My Hero Academia is ending, a reality I'm slowly accepting with the maturity that the fanbase is known for. Light jabs aside, while I know the current epilogue has divided many (including myself), it will never get in the way of how much this series has impacted me. I was already a Shonen meathead and superhero fan before MHA even aired. However, that love multiplied when I got into anime in 2017.
While MHA had many moments that would lock anyone in, I think seeing All Might vs. the USJ Nomu made me realize I found "my" shonen—the one that I got the honor of growing up with through my very eyes. When I caught up to season 3, I was so greedy that I spoiled myself on the Deku vs. Gentle Fight and started reading the manga regularly from there—a feat that vaulted me into reading tons of manga online. My relationship with the series was only uphill from there.
So, to return the favor to Kohei Horikoshi, I thought it was fair to pay tribute by expressing my thoughts on the series. Unfortunately, with the endgame of the series being three chapters away, plus at least one guaranteed movie about to pop off, topics like a top 10 strongest or best fights would be jumping the gun, too. Which then left my mind wandering to one question.
What better way to celebrate my journey through the series than with the character that has undergone the most evolution visually and mentally: Izuku Midoryia? Horkoshi's art and character design have been praised to hell and back, but I've seen much less love thrown at them, specifically his costume design. Deku constantly has to change his style alongside Horikoshi.
Our broccoli boy has garnered a lot of garbs over the years, so I decided to gather my thoughts in this neat little ranking today. So, please sit back and read true believers as I chronicle my thoughts on each of Might Jr.'s outfits.
Rules
Before we begin with the list proper, here are some ground rules. As the title says, I'm only talking about Deku's canon hero costumes, not every article of clothing the guy's donned. This won't include form changes, like 100% full cowling. While I'm not a character designer, I will rank these suits based on my personal view of how good they look, how practical their features are, and their impact throughout the series. Also, despite 428 adding a new entry to the list, I will try to keep this as spoiler-free as possible. With that out of the way, let's go.
#10: USJ costume
Yeah, when I meant every suit. I unfortunately meant EVERY suit. Which admittedly doesn't stop me from putting this sauceless-ass, bum-ass, Todoroki wore it better ass looking ass fit. With this being an interim suit that lasted only one arc, the USJ suit gets little time to stand out from the pack. Not that there's much to stand out.
It's essentially just the UA PE suit with a different mask and costume and Alpha's gloves and pads, which are admittedly a nice touch. Another detail I do like is the …. And the … Holy shit, I legit have nothing else to say about this outfit. So, I think I'll move on before unleashing any more slander.
#9:Alpha
Deku's first costumed outing is moving onto a costume with a little more meat on its bones. While this lasts about as long as the USJ costume, I think Alpha has a lot of charm for a beginner suit. I love Alpha wearing the same green shade as Deku's tracksuit. Combined with the mask, it's a fantastic little way for Izuku to honor his training with All Might.
Even if it is admittedly a little silly-looking, having the cowl and the visual references to the former number one is also a clever way of foreshadowing how Deku following his mentor's path to a T isn't going to work. Symbolism aside, I'm glad that unlike most of Class-1A's first suits, this didn't get much time to stick around.
#8:Delta
From here on out, this is where the list starts getting a lot spiced up. If each suit here were ranked on pure functionality, Delta would easily be Top 2 free. Compared to the Iron Soles, the Air Force gauntlets give Deku a lot more precise ranged options that he lacks overall with his base quirks. They also greatly revisit Deku's Delaware smash, highlighting how the once reckless technique is a valuable tool. In my eyes, the gauntlets also get a pretty baller first outing, too, with them being instrumental in finishing Gentle. Which brings up the pretty obvious question
"Why is it so low, Drako?"
I wouldn't say I like how the gauntlets look in the Gamma suit. They make the arm bracers across the Gamma suit look more clunky than anything, so I prefer the gauntlets when they're either altered aesthetically or paired up outside Deku's hero outfit. Manga volumes 20 and 26, I feel, display this beautifully while showing off how the Izuku is ready to jump at a moment's notice like all the top pros. After all, a superhuman society means being able to reach out at any opportunity. Finally, while this is handled in a later entry, the suit also grants Deku borderline flight, which is hella neat.
If they looked better on his main suit, I think this would rank much higher. But 7/9 ain't half bad.
#7:Zeta
Ahh, now for the honest, controversial take, I know. Before I sip on your tears from my good mug, let me cook and explain my problem with the suit. I may like it more in time with its recent acquisition into anime. Still, as of now, Zeta always stood out like a sore thumb after smacking a hammer on it, much like its predecessor, though the suit is technically a work in progress made to work in time for the final war arc.
In that regard, it's the most practical suit in the series. Iron soles, Airforce gauntlets, mid gauntlets, and Gran Torino's cape combine to make Deku look ready for action. This is also the premiere suit of the final war arc, which means the suit gets a lot of exposure with some beautiful covers. That one manga panel between him, All Might, and Nana Shimura will live in my head forever.
With all that being said, I still wouldn't say I like how this suit looks aesthetically. Between the yellow line/cape, a dark shade of green compared to most suits, and red midgaunlets make him look like a traffic light—a very disjointed traffic light off to defeat the world's greatest evil. Shade aside, I think the suit would probably vibe with me better if we got more consistent colors across promotional material and if the yellow of the lines and cape matched up better.
Or if Gran Torino's cape was obliterated, to be honest. Again, the cape worked well for the previous suit, but it feels like an addition far outworn here. It's welcome, even though it's in utter tatters. Gripes aside, the suit is a celebration of every suit He's had so far, and it goes here.
#6: Current suit
Given that this suit came out a few days ago after I wrote it, I don't have much to say about it. Compared to Epilson and Zeta, this feels like another return to form for Deku's suits. The slimmed-down mid gauntlets and lack of a mouth mask look good alongside Deku's new haircut, which is still short. Still, with this outfit potentially getting 2 to 3 chapters of screen time, it doesn't have much to go off of.