Hi, Junko from Japan here! Midoriya Izuku in My Hero Academia is called DEKU. What does DEKU mean in Japanese? The word DEKU is an abbreviation of the Japanese word DEKUNOBO which means “good for nothing.” It doesn’t deserve a hero’s name. Why does Izuku have such a dishonorable nickname?
DEKU Comes from Japanese Kanji Letters
The one who first called Izuku DEKU is Bakugo Katsuki. The Kanji spelling for IZUKU can be read as IZUKU. Katsuki read Izuku’s name differently on purpose with a mocking intention. See the figure below to make it easy.
Katsuki knew that the word DEKU had a bad meaning and yet used it to insult Izuku. The word DEKUNOBO originally means a wooden puppet and eventually stood for someone useless and goofy. We never use it with good intentions. If you say DEKUNOBO against someone, it’s simply a dirty word.
Ochako Gave a New Meaning to the Unhonorable Name!
So it’s obvious that the name DEKU has been an unwilling name for him. But Uraraka Ochaco gave it a new meaning when he started his life at Yuei high school. She said “Deku sounds like “you can do it!,” so I kinda love it”.
Later, Izuku made DEKU his hero name. I think it describes his life itself. He was nothing but a weak boy. But he met someone who gave him a new power such as All Might and Ochaco, grabbed the chance tight, and grew strong.
The good-for-nothing DEKU was reborn and got a new meaning as a hero!
If you want to know the full meaning of the name Midoriya Izuku, check out this post. I gave a detailed explanation for each Kanji symbol in his name!
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Hi, Kalego sensen is written in Katakana letters, not Kanji. His name comes from Solomon’s 72 devils in The Old Testament and Goetia. Hope it helps!