Why Did Deku Become a Vigilante and Leave UA? (& Does It Happen in the Manga)

In My Hero Academia, we know that Izuku Midoriya is the main target of All For One because he possesses the One For All Quirk, which is the only Quirk that could rival the power of All For One’s All For One Quirk. We saw during the Paranormal Liberation War arc that a lot of different heroes and personalities took a huge blow both physically and emotionally. As such, Deku decided to leave UA High School during the Tartarus Escapees arc. So, why did Deku become a vigilante and leave UA?

The reason why Deku decided to leave UA and become a vigilante was due to the fact that he knows that Tomura Shigaraki, with his All For One powers, can detect where he is. Because Deku doesn’t want any of his friends and allies to get hurt as a result of this, he decided that it was best for him to leave UA.

Deku’s reason for wanting to leave UA is actually consistent with his personality as someone who thinks of others before himself. He has always been a very selfless character, and that was the reason why he was chosen by All Might to be the one to inherit One For All. And his selflessness showed in the fact that he wasn’t willing to see his friends getting hurt for his sake. 

Does Deku Leave UA?

The Paranormal Liberation War arc in the My Hero Academia anime is now over, and that means that we are now moving to the next arc of the storyline. Of course, at the end of the war, Deku found himself getting too injured to the point that he couldn’t move any of his limbs due to the fact that he used 100% of One For All too many times in the fight against Tomura Shigaraki. Like many of the other injured heroes and students, he was rushed to the hospital to get treated.

Of course, Deku’s recovery from the battle went well, and his mother was there beside him, worrying about the state of her son’s well-being. Izuku Midoriya, however, needed to tell his mother the secret of One For All because how it was important for her to know the responsibilities that her son had as All For One was now targeting him due to the fact that he possessed this Quirk. However, All Might assured Izuku’s mother that they are doing whatever they can to make sure that her son was going to be safe at UA.

But instead of making All Might and the others work hard to make sure that he had a safe environment over at UA High School, Midoriya decided to tell his mother that he was leaving UA and wasn’t going to go home as well. This came as a shocking revelation to Deku’s mother, who was still trying to make sense of what her son had just revealed. Meanwhile, All Might butted in to say that he can’t do anything to stop Midoriya from leaving UA but decided that it was best for him to tag along with him.

In that regard, All Might contacted Best Jeanist, Endeavor, and Hawks to inform them of Deku’s plan of leaving UA. While no one was happy about Midoriya’s decision to leave the school, the heroes still saw something positive in this because they knew that they could use this to their advantage to lure out the League of Villains and spot Tomura Shigaraki. As such, Deku teamed up with the pro heroes in an attempt to try to lure out the League of Villains but ended up battling the Tartarus escapees instead.

Why Did Deku Leave UA?

As mentioned, during the early part of the Tartarus Escapees arc, Izuku Midoriya decided that it was best for him to leave UA High School. This came after he saw the effects of the battle against the Paranormal Liberation Front. So, why did Deku decide to leave UA?

The reason why Deku decided to leave UA High School stems from the fact that he knows that All For One is after him and his One For All Quirk. He saw the effects of the Paranormal Liberation War and knows that a lot of different heroes lost their lives in that fight. Deku also knows that the hero society saw a huge blow to its reputation, especially after the revelation regarding the things that Endeavor and Hawks did.

In that regard, Deku was tired of seeing people getting hurt because of the entire battle between All For One and One For All. He knew that staying in UA would only hurt the people that he loved simply because Tomura Shigaraki and All For One could go to UA at any given moment to attack the entire school. And considering that Shigaraki’s Quirk is capable of death and destruction at an unprecedented rate, Midoriya knows that everyone important to him in UA or even at home would only be endangered if he were to decide to stay in either of those places.

The fact that Deku decided to leave UA to make sure that the people of the school were safe is consistent with his personality. All Might designate him as his successor because Midoriya always showed a selfless personality that allowed him to try to save everyone around him even if it meant he would die or get hurt. And he was already like that before he obtained One For All.

This means that All Might wasn’t wrong in choosing Deku as his successor because he left UA High School, his dream school, for the sake of all of the people that he loved. And the fact that he left UA and participated in the operation against the Tartarus Escapees means that he is a vigilante, considering that he isn’t even a licensed pro hero.

When Did Deku Leave UA In The Manga?

In the manga, Izuku Midoriya decided to leave UA High School in chapter 306. He even left a personal letter to all of his classmates so that they would be aware of his decision to leave UA. Deku told them the entire story regarding One For All and All For One so that they would know the true reason behind his departure from the school. 

The entire class, save for Ochaco, reacted in confusion because they didn’t know anything about this (of course, Bakugo knew). Meanwhile, Ochaco was clearly uneasy about Midoriya’s decision due to her feelings for him.