Fanfic / Deku? I think he's some pro...

For the Want of a Nail Series: Deku? I think he's some pro... | Mastermind: Strategist for Hire | Mastermind: Rise of Anarchy^note sequel to Strategist For Hire unrelated to the series | Viridian: The Green Guide | Cheat Code: Support Strategist | Shadows: The Horror Movie Heroes | Erazerhead: The Unknown Hero

Art by IdLikeToSpeakToTheManager.

Shortly after Bakugo is saved from the Sludge Villain, All Might decides not to make Izuku Midoriya his successor because he feels that the boy's too reckless. Izuku subsequently decides that if he can't become a hero himself, he can still help them out with his analysis skills, so he reaches out to a couple of Underground Pro-Heroes with his observations on how they can improve. Cue Izuku catching the attention of multiple heroes who are open-minded and willing to see the potential in a Quirkless kid. As a result, Izuku gets recommended into UA's Hero Course, becomes its first Quirkless student, and is on track to become the first Quirkless Pro-Hero.

Deku? I think he's some pro... is a My Hero Academia fanfic by myheadinthecloudsnotcomingdown. It can be read on Archive of Our Own here.

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Tropes in this fic include:

• Adaptation Relationship Overhaul: The most obvious one is between Izuku and All Might; rather than the former being the latter's successor, here Izuku can barely stand the hero after he tried to crush his dreams. The mentor role is instead taken mainly by Eraserhead.
• Adaptational Early Appearance:
  • Ms. Joke, Brave, Tsukauchi, Sir Nighteye, and Eraserhead are all introduced before Izuku even enters U.A..
  • Izuku meets Momo, Shoto, Tenya, and Inasa at the entrance exam for recommendation students.
• Adaptational Heroism: In this story, Himiko Toga was adopted by Vlad King.
• Adaptational Intelligence: While Izuku was a smart kid in canon, here he is nothing short of a Child Prodigy. He manages to contact a group of seasoned underground heroes where he manages to improve their Quirk versatility and criminal-catching success rate to the point where they think he is a retired pro-hero. He's so smart that he becomes a sought-after asset among both heroes and villains (All For One in particular seeing him as a threat) and the World's Smartest Man (or dog/rodent/bear-thing) Nedzu personally takes him under his wing for extra credit tutoring.
• Adaptational Jerkass: In-canon, All Might told Izuku not to get his hopes up becoming a hero without a Quirk so he would work toward a more realistic goal. Izuku's impulsive attempt to save Bakugo caused him to realize Izuku had been more heroic at the moment, and choose him as his successor. Here, he does not change his mind. By the time he recognizes Izuku in Class 1-A, he feels as though allowing him into the U.A. Hero course was a lapse in Nedzu's judgment and that even with Izuku's impressive skills and intelligence, he would be a liability in the field compared to his peers. From the way he phrases it, it's borderline ableist.
  All Might: Quirkless people can't be heroes. They've never been able to, it's not their place.
• Adaptational Superpower Change: Downplayed. Midnight's Quirk "Somnambulist" allows her body to exude a smell that causes those exposed to it to fall unconscious, the fact that it affects men more strongly than women implying that it is a natural pheromone. In the fanfic, it is expanded to be generated by chemical compounds in her lipids that vaporize into a gas on command, a quality that her daughter Momo inherited in her own Quirk "Creation" to use her lipids as fuel for her powers.
• Air-Vent Passageway: Izuku and Ms. Joke infiltrate a warehouse through its ventilation system, though they're noted as being the only ones small enough to get through.
• Ambiguously Gay: During Chapter 36, Kirishima mentions that he's not sure if he's interested in girls. No longer ambiguous when he starts going out with Bakugou.
• Anti-Climax: After winning first place in the Obstacle Course and getting through the Cavalry Battle, Izuku immediately loses his fight with Shinso the moment his Quirk affects him, not having One For All to snap him out of it in the last second. Izuku isn't too upset though, already having a laundry list of Hero Agencies willing to have him and is too fascinated with his Brainwashing Quirk to care.
• Armor-Piercing Question:
  • During one of his therapy sessions, Hound Dog ties Bakugou's guilt over his actions at the USJ causing Thirteen to get hurt into one of his deeper underlying issues, and gets him to start thinking more seriously about it with this exchange:
    Hound Dog: Running in without thinking, hmm. That seems like something you do a lot. You're a smart kid, brat, but the fact is that when you act without thinking, people get hurt.
    Katsuki: What? How did we get from Thirteen to whatever the hell you're talking about?
    Hound Dog: Did you ever stop to think when you were bullying Midoriya?
  • When a Paparazzi hounds Katsuki with leading questions, suggesting that the viral footage of Izuku was doctored to make him look stronger than he was, Mirko cheerfully fires back one of her own that makes the reporter stammer:
    Mirko: Would you be able to fight a serial killer? Even with whatever lame quirk you've got?
• Armor-Piercing Response:
  • Chapter 11 has this exchange after Izuku's mentors learn about Bakugou's bullying:
    Izuku: B-but that doesn't make any sense! If he hurt me, it must be because I did something bad! We've been best friends ever since we were kids!
    Aizawa: Deku, friends don't hurt each other.
  • He later gets to return the favor when Aizawa is about to expel Bakugou after their first training exercise. Izuku states that it isn't Bakugou's fault, and when Aizawa reminds him that it isn't his fault either, calmly replies, "I know." This catches his teacher's attention, allowing him to explain the situation at their old school and how it contributed to his former friend's issues.
  • In Chapter 24, when Izuku tries to get out of ruining his old middle school's reputation:
    Izuku: Let's say I agree with you. Wouldn't it be easier to let the police or the parents resolve the issue? Why should I be the one to take them down?
    Nedzu: Because you're a hero.
  • During one of his therapy sessions, Bakugou insists that Kirishima isn't his friend. He clearly doesn't know how to respond when Hound Dog points out that despite his claims that he's 'just some extra', he actually remembers Kirishima's name.
  • When Bakugo asks Mirko about being the strongest, she tells him that being the strongest means nothing when lives are on the line and that when that moment comes is when you have to hope you are strong enough to help people survive.
  • Upon learning that Izuku has been undermining Endeavor's reputation, Tenya starts reading him the riot act, only for Izuku to stop him dead in his tracks by bluntly reminding him that he was planning to murder Stain.
• Arrested for Heroism: Eraserhead and Ms. Joke stop a crime while off duty and out of uniform and nearly get arrested for vigilantism. Even when Aizawa shows his hero license, the cop on the scene thinks it might be a forgery, because he'd never heard of the (underground, and therefore low-profile) hero Eraserhead before. Aizawa has to get the cops to call Detective Tsukauchi to clear things up.
• Artistic License – Gun Safety: Discussed. In reference to All Might questioning why they allowed Izuku access to firearms, Aizawa's "The Reason You Suck" Speech mentions that while Izuku has trained to use his guns and has a license, Bakugo is allowed his much more destructive gauntlets without either of those things.
• Awesomeness by Analysis:
  • Izuku is good enough at analyzing both heroes and villains that several underground heroes were convinced he was a retired Pro Hero with an analysis or intelligence Quirk. Their shock at him being a Quirkless teenager grows further when they learn he only uses the evidence they send him for his analysis and what he can scrounge from the Internet, meaning that, among other things, Izuku gave an in-depth analysis that helped catch a serial killer with only a fifteen-second video to work with.
  • In a later chapter, Izuku learns about One For All by researching other Quirks that suddenly mutated to include Super-Strength, leading him to discover several heroes who each suddenly gained super strength and had either a mentor or apprentice who did likewise.
  • He also manages to find proof about All for One and the connection between All for One and One for All.
  • He also realized that as a stockpiler Quirk, One For All has the ability to store not just its past users' strength, but also their Quirks. He immediately understood what was happening to Toogata when the boy manifested Black Whip.
  • Just by looking at the brand of shoes he is wearing, Izuku discovers that Shigaraki is genetically Quirkless.
• Badass Normal: Izuku is a Quirkless 14-year-old, but his analyses and plans are impressive enough for the Pro-Heroes who accept them to take him seriously even after they learn of his identity. The Pro-Heroes who take him underneath their wings also teach him hand-to-hand combat and parkour and also recommend him to become UA's first Quirkless Pro-Hero-in-training.
• Bad Guys Do the Dirty Work: Shigaraki and the rest of the League kill All for One when Izuku starts an Enemy Civil War
• Bat Deduction: Izuku determining the existence of One For All is fairly logical. Izuku then determines that One For All would allow the user to utilize previous holders' Quirks, despite none of the previous holders ever doing so, is enough of a stretch to make no sense at all.
• Berserk Button: Don't insult Izuku in the presence of any of his Pro Hero friends, especially Aizawa.
• Big Damn Heroes: Himiko Toga coming in to rescue Deku from the League of Villains while carrying the blood of the rest of Class 1-A and thus their quirks.
• Blatant Lies: Aizawa claims he's not acting like Izuku's dad, while also doing things like comforting the boy after a nightmare or showing him how to properly tie a tie.
• Bond Villain Stupidity: Downplayed. When All For One decides that Izuku is too much of a liability to let roam the streets, he humors the idea of hiring a thug to take Izuku out anonymously, only to wave off the idea because it lacks poetry and finesse.
• Book Ends: During the finale, Izuku is once again told that it's impossible for him to become a hero, and has 'Deku' hurled against him as an insult. Rather than being devastated by this, however, Izuku calmly stands up for himself and his right to stand amongst his peers with his well-earned provisional license.
• Boomerang Bigot: All Might is very prejudiced against Quirkless people trying to become heroes even though he was also Quirkless growing up and then became a hero.
  • This is later expanded upon to reveal that his attitude didn't come out of nowhere. Nighteye tries to ask him what All Might would think if someone told him he couldn't be a hero, only for All Might to fire back that, before Nana gave him One For All, they did. Constantly. And it was only when he was given the quirk that he was able to be a hero.
• Breather Episode: Chapter 75, appropriately titled "Comfort", focuses on Izuku and Uraraka comforting each other after Izuku's near-death at the mall.
• Brick Joke: In Chapter 15, Izuku finds out that Eraserhead wears kitten pajamas to sleep. Thirty-six chapters later, during their first date, Emi mentions the pajamas as part of why Shouta's rep amongst the underground heroes is not what it was. Another twenty chapters later, Shinsou pranks Aizawa by having everybody in 1-A wear kitten pajamas for movie night.
  • When Izuku meets Midnight in Chapter 8, she mentions she handed off one of her cases on a blood villain to Vlad King because Izuku had stated the suspect was likely female^note Midnight's Quirk is weaker when working on women instead of men. In Chapter 77, Aizawa mentions that Vlad King found a girl he adopted because of that case - Himiko Toga.
• Broken Pedestal:
  • Since All Might never changed his mind about Izuku, the latter lost his previous fanboyism of the former, and learning about One for All only makes it worse. When All Might shows up as the Heroics teacher, Izuku does his best to avoid the man, who does not even try to smooth the problem over.
  • What little regard he had left for him shatters thanks to All Might's mishandling of the USJ incident, with how he treats Izuku as the only one who needs protection, disregards his warnings, and nearly gets himself killed trying to keep his true form secret... and then acts as though the whole debacle should have taught Izuku that he doesn't have what it takes to become a hero.
• Bruiser with a Soft Center: Underground Heroes are known for being The Cowl by their very nature, but they are also more likely to develop camaraderie with each other rather than going "lone wolf" like Daytime Heroes are known to do, something that a lot of hero students that decide to go underground like Izuku and Hitoshi come to realize.
• Calling the Old Man Out: Izuku calls out All Might during the USJ fight over the latter wasting his hero form time getting him out of the building instead of fighting to save everyone, and then trying to get him to drop out of the hero course.
• Can't Kill You, Still Need You: After Shigaraki's injuries weaken his ability to use Disintegration with his left hand, All For One considers getting rid of him, deciding against it only because he'd already invested so much into making sure his true identity would be a shocking revelation for All Might.
• Changing The Uncomfortable Subject: When Nighteye confronts him after the disastrous USJ incident, Toshinori repeatedly tries to deflect the coming lecture, starting with an attempt to guilt-trip him by asking whether he's even happy that he survived the fight.
• Compelling Voice: One of the ringleaders of the Doraggo cartel has a Quirk that makes others believe his lies.
• Combat Pragmatist: Being a Weak, but Skilled kid with self-taught expertise in Quirks, Izuku's main deal when facing an opponent is to exploit flaws in their techniques and use simple solutions to trump overwhelming power, even if it seems underhanded. This is stated to be a default among underground heroes, so they likely taught him all of this. For example, Izuku's plan for Class 1A to capture Aizawa relies extensively on tactics Iida regards as "dirty tricks" such as ambushes, flashbangs, tear gas, and diversionary tactics.
• Conditioned to Accept Horror: When Izuku mentions receiving death threats from civilians over being a Quirkless hero student, it's not until his classmates react with horror that he remembers such a thing isn't normal.
• Cooldown Hug: Izuku gives Ochako one to help her calm down after her loss in the fight against Bakugo.
• Cruel to Be Kind: Ms. Joke explains that she and Aizawa are both hard on their students to help ensure they're truly prepared for how dangerous hero life is.
• Curb-Stomp Battle:
  • Monoma challenges Izuku in the 1-A vs. 1-B one-on-one fighting. Monoma only gets to make one offensive move, and even that fails because he was trying to copy Izuku's nonexistent Quirk. Izuku only needs to sweep his legs and pin him to the ground.
  • When the League of Villains decide to kill All for One after Shigaraki destroys his life support, it becomes this.
    Dabi: Well that was quick.
  • Shortly after killing All For One, the League are rapidly curbstomped during the Hideout Raid, with Toga freeing Izuku after getting Shigaraki's Quirk, then quickly capturing the remaining members by turning Kurogiri's Quirk against them.
    Eraserhead: Party's over. We win.
• Didn't See That Coming:
  • The underground heroes (and later Nedzu) are shocked when they find out that Deku (who they thought was a retired pro) is actually a fourteen-year-old Quirkless kid who looks even younger.
  • When Izuku tells Nedzu that he has learned Endeavor is an Abusive Parent, U.A.'s principal chokes on his tea, and it is only as Izuku tells him the truth of the Todoroki's home life that he realizes the truth about them.
  • All Might didn't know that One For All could pass on quirks, believing that it only stockpiled strength, as neither he nor Nana were able to use past user's quirks.
  • All for One clearly didn't expect for Shigaraki and the League to turn on him, much less killing him as quickly as they did.
• Death by Adaptation: All For One suffocates to death as a result of Shigaraki destroying his life support.
• Difficult, but Awesome: Aizawa's capture weapon, which is similar to a large metal whip, is notoriously difficult to use but incredibly versatile for those who've mastered it. Shinso's attempt to knock over an empty can on the other side of the room only gets him tangled up. Ms. Joke's attempt gets them both tied together.
• Disability Immunity: When Eraserhead and Izuku are performing a raid on a cartel, the two corner the leader who mocks Eraserhead, confident that he won't cancel out her quirk with Izuku close by. Eraserhead retorts that it's a good thing that Deku is Quirkless, earning an Oh, Crap! reaction.
• Disappointed by the Motive: During their conversation after the USJ, Toshinori unintentionally confesses that the main reason he's so opposed to Izuku becoming a Quirkless Hero is because he couldn't do it. Nighteye is understandably upset to realize he's got such a petty motivation.
• Disappointed in You: Sir Nighteye tells Toshinori straight out that he's disappointed by his behavior when he confronts him after the USJ incident. He claims that even if Toshinori doesn't think that Izuku has what it takes to be a Hero, being Quirkless, that doesn't change that he made Izuku feel like he was less than other students.
• Don't Tell Mama: After the Doroggo raid, Aizawa grounds Izuku for not following orders. Izuku points out that Aizawa is not his father, so he cannot ground him. Then Aizawa points out that the alternative is letting Inko learn about what happened. Izuku promptly decides that Aizawa can totally ground him.
• Dramatic Irony: All for One decides to attempt to recruit the anonymous writer that publishes the articles about the hero system's faults, thinking they can be convinced to fight the system more violently... not knowing that the writer is Deku, the boy he's planning to kill.
• Dramatically Missing the Point: When Brave tells Izuku that everyone was convinced he was a retired pro-hero for several months, Izuku (who is in the middle of a panic attack caused by learning the underground heroes recommended him for the Hero Course) goes straight to thinking he's going to be accused of impersonating someone, not realizing that Brave is actually trying to encourage him.
• Dropped a Bridge on Him: All For One suffocates to death offscreen after Shigaraki destroys his life support.
• Dropping the Bombshell:
  • Izuku's first personal meeting with the underground heroes has several. The first, that he is a teenager instead of a retired pro. The second, that Izuku is Quirkless. The third, that all of his analyses are based pretty much on what the heroes send him, while the heroes thought he was actually going out to supplement the information with first-hand knowledge.
  • Izuku does this when he tells Shigaraki and Dabi that the former was born quirkless and that All for One engineered his tragic backstory.
• Earn Your Happy Ending: After everything Izuku has gone through, by the end of the fic, he's helped to defeat the League, has good relationships with all of his classmates, including Katsuki, and is able to gain his provisional license.
• Easily Forgiven: Averted in "Apologies" when Izuku makes clear that while he's glad All Might is recognizing his mistakes, that doesn't erase the damage he did and that he's under no obligation to forgive him.
• Enemy Civil War: After Izuku reveals to the League of Villains that Shigaraki was born Quirkless, and that All For One gave Shigaraki his Quirk to groom him to become a Villain, they collectively turn on and kill All For One.
• Entertainingly Wrong: Monoma assumes Izuku has an extremely powerful Quirk but is so arrogant that he refuses to use it, not realizing the boy has no Quirk at all.
  • Hitoshi makes the same mistake.
• Et Tu, Brute?: Aizawa feels betrayed when Izuku "innocently" comments that he and Ms. Joke look very cute together.
• Even Evil Has Standards: Dabi, Twice, and Magne turn on All For One after learning he had groomed Shigaraki to be a pawn to be used against All Might.
• Everyone Has Standards:
  • The various underground heroes are appalled by how Izuku is treated by Bakugou.
  • Izuku's classmates express discomfort at performing the Quirk assessment since the lowest-performing student will be expelled and Izuku doesn't have a Quirk, though they rescind their objections when it's pointed out some of them don't have Quirks that would help them during said assessment anyway.
  • When All Might gives his reasons why he thinks Izuku should not be in UA, all of his fellow teachers cannot help but be horrified and disgusted by the Symbol of Peace. Aizawa in particular storms out of the room because he "didn't need the murder of the number one hero on his resume".
  • When Izuku casually responds to death threats that he has been given due to being desensitized to them, the rest of Class 1-A react in horror, both to the threat and Izuku's lack of a reaction.
• False Dichotomy: Bakugo's main issue seems to be his belief that he is either the best or worthless, as that was the dichotomy between his and Izuku's upbringings.
  • This is also revealed to be Iida's issue as well, though in the form of Black-and-White Insanity, thanks in part to being raised within a Hero family legacy.
• Famed In-Story: Among the hero community, "Deku" is moderately famous for his analytical abilities, enough so for some of Ms. Joke's support staff to ask for autographs.
  • After the Sports Festival, several of Class 1-A's students comment on being stopped for autographs on the way to school, and Izuku gets a Heartwarming Moment when the mother of a Quirkless child thanks him for inspiring her daughter.
• Fantastic Ableism: Deku is constantly subjected to prejudice on account of being Quirkless.
  • Daytime heroes seem to be the worst when it comes to this, as All Might has shown time and time again that he believes Izuku shouldn't be a hero because of this, and among the 900 intern requests he received after the Sports Festival, almost all of them were from underground heroes.
  • When Deku is recognized on the way to school after the Sports Festival, the various admirers immediately shift gears once he tells them that he's Quirkless, ranging from concern that he should quit for his own safety (much like All Might) to an old man calling him "useless" and hoping that he dies in the line of duty for taking a Quirk-having would-be student's place.
  • The finale makes clear that this problem isn't magically going away, as the final obstacle he faces is the clerk printing off everyone's new licenses refusing to give him one.
• Fingore: Izuku nearly cuts off one of Shigaraki's fingers to prevent him from using his Quirk with that hand.
• First-Name Basis: Ms. Joke calls Aizawa by his first name, and when she visits him before the Sports Festival, he reflexively calls her by her first name. The teachers and the underground heroes like to needle Aizawa about it.
• Foil: Momo and Shoto. Both are the child of a pro hero whose Quirk combined with their civilian parent's to give them an extremely powerful and versatile Quirk. But where Momo's parents married for love, Shoto's father basically bought his mother and married her exclusively for her ice Quirk. Also, Momo grew up with her father's surname and her parents made sure she didn't feel pressured into becoming a hero, while Endeavor basically forced his son to become a hero and trained him constantly to strengthen his Quirk.
• Foreshadowing: In Chapter 77, Dabi considers the League of Villains' roster as they prepare to attack the summer camp, but there's one noticeable difference from canon because Himiko Toga is not mentioned. At the end of the chapter, she shows up - as Vlad King's adopted daughter.
• Freudian Excuse Is No Excuse: When calling Toshinori out on how he's treated Izuku, Sir Nighteye suggests that the real reason he keeps disparaging his efforts is that nobody believed in his ability to become a Quirkless hero. He also makes it quite clear that this doesn't excuse his behavior; if anything, it makes it more disappointing.
• Furry Reminder: When fighting Stain, Nedzu has no problem acting like the animal he looks like, growling and biting the Hero Killer.
• The Gadfly: Back when the underground heroes thought "Deku" was a retired pro, Gran Torino pretended they were old friends who got into all kinds of hijinks over the years and made a point of always changing a couple of major events each time he told a particular story, all to mess with the other heroes.
• Gentle Giant: Kirihito, who runs Aizawa's favorite cat cafe, is tall enough to take orders from people on the balcony while standing on the first floor, and is also really nice.
• Give Me a Reason: Inverted. Aizawa demands Izuku give him one good reason why he shouldn't expel Bakugou after the teen nearly crippled Izuku.
• Glory Hound: Endeavor, as evidenced when he leaves a Nomu undefeated to go fight Stain.
• Good Cannot Comprehend Evil: Iida, who lives with his loving parents and brother, has a hard time understanding why Endeavor was being dealt with by Izuku and Nedzu, or why Todoroki has no problem with that.
  • All Might is surprised to learn that Shigaraki has no problem hurting or killing children.
• Good Is Not Nice: Hound Dog explains to Bakugou that while being nice isn't a requirement for being a hero, he can't be abusive like he has been.
• Good Is Not Soft:
  • The first lesson Nedzu intends to teach Izuku is how to destroy someone's reputation, using Izuku's old middle school as the guinea pig. While Izuku thinks that it would be going too far, Nedzu explains that it would be practical to know when he ever encounters a Villain with Good Publicity, as going at them directly would only cause more long-term problems. Not only that, but he makes Izuku realize that he was not the only victim of their blatant favoritism and that if they do this, they could prevent more abuse from happening.
  • When Izuku gets a very brief view of Shigaraki's Quirk, he quickly deduces that it is a five-point emitter-type Quirk that requires touching something with all five fingers and uses his knife to cut off one of his pinkies.
• Graceful Loser: Izuku's reaction to losing to Hitoshi is to have a fangasm over his Quirk and want to know all the particulars of it.
• Grappling-Hook Pistol: Momo creates one for an obstacle course during the recommendation exam. Izuku later retrieves it and uses it himself. He also gets one as part of his Hero gear.
• Heart Is an Awesome Power: Mirko's Quirk: Rabbit gives her all the abilities of a rabbit, something her classmates used to mock her over. These days, she's the top-ranked heroine in Japan.
• Heel–Face Turn: Mr. Compress, Mustard, and Spinner are recruited by Nedzu shortly after being captured. They are tasked with introducing a reworked version of Stain's ideals (rebranded so it appears to come from civilians) to change Hero society for the better.
• Hidden Depths: Eraserhead is surprised to see there is more to Ms. Joke than he thought.
• Hoist by His Own Petard:
  • Monoma gets two of these in Chapter 25 when classes 1-A and 1-B are set to fight one-on-one.
    • When Tokoyami picks Monoma, Monoma tries to copy his Quirk, only for his incarnation of Dark Shadow to buck and attack everyone indiscriminately (including Monoma himself) like a wild animal. Since Tokoyami's Shadow is much more tame and obedient, it pins Monoma down and wins him the match.
    • Monoma picks Izuku as his opponent when he discovers that he was the fifth recommendation student, thinking that he must have a powerful Quirk that he intends to copy. When Izuku offers him the chance to copy someone else before the fight, Monoma thinks he is being boastful and declines. He manages to reach Deku and touches him, but his recklessness and the shock of realizing Izuku is Quirkless leave him wide open and unable to fight back when Izuku just pins him to the ground.
  • Right after Shinso beats Izuku, it isn't until afterwards that he realizes that not only will he have to face an unstoppable force like Todoroki, but the dual-Quirked hero student will probably have a grudge against him for taking away his chance to defeat his "rival".
    Izuku: I'm really sorry Todoroki. But... this is Shinso! He's the one who beat me, so you'll just have to transfer your declaration of war to him instead!
  • Stain successfully paralyzes Izuku, while the latter is holding onto his tongue. So when Izuku collapses, he pulls Stain down with him, trapping the villain long enough for Iida to knock him out.
  • Played for Laughs when Aizawa mentions that Izuku's training entails avoiding getting caught by Vlad King's adoptive daughter Toga, whom he only met because he took on a case Midnight handed off to him due to Izuku's advice.
  • After Izuku accidentally turns the League of Villains against All For One, Shigaraki destroys his life support machine using the Quirk he had given him.
• Hypocrite: All Might was a Quirkless boy before Nana Shimura gave him One for All, yet never considered the possibility of doing the same with Izuku, or that he might have value beyond a Quirk.
• Idiot Ball: Thanks to his tunnel vision when it comes to Izuku's Quirklessness, All Might spends the entirety of the USJ assault with a firm grip on this, dismissing the very real threat that the villains pose to everyone else because hey, they have Quirks, they can defend themselves...and besides, even villains wouldn't hurt children, right? He needs Shigaraki himself to spell out that yes, they intend to kill as many aspiring heroes as they can, much to his scandalized shock.
• Inspirationally Disadvantaged: Izuku is treated this way, with many characters praising him for keeping up with the rest of his classmates despite being Quirkless.
• In Spite of a Nail:
  • Ochako still ends up using her Quirk on Izuku when he trips at U.A.'s entrance, but here it happens on their first school day instead of the exam day.
  • The first Heroes vs Villains match is still Izuku-Ochako vs Katsuki-Tenya.
  • The USJ incident goes through similar events as in canon, from the League's appearance to the spread of Class 1-A across USJ.
  • The Sports Festival is essentially the same as in canon, with the only main differences being Mineta not passing to the Cavalry Battle and Izuku losing in his tournament match against Shinso, who later loses against Todoroki.
• Inferiority Superiority Complex: Hound Dog pinpoints this as Bakugo's main psychological problem. Since he has been compared with Izuku most of his life, he is constantly seeking approval from others to prove himself the best, because he thinks that, if he doesn't, it makes him worthless.
• Inherent in the System: The prevalent discrimination against Quirkless people is caused in part by how the permissive attitude towards bullying and the favoritism of teachers for those with "strong" Quirks persists.
• Innocently Insensitive: Several underground Heroes unthinkingly call Izuku "Deku" all the time because when they'd first asked his name, Izuku had had a particularly rough day and repeated Bakugou's insulting nickname for him. Once they realize what "Deku" actually stands for, they're all horrified and offer their help to change his hero name (by this point, Izuku is already moderately famous in the hero community as "Deku"), but Izuku turns them down, citing that it doesn't feel like an insult when they say it.
• Insane Troll Logic:
  • When questioned about why he insists Bakugou can't be held responsible for his behavior, Izuku declares that it's his fault for "thinking I was better than him". When pressed, he admits that he doesn't actually think that way... but because Bakugou clearly believes that, he must have done something to convince him that was the case, even if he has no idea what it was. His mentors talk him through this, with Brave noting that some people use this kind of logic to 'justify' their behavior, though it doesn't make them actually right.
  • All Might 'reasons' that all of Izuku's classmates can handle themselves against the League simply because they have Quirks, while Izuku doesn't and is 'obviously' the most vulnerable. He also assumes that the League will hold back against the others because they're kids, and is startled to learn that no, they're perfectly willing to try and murder students regardless of their status.
  • Stain thinks that Izuku is not a true hero simply because All Might said that he couldn't be a hero, believing that because All Might is the one true hero he can choose who can or can't be a hero. For extra insanity, Stain had mere moments ago remarked that Izuku was a true hero for being willing to die to save Iida.
• Insult Backfire: When Monoma asks astounded how a "weak Quirkless kid" like Izuku got into U.A. after his fight with Izuku, Todoroki instantly fires back by pointing out that the "weak Quirkless kid" just delivered him a Curb-Stomp Battle, and Yaoyorozu expands on it by stating that Izuku's Quirklessness only makes him more impressive.
• Intergenerational Friendship: Izuku becomes good friends with several of the underground heroes, particularly Ms. Joke, Mr. Brave, and Eraserhead.
• It's All About Me: In classic Bakugo fashion, he takes Izuku going out his way to avoid him and supposedly giving up on becoming a hero as a sign that Izuku thought he was better than him (prompting a beating to the point of a concussion and potentially life-threatening injuries) and that he got into U.A. on a recommendation as Izuku purposefully sabotaging his "origin story".
  Katsuki: Deku!
  Izuku: K-kacchan! I-it's been a w-while.
  Katsuki: You've been avoiding me, nerd. You think you're better than me?
  Izuku: N-no, Kacchan, that's not it at all! I've just b-been really b-busy and...
  Katsuki: Busy? As if a nobody like you has places to be. Admit it! You think you're too good to be around me!
• Jerkass Realization: Toshinori has one when Sir Nighteye confronts him and ferrets out the real reasons why he's insisting that Izuku can't become a hero.
• Kids Are Cruel: Mirko mentions she used to be bullied because of her Quirk.
  • Izuku makes it a point to challenge this mentality in one of his online articles. He says that by brushing off their behavior as "kids are cruel", bullies are never called out on their actions and teachers have an excuse not to get involved.
• Lame Pun Reaction: Shinso learns to weaponize this after some experimenting reveals that groaning counts as a verbal response for his quirk.
• Laser-Guided Karma:
  • When Eraserhead does research and discovers that Aldera Middle School has been doing nothing to discipline the likes of Bakugo and is directly responsible for his Barbaric Bully behavior and Izuku's self-esteem issues, Nedzu conspires to completely ruin their reputation as a lesson for Izuku to learn how to take down Villains with Good Publicity.
  • When attacking Stain, Endeavor does not care about Nedzu fighting the Hero Killer, and the U.A. principal has to jump to avoid getting burned. A couple of minutes later, Endeavor is paralyzed since Stain was not distracted and was thus able to use his Quirk on him.
• The Leader: When in a crisis, Izuku. Likely partially due to Aizawa deliberately putting him in this role on the first day of school to emphasize his validity as a hero, Izuku is the one other students turn to when seeking direction in an emergency.
• Like a Son to Me: Early on, Ms. Joke declares how upset she is that "people have not been giving her son the affection and love he deserves", only for Aizawa to remark that Deku isn't her son. Of course, Aizawa also treats Izuku as his son, such as fixing his tie for him.
• Logical Weakness:
  • Eraserhead's Quirk requires he look at someone directly, making him weak to attacks from multiple directions, flashbangs, and tear gas.
  • Shigaraki's Quirk requires he place all five fingertips of one hand on an object, which he can't do if he no longer has five fingers on said hand.
  • A man All For One hires has a Quirk that allows him to see the face of the author of any article he reads. All For One doesn't bother stealing it since it requires eyesight and he's blind. The man in question also notes that it only shows him the author's face, so it's not very useful if he doesn't recognize them.
  • All For One is practically undefeatable in a head-on fight, thanks to having dozens of Quirks at his disposal. He still needs life support to live, however, and quickly suffocates to death after Shigaraki destroys his life support.
  • Monoma has the ability to copy another person's Quirk by touching them. However, that does not mean he is instantly a master at using a superpower he just got, so when he tries to copy a sentient Quirk like Dark Shadow, that Quirk refuses to behave and attacks everyone around it like a wild animal that had just come into existence with no idea of what's going on. Inversely, since his main strategy against an opponent is just "touch them and then have his new powers do the fighting", he has absolutely no means of fighting off a Badass Normal with close-quarters combat experience like Izuku.
• Loophole Abuse:
  • During the entrance exam for recommendation students, Izuku takes advantage of both others' Quirks and the general layout of the obstacle course, such as sliding down a steep incline on a wooden board or using Momo's discarded Grappling-Hook Pistol.
  • Since Himiko's Quirk evolved to let her copy Quirks while copying forms early, 1-A gets the idea of giving her samples of their blood for when she goes on the hostage rescue mission, allowing them to make a meaningful contribution to the mission while obeying their instructions to stay home.
• The Mentor: Hound Dog and Mirko end up becoming this to Bakugo, doing their best (and managing) to bring him towards a Reformed, but Not Tamed outlook in life.
• Mistaken for Badass: The underground heroes and Detective Tsukauchi all assume Deku is a retired Pro Hero based on his skills at analysis.
• Mistaken for Prank Call: Nedzu becomes suspicious when over 15 different recommendation letters come in asking to allow Izuku a chance for the recommendation student exam, having apparently dealt with students with hacking skills and tech Quirks trying to fake their way into enrollment. Nedzu becomes surprised when Aizawa confirms that they are all 100% legitimate.
• Mood Whiplash: While somewhat embarrassing for him, Shouta manages to have a good, fun date with Emi, until there's an explosion while they are on the way to the train station.
• Mythology Gag:
  • Aizawa's Affectionate Nickname for Izuku is "problem child".
  • Shinso loses in the tournament because, even after using his Brainwashing Quirk on his opponent, the opponent brings himself back by hurting himself. Only, this time it's Todoroki instead of Izuku.
  • Similarly, Todoroki is forced to use his fire Quirk in the quarter-final tournament because he realizes it is the only way to win.
  • Endeavor goes to talk with the student who presents the main challenge to Shoto winning the Sports Festival, only to be reminded by said student that trying to live his dreams through his son is neither healthy nor smart. Here, though, it is Bakugo, who uses a rather more colorful dialogue to show his impatience with the Number Two Hero.
  • During his date with Emi, Shouta mentions the Crawler and takes her to Hopper's Cafe for their date, relating to the events of My Hero Academia: Vigilantes.
  • At the training camp, Aizawa introduces the task he's set for Deku by throwing a marble at his head, as a nod (and self-reference) to Viridian: The Green Guide.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Thanks to Izuku, Shoto had begun to consider using his fire Quirk, and he was about to do so against Bakugo while Izuku supported him... only for Endeavor to shout about Shoto using the power he gave him. Shoto forgets there's a fight going on and drops the flames, allowing Bakugo to blast him out of the ring.
• Noble Bigot: All Might might be the number one hero and an overall good person, but he's still prejudiced against Quirkless people. Word of God states Toshinori internalized the Quirkism he experienced growing up and never had to grow past it due to gaining One For All.
• Noodle Implements: Mei Hatsume caused an explosion with a paperclip, a vial of salt water, and a box of matches. Power Loader later tells the other teachers he can't figure out how she did it.
• Not So Above It All: At the cat cafe, Eraser gets a bit of revenge on Ms. Joke for her taking a photo of him with a cat on his head by getting the cafe owner to put a cat on her head and then taking a photo of her. Joke considers it is Actually Pretty Funny.
• Oblivious Guilt Slinging: Downplayed. Nighteye is clearly guilt-stricken when Izuku reluctantly admits to him that he's envious of how Togata's already powerful Quirk mutated to grant him even more strength while he's been left Quirkless. While he doesn't realize that Izuku has figured out the truth behind One For All, Izuku also wasn't intending to throw any shade and mentally berates himself upon belatedly realizing that Nighteye might blame himself for recommending Mirio in the first place.
• Offscreen Moment of Awesome:
  • The Sports Festival does not take much focus on Izuku, instead using Momo as the PoV for the Obstacle Race and Hitoshi Shinso for the Cavalry Battle. It seems that Izuku still managed to achieve great results in both events despite not having One for All.
  • Even after getting bitten multiple times and having one of his arms paralyzed, Stain fought off and defeated Endeavor.
• On Second Thought: When the Underground Heroes start to tease Aizawa and Izuku joins in, Aizawa reminds him that he has the power to give him detention. Izuku takes it back.
• One-Steve Limit: Referenced. When Sir Nighteye finally tells All Might that Izuku is Deku, the Quirk analyst he has been working with, Toshinori is surprised because he thought it was a coincidence that Izuku shared a nickname with the analyst, while Mirai points out that Deku (useless) is not exactly a common code name.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business:
  • Played for Laughs when Aizawa calls Ms. Joke by her first name. Present Mic actually falls off his chair from the shock. And when some old friends of Aizawa find out he's on a date, they immediately take photos of the event.
  • When Twice agrees with himself when saying that Mr. Compress is actually an imposter, the rest of the League of Villains listen.
• Overly Narrow Superlative: When trying to convince Izuku to take the recommendation, Aizawa tells Izuku that he has more potential than anyone in his first-year class. Ms. Joke then points out that Aizawa expelled everyone in his class, but Aizawa refuses to back down.
• Papa Wolf/Mama Bear: All Might insisting that Izuku can't be a hero because he's Quirkless forces Aizawa to leave the room lest he kills the man. When the other underground heroes hear of this, Ms. Joke rolls up her sleeves and asks where All Might lives, insisting she just wants to talk to him.
• Paranoia Fuel: In-Universe example. During Summer Camp, Izuku's training consists of finding numbered marbles while avoiding Himiko Toga, who takes blood from Izuku's classmates and uses it to transform into them and ambush him. By the end of the first day, Izuku is completely paranoid and begs Ochako for proof that she's the real deal.
• Parenthetical Swearing: After hearing Bakugou call Izuku "Deku" for the first time, Aizawa notes that he understands what the boy means about the nickname having different meanings based on who says it.
• Point of Divergence:
  • Like in Mastermind, Izuku doesn't receive One For All. Unlike the former, it's because All Might decided Izuku was too reckless rather than Izuku not saving Bakugou, and Mirio Toogata, the original candidate for One For All in canon before All Might met Izuku, winds up getting it instead. And later on, when Izuku gets an implied offer to take on One For All, he turns it down after some consideration because he wants to become an inspiration for other Quirkless kids who want to become Pro-Heroes.
  • Because he didn't choose him as his successor and pass on his powers, Toshinori remains opposed to Izuku pursuing his dreams and actively strives to discourage him.
  • Since Izuku didn't have One For All to snap him out of it when Shinso uses his Brainwashing Quirk on him, Izuku loses the first fight of the tournament, leaving Shinso to fight Todoroki instead.
  • At the end of the Sports Festival, Hound Dog calms Katsuki down by talking him through his outrage, preventing Midnight and Cementoss from following through on the 'chain him up on the podium' plan.
  • In canon, Izuku only had 40 internship offers, the potential number of offers being weighed down by his Quirk's destructive results. Here, it reaches to just below 900 (making it the third-highest number of offers in his class) and most of them are from underground heroes, Izuku's pre-established reputation among underground heroes giving him a massive leg-up.
  • Since Mirio has One-For-All instead of Izuku, he is the one who interns under Gran Torino while Izuku interns under Nedzu to hone his analytical skills.
  • In canon, Bakugo's first internship was under Best Jeanist solely because he was the highest-ranked hero to offer one. Here he gives it more thought and realizes that interning under him would be like "trying to put a feral animal in a cage". Instead, he decides to intern under the No. 7 hero Mirko, recognizing that her style would complement his more while still interning under one of the Top 10 heroes.
  • Izuku suggested to Midnight that one of her cases likely had a female villain as the suspect, so she handed it off to Vlad King. Vlad King ends up finding said villain and adopting her as his daughter - Himiko Toga, leading to her being on the Heroes' side during the training camp attack.
  • Said summer camp attack ends much worse for the League - whilst they manage to capture Deku, only Magne, Twice and Dabi manage to escape, and they failed to capture Ragdoll. Not to mention Deku managed to sneak a tracker with him to their hideout - and then uses his analytical skills to turn the League's remaining members against All For One, ultimately leading to his death.
• Politically Incorrect Hero:
  • All Might is convinced that it isn't Quirkless people's "place" to be pro-heroes and ignores a lot of Izuku's strengths in the process. Especially egregious considering he himself was Quirkless before he got One For All.
    • Later expanded upon with the reveal that Toshinori was treated the exact same way as Izuku, and things only changed for him once he inherited One For All, since with it he was finally able to become a hero. The result is that Toshinori ended up internalizing the stigma he suffered in his childhood and teenage years, only for Izuku to show up and challenge it.
  • On top of being an abusive husband and father, Endeavor is fully committed to the idea that it's the weak's job to suffer and be used by the strong and that Deku should "keep his unresearched opinions to himself".
• Powers Do the Fighting:
  • The overall leader of the Doraggo cartel has an elasticity Quirk that's so ingrained into her fighting style that she keeps instinctively jumping into the air to start bouncing around even after Aizawa erases it.
  • Defied by Aizawa's teaching. When some of the Class 1-A students voice concern over the Quirk assessment test because they feel like it's giving Izuku an unfair disadvantage since he doesn't have a Quirk, Aizawa points out that some of them don't have Quirks that would be helpful for most of the assessments (such as Hagakure's Invisibility and Mineta's Sticky Balls) and that part of being a Pro-Hero is learning how to deal with situations where you need to get creative.
    Aizawa: You'll all realize that while Quirks are helpful and influence your potential, they are not everything and will not be useful for every situation. You have to train both your body and your mind to make up for that. I personally do not think that Deku will get last place even if the rest of you use your Quirks, but that is neither here nor there. His strengths lie in his mind.
  • Monoma's fighting strategy is basically this after he copies his opponent's Quirk. When he tries doing this with Tokoyami and Izuku, it fails him both times, the former because his Quirk is sentient and the latter because he has no Quirk, to begin with.
• Pragmatic Hero: Izuku tries to prioritize saving Iida over fighting Stain, thinking that saving lives is more important than fighting villains. Unfortunately, Stain refuses to let Iida go.
• Punny Name: The Doraggo cartel deals in drugs and their name sounds like a Japanese speaker pronouncing "Drug".
• Put on a Bus: Tenya Iida is suspended following his attempt to kill Stain. As a result, he does not appear at the training camp.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: Nedzu allows Izuku into the Hero Course, not because of an "inclusion initiative" like All Might thinks, but because the boy genuinely convinced him that he deserves it. Similarly, he and Aizawa plan to investigate why Bakugou was allowed what amounts to hand grenades in his costume without any training or licensing.
• Recruited from the Gutter: One of the reasons why All For One is so interested in recruiting Izuku is because he threatens the status quo... which he has been exploiting to recruit those who have been pushed to the edges. If Izuku inspires others by demonstrating that the Quirkless can change the system for the better, he'll have a harder time tempting others to join him in exchange for Quirks.
• Reformed, but Not Tamed: Discussed during Katsuki's first therapy session. He assumes that Hound Dog intends to forcibly change his entire personality rather than targeting his anger issues, and is confused and dubious when he reassures him otherwise. Through his time with Hound Dog, and later during his internship with Mirko, he evolves and learns how to deal with this change, learning how to be brash without being abusive.
• Refusal of the Call: After some consideration, Izuku refuses an implied offer to be given One For All, declaring that while he might not be capable of becoming the top hero in Japan as he dreamed, he can be an inspiration for other Quirkless kids dreaming of becoming heroes themselves.
• Related in the Adaptation: Midnight is Momo's mother, wherein canon the two had no relation (or major scenes together).
• Rhetorical Question Blunder:
  • Aizawa demands one good reason why he shouldn't expel Bakugou. To his irritation, Izuku gives one in that Bakugou's behavior has always been allowed and sometimes outright encouraged, meaning he hasn't learned how unacceptable it is.
  • After Nighteye chews him out for wasting his three hours on petty criminals, All Might asks what he was supposed to do, only for Nighteye to respond he's supposed to understand his own limits.
• Rubber Man: The leader of the Doraggo cartel has an elasticity Quirk.
• Running Gag: The joke of Izuku being Aizawa and Fukukado's "son".
• Second Place Is for Losers: Basically how Bakugo's Inferiority Superiority Complex operates. Bakugo feels like he has to prove he's the best or else he's worthless like Izuku. As Aizawa realizes, Bakugo feels he has to prove he's worth being treated with basic human decency as none was ever shown to Izuku.
• Selective Obliviousness:
  • All Might focuses on the fact Izuku's Quirklessness as a reason why he shouldn't be in the hero course, citing that he was nearly killed during their first combat exercise. The other teachers point out that Bakugo used extremely excessive force and Izuku still defeated him anyway. Then, after the USJ incident, even after Izuku gave him important information about the Nomu and saved him from Shigaraki, he chooses to ignore both and assumes that Izuku will drop out after he was put in danger.
  • Bakugo is unable to see past Izuku's Quirklessness and his own conviction that it makes him useless, even after Izuku proved to be smart enough to come up with a plan capable of defeating a Pro-Hero in less than a minute and defeating him in combat.
• Ship Tease: Between Eraserhead and Ms. Joke. They start dating in Chapter 48.
  • Bakugo and Kirishima also get hints of this, until they hook up in Chapter 71.
  • Izuku and Ochako have had several scenes together. Due to Flip-Flop of God, there was a long phase where there was nothing before it returned some time after the Stain Arc.
• Shipper on Deck: The underground heroes and the Midoriyas ship Eraserhead and Ms. Joke, partially for the lulz. When the U.A. teachers learn about them being on First-Name Basis, they join in.
• Shut Up, Hannibal!: After hearing Stain's Motive Rant, Izuku points out that All Might is easily the most famous hero of all with more merchandise than any other hero. If Stain really cared about heroes who don't want fame or money, he'd idolize underground heroes. In reality, Stain's nothing but a deranged All Might Fan Boy.
• Sink or Swim Mentor: Mirko starts Bakugo's internship with her by having him make her train him. Translation: Fight until he impresses her.
• Skewed Priorities: Played With during the attack on the USJ. While Shigaraki is targeting Izuku as a 'side quest', that doesn't factor into All Might's decision to prioritize protecting him at all. He also dismisses Izuku's concerns about the rest of his class being in danger, having to be forcibly reminded that Quirked or not, they're all children, and that the League would gladly kill any of them.
• Smug Super: Izuku is believed to be one. A recurring problem for him is that his opponents (like Monoma and Shinso) seem to think that he refuses to use his Quirk when it would make the situation easier out of arrogance when really he has no Quirk, to begin with.
• So Proud of You: Before the Doraggo raid, Aizawa tells Izuku that he is proud of him.
• Spiritual Antithesis: Both this fanfic and Mastermind are For Want Of A Nail fanfics by the same author where Izuku Midoriya doesn’t become All Might's successor and remains Quirkless, so he subsequently decides to use his analysis abilities to make a living via contacting people online. While his co-workers are surprised to learn that he's Quirkless, they're all so impressed with the mental skills he has that they don't care about it and consider him a valuable ally and friend. There are also several people who are Locked Out of the Loop that automatically assume that Izuku has some kind of analysis Quirk. The difference? In Mastermind, Izuku becomes the titular villain who sells plans for thefts and murders, partially to lash out at a society who refused to give him a chance due to being Quirkless and partially because the villains he befriends are the only people besides his mother Inko, who treat him with any shred of respect. In Deku, Izuku decides that if he's not able to become a Pro-Hero without a Quirk, he might as well use his analysis skills to help out the current ones, so he reaches out to Underground Heroes with his observations on how they can improve their skills. When they finally meet Izuku in person and he proves he’s the real deal, they’re all so impressed that a middle-school student without any kind of superpower has this kind of insight that they all take him underneath their wings as an inter-agency intern and recommend him for UA's Hero Course in order for Izuku to become the first Quirkless Pro-Hero.
• Spit Take:
  • When Izuku "innocently" states he thinks that Eraserhead and Ms. Joke look so cute together, Mr. Brave spits out his drink.
  • Nedzu gets one when he takes a sip of his tea right before Izuku reveals Endeavor's parenting methods.
• Switching P.O.V.: The first two events at the Sports Festival are told from the perspective of Momo and Hitoshi, respectively. Also, Eraserhead gets several POV chapters of his own.
• Take a Third Option:
  • Izuku worries that using his arsenal during the Sports Festival will lead others to dismiss his successes as only possible due to his weaponry. However, he also fears that not using them would lead to him getting eliminated. Nedzu encourages him to split the difference and apply to only be permitted weapons during the tournament battles. In the end, this does not make much of a difference, as he loses in his first tournament fight before he can use his weapons.
  • At the awards ceremony for the Sports Festival, rather than accepting the medal or violently rejecting it, Katsuki simply grabs it and holds it limply by his side, silently signaling how he doesn't accept his victory without making a scene.
• Therapy Is for the Weak: When Nedzu finds out about Todoroki's abusive home life, he's forced to go into therapy with Hound Dog. Todoroki is afraid of such a thing reaching his father's ears since Endeavor claims that mental instability is a sign of weakness.
• Tap on the Head: Employed by Izuku with worrying frequency, usually by way of a knife hilt. Luckily for all parties, the fictional conventions of the trope are in full effect and there are no lasting negative consequences to his victims. He does eventually realize he needs a less extreme way of subduing villains.
• The Team Normal: Since Izuku remains Quirkless in this fanfic, he becomes this for Class 1-A.
• Took a Level in Dumbass: All Might's tunnel vision concerning Izuku's Quirklessness leads him to dangerously underestimate the League during their assault on the USJ, dismissing and downplaying the very real threat they pose to the rest of Class 1-A.
• Training from Hell:
  • Bakugou's training under Mirko largely amounts to fighting her over and over again.
  • Hitoshi's training under Aizawa includes sparring, Le Parkour, and calisthenics, all done until he drops. However, a large part of why it's so difficult is that he's rather out of shape.
• Troll: Early in Deku's career, when no one knew he was fourteen, everyone assumed he was an old pro hero. So, they would call up Gran Torino and ask if he knew who Deku was. Gran had no idea who he was, of course, but couldn't resist messing with people by telling everyone wild stories about the adventures he and Deku had together. Except that every time he told someone, he'd change a few details of his tall tales so that everyone was confused about it, knowing that no one would call him out on it because he's quite old and thus his memory was obviously going, while he laughed his butt off.
• Underestimating Badassery: To Bakugou's annoyance, several people act as though he was bullying Uraraka during their fight rather than having to go all out to keep from losing. As strong as he is, she still almost beats him, so she's not some frail little girl.
• Ungrateful Bastard: Izuku is incensed that, even after saving him from Shigaraki and giving him vital information about the Nomu (which he proceeded to ignore), All Might is still trying to get him to drop out of U.A.
• We Can Rule Together: According to Shigaraki, All For One was willing to give Izuku any Quirk he wanted in exchange for his services.
• Wham Episode: Chapter 87, where Izuku convinces Shigaraki and the League that All For One manipulated them, causing Shigaraki to kill All For One.
• Wham Line: The penultimate chapter ends with the clerk printing out everyone's provisional licenses contemptuously telling Izuku that "The ones who failed the exam were supposed to stay in the other room."
• What Happened to the Mouse?: It's never revealed exactly what happened to the man with the Authorship Identification Quirk. Given how his last appearance had him tell All For One something he really didn't want to hear, it probably wasn't pretty.
• What the Hell, Hero?:
  • During the Battle at USJ, All Might purposefully singles out Izuku and tries to get him to safety out of All Might's belief that Quirkless people are absolutely helpless, even though there were many other students in just as much danger elsewhere. When called out on this, All Might just brushes it off saying that the other students could take care of themselves, ignoring the fact that they're inexperienced students up against experienced villains. Furthermore, when the battle ends, All Might still tries to get Midoriya to drop out of the Hero Course by stating how Midoriya has "seen how reckless it is for [him] to be a hero", despite him trying to protect All Might's secret and hearing how he cut up Shigaraki's hand to disable his Quirk.
    Izuku: I already knew what real villains were like, All Might, but you'd know that if you'd ever bothered to get to know me, rather than deciding I'm weak just because I'm Quirkless.
  • Sir Nighteye also gives one to All Might in the aftermath for being unmindful of his limits and for his unwillingness to look beyond Izuku's Quirklessness, finally getting through to him by pointing out that, by his own actions, he is treating Izuku as if he were lesser than the others - precisely the kind of thing he's supposed to be against.
  • Katsuki has a remarkably understated one when he sees that Midnight and Cementoss intended to chain him up in order to force him onto the podium.
  • Gran Torino gives one to Endeavor when the latter blasts a Nomu with fire despite Mirio being in the way of the attack.
  • Tenya starts to call Izuku out on investigating Endeavor and undermining his position as one of the top heroes, only for Izuku to shut him down by bluntly reminding him that he planned on murdering Stain to avenge his brother.
• Would Hurt a Child: All Might is shocked to realize that the League of Villains never had any intention of "holding back" against the students, attacking not just to kill him, but killing as many of the aspiring heroes as possible.
• You Are Better Than You Think You Are: A recurring theme is Pro Heroes telling Izuku he's far more than he lets himself believe.
• You Are Grounded!: Aizawa greets Izuku this way after the Stain incident, which Izuku accepts as fair.
• You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!: Mirio has this reaction when Endeavor leaves a Nomu behind to go fight Stain, despite him being the best available counter to the Nomus and plenty of civilians still being in danger.

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