While My Hero Academia has an ensemble cast of characters, there is no doubt that Izuku Midoriya is the star of the show, and he fits the classic shonen mold while still having an identity and voice of his own. He was born Quirkless, but always had the heart of a hero, and he is determined to become the new Symbol of Peace to inspire the people.
Meanwhile, Iruma Suzuki is the charming lead of Welcome to Demon School, Iruma-Kun!, a creative isekai series that thrust Iruma into the demonic Netherworld, where he must attend the Babyls school for young demons. In a surprising number of ways, Izuku and Iruma are quite similar, but these boys also have their differences. Just how alike are they?
10 IZUKU AND IRUMA ARE SIMILAR: They Attend A Magical School
Many anime series take place in junior or senior high schools, to create a setting typical viewers can relate to. Izuku and Iruma both know what that’s like, but their schools are extraordinary in many ways. No ordinary student would attend U.A. or Babyls.
Izuku’s school, U.A., serves the primary purpose of training students to become Pro Heroes by honing their Quirks. Iruma is enrolled at Babyls, a castle-like school with an all-demon population and plenty of fantasy elements scattered about.
9 IZUKU AND IRUMA ARE DIFFERENT: Izuku Has A Supporting Parent
Some anime characters have two supporting parents, and others have none at all. Tragically, Iruma Suzuki’s parents took him for granted and made him work all day long, and they ultimately sold him to Lord Sullivan. Clearly, Iruma can’t rely on them for anything.
Fortunately, Izuku has it better. His single mother, Inko Midoriya, dotes on her son and wishes him the best. She’s quite protective, and once considered withdrawing Izuku from school to shield him from further harm. That’s one committed mother.
8 IZUKU AND IRUMA ARE SIMILAR: They Gained Great Power
Some anime characters are born with incredible talent, such as Sasuke Uchiha or Shoto Todoroki, while others have to work at it. Iruma and Izuku were both born with minimal talent aside from a good work ethic, but they did receive amazing powers later on when the time was right.
Iruma received the ring of Solomon from Sullivan, and this grants him power on par with most demons. Izuku famously received the One For All Quirk from All Might, and that puts him on par with even Shoto and Katsuki Bakugo. Both of them have been transformed.
7 IZUKU AND IRUMA ARE DIFFERENT: Izuku Wants A Heroic Career
It’s true that Iruma Suzuki is willing to fight to defend his classmates and protect the peace, but that’s not his main goal. Compared to many shonen heroes, Iruma has few goals and ambitions, and he’d rather take his new life as it comes. That makes him rather passive.
Izuku Midoriya is nothing like that. He has dreamed of being a great hero ever since his boyhood, and now that dream may come true. Izuku has a clear goal and the means to achieve it, and he works hard every day toward that goal. For him, fighting isn’t just to protect his friends — it defines his career and his life.
6 IZUKU AND IRUMA ARE SIMILAR: They Have A Grouchy But Well-Meaning Teacher
These magical schools have incredible teachers to match, and Izuku’s homeroom teacher is Shota Aizawa, AKA Eraserhead. Aizawa is moody and not very expressive, but he has high hopes for his students, and he pushes them because he believes in them. Iruma knows what that’s like.
Iruma has his own Eraserhead: Naberius Kalego, a stern but responsible Babyls teacher who’s in charge of the abnormal class. In Season 2, Kalego pushed his students to new heights in a real battle, and he also challenged them to reach rank 4 in record time. He wouldn’t do that unless he had total faith in Iruma and the others.
5 IZUKU AND IRUMA ARE DIFFERENT: Iruma Doesn’t Want Attention
Izuku Midoriya knows that Pro Heroes must be more than powerful fighters — they must also be emblematic of justice, peace and hope, and they must inspire the masses every day during work. Pro Heroes are public figures, and there’s even merchandise dedicated to them, such as All Might posters and Endeavor plushies.
Izuku is ready for the entire world to watch him fight evil, but Iruma Suzuki wants the opposite. Iruma may have some power, but he’d rather keep it quiet, and he wants more than anything to just blend in. He’d rather not people dig into his past and realize that he’s human, rather than a demon.
4 IZUKU AND IRUMA ARE SIMILAR: They Have Friends In High Places
Students like Iruma and Izuku can make a lot more progress if they have the right connections, and it’s never too soon to start networking. Izuku has a big advantage by knowing All Might on a personal level, and he’s also connected to the elderly Gran Torino and other major figures.
Similarly, Iruma is the foster grandson of Lord Sullivan, one of the most influential and renowned demons of all, which is a serious advantage. Iruma is also friends with some Babyls teachers such as Baram, and he is also friends with Asmodeus Alice. The Asmodeus family is well-connected, so knowing them through Alice can be quite helpful at times.
3 IZUKU AND IRUMA ARE DIFFERENT: Izuku Has Better Intuition & Instincts
Izuku and Iruma both emphasize sheer power over cunning and trickery, but between them, Izuku is the smarter one. He might not have Momo Yaoyorozu’s IQ, but he’s still a smart and insightful boy who can formulate tricky battle plans to take down opponents stronger than himself.
Izuku’s intuition is sharp and only getting better, and he’s not easy to fool or deceive. By contrast, Iruma Suzuki is rather easy to mislead, and the villainous Shiida fooled him into thinking she was a harmless friend, despite her awkward behavior. Izuku wouldn’t have fallen for that.
2 IZUKU AND IRUMA ARE SIMILAR: They Have Similar Faces
Iruma and Izuku have some physical differences, such as their hair and eye color, but aside from that, the two boys almost look like brothers. They have a roughly similar build and height, since they are a similar age, and they even have similar faces, most of all their eyes. Their bright, expressive eyes can also turn stern and serious when the fighting starts.
Iruma and Izuku have roughly similar personalities as well, being polite and friendly boys who can make friends with just about anyone, while also being brave in the face of a true villain. Izuku is braver and more proactive overall, but otherwise, these shonen heroes think along the same lines.
1 IZUKU AND IRUMA ARE DIFFERENT: Iruma Went To Another World
This might be the single biggest difference between the two characters. Iruma Suzuki is an isekai hero who got a one-way ticket from modern Japan to the Netherworld, and he must adjust quickly as this realm’s sole human citizen. It’s a whole new world for him.
Izuku had no such experience. He is comfortable in the world he inhabits — futuristic Japan where most people have Quirks. He used to have many hardships as a Quirkless person, but otherwise, he fits perfectly into this world, and there are no demons here, though plenty of villains do exist.
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