Midoriya's Journey: How He Earned the Respect of His My Hero Academia Peers!

Summary

Midoriya earns respect by showcasing immense passion and heroic determination.
Key characters like Bakugo and Todoroki come to acknowledge and respect Midoriya’s strength.
Midoriya’s willingness to put his life on the line earns him respect from heroes like Nighteye and Stain.

Despite having big dreams of one day becoming a hero, Midoriya, the protagonist of My Hero Academia, doesn’t initially know how to even go about achieving this lofty goal, especially since he starts the series without a Quirk. After All Might passes down One For All to Deku, opening the gateway to becoming a fully-fledged hero, Midoriya continues honing his skill by bolstering his strength and learning new techniques to help him fend off the dangerous villains who prowl the streets.

As a result, many characters, who previously looked down on the naive student, would come to greatly respect him after getting a glimpse at the immense passion and heroic determination that burns within Midoriya’s soul. Simply put, Midoriya is willing to do whatever it takes to protect those in need of saving, even if it means putting his own life on the line to do so, which has earned him the respect of many My Hero Academia characters, primarily these individuals below.

8. Nighteye

All Might’s Sidekick Eventually Comes To Understand Why His Mentor Passed His Quirk Down To Midoriya

First Appearance: Episode 63

Midoriya runs into Nighteye not long before the raid on Overhaul’s hideout, and it’s fair to say that the sharp and stoic sidekick of All Might doesn’t exactly give Midoriya a warm welcome upon meeting him. The truth is, Nighteye had wanted All Might to pass his Quirk down to Mirio, so when it ended up going to Midoriya instead, it caused Nighteye to treat the newcomer like little more than a naive fool who had bitten off more than he could chew.

After Midoriya managed to fight him without damaging any of his All Might merchandise and also expressed his determination to save Eri from the clutches of Overhaul, Nighteye began to warm up to the young boy, seeing him in a much different light. In his dying moments, Nighteye expressed that Midoriya is worthy of being the one to carry on One For All’s legacy, signaling a newfound respect from the keen and cunning sidekick.

7. Bakugo

It Takes A While, But Bakugo Eventually Admits His Acknowledgment Of Midoriya’s Power

First Appearance: Episode 1

For a good portion of My Hero Academia’s story, Bakugo acts as a bully towards Midoriya; poking fun and teasing him any time he slips up, which was very often in the early arcs. Despite Midoriya simply training to get accustomed to his Quirk, just like everyone else, Bakugo would always take aim at him specifically to try and belittle him, but after a few fights between the two, along with a near-death encounter here and there, Bakugo eventually admits his true feelings.

After Deku tries to distance himself from Class 1-A to draw away Shigaraki, Bakugo pleads for him to come back, admitting that since they were young, he has always felt like Midoriya was “above” him. This is why Bakugo pushes him away and lashes out, but it becomes clear that, later in the story, the explosive hothead comes to acknowledge, and maybe even respect, Midoriya’s strength and willingness to protect his friends.

6. Kota

From Hating Midoriya’s Guts To Crying Out For His Name During His Lowest Moment

First Appearance: Episode 41

Kota is a young boy that Midoriya runs into during the Forest Training Camp arc early on in the story, but it becomes pretty clear soon after he’s introduced that this kid has a pretty sour view of heroes. Kota shows a lot of hostility towards Midoriya during their first interactions; the reason being because both his parents were heroes who died in action, putting their work before family. Needless to say, Kota isn’t fond of Midoriya at first, but his perception of the protagonist, and heroes in general, completely changes once Muscular arrives.

This gigantic villain would have killed Kota if Midoriya hadn’t stepped in, with the young hero destroying his own body just to conjure up enough strength to weaken the immensely durable villain. When Midoriya breaks down in tears upon returning to U.A. much later in the story, Kota can even be seen running up to hug him while the other civilians just watch on with cold stares.

5. Stain

Midoriya Shows The Qualities Of Being A True Hero, And Stain Acknowledges That

First Appearance: Episode 24

Stain doesn’t hate all heroes, he just hates those who are only in it for money, fame, and reputation. Stain feels as though the term ‘hero’ has become too soft, with many signing up to become saviors of the country, without actually being willing to put their lives on the line, or to kill in the name of justice. As a result, Stain will only let his blades fly if he knows the hero he’s pursuing is a fake, but this certainly wasn’t the impression he had of Midoriya.

After going blow for blow with Midoriya and pushing the young boy as far as he could go, Stain came to realize that Midoriya had a lot of potential, and was passionate about protecting people, no matter the cost. Similar to how he would respect All Might for his acts of heroism, Stain also felt the same about Midoriya.

4. Todoroki

Midoriya Has Helped Todoroki Grow And Embrace Who He Truly Is

First Appearance: Episode 5

Though Todoroki is one of Midoriya’s closest friends and allies for much of the series, this wasn’t always the case. The two had a pretty frosty relationship when they first met during the U.A. Sports Festival due to Midoriya being closely affiliated with All Might, the arch-nemesis of Endeavor, Todoroki’s father. When the two went head-to-head though, Midoriya pushed Todoroki so far that he would be forced to unleash his fire side, something he had sworn to never do, but which also gave him the push he needed to grow and mature.

From that point onwards, Todoroki would see Midoriya as a close friend, accompanying him on many missions, including the raid on the Villain Hideout and during the Endeavor Agency arc. By the end of the story, the two are essentially brothers in arms, though it definitely didn’t seem that it would be this way going off their early interactions.

3. Endeavor

Midoriya Showed True Strength When Endeavor Was At A Low Point

First Appearance: Episode 17

Endeavor is a very different man at the beginning of the series compared to who he would become later on, and as a result of this, his view of Midoriya also changed pretty drastically as time passed. Initially, Endeavor sees him as little more than All Might’s naive new sidekick who could never compete with his golden son, Todoroki.

After Endeavor earns the number 1 Pro-Hero spot, though, his inflated ego begins to fade away as he tries to find a way to atone for his past sins, especially those committed towards his own family. During this low point, Midoriya continued to fight and was even willing to abandon the school entirely to protect the students and teachers, which earned him a tremendous amount of respect from Endeavor.

2. Ida

A Fellow Class 1-A Student Who Comes To Admire Midoriya After Watching Him In Action

First Appearance: Episode 3

When Class 1-A are all meeting one another for the first time, Ida presents himself as being the most serious and stern of the bunch. As a result, it was easy for him to look down on people, even if he didn’t mean to, and this definitely applied to Midoriya, who came off as a little clumsy and irresponsible in Ida’s eyes.

However, over time, Ida has witnessed first-hand just how much training Midoriya has been putting in to try and master One For All, despite the dangers that come with using such an immensely powerful Quirk. He also gains a lot of respect for his classmate after Midoriya rushes to stop Stain after the attack on Ida’s brother early on in the series.

1. All Might

Midoriya’s Willingness To Carry On The Torch Of One For All Made Him A Student Worthy Of All Might’s Respect

While being saved from a villain by All Might was the best day of Midoriya’s life, for All Might, it was just another day at the office. When Midoriya expresses his desire to become a hero, despite lacking a Quirk, All Might is largely dismissive and even recommends that he go into the police force instead. Not satisfied with the response, Midoriya kept talking about how desperately he wanted to become strong so he could protect others, and that’s when he caught All Might’s attention.

Since being passed down One For All, Midoriya has been impressing All Might time and time again, whether it be through perfecting his Cowling techniques, or simply passing a grueling practical exam. Earning All Might’s respect is no easy task, but considering how much he’s put himself through just to carry on One For All’s legacy, Midoriya is deserving of it.

2025-03-16 09:08

Midoriya’s Journey: How He Earned the Respect of His My Hero Academia Peers!