dekuThe Great Attack is one of the most iconic parts of My Hero Academy, but his name for them may not mean as much as many fans think they do. Of course, some aspects of them like the obvious homage to All Might’s predecessor’s attacks are relatively obvious, but the other major aspect of those moves is a bit more confusing about their true meaning.
Most of Deku’s attack names refer to an American location associated with some act of violence. The American references are following in the footsteps of All Might, who used a similar naming scheme as a way for My Hero Academia creator Kohei Horikoshi to pay homage to the Marvel and DC comics that have taken over. inspiration for the series. The act of violence frankly describes how it attacks. Besides, there is sometimes a numerical factor to these abilities as Deku calculates a percentage at the end of their name. Although many fans assume that this is the actual amount of One For All power he is using, it is not.
Deku’s attack rate in My Hero Academia is incorrect
In the Episode 9 add-on, Horikoshi reveals that the 1,000,000% Delaware Detroit Smash attack Deku used against Muscular in the Training Camp section didn’t actually use the 1,000,000% of One For’s power. All, because that’s mathematically impossible. Instead, the percentage represents Deku’s strong feelings at the time. Extrapolating from this, it is clear that this kind of percentage estimate is likely for all Deku attacks. Deku won’t be able to adjust the power level of his attacks down to an exact percentage point, so he has to make an estimate based on how much he feels he’s putting on the attack.
While these percentages are not exact measurements, they are still a great example of Deku’s nerd personality traits. Deku likes to analyze Quirks scientifically and by assigning percentage points to the strength of his own attacks, he can apply this principle to himself. Since these percentages are based on Deku’s own feelings about attacks, they’re also a good proxy for Midoriya’s confidence level at any given time. This makes them extremely useful for readers who want to follow Deku’s journey to mastering his powers throughout the series.
Deku’s attacks tell the reader about his confidence and mindset
Of course, now that Deku has almost completely mastered One For All, he has reduced these percentages from his attacks. However, this also hints at his emotional state, showing both Deku’s attempt to transform into a dark and serious hero as well as his new-found confidence. So while the percentage in dekuYour attacks may not indicate exactly what My Hero Academy Fans think, they’re still a valuable insight into the mind of the series’ protagonist.