24 Best Deku Quotes — 'PLUS ULTRA!' & Izuku Midoriya's Hero Journey
Izuku Midoriya is the kid who kept running even when he had no reason to. Born quirkless in a world where 80% of people have superpowers, watched by everyone — including his best friend — for being the “useless one,” Deku spent his first 14 years being told he could not become a hero. Then All Might picked him anyway. And within three years, this boy who had to break his own bones to throw a punch became the heir to the greatest hero power in the world.
Deku’s quotes mix nervous muttering (“his quirk analysis notebooks”) with absolute, immovable resolve (“I am here!”). Kohei Horikoshi wrote him as the anti-Bakugo: small, anxious, empathetic, and relentless. When Deku says “when a hero needs saving, someone else becomes the hero” — that is the thesis of My Hero Academia. These 24 quotes cover the arc from quirkless boy to One For All’s ninth user.
About Izuku Midoriya
Izuku “Deku” Midoriya is the protagonist of My Hero Academia (2014-2024) by Kohei Horikoshi. Born quirkless in a world where superpowers are the norm, Izuku was mocked throughout his childhood — especially by his explosive-quirked childhood friend Katsuki Bakugo, who called him “Deku” (“useless”). One day, Izuku throws himself into danger to save Bakugo from a sludge villain. The number-one hero, All Might, witnesses this and chooses Izuku as his successor.
All Might’s quirk is One For All — a power passed down through touch that grows stronger with each generation. Izuku inherits it, enrolls at U.A. High School, and spends the series battling the League of Villains, the Paranormal Liberation Front, and eventually Tomura Shigaraki and All For One. He takes “Deku” as his hero name, reclaiming the insult.
His signature: messy green hair, large expressive eyes, freckles, green hero costume modeled after All Might, and a habit of muttering quirk analyses under his breath when overwhelmed.
The Inherited Catchphrase
"I am here!"
— Izuku Midoriya, My Hero Academia (Chapter 284, inheriting All Might's line)
"PLUS ULTRA!"
— Izuku Midoriya, My Hero Academia (Chapter 11, recurring U.A. motto)
"Don't worry. I'm here."
— Izuku Midoriya, My Hero Academia (Chapter 360)
Hero Definition
"When a hero needs saving, someone else has to become the hero. That's all this is."
— Izuku Midoriya, My Hero Academia (Chapter 2, paraphrased)
"A hero isn't someone who wins. A hero is someone who runs toward the person who needs help."
— Izuku Midoriya, My Hero Academia (Chapter 50)
"Saving people with a smile — that's the hero I want to be."
— Izuku Midoriya, My Hero Academia (Chapter 11)
Being Quirkless
"For years I was told I couldn't be a hero. I never stopped believing I could. That's the only thing that got me here."
— Izuku Midoriya, My Hero Academia (Chapter 1)
"Mom, I'm sorry. I know you wanted me to give up. I couldn't."
— Izuku Midoriya, My Hero Academia (Chapter 2)
Bond with All Might
"All Might. You chose me. I won't waste a single day of this gift."
— Izuku Midoriya, My Hero Academia (Chapter 3)
"All Might said I could be a hero. No matter what happens, that will always be true."
— Izuku Midoriya, My Hero Academia (Chapter 94, paraphrased)
Against Shigaraki & All For One
"Shigaraki Tenko. I saw the boy inside the villain. I'm coming to save him."
— Izuku Midoriya, My Hero Academia (Chapter 295)
"All For One — you made him what he is. I'll save him from you."
— Izuku Midoriya, My Hero Academia (Chapter 404)
On Bakugo
"Kacchan. You were always my first idol. Even when I was scared of you."
— Izuku Midoriya, My Hero Academia (Chapter 284)
"Kacchan, you were the first person I wanted to surpass. You're still the person I want to fight beside."
— Izuku Midoriya, My Hero Academia (Chapter 320)
Training & Self-Doubt
"One For All wasn't something I was born with. That means I have to earn every percent."
— Izuku Midoriya, My Hero Academia (Chapter 25)
"If I break every bone in my body saving someone — that's still a win."
— Izuku Midoriya, My Hero Academia (Chapter 40)
"I'm not fighting to be the strongest. I'm fighting because someone has to."
— Izuku Midoriya, My Hero Academia (Chapter 70)
Mentor Moments
"Kota. The hero who saved your parents is still fighting somewhere. The hero they were still exists in you."
— Izuku Midoriya, My Hero Academia (Chapter 79)
"Eri. You don't have to apologize for existing. You're a kid — you're allowed."
— Izuku Midoriya, My Hero Academia (Chapter 165)
On Saving Villains
"Shigaraki is crying. I don't know if anyone else saw it. I did. That's why I can't kill him."
— Izuku Midoriya, My Hero Academia (Chapter 310)
"The boy who became Shigaraki deserved a hero. I'll be that hero — even now."
— Izuku Midoriya, My Hero Academia (Chapter 420)
Final Reflection
"Deku used to mean 'useless.' Now it means 'you can do it.' I rewrote my own name."
— Izuku Midoriya, My Hero Academia (Chapter 61, paraphrased)
"Heroes aren't born. Heroes are the people who keep going when everyone says to stop."
— Izuku Midoriya, My Hero Academia (Chapter 300, paraphrased)
Why These Quotes Resonate
Deku’s whole arc is an argument that innate ability is not the point. He was born with nothing — zero quirk in a world that measured worth by quirks — and he still out-ran, out-analyzed, and out-willed every classmate. His empathy is his real superpower. “Shigaraki is crying. I saw it” is the line that separates Deku from every other shonen protagonist of the 2010s: he sees the villain’s pain and refuses to ignore it even when ignoring it would be safer.
“PLUS ULTRA” works as a meme because it’s also true. Going beyond your limits isn’t bravado in Deku’s hands — it’s the only way someone quirkless gets to U.A., so it became the only way he knows to live.
Frequently Asked Questions about Deku Quotes
What is Deku's most famous quote?
"I am here!" — inherited from All Might in Chapter 284 — and the U.A. motto "PLUS ULTRA!" (Chapter 11) are Deku's two signature lines. The first marks the moment he becomes the new Symbol of Peace; the second is the philosophy of going beyond your limits that defines his quirkless-to-Number-Nine arc.
What did Deku say about being a hero?
In Chapter 50 Deku says: "A hero isn't someone who wins. A hero is someone who runs toward the person who needs help." Earlier in Chapter 11 he frames the same idea aspirationally: "Saving people with a smile — that's the hero I want to be." His thesis is that running toward danger, not winning it, is what makes a hero.
What did Deku say about Shigaraki?
In Chapter 310 Deku tells his classmates: "Shigaraki is crying. I don't know if anyone else saw it. I did. That's why I can't kill him." In Chapter 295 he commits to the rescue: "Shigaraki Tenko. I saw the boy inside the villain. I'm coming to save him." His empathy for villains is what separates him from every other shonen lead of the 2010s.
What does the name "Deku" mean?
"Deku" was originally an insult from Bakugo meaning "useless." Izuku reclaims it as his hero name. In Chapter 61 he says: "Deku used to mean 'useless.' Now it means 'you can do it.' I rewrote my own name." His arc is the act of taking his bully's word and making it his own banner.
Was Deku really born quirkless?
Yes. Izuku was born quirkless in a world where 80% of people have superpowers. In Chapter 1 he reflects: "For years I was told I couldn't be a hero. I never stopped believing I could." All Might later chose him as the ninth user of One For All — Chapter 25 contains his line "One For All wasn't something I was born with. That means I have to earn every percent."
Related Characters
Same series — My Hero Academia:
- Bakugo — Deku’s rival and childhood friend
- All Might — Deku’s mentor, former One For All user
- Todoroki — Class 1-A classmate and friend
Cross-series comparisons:
- Monkey D. Luffy — another dream-chasing shonen lead
- Naruto Uzumaki — another underdog hero who inherits a great power
Explore more in the My Hero Academia hub and the full Anime & Manga Quotes collection.