Izuku Midoriya is the protagonist of My Hero Academia. He aims to become the greatest Hero of all time and, from the very beginning of the story, it is revealed to the fans that he accomplishes this dream of his. My Hero Academia is his story being told and, eventually, he becomes the one to surpass his predecessor, All Might, as the greatest Hero to have ever lived.
While there are countless Heroes in the world of My Hero Academia, only a few stand out as truly worthy of bearing the title. Izuku is certainly one of them and he has proven this on more than just one occasion.
7 When He Rushed To Save Bakugo
The true nature of Izuku was made clear to the fans from the very beginning of the story. When Bakugo was apprehended by a villain in the very first episode, Izuku did not have any means to save him.
Yet, his body moved on its own and jumped into the path of danger to rescue him. Eventually, it was All Might who rescued Bakugo, however, Izuku showed that he was a Hero that day to the fans.
6 When He Impressed All Might
Winning over a Hero is certainly an impressive task for anyone in the world of My Hero Academia, however, winning over the greatest Hero known to man, All Might, is an incredible task that not just anyone can accomplish. It is even more impressive for Izuku to have done this as he had no Quirk, to begin with.
Despite everything, he managed to impress All Might and ended up becoming his successor. This eventually led to All Might giving him the One For All, which is one of the strongest Quirks in existence. As such, Izuku's story began from there onwards.
5 When He Impressed Stain
Stain was known as the Hero Killer and, throughout the course of his arc, a lot of information about him was given to the fans. It was revealed that Stain had killed countless Heroes in the past and injured others, including the brother of Iida. According to Stain, not just anyone was worthy of bearing the title of Hero and all those who claim to be Heroes were actually not good enough for this job.
He, in his own way, delivered justice to all those Heroes. Yet, when he clashed against Izuku Midoriya, his mind changed. Despite fighting him and eventually being apprehended, was of the impression that Deku was special and someone worthy of being the successor to All Might.
4 When He Saved Kota
Kota was a character who hated Heroes. After all, his parents were both Heroes who died on duty and this made him resent this line of work. However, when he was in danger and could possibly have been killed by Muscular, it was none other than Deku who rushed to his rescue.
Izuku stood up for him despite not being strong enough to fight such a powerful Hero at the time. He put his body on the line and broke every single bone for the future of a mere child. Once again, that makes him a true Hero, unlike any other scene in My Hero Academia.
3 When He Broke The Rules To Rescue Bakugo
When Bakugo was captured by the League of Villains, strict orders were given to the students to not get involved in the situation. After all, the enemies were extremely powerful and out of their league.
However, Izuku still insisted and went to save Bakugo on his own. Perhaps, without Izuku and his friends' involvement, Bakugo would not have been saved. It was thanks to his bravery that the day was saved.
2 When He Saved Eri
Eri was central to the plot of the Shie Hassaikai arc. Being abused by her captives, Eri was in desperate need of saving but sadly, nobody had ever come to her rescue. It was none other than Midoriya and Mirio who decided to aid her and eventually, the raid on the hideout of the Shie Hassaikai was launched.
While Mirio played a big role in saving Eri, it was none other than Deku who borrowed her power to defeat the evil monster that was Chisaki and ended him for good.
1 When He Wanted To Save Shigaraki
Shigaraki is one of the main antagonists of My Hero Academia and Deku's fated rival. While it's hard to believe, the world shunned him and didn't give him a helping hand when he needed it as a child. Tenko was just like Izuku at one point, however, where Deku received the helping hand of All Might, Tenko never got his.
Inside him is a child screaming to be saved even today and Deku is the only one who can see that. Being a Hero, he has sworn to save everyone and, as such, he won't leave Shigaraki behind either. That is certainly the mark of a true Hero.