What does ‘Deku’ mean in Japanese and English? ‘My Hero Academia’ names, explained

As the protagonist of My Hero Academia, Izuku Midoriya is a well-known character in the anime and manga community. However, that’s not the name that most people know him by.

Early into the series, Izuku starts getting called “Deku” by Katsuki Bakugo, who uses the term as a way to make fun of him. While the nickname isn’t something that Izuku appreciates during his childhood, he comes to embrace it during his first semester at U.A., choosing to give it a more positive meaning and standing up to Bakugo for the first time in the process. When asked to decide on a hero name, there’s no question in his mind about using the term, which speaks to how much the character grows over time.

Nowadays, the protagonist is best known as Deku, both by the people he saves in-universe and by the audience that watches him do it. In fact, some people have become so familiar with this name that they sometimes neglect the meaning behind it.

What is the meaning of Deku?

There is no direct English translation of the term “deku,” so to understand its meaning, we have to look at its history and connotations in its original language. This is an abbreviation of the Japanese word “dekunobou,” which is used to refer to old-fashioned wooden dolls or puppets. With this definition only, it’s easy to understand how insulting the word is when directed at a person, but there’s more to it.

“Deku” can also mean useless, good-for-nothing, or blockhead, so when Bakugo calls the protagonist by that name, he’s outright calling Izuku all of those things. Fortunately, after the protagonist gets into U.A. High School and meets Ochaco Uraraka, with her likable personality and seemingly endless positivity, he starts looking at the word differently.

What meaning does Izuku give to the name Deku?

As Uraraka points out, “deku” almost sounds like “deriku,” and can be seen as an abbreviation of it. This is a Japanese verb that acts similarly to the word “can” in English, being used to express one’s ability to do something. By doing this, Uraraka offers Izuku a different perspective on the name, and the student holds onto it.

As he later tells Bakugo during a fight, Izuku decides to own the name that he gave him, declaring that it won’t always mean that he’s useless. To him, Deku now means “you can do it,” as he’s someone who always does his best.