Not all heroes are discouraged from killing. Some have permission from the Hero Commission to use more permanent solutions when dealing with villains. Those who have been granted this special privilege have it denoted on their licenses via an innocent-looking arrow... or, as they're known by those who have them, a 'Death Dagger'.
Aizawa Shouta, as an underground hero who finds having all options open to him to be the only logical recourse, naturally is one such person. Yet he is taken aback to discover that four of his students — ones who haven't even officially gained their licenses yet — already have their marks. Maybe he shouldn't be surprised that his 'Problem Child' is one of them, but still. How did this happen...?
Death Daggers is a My Hero Academia fanfic by myheadinthecloudsnotcomingdown, who is also known for their For the Want of a Nail Series. It can be read on Archive of Our Own here
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For more fanfics by the same author, see the For the Want of a Nail Series and Nemesis (MHA), and see Modified for an original story written by Clouds.
This fanfic contains examples of:
- Abusive Parents: Endeavor. It's explicitly noted that the only reason he doesn't strike Shouto when he makes a snarky comment to him is simply because they're in public, and he doesn't want to risk any cameras catching his bad side.
- Adaptational Villainy:
- In canon, Burnin' is genuinely heroic, yet here she is a corrupt thief who would attack a teenager to get away with her crimes.
- While not evil, the protagonists are willing to kill, unlike their canon counterparts.
- Endeavor is much more destructive and willing to let innocent people die than in canon.
- Asshole Victim:
- Death Daggers operate on this, having discrete permission to use lethal force on villains.
- Ochako's attacker, who openly brags about how 'untouchable' he is and how he's going to ruin not just their lives, but those of their families.
- Burnin, who has been using her knowledge as a hero to get away with grand larceny and willing to assault a kid to keep them from talking when found out.
- A quirkist quirk counselor who genuinely believes that those with strong quirks deserve special privileges in society, such as being able to injure weaker individuals without consequences, and then Blaming the Victim for being ‘weak’. He can’t even pretend to be repentant in the face of certain death.
- Attempted Rape: It is implied that Ochako's attacker in the first chapter was going to sexually assault her before he was killed.
- Darker and Edgier: The author's notes declare right from the get-go that "This will get very dark, very fast." Given that the first chapter effectively kicks things off with a murder, they're not kidding.
- Death by Adaptation: Tenya accidentally kills Burnin' after he finds her stealing from a jewelry store and fights with her in order to prevent her from escaping.
- Disproportionate Retribution: The Asshole Victim from chapter one who openly brags that he’s going to use his father’s influence to ruin the lives of four kids and their families just because three of them stopped him from assaulting the fourth.
- Dissonant Laughter: Ochako's hit by a burst of this courtesy of the Mood Whiplash of everyone reacting warmly to Izuku's Quirklessness, only for him to abruptly remember that "Oh right! We need to hide a body!", followed shortly by everybody else.
- Dramatic Irony: Upon meeting the boys, Ochako's mother expresses relief at their presence: knowing that her daughter's already making friends with other aspiring heroes makes her more comfortable with the idea of Ochako moving out on her own. She's completely unaware that Ochako has already been attacked by a would-be predator, with this being how she met the boys in the first place — or that she took out her assailant herself.
- "Eureka!" Moment: When Shoto mentions in passing that he's never had friends thanks to his father's insistence that they would hold him back, Izuku immediately latches onto the idea that they could get around that by training together.
- Explain, Explain... Oh, Crap!: While discussing their options in the wake of their semi-Accidental Murder of Ochako's assailant, Izuku is the first to realize that there's little chance of them receiving any leniency thanks to his father's connections.
- False Reassurance: Shouto reassures his father that he was 'following in his footsteps' while Endeavor was busy fighting. Making it sound as though he's referring to heroism when he's actually noting the fact that he now has blood on his hands.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Ochako's assailant manipulates the emotions of his victims by emitting waves of overwhelming sentiments. This can be overcome if the target feels something stronger than whatever he's projecting... such as outrage. Which spikes up so strongly in his final would-be targets in response to his efforts that they respond with deadly force.
- Like Father, Like Son:
- Played for Drama. Given how confident Ochako's attacker was that his daddy would bail him out and punish the others for saving her, the four have little choice but to assume he's a Corrupt Corporate Executive who will absolutely ruin them if given the chance.
- Shouto tells his father that he's following in his footsteps, secretly referring to the fact that he killed someone in the name of heroism.
- My God, What Have I Done?: The glee the four feel at taking down Ochako's assailant fades upon the realization that they actually killed him, with Ochako promptly throwing up.
- Oh, No... Not Again!:
- Tenya's reaction upon realizing he killed Burnin'.
- Ochako has a similar reaction to killing a quirkist school counselor.
- Point of Divergence: Izuku meets Tenya, Shouto, and Ochako while watching one of Endeavor's fights, getting involved in helping the latter deal with a would-be assailant.
- Screw the Rules, I Have Connections!: Ochako's attacker happens to be the son of a powerful executive, and he gloats about how he'll ruin the lives of not just those who get in his way, but their families as well, purely because he can.
- Smug Snake: Ochako's attacker is a Spoiled Brat who expects to get away with his crimes scot-free.
- A Tragedy of Impulsiveness: The quartet gets so carried away by their anger at Ochako's attacker that they encourage her to drop him. The plunge proves fatal.
