InMy Hero Academia, Izuku Midoriya akaDeku, is a hero-in-training with the potential to become a first-rank success story thanks to the immense power and skill put on display while utilizing his unique One For All quirk to its fullest. But Deku isn’t always a shining example of the hero he strives to be, withnew cosplay images bringing to lifeMidoriya’s “Dark Deku” personain a way that shows just how bleak this phase of his superhero journey truly was.
Images recently shared on social media via Reddit and Instagram by Benjamin Dodobayev (u/Cosplaybenand@cosplayben), this creator excels when developing costumes that take things a step further than what would normally be expected from a traditional cosplay design. Previously creating and wearing deluxe cosplays of Aquaman’s Black Manta foe, Jaime Reyes’s armored version of Blue Beetle, the Joker wearing his very own batsuit as seen in2020’sJoker Warstoryline, and more, Benjamin consistently impresses with comic-accurate live-action looks, with his creative leap into the anime and manga world ofMy Hero Academialosing nothing in transition.
Cosplay Design by Benjamin Dodobayev (u/Cosplayben and @cosplayben) with Photography by @wsikanderlife
After being marked by All For One as a high-priority target,Deku goes full vigilante modepost-Paranormal Liberation War arc and begins to take on villains all his lonesome. Shunning his friends and family in a Batman-like brooding attempt to keep them safe, Deku’s conflicted mental and emotional state birthed his “Dark Deku” persona, one that didn’t last long before Midoriya was forced by Bakugo and the rest of Class 1-A to confront some uncomfortable truths about himself and his destiny as a hero, helping Deku shed his dark mindset and returning him to a more hopeful version of himself.
Wearing the tattered threads of Midoriya’s superhero garb,Benjamin’s Dark Deku is a significant departure from the character’s typical bright, heroic appearance, with Deku’s more terrifying mask/hood, Gran Torino’s dirtied cape, and the squirming tendrils of One For All’s Blackwhip quirk giving Benjamin an extremely unnerving vibe. Looking like a hero whose physical limits have been pushed then broken through, Benjamin’s Dark Deku nails the inner and outer turmoil the character was facing at the time, with his battle-worn outfit and attention to each series-accurate detail adding to the overall package that is this cosplay.
Deku’s DarkestMy Hero AcademiaPersona Is Perfectly Adapted in Detailed Cosplay Design
The era of “Dark Deku” is an understandably depressing twist in Midoriya’s already winding path towards his ultimate fate as a hero, yet for as distressing as the experience was, Deku at least received a badass character design for his trouble, a look that Benjamin Dodobayev (u/Cosplayben and @cosplayben) was able to adapt into a real-world setting successfully.My Hero Academiaended its decade-long runin the manga space earlier this summer, so now’s a good time as any forDekuand the rest of his Class 1-A colleagues to get some more love in the cosplay community!
Sources:u/Cosplaybenand@cosplayben
My Hero Academia
My Hero Academia is a multimedia franchise that follows a young boy named Izuku Midoriya, who dreams of becoming a hero despite being born without superpowers. These superpowers, known as “Quirks” are found in most people after birth, but Izuku wasn’t so lucky - until a fateful encounter with All Might, Japan’s greatest hero, Izuku inherits his Quirk and enrolls in U.A. High School to learn the true meaning of heroism. Alongside his classmates, each endowed with unique abilities, Izuku faces rigorous training and lethal threats from villainous forces.
