A common feature in the stories of your favorite pop media is the dark version of the main character. In “Spider-Man,” you have the terrifying Venom. Meanwhile, if you are a fan of “My Hero Academia,” you are, of course, familiar with Dark Deku, the evil version of the anime’s main protagonist, Izuku Midoriya. This article shall explore Dark Deku.
Who Is Dark Deku?
Dark Deku made his appearance in “My Hero Academia’s” Dark Hero story arc, the first installment in its Final Act Saga. In this arc, viewers saw a different side of Midoriya. He loses his optimistic personality, and turns into a reckless and self-isolated vigilante hero. Think of antiheroes like Batman and Han Solo.
He is one of the story’s main antagonists and Midoriya’s evil version. Unlike the original, angelic, and heroic Midoriya – cheerful, helpful, polite, timid, and serious during battles – Dark Deku is unhelpful, sarcastic, arrogant, cold-hearted, and violent, a villain and a brutal fighter. He likes to kick his opponents on their faces or their backs, or perhaps even kill them.
Izuku Midoriya Became Dark Deku Due To Personal Reasons
Some characters in “My Hero Academia” adopted a superhero persona just because of their duties, such as Midoriya’s classmates training so hard to hone their Quirks since Shota Aizawa, the teacher of Class 1-A, expected them to. It’s because of pressure, to say the least.
In other cases, characters like Midoriya sought new powers for personal reasons, either for good or evil. Sometime in the sixth season, Deku realized that only he could defeat Tomura Shigaraki, his nemesis, and feared his classmates would get hurt if they helped him. He was just being noble, caring, and selfless, but too much that he was actually the one who broke his classmates’ feelings because of going rogue. Ironic, isn’t it?
Moreover, some anime experts say Deku was wrong to turn himself into Dark Deku, as One For All was the only Quirk that could defeat the mysterious All For One. Also, Midoriya wasn’t emotionally prepared for all of these, since he only had One For All for around a year and was still finding out what that meant to him personally. But, unfortunately, this was something bound to happen to anybody who just recently gained a potent Quirk rather than growing up with it. From the plot’s perspective, Midoriya was the only character who can defeat Shigaraki and All For One. He even seemed to realize this at some point.
Somehow, Midoriya got the pressure because he is the hero. It all comes down to him. But, he did not realize the impact of this transformation on his friends. Even if the other characters in the school never had too massive an airtime like him, they still played a part and could support him emotionally, such as being present during his final bout with Shigaraki and All For One.
Fans appreciated his concern for his classmates’ safety when he turned into Dark Deku, but that was misguided. He did not need to transform to this evil side to protect them. He could have done this simply by winning the final bout – and with their help.
How Strong Is Dark Deku?
But despite these flawed personal reasons for turning into Dark Deku, Dark Deku was strong. His time and appearance in the anime may have been very short. However, it is during this time that he genuinely tapped into the potential of One For All, the central antagonist in the anime. As the evil side of Midoriya, he was highly efficient, minimizing unnecessary movements and putting several Quirks to his advantage.
Unlike All Might, the idol of Midoriya, who only used super strength at its full potential, Dark Deku harnessed the power of other One For All wielders. One of his powers, the Danger Sense, was almost always activated while maximizing the use of other capabilities like Blackwhip, Float, and Smokescreen. Additionally, he also made use of the supernatural strength powers of One For All, adjusting his strength levels to the least effort required to finish a task, making Dark Deku a formidable force in the story, indeed.
In his attempt to capture Midoriya, All For One sent out several notable villains. Once again, Dark Deku battled with Muscular, one of the escapees of the Tartarus prison. But, he did not find it hard to defeat the villain at that time
It is also worth mentioning that Dark Deku also beat the infamous Lady Nagant, though he encountered difficulties doing so. But, the most notable among the rest was when he almost won over the combined forces of Class 1-A. He would have won, yes, if only he weren’t overfatigued.
With these heroic accomplishments and fighting abilities, just like the wins of a boxer, Dark Deku is fearsome and firm in his own right. He may not be the number one hero, but his existence is remarkable.
Transpiring in a world where “Quirks,” or superpowers, are commonplace, “My Hero Academia” follows Midoriya, a boy who isn’t bestowed with a Quirk. Yet, he still dreams of becoming a mighty superhero. He gets scouted by All Might, the greatest superhero in their world, who willingly gives his Quirk to him after recognizing his potential. All Might also helps enroll him in a prestigious academy for superheroes in training, hence the anime’s title.
“My Hero Academia” is about to air the first episode of the seventh season. How time flies fast, right? It is happening this Mary 4th. Be sure to tune in!
