Entrance Exam & Early UA

Deku receives One For All from All Might and discovers he can become a hero. He passes UA's challenging entrance exam through quick thinking and courage, enrolling in the prestigious Hero Course alongside childhood rival Bakugo and prodigy Todoroki. The League of Villains strikes at USJ, forcing students into real combat.

Izuku Midoriya is born into a world where approximately 80% of the population possesses supernatural powers called Quirks, yet he himself remains completely Quirkless. In a society that equates power with worth, this makes his dream of becoming a hero seem delusional to everyone around him. His childhood friend Katsuki Bakugo possesses an explosive Quirk and relentlessly mocks Izuku's powerlessness. Despite this systematic dismissal, Izuku continues to study heroes obsessively, taking detailed notes on their techniques and strategies—demonstrating that heroism involves more than raw power. All Might, Japan's greatest hero and the symbol of peace, encounters Izuku attempting to rescue Bakugo from a villain despite having no powers. All Might recognizes Izuku's most crucial quality: the instinct to act selflessly to help others, even at personal cost. All Might offers Izuku his own Quirk, One For All, a power-amplifying ability passed down through generations. This transfer fundamentally changes Izuku's trajectory and marks the beginning of the series' central conflict. UA High School's entrance exam forces Izuku to confront his inexperience with his new power. During combat trials, he faces the zero-pointer robot—an obstacle designed to test students' avoidance and survival skills. Recognizing that Uraraka Ochaco will be crushed by the robot, Izuku breaks both his arms attacking it, destroying the machine and saving her. This moment establishes the core dynamic of the entire series: Izuku wins fights not through superior power, but through willingness to sacrifice his body for others. At UA, Izuku forms genuine friendships with Uraraka, Iida, and Todoroki that transcend academic competition. These relationships become the emotional foundation for every subsequent arc. The sports festival, USJ attack, and class dynamics force Izuku to develop beyond his power level and understand that heroism is fundamentally about protecting people you care about. The class gradually becomes a found family. One For All's physical cost becomes immediately apparent: using it destroys Izuku's body. After the entrance exam, his arms are shattered beyond ordinary healing. Recovery Girl restores him, but this establishes the central tension of every fight: Izuku must choose between using his full power and risking permanent injury. This physical limitation drives his character development more than any enemy could—heroism requires accepting that saving others might cost you everything.