Main Character’s Age, Height, And Birthday

My Hero Academia is made up of a dynamic cast of characters. Here’s everything you need to know about every major player.

While gaining new power-ups and finding new creative ways to utilize One For All in combat is definitely important in Midoriya’s personal progression as a character, he also matures a lot from an emotional standpoint through his adventures. As anyone who has finished the series will know very well, Midoriya feels like an entirely different person by the end of the story compared to his debut, and when reflecting on his epic journey, these are the arcs that proved to be the most important for the fiery young hero.

8

Joint Training

Midoriya Communicates With One For All’s Previous Users To Learn More About Its Potential

Though the Joint Training arc is arguably the most divisive story arc in the series because of its slow pacing and low stakes, it does still contain some extremely important developments for Midoriya, specifically his understanding of One For All. During his combat training, Midoriya suddenly unleashes a bunch of black whips out of nowhere, and initially, he struggles to keep them under control.

During the chaotic fiasco, Midoriya comes into contact with Banjo, one of the previous users of One For All, who explains to him that he will eventually come to inherit all of their individual Quirks for himself. Giving Midoriya an immensely powerful new ability is one thing, but revealing he would, in fact, be retrieving seven overall completely changes his view on the Quirk, and also on what he is destined to achieve with it in the future.

7

Provisional License Exam

Midoriya Uses The PLE To Create A Brand-New Highly Mobile Fighting Style

It’s not long into the series until Midoriya realizes that relying entirely on his hands for dishing out damage might not be the best approach considering the impact it has on his body. As a way to get around this, Midoriya decides to instead put more focus on his legs with his highly mobile Shoot Style, which he first tried out during the Provisional License Exam to help give him a leg-up over the competition.

Related

My Hero Academia: 8 Pro Heroes Who Will Shine In Vigilantes

Fans can expect the following Pro Heroes get their due in the upcoming My Hero Academia: Vigilantes anime.

Since this arc comes right after All Might loses the majority of his power, it would also be an exam that tested whether Midoriya would be able to fare on his own without a mentor guiding his way. In the end, Midoriya would prove to himself that he would be more than capable of carrying All Might’s torch, especially thanks to his deadly new fighting style which allowed him to overcome many of his previous drawbacks.

6

U.A. Sports Festival

Midoriya Gets To Test Out His New Quirk In-Action Against Plenty Of Tough Opponents

The U.A. Sports Festival would be one of the earliest opportunities for Midoriya to utilize his brand-new One For All Quirk against some real opponents, but it’s fair to say he gets a lot more than he bargained for. In Midoriya’s intense duel with Shinso, he would enter the innerworld of One For All for the very first time, giving him a glimpse into the unlimited potential stored within the legendary Quirk.

Midoriya would also form some very important bonds during this arc, especially with Todoroki, who he pushes to the limit during their intense face-off. The U.A. Sports Festival was Midoriya’s first big test in the series, and it would set him up for the rest of the story going forward by allowing him to get some early experience with One For All.

5

U.A. School Festival

Midoriya Realizes That Saving A Person Can Be Done Emotionally, Not Just Physically

Midoriya had always dreamed of becoming a courageous hero ever since he was a young boy watching All Might in his room, but knowing how to actually go about this proved to be harder than he initially anticipated. Though Midoriya managed to save a young girl named Eri from Overhaul’s abuse, it was clear she still wasn’t fully herself after being brought back to U.A., with her mental scars preventing her from being truly happy.

Thankfully, the Summer School Festival was around the corner, which allowed Midoriya to convince Eri to smile by partaking in a dazzling performance in front of a massive crowd, teaching the protagonist about the other ways a hero can “save” someone from peril. This arc also saw Midoriya utilize his mid-air blast projectiles for the first time against Gentle Criminal, with the battle being a very important stepping stone in terms of his handling of One For All.

4

Villain Hideout Raid

All Might Finally Hands The Mantle Over To Midoriya, Giving Him A Newfound Focus And Resolve

Though many people remember the Hideout Raid arc for the epic clash between All Might and All For One near the very end, there are also plenty of important moments for Midoriya sprinkled through this intense early story arc. At the beginning of the arc, after learning of Bakugo’s whereabouts after he’s kidnapped by the League, Midoriya decides to go against U.A.’s advice and begins looking for the hot-headed hero himself. It’s a small moment, but one that showcased that Midoriya’s habit of saving people, no matter the circumstances, is still alive and well.

The Hideout Raid arc also marks the point where All Might would well and truly pass on the responsibility of protecting the world from All For One after pointing to Midoriya and simply saying the words “Next, it’s your turn”. At that moment, Midoriya went from chasing All Might to focusing on continuing his legacy, while also making his own mark on history by mastering One For All.

3

Forest Training Camp

An Epic Clash Pushes Midoriya To New Heights Of Power

In the early parts of My Hero Academia’s story, Midoriya didn’t really need to prove to anyone why it’s considered a good thing to be a hero since he was always surrounded by people striving to become the same thing. This is why he would initially have trouble connecting to Kota, a young boy whose parents were killed in the line of duty, resulting in him having resentment towards hero society in general.

Related

My Hero Academia: 8 Anime You’ve Heard All Might’s Voice In

There’s no doubt that longtime anime enthusiasts have recognized Kenta Miyake’s voice in other shows besides My Hero Academia.

When a gigantic villain going by the name Muscular randomly shows up to interrupt the training camp, it gives Midoriya the perfect opportunity to show Kota that selflessness is what lies at the heart of true heroes, including his fallen parents. Going 100% with One For All against Muscular would also act as the first wake-up call to Midoriya concerning the dangers of using his Quirk at its full power without the necessary training and experience.

2

Dark Hero

Abandoning His Friends Forces Midoriya To Realize That He Can’t Take Down All For One By Himself

After learning that One For All is a Quirk destined to destroy One For All and that Shigaraki is hunting him down, Midoriya decides to go rogue, marking the beginning of the Dark Hero arc. In stark contrast to Midoriya’s usual happy-go-lucky personality, the hero takes on a dark and menacing persona as a way to strike fear into any villains who get in his way, and with his Quirks backing him up, he is a true force to be reckoned with for this portion of the story.

However, it doesn’t take long before Midoriya’s friends from Class 1-A catch up to him and eventually convince him that, while he’s been getting stronger, so have they. Uraraka even gives a massive speech about why Midoriya deserves to return to U.A., despite being Shigaraki’s number 1 target, forcing Midoriya to realize that he doesn’t need to be embarrassed by asking for help from those around him.

1

Final War

The Final Test Of Midoriya’s Worth As An Inheritor Of One For All

By the time the final war between the heroes and villains kicks off, Midoriya is well aware that he is the only one strong enough to destroy and put an end to All For One. While his objective is clear, achieving it is far from easy, to the point where Midoriya is forced to use all of his Quirks in unison to even stand a chance of damaging Shigaraki. Considering Midoriya was initially overwhelmed with just using one of the Vestige’s abilities, seeing him switch between multiple of them on the fly, and unleashing devastating attacks like the Gears, shows how far he’s truly come in terms of mastering his unique Quirks.

Midoriya would also resolve his rather odd relationship with Toga after unexpectedly coming face to face with her before taking on Shigaraki in this arc. Speaking of Shigaraki, Midoriya managed to hold his own against the immensely powerful villain for quite a while before eventually giving up his Quirk in order to free him from All For One’s control; allowing him to serve his Quirk’s purpose and becoming one of the greatest heroes who ever lived in the process.