My Hero Academia by Kohei Horikoshi is a story set in a world where people are born with unique powers called Quirks, the usage of which has led to the rise of Heroes and Villains. With tonnes of powerful Heroes existing in the world, there also exists a ranking system in the form of the hero billboard chart. Based on their strength and popularity, all heroes are ranked in their country.
All Might, the greatest hero to ever live, was Japan’s Number One Hero for a long time. After his retirement, Endeavor took the Number One spot before eventually being replaced by the new generation and overtaken by Lemillion, Mirio Togata. Mirio’s ascension to Number 1 definitely surprised many, as we all believed that, by the end of My Hero Academia, the new number one hero would be none other than All Might’s own successor, Izuku Midoriya, the previous holder of One For All.
Unfortunately, because of Deku’s quirk loss and the long time it took for him to be able to become a Pro Hero, he has yet to gain this position. However, Horikoshi has set up a new bright future for My Hero Academia following the release of the latest special episode, titled “I am a Hero too,” on August 2, 2026. Now, Izuku Midoriya stands a shot at becoming the top Pro Hero with his new Hero Armor, and all this could be revealed in the next My Hero Academia project, which is being set for a potential reveal at Jump Festa 2027 in December.
Izuku Midoriya Currently Stands As Japan’s Number 4 Hero
Izuku Midoriya is the protagonist of My Hero Academia, whom we have followed since the very first chapter of the series, released back in Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #33 on July 7, 2014. Back then, Deku was quirkless. He had no powers of his own, but through his determination, he proved himself to All Might and became the inheritor of his legendary Quirk, One For All. One For All wasn’t an immediate ticket to success. Izuku Midoriya still had to train hard and master the Quirk before he could be considered one of the greatest Heroes of his generation.
In general, Deku’s goal was always to become the greatest hero of Japan, and he was definitely on the path to achieving just that. However, in My Hero Academia’s Final War arc, Izuku Midoriya selflessly sacrificed his One For All Quirk in hopes of saving Shigaraki’s life. As this attempt failed, he was left quirkless once more, which snatched his Pro Hero dream from him. Even though Deku was declared the greatest Hero, the fact that he could no longer pursue it was sad for the fans. Consequently, this also destroyed any hopes he had of joining the Hero Billboard Chart of Japan.
With that being said, after an 8-year timeskip, Deku was given a great power-up that went on to restore his dream in the form of a new advanced version of the Hero Armor used in the Final War arc by All Might. With this suit in hand, Deku was able to become a Pro Hero once more.
Based on the latest My Hero Academia special, titled “I Am a Hero Too,” which was released on August 2, 2026, and was based on the extra chapter created by Horikoshi, Deku has now been ranked 4th in the new Japan Hero Rankings. This is an impressive ranking position for Deku, especially since he recently became a Pro Hero again, but it’s definitely still far from his ultimate goal of becoming Number 1.
Izuku Midoriya Is Destined To Become Japan’s Number 1 In The My Hero Academia Release
At the beginning of My Hero Academia, Deku stated that we were all witnessing how he became the greatest hero in Japan. Based on this comment alone, we all assumed that Deku would, of course, become the Number 1 Hero of Japan, the title previously held by All Might, his mentor, and the person he succeeded, both in legacy and in power.
While he most certainly has accomplished this goal in terms of legacy, and perhaps even surpassed All Might, he still has work to do stature-wise. His power loss definitely put a dent in his progression. Despite that, we’re sure that eventually, Izuku Midoriya is destined to become the Number 1 Hero of Japan. Midoriya has already risen in the ranks and surpassed other legendary Heroes of the new generation, like Bakugo, Kamui Woods, Nejire Hado, and many others. He has already cemented himself among the very best of the country in a very short time period after acquiring the Hero Armor.
That said, he still has three more Heroes to surpass, those being Mt. Lady, with her Gigantification Quirk; Shoto Todoroki, with his Half-Cold Half-Hot Quirk; and Mirio, the current holder of the Number One Spot, with his Permeation Quirk. Out of these, Mt. Lady will be the easiest to surpass. She is strong and charming, but Deku’s new armor is far superior and a lot more powerful. Based on what Horikoshi himself has said, this new advanced armor replicates the power of One For All and all the vestiges, even allowing him to combine two or more powers together.
In the final arc, Deku was definitely stronger than both Shoto and Mirio. If he is truly operating at a similar level, then it is only a matter of time before he proves himself to the public with his Hero Armor and becomes the Number 1 Hero of Japan, surpassing both of them in the process. While we don’t know when this could happen, My Hero Academia is set for a big reveal at Jump Festa 2027, which will take place on December 19, 2026. Specifically, it is promised to be featured during the Super Stage Red, which is the main stage of the event by Shueisha, set to feature huge announcements. New My Hero Academia projects will be revealed here.
One unconfirmed project, many fans believe is bound to happen eventually, is a new, canon My Hero Academia movie written or co-written by the original author, Kohei Horikoshi. It could be in this movie that adult Pro Hero Deku faces a new challenge. By overcoming this challenge, he could attain the Number 1 position in Japan that he failed to previously gain.
Why Deku Deserves The Number 1 Hero Spot of Japan
Many fans were disappointed when, at the end of My Hero Academia, Izuku Midoriya did not become the Number One Hero of Japan. In part, it is because the premise of the story itself promised to see Deku’s rise as the greatest Hero, but also because Deku’s actions made him more than deserving of this position. In the final arc of My Hero Academia, Izuku Midoriya had to defeat the most powerful villain of all time, All For One. While Bakugo initially defeated All For One, Deku still had to take him down once more.
On top of that, Deku had to defeat Shigaraki and his powerful All For One inherited quirk. Despite all the evil done by Shigaraki, Deku, at the end of it all, still tried to save him as a true Hero, which is why he sacrificed his Quirk in the first place. Deku was selfless through it all and embodies the Number 1 Hero position perfectly. Now, with his restored strength, thanks to the advanced hero armor, he’s definitely the strongest, and we hope to see him reach new heights soon.