From sound to color. From fear to courage. From sorrow to love. From loneliness to friendship, and more from there. From the streets to the sky in a storm of noise and light.
No power is good or evil. It is what we do with them that makes them so.
Graffiti Heart
is a My Hero Academia fanfic by Elia14, where Izuku has a Quirk that lets him turn sound into color to various effects. Being in possession of a Quirk, things end up happening slightly differently than canon.
Tropes contained in Graffiti Heart
- Abled in the Adaptation: Thanks to being at the Sports Festival, Tensei Iida avoids his canonical Career-Ending Injury (due to not being targeted by Stain) and can take Izuku and Tenya for Work Studies. Instead, his sidekick and Michiro's wife White Swan is targeted.
- A-Cup Angst: Kyoka isn't fond of her flat chest and takes offense at Tsuburaba calling her a dashboard. She is naturally surprised when Denki doesn't care and Izuku points out how flat chests are more practical than round ones.
- Affectionate Nickname: Izuku and Hitoshi sometimes refer to each other as Izukun and Hitochan. Aizawa also refers to Izuku, Hitoshi, Kyoka, and Denki as The Fearsome Foursome.
- Art Initiates Life: By arranging the sounds in his head into distinct melodies, Izuku can create Noises, graffiti-like animalistic monsters.
- Bad Powers, Good People: A core theme of the story. No power is good or evil. It is what we do with them that makes them so. Izuku's Graffiti Heart lets him, among others, summon animalistic monsters partially made of graffiti and he can release them in swarms through Cacophony. Hitoshi can mind-control people with his voice. Denki's Quirk fries his brain if he overuses it. Michiro's Pathfinder lets him establish the quickest path from Point A to Point B, making it perfect to run away. Despite all this, all of them use their powers for good.
- Because You Were Nice to Me: The biggest reason for Hitoshi's crush on Izuku. Izuku was the very first person to defend Hitoshi and reassure him his powers weren't evil at all. By the time they join U.A., Hitoshi comes to realize he is in love with his best friend.
- Berserk Button: For All Might's sake, never ever hurt Izuku's friends. The teen will demolish you.
- Beware the Nice Ones: All four of the Fearsome Foursome are nice and friendly, but messing with them is tremendously stupid.
- Hitoshi can Mind Control anyone answering to him, which is easy to achieve with some Politeness Judo or a good taunting. He once threatened Bakugo to brainwash him into jumping from the window, and that was before Izuku accidentally gave him the ability to Apotheose.
- Kyoka can transmit sound waves through her jacks, who also amplify her earring. When she used the first ability on Itsuka during the Sports Festival, Itsuka thought her bones would disintegrate and her ears were left bleeding.
- Denki can generate Lightning strong enough to fry his own brain - and thus that of others. He usually keeps his Quirk to taser-level, but there are times when he has no issue going all out. Just ask Bakugo.
- Finally, Izuku's Graffiti Heart is so versatile he and his friend are still figuring out new aspects of it. Among his current abilities are Cacophony, partial and complete Apotheosis, and the general ability to summon many Noises for a variety of purposes. He also has the documented habit of losing control when properly worked up. When that happens, it usually takes several Pro Heroes to stop him.
- Big Friendly Dog: Wolf Noises usually fulfill this role. Izuku and his mother use an Alterna Wolf as a guard dog and Izuku later lends a Garage Wolf to Sen Kaibara for Fuzz Therapy after Hosu.
- Breather Episode: The Urban Festival. Knowing Izuku, Hitoshi, Kyoka, and Denki are going to perform, Tenya suggests having everyone in Class 1 A & B go see them, not as a school trip but as a familial and friendly gathering. The result is everyone relaxing and having a great time, with the added benefit of seeing their friends sing.
- Butt Biter: For some reason, Izuku's Noises have a documented habit of going for the "seat of the problem".
- The Cameo: Several The World Ends with You characters appear during the Urban Festival. Beat helps Setsuna Tokage do an artwork with spray paint while Rhyme cheers them. Bakugo and Best Jeanist meet Eri and Shiko while looking at clothes. Hiryu Rin and Togaru Kamakiri lose at Tin Pin Slammer against Shooter and Yammer. Yosetsu Awase and Ibara Shiozaki witness Neku and Joshua share some ice cream. The Foursome apologize to 777 and his crew for taking longer than anticipated during the concert. One of the people Mina beat at a dancing contest was Sota, with him and Nao commenting on it. Finally, the group ends up eating at Ken Doi's ramen shop and have a chat with Minamimoto. Pop*Step also makes an appearance as one of the people singing.
- Child by Rape: At the end of the Urban Festival, Hisashi reveals he is sterile, and thus that Izuku cannot be his son. Inko instead got drugged at a club following a Bar Brawl and ended pregnant following that night, strongly implying this trope. Toshinori silently vows to rearrange the culprit's face with his fists as All Might.
- Childhood Friends: Unlike canon where each was more or less alone, Izuku, Hitoshi, Kyoka, and Denki knew each other before they joined U.A. Izuku met Hitoshi after changing schools, during an event where he defended him from some bullies. Denki and Kyoka joined them a few years later, Izuku and Kyoka finding common ground in their interest in music.
- Commonality Connection: Tokoyami and Kuroiro bond over the two of them being Chuunibyou. Eijiro and Tetsutetsu bond over their many similarities until it's revealed they are actually half-brothers and those similarities are normal for siblings.
- Cursed with Awesome: Graffiti Heart's biggest drawback is a nasty case of tinnitus that can be crippling without music to counter it, as Monoma found the hard way. However, said tinnitus is the foundation of the Quirk. By taking the sounds it generates, Izuku can create a variety of effects so wide he actually has a notebook dedicated to his Quirk.
- Cuteness Proximity: Some of Izuku's Noises can evoke this in people. Notably, Sen Kaibara keeps a Garage Wolf for Fuzz Therapy. Following Hosu, Tensei's coworkers have to hold themselves from petting the Noises Izuku uses as courier in the office, and Enigma squeals at the sight of an Indie Rabbeat.
- Dance Battler: Izuku, Hitoshi, Kyoka, and Denki all know how to dance, but Denki is definitely the best at it and has actively included it in his fighting style.
- Dungeon Bypass: During the Battle Trial, Izuku is paired with Tenya while Bakugo is paired with Ochako. While Ochako tags along with Bakugo as they search for the Hero team, Izuku summarily flies from the outside to the bomb's location with Tenya on his back, securing the win.
- Expy: The Undersiders led by Yamiyo, with whom Tokoyami and Kuroiro intern, are a clear reference to the villain team of the same name in Worm.
- Eye Scream: Mashirao loses his eyesight after getting caught up in a villain attack when out with his family. It still doesn't stop him from trying to be a hero.
- For Want Of A Nail: Has its own page.
- Friends with Benefits: Aizawa and Yamada are currently in this kind of relationship, Yamada being in love with Aizawa while Aizawa is too scared of forming deep emotional bonds - especially romantic ones - but still finds pleasure in intimacy.
- The First Cut Is the Deepest: Aizawa became scared of falling in love following Oboro's death. The pain of the loss was so traumatic he became outright unable to fall in love, which became a huge problem once Yamada did fall for him. The disability is a major annoyance to Aizawa, who notes that sexual orientation isn't always a matter of choice.
- Gambit Pileup: The Stealth Recovery Exam in a nutshell. Students of Class 1-A & B are put in pairs and tasked to recover an item carried by the teachers or hidden in their office. Anything is fair, so long as the method is non-violent, and they have the whole week with as many attempts as they want. Cue a solid half of the Gambit Index being used, especially at once:
- Tokoyami has Kuroiro hide in Dark Shadow, then has his partner ask All Might for pets to put Kuroiro within reach of the bracelet.
- Two different teams put something in food or drinks and trick their target into consuming it to have free access to their item.
- Mineta gets himself injured so he and Shoji have a reason to see Recovery Girl and his partner can steal her gemstone.
- Two attempts have the team cut the middle man and Steal the Surroundings.
- Eijiro and Tetsutetsu distract Midnight by attempting to seduce her so Bondo can pickpocket her. She sees right through their trick but is impressed enough by their attempt to let them pass.
- Monoma Rickrolls the teachers to give Kendo an opening.
- Shoto and Bakugo bribe Hagakure to steal their item.
- Garage Band: To help Kyoka practice her singing, Izuku, Hitoshi, Denki, and Michiro joined her to form an indie band. Izuku and Kyoka provide the male and female vocals respectively while playing the bass and acoustic guitars. Denki plays the electric guitar. Hitoshi plays the keyboard. Michiro plays the drums.
- Lead Bassist: Izuku is a Type B, both playing the bass, doing the male vocals, and sharing the spotlight with Kyoka.
- Singer-Songwriter: Both Denki and Izuku write songs while also playing instruments. Notably, Denki wrote a love song for Kyoka to confess his feelings and Izuku ended up writing and singing You Say Run.
- Vocal Tag Team: Izuku and Kyoka share singing duties in the band, both for the sake of variety and because some songs require either a male or a female singer. Usually each will sing one song but, during Shadowbringers, they sang together with the rest of the band providing backup vocals.
- Godzilla Threshold: Izuku's "Threshold Moves", moves so dangerous he will only use them in life-or-death situations, either because of the sheer power it grants him or because they are extremely difficult to control.
- Happily Married: Well, engaged for now but Inko and Toshinori are in a happy relationship and plan to get married sooner or later.
- Headbutt of Love: Instead of a Big Damn Kiss, after Hitoshi finally confesses his feelings, Izuku agrees to date him and joins their foreheads in a tender gesture.
- Hidden Depths: Due to the unusual nature of his relationship with Yamada, Aizawa is surprisingly knowledgeable when it comes to romance and sexuality, even giving a lesson on the matter at some point.
- Denki may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but he has a genuine fondness for classical literature that often catches his classmates by surprise. Notably, during the Battle Trials, he uses A Poison Tree to describe the relationship between Izuku and Bakugo. He is also a good songwriter who declares his love to Kyoka by making a song and having her sing it.
- Bakugo and several others are absolutely gobsmacked that Izuku can rap.
- High-School Hustler: Izuku shows strong shades of this, being a sweet yet roguish teenager with an artistic streak and the respect of everyone who knows him, teachers and students along.
- Hikikomori: After the Aldera Incident, Izuku spent a few weeks as a shut-in terrified of using his Quirk, out of fear of losing control again. Michiro talked him out of it.
- Last-Name Basis: As part of his attempt to reform, Bakugo drops using nicknames and calls everyone by their last name, correcting himself when he slips.
- Left the Background Music On: Courtesy of Kyoka, there is often music playing during important events of the story. During Izuku and Tenya's Battle Trial, she uses Green Onions, the Mission Impossible Theme, and Space Jam's Main Theme in quick succession. For the USJ, she straps Izuku's phone to a Nefastraven and has it play Canon in D Minor. Finally, with Present Mic's blessing, the Cavalry Battle of the Sports Festival has Yakety Sax playing in the background. Present Mic later invites her for the second round of the one-on-ones and lets her pick battle themes for each fight. Kyoka, naturally, has the time of her life.
- Le Parkour: All four of the Fearsome Foursome are good at free-running, but Hitoshi is the best at it. A lot of people are notably impressed that a teen with a mind-based Quirk would be so athletic.
- Love Confession: Though the L word isn't said, this is very much the intent behind Aizawa's words after he and Yamada slept together following the Urban Festival.Aizawa: If you die, either I’ll lose the will to live and let myself waste away or I’ll go down avenging you in a blaze of glory. In any case, I won’t outlive you by much.
- Marital Rape License: Discussed during Aizawa's lesson. During the part regarding rape, Shoto notes that you don't always have the option of saying "no". Aizawa harshly retorts that you always have a choice and to be denied it should be a crime in itself.
- The Mentor: Michiro Honda, a courier whose Quirk lets him establish the quickest path from Point A to Point B, becomes this to Izuku, helping him open up to others, comforting him about his Quirk, and teaching him about street culture. Izuku refers to him as Michiro-sensei, and so do his friends.
- Mons: Naturally, the Noises Izuku makes qualify. Better yet, several characters seem to have their designated Noise partners. Izuku has an Indie Rabbeat, Inko has an Alterna Wolf, Hitoshi has a Bluescat, Aizawa got an Ethnicat (Taboo cat Noise), Denki got a Pony Honky and Kyoka got a Carcinopunk.
- Mythical Motifs: Izuku and Hitoshi's Apotheosed forms are both based on mythological animals. Hitoshi is clearly based on modern interpretations of manticores, to the point he takes it as his Hero alias. For Izuku, there is debate between the Jackalope and the Al-Mi'raj but it is generally agreed that his Apotheosed form is some kind of Killer Rabbit.
- Nigh-Invulnerable: Following the attack on Hosu, Tensei has tests run to see how strong Apotheosis is. End result? An Apotheosed Izuku can carry up to five tons, endure 1000°C and is unhurt by anything less than 30 mm caliber.
- No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: With a hefty dose of Extreme Mêlée Revenge, Punctuated Pounding, and Unstoppable Rage added to the mix. There really is no other way to describe the beating Izuku delivered to Bakugo during the Sport Festival's finale. It was so violent and out of character that everyone was horrified.
- He later dishes another to Stain, absolutely demolishing the Villain for hurting Michiro's wife and threatening Tensei. Then the League attacks Hosu and he ends up using the Villain like a club against the Winged Nomu.
- Noodle Incident: Whatever Hitoshi and Aizawa did that involved a laser pointer, a clutter of cats, a drugged pizza, and a stolen server and had Amelia hollering like a maniac. Though, given the implements, at least some Bavarian Fire Drill was involved.
- Official Couple: It takes time for it to happen, but some couples do end up forming during the story. The first and most obvious is naturally Inko and Toshinori, who spent several years dating and being teased by Izuku. The next is Denki and Kyoka following the concert at the Urban Festival, complete with a Big Damn Kiss. Finally, after spending a long time agonizing over it, Hitoshi finally finds the courage to confess to Izuku who, despite not being in love per se, still agrees to date him.
- Oh, Crap!: Bakugo has a huge one when Izuku declares he won't even use his Quirk to beat him. He is right. What ensues is an absolutely brutal Curb-Stomp Battle.
- Original Character: Michiro Honda, Izuku's mentor in this continuity, and his wife White Swan have no counterparts in the main MHA universe.
- Playful Hacker: Amelia Tanner, a friend of the four kids whose Quirk gives her a form of Technopathy. She currently works as U.A.'s IT guy (girl).
- Power Incontinence: When Izuku is under intense stress, he has the tendency to lose control of his Quirk. Those who know him quickly learned ass-kicking is soon to follow.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Izuku delivers a brutal one to Bakugo as he is whaling into him, calling him out for his callousness and lack of empathy. He later delivers an equally violent one to Stain, pointing out how his actions don't just affect his victims but those close to them as well, and his beliefs have no foundation anyway: not a single Hero in Japan can compare to All Might so he might as well start hunting every Pro out there.
- Reformed, but Not Tamed: Bakugo's explicit reason for seeing Best Jeanist. He knows he has a problem with his temper and hopes the Pro will help him deal with the issue.
It works. - Related in the Adaptation: In canon, Eijiro Kirishima and Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu are merely foils. In the story, Gouhada Kirishima had a Twin Threesome Fantasy with their mothers, resulting in the pair being both cousins and half-brothers. The two are elated by the news. And even better, Tetsutetsu is the oldest.
- Religious and Mythological Theme Naming: Aside from Tokoyami/Tsukuyomi, because his Apotheosed form is based on a manticore, Hitoshi decides to name himself thusly. Shoto ends up similarly naming himself Cryophoenix. Finally, after taking inspiration from mythological asuras and the protagonist from Asura's Wrath, Bakugo ends up picking the alias Ashura.
- Sex for Solace: Following Oboro's death, Aizawa and Yamada found pleasure in each other's arms and, because Aizawa was unable to fall in love, settled in a Friends with Benefits Relationship. Aizawa outright says during his lesson that pleasure is an amazing painkiller.
- Ship Tease: Official Couple aside, several characters have demonstrated or are implied to have crushes on others.
- Itsuka retains her habit of delivering a Dope Slap to Neito when he behaves stupidly, but Bakugo implies this is because she's a Tsundere with a bad case of Anger Born of Worry. Notably, Neito admits he was attracted to her but her behavior is making him reconsider.
- Kuroiro is often stealing glances at Komori and admits to being too shy to act on his feelings most of the time. Komori seems completely oblivious.
- Ojiro often hangs with Hagakure when she isn't with the other girls and is quite taken when, during the Urban Festival, she gets a full-body paint that reveals her true appearance for the first time, calling her beautiful. They go out on their first date in Chapter 26.
- Neku and Joshua are shown hanging together during the Urban Festival, holding hands and sharing ice cream.
- Shout-Out: Several new places are named after Star Wars. Bakugo's new school is called Tatooine like Anakin's birth planet while roguish Izuku and Hitoshi attend Corelia, which is where Han Solo comes from. Shadda's Crossing is named after the city-planet Nar Shadda and is equally maze-like. Finally, the Coruscant Ward where the Urban Festival happens is named after the planet Coruscant because of the sheer number of people encountered there. Coruscant also notably means sparkling or shimmering, and the Festival is indeed vibrant and colorful.
- Silk Hiding Steel: Do not mistake Inko's motherly friendliness for weakness. The moment her family is involved, she will bare her teeth and either verbally tear you apart or sic an Alterna Wolf after you. Sometimes, she'll do both. Vlad King notes Izuku inherited his temper from her.
- Single-Target Sexuality: As Aizawa explains, anyone demi, sexual or romantic, is only interested in someone with whom they share a strong bond. Hitoshi is explicitly demisexual and romantic toward Izuku, while Aizawa himself is aromantic but demisexual toward Yamada. Hagakure, who is romantically attracted to men but finds intimacy without love wrong, qualifies as demisexual heteroromantic.
- Super Mode: Apotheosis, which lets Izuku transform partially or completely into a Reaper's Noise form and is achieved by putting his tinnitus directly on his skin rather than out in the air. Hitoshi later gains the ability after he holds Izuku while he transforms.
- Tsundere: Itsuka has shades of this toward Neito, being generally sweet with him but prone to Anger Born of Worry. The trope gets Deconstructed when Neito finds her behavior puzzling and questions why she is so bipolar with him, to the point of considering cutting ties with her.
- Took a Level in Kindness: After his No-Holds-Barred Beatdown at Izuku's hands, Bakugo realizes that he needs a serious attitude adjustment and vows to be a better person. By the time he comes back from his Workplace studies with Best Jeanist, the teen's become much more approachable and well-behaved.
- Worth It: During the Stealth Recovery Exam, Kyoka causes a distraction by playing It's a small world after all on U.A.'s sound system. The staff is so angry that, even though she and Denki pass, they still get a month of detention. The pair still finds the mayhem worth it.
- Zerg Rush: Cacophony in a nutshell. By forcing the tinnitus out of his head, Izuku loses consciousness but generates a storm of static from which springs a constant flow of Noises. The flow is steady and the Noises versatile enough All Might has trouble dealing with them.
