Fanfic / Rise From The Ashes

He waited for ten years, and he paid an intolerable price.

With no hope left and his dream in tatters, Midoriya Izuku takes a leap of faith and falls to his death, inadvertently traumatising the number three hero in the process.

It is deeply ironic that he had to die before his quirk manifested.

But now, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Izuku has a chance to reignite his dreams, while finding his own family to love and cherish forever.

Rise From The Ashes is a My Hero Academia fanfic by RarepairKai22 that can be read on Archive of Our Own here.

In early 2024, the author confirmed that he had discontinued the fic due to the negative impact it had on his mental health. He has since started a revamped version titled Rise Of The Garuda, which takes inspiration from the original story and can be read on Archive of Our Own here.

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This fanfic and its side stories contain examples of:

Rise From The Ashes

• Actually Pretty Funny:
  • Natsuo slips into maniacal laughter while watching the Sports Festival broadcast and learns that Izuku did something unthinkable to Endeavour. See Groin Attack below for context.
  • At the same time, Dabi also descends into delirious laughter as he watches the broadcast and also finds out about what happened to Endeavour. It's even lampshaded in the narration.
  In Yokohama, Dabi finds himself in a similar situation. Barely able to put his shot glass down, he rapidly descends into manic laughter of his own. He falls off the bar stool he was on, and also rolls around the floor like an insane lunatic, his laughter taking on a higher, crazier pitch from the sheer rapture of hearing someone destroy his greatest nemesis so easily.
• Adaptational Early Appearance:
  • Takami Keigo, known as the number three hero Hawks, is introduced much earlier than his canon counterpart would be.
  • Detective Tsukauchi Naomasa is also introduced much earlier when he would only appear in the aftermath of the USJ attack in the canon series.
  • Nezu and Aizawa Shouta are introduced considerably earlier than their canon counterparts.
  • Yoarashi Inasa is introduced as a candidate taking part in the U.A. entrance exam when he would only be formally introduced as a Shiketsu student taking part in the Provisional Licensing Exam.
  • Shinsou Hitoshi and Monoma Neito are also introduced as candidates participating in the practical component of the U.A. entrance exam when they would only be formally introduced prior to and during the Sports Festival respectively.
  • Shirakumo Oboro is introduced at the end of the USJ attack when he would only make his formal main-story manga introduction during the Paranormal Liberation War arc.
  • The older Todoroki siblings are introduced during the climactic match between Izuku and Shouto when all three would only make their formal appearances after the Hero Killer arc.
  • Both Eri and Overhaul appear shortly after the conclusion of the Sports Festival when Izuku and Inasa are out on a date, far earlier than their canon counterparts.
  • Sir Nighteye makes an appearance in Chapter 42 in the aftermath of Izuku accidentally killing Overhaul, when he would only appear in person at the beginning of the Shie Hassaikai arc.
• Adaptational Heroism: After Izuku publicly broadcasts that he did a Groin Attack on Endeavour during his match against Shouto, Dabi inwardly declares that he will pledge his allegiance to Izuku, which seems to indicate that he has given up on becoming a villain, although how that will play out remains to be seen.
• Adaptational Modesty: Hagakure Tooru does actually wear a bodysuit as part of her hero costume, made from her DNA which allows it to be invisible like her. Evidently, she likes a good joke every now and then, as she admits to Izuku that she enjoys freaking people out by not correcting their assumptions that she is naked when she is actually not.
• Adaptational Name Change: Several of Izuku's classmates, including Izuku himself, have different hero names than from canon:
  • In a form of Mythology Gag, Ashido Mina goes by 'Alien Queen', which was actually vetoed by Midnight in the canon series. Here, however, Izuku steps in and rationalises that if a hero like Death Arms can go around with such a menacing title, then there shouldn't be any reason why 'Alien Queen' isn't acceptable.
  • Shouto decides to go with the name 'Frostburn' instead of just his given name.
  • Izuku goes with 'Amaterasu' in collaboration with Tokoyami Fumikage's choice of 'Tsukuyomi'.
  • Inasa, in apparent jealous response to Izuku having a pair name with Fumikage, goes with 'Fūjin', the Shinto god of wind, instead of his canon name 'Gale Force'.
• Adaptational Sexuality:
  • Izuku appears attracted to girls in the canon series, and Inasa and Oboro’s sexualities have never been revealed. Here, Inasa is gay and is currently dating Izuku, while all three are set to become a throuple in the future.
  • Fumikage reveals himself to be aroace in this fic when his sexuality is unknown in the canon universe.
• Adaptational Superpower Change: While Izuku has One for All, a stockpile quirk combining raw power with the quirks of its previous wielders in the canon series, in this story Izuku awakens a dormant quirk that, at the base level, gives him the powers of pyrokinesis, healing and flight, and at its strongest, turns him into a humanoid phoenix with the ability to produce white-hot flames that also have alchemic powers.
• Adaptation Personality Change:
  • Because Neito and Hitoshi are in the heroics programme, in 1-A and 1-B respectively, they are far less antagonistic than their canon counterparts.
  • Additionally, Sir Nighteye is far more civil and cordial towards Izuku than his canon counterpart. While he does admit his frustration at seeing years of work go up in smoke because of Izuku's unexpected intervention, Nighteye gives Izuku credit where credit is due. Although this could also be a result of Izuku not being All Might's successor in this AU, so far Word of God has not said anything about this possibility.
• Adapted Out: Mineta Minoru does not exist in this story.
• Affectionate Nickname: Izuku is given several of these by different characters:
  • Aizawa calls him "Gremlin Child", although it is more of a term of affection than one that is demeaning.
  • Keigo has several for Izuku: Kiddo, Fledgling, Chickadee, etc.
• Ascended Extra:
  • Inasa is a supporting character who only has major appearances in two arcs and subsequently only cameo appearances in subsequent story arcs. Instead, he is a major character in this story, acting as one of Izuku’s closest friends and subsequent love interest along with Oboro.
  • Neito and Hitoshi to a smaller degree, as both become friends with Izuku, and the former is in 1-A.
  • Nezu and Keigo qualify for this trope as they have expanded roles from their early appearances.
• Back from the Dead: This trope forms the basis of this story, and it is nothing short of epic here. Upon his death, Izuku's quirk factor activates. Keigo is given a front-row seat as water bursts up from the ground, and Izuku rises into the air. Fire ignites from Izuku's hands, and he dances with the swirling flames. The fire then engulfs Izuku and brings him back to life. Wings sprout his back, and his body is enhanced with increased stature and strength. Like a phoenix, Izuku rises from the ashes anew and better than before.
• Berserk Button:
  • Attack Izuku in any way, and Inasa will come after you. Evidenced when Iida Tenya publicly humiliates Izuku during the entrance exam briefing, and Inasa delivers a deafening verbal smackdown in retaliation.
  • Harm his friends or teachers in any way, and Izuku will rain hellfire on those responsible. Shigaraki Tomura and Kurogiri learn this the hard way during the USJ attack.
• The Big Damn Kiss: Two, actually. The first one happens at the end of Chapter 36, when after the match between Izuku and Shouto, Inasa, apparently incensed by his crush publicly hugging the student he has the most beef with, confronts Izuku and kisses him in a bid to stake his claim. The second one takes place in the next chapter, where after Izuku agrees to Inasa's public proposal to be his boyfriend, an overjoyed Inasa kisses Izuku in front of the entire country, causing all of Japan to go apeshit and breaking the Internet in the process.
• Broken Pedestal: Izuku loses all respect for his former idol All Might after dying and being resurrected with phoenix-like powers as a result of the man ripping his dream to shreds. Those who learn of this incident also very quickly lose respect for the Symbol of Peace.
• The Cavalry Arrives Late: All Might bursts into the USJ in all of his glory, only to find that he is extremely late to the party, with all of the villains either dead or incapacitated. Izuku flies into an explosive rage and rips the hero apart with one long, pearl-clutching Cluster F-Bomb.
• Chekhov's Gun: At first, the sight of a speeding van losing control, flipping several times, before crashing into a tree and exploding into flames seems incredibly random and a little out-of-place. However, as Sir Nighteye reveals in Chapter 42, the van was actually carrying the top brass of the Shie Hassaikai, who were all killed when the van crashed. That, coupled with Izuku's accidental killing of the Shie Hassaikai's leader, Overhaul, has rendered the entire yakuza group crippled and effectively destroyed.
• Contrived Coincidence: Mostly taking the form of a Running Gag, a gust of wind will blow some dust into Izuku's nostrils, and cause him to sneeze. More often than not, this causes Izuku's flames to appear and become a plot device, with the latest example being Izuku accidentally killing the leader of the Shie Hassaikai, Overhaul, when said wind and dust causes him to sneeze flames at the yakuza boss.
• Curb-Stomp Battle: Izuku one-shots the Noumu during the USJ attack, cremating the monster to ashes with his flames. The second victim is Overhaul, courtesy of having his head incinerated by Izuku.
• Death by Adaptation: A few instances thus far:
  • Izuku, but only for a few moments.
  • The USJ noumu.
  • Shigaraki is burnt to a crisp by Izuku.
  • In what is perhaps the most ironic but incredibly fitting death thus far, Chisaki Kai, a.k.a Overhaul, has his head incinerated after Izuku accidentally sneezes flames at him. A bit of snot actually lands on the yakuza boss' mask before the flames hit, which given how germaphobic Overhaul is, only adds to the irony that the last thing he experiences before he dies is his greatest fear.
• Distracted by the Sexy: Inasa is the poor victim of this trope when he becomes distracted by Izuku working out topless while the Rooftop Gang are preparing for the Sports Festival. Inasa is so turned on by Izuku's physique that he suffers the classic Nosebleed each time.
• Downer Beginning: The prologue summarises Izuku’s difficult life after visiting the quirk specialist, and ending with his completed suicide attempt after All Might destroys his dreams and leaves him alone on the rooftop.
• Entertainingly Wrong: Inasa is apparently jealous that Fumikage appears to be getting in between him and Izuku, and does anything he can, albeit subtly, to keep Izuku close to him. Readers would know that Inasa is barking up the wrong tree because if there is anyone whom Inasa should be worried about, it's Oboro.
• Flat "What": Izuku invokes this trope when Shouto asks him if he is the love child of Keigo and the latter's parents.
• Foreshadowing: After he gives Inasa a shovel talk when Inasa and Izuku start dating, Nezu gives them both the dreaded sex talk. One little detail about this sex talk (which left both teens traumatised) was that in the extremely graphic, step-by-step presentation delivered by Nezu, there were guides detailing how three males have sex together, foreshadowing the future where Oboro joins Izuku and Inasa as the third member of the romantic relationship. Adding to that, it appeared that Oboro was jealous when Izuku announced that he was going on a date with Inasa.
• Groin Attack: Izuku kicks Endeavour where the sun doesn't shine upon when the hero tries to punch Izuku's face in for denouncing him as a villain who abused his family. We first get a clue of the resulting injuries via the audible cracking of bone, and later on, the full extent of Endeavour's injuries is revealed - not only are both his testicles ruptured, with no guarantee that he will be able to regain full use of them in the future; the kick was strong enough to fracture Endeavour's pelvic bone.
• Head Desk: Detective Tsukauchi slams his head into his desk after receiving a call from a distressed Inasa that Izuku had accidentally killed a villain while out on their date.
• Heroic BSoD:
  • Keigo is the first to experience this when he fails to save Izuku after the teen falls to his death. His tried-and-tested method of hurling a feather to pluck a falling person from the air fails by the barest of millimetres, forcing Keigo to witness Izuku hitting the pavement below in gory fashion. So broken and horrified by his failure, Keigo breaks down spectacularly and wails for the young life lost while cradling Izuku's pulverised body.
  • Present Mic descends into a panicked frenzy when at the end of the USJ attack, an alive and breathing Oboro is brought to him. He throttles Izuku back and forth in his mania, forcing Keigo to intervene before his fledgling is hurt.
  • Aizawa suffers this when he comes face-to-face with Oboro in the infirmary. Unlike Present Mic, his response is far more drastic. Because he believes that someone had impersonated his supposedly dead friend, Aizawa flies into a rage and attacks Oboro to the point of strangulation. It takes Keigo ripping Aizawa away from Oboro and Izuku giving him a Bitch Slap to snap Aizawa out of his murderous frenzy.
  • Izuku's friends are understandably horrified when they learn that Izuku died multiple times while they slept around him during their sleepover (Look at Marshmallow Hell for context). However, Inasa is hit especially hard, to the point that he begins to lose control of his quirk and Izuku is forced to intervene before the situation spirals out of control.
  • Oboro simply can't catch a break. First, he is left traumatised after he realises he first died and then was resurrected to become a villain with the intent to kill. Then, just when it seems that he is on the road to recovery, it is revealed that when Nezu tried to contact his parents and tell them that their son is alive, it is discovered that Oboro's father killed himself following his first death, and his mother was subjected to numerous pranks by truly despicable individuals who pretended to be Oboro and led her into the false belief that he was alive. So traumatised by having her heart shattered over and over, Oboro's mother refused to believe Nezu and blocks all communication channels from U.A. and changes her phone number. Oboro is left so broken that whatever healing he has accomplished thus far goes up in smoke.
  • Izuku is understandably left horribly traumatised after his date goes off the rails when he murders Overhaul. Yes, the yakuza boss' death was accidental, but seeing the horrific and gory aftermath is enough to send Izuku into severe shock. Things are not helped by Inasa having to return home because of a family emergency, leaving Izuku to face the trauma all by himself. Thankfully, Oboro is there to provide some much-needed respite and support.
• I Need a Freaking Drink: Aizawa has developed an alcoholism problem because of Izuku's propensity to do and/or be involved in outrageous things. In the latest example, Aizawa downs an entire bottle of vodka after Izuku accepts Inasa's very public romantic proposal of becoming boyfriends, which was broadcast live to the entire nation, and effectively shattered the Internet.
• In Spite of a Nail:
  • Izuku is still bullied and tormented by his peers for being effectively quirkless, and he is still suicide-baited by Katsuki.
  • Izuku is still attacked by the Slime Villain.
  • All Might does rescue Izuku from the villain, and their subsequent interactions follow canon events. All Might also still destroys Izuku’s dream when he asks if he could be a hero.
  • Izuku still cleans Dagobah beach as part of his training.
  • Izuku still rescues Ochako from the zero-pointer robot, although the means of doing so are different, and he has help from others.
  • Aizawa still puts 1-A through the quirk apprehension test.
  • All Might still conducts battle trials as part of the foundational heroics class.
  • The press descends upon U.A. like in canon events, and they also trespass into the grounds, triggering the alarm and causing a stampede in the cafeteria.
  • The League of Villains still attack the USJ facility. Izuku and Tsuyu are warped to the Shipwreck Zone, and Aizawa is grievously injured by Shigaraki and the Noumu.
  • Tenya manages to escape the USJ facility and brings the U.A. staff in as backup.
  • Ochako's reason for wanting to become a hero is the same as in the canon series.
  • Just like his canon counterpart, Shouto issues his declaration of war to Izuku just before the Sports Festival starts. Eijirou too tries to diffuse the tension, just like he did in-canon.
  • While the second round of laser tag is different from its canon counterpart, which is a cavalry battle, there is still a points system that is determined by the first round. And just like his canon counterpart, Izuku is tagged with 10 million points, which makes him the target of the other 41 students who made it into the second round.
  • Shouto asks Izuku if he is a love child, but unlike in the canon series, Shouto asks if Izuku is the love child between Keigo and Shouto's parents.
  • Shouto also reveals his backstory to Izuku, albeit it happens off-screen.
  • In the third and final round of the Sports Festival, Shouto curb-stomps Hanta during their match, just like in the canon series.
    • Additionally, Fumikage battles Momo like in canon. However, in a deviation from canon events, the match ends much faster than in the series. Although Momo still loses, her performance was arguably perceived much more positively by spectating pro-heroes. One commentator argued that since Momo was unable to properly create anything that could be used against her opponent before losing, any spectating pro-heroes would see the outcome as a result of an unavoidable drawback of her quirk, which can still be worked with. This is in contrast with the canon match, which lasted 15 seconds, which should have given Momo ample time to create something that could be used against Dark Shadow. The commentator argued that canon!Momo messed up badly by losing a match that she was expected to win, which resulted in her getting far fewer internship offers than she deserved. However, in this story, since Momo lost almost instantaneously, the spectating pro-heroes will be more willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. The commentator predicts that Momo will receive more internship offers in this version as a result. This later becomes true when Momo receives 300 internship offers, far more than what her canon counterpart received.
  • Ochako decides to intern at Gunhead's agency, just like she did in the canon series.
• Marshmallow Hell: Zigzagged between Played for Laughs, sweet fluff, and Played for Drama. At first, this trope acts more of a humorous Running Gag, where Inasa has the propensity to squish Izuku’s face into his voluptuous pectorals every time he hugs him. However, this running gag later becomes deadly when Inasa accidentally kills Izuku over and over by asphyxiation during a sleepover by squishing Izuku’s face into his pectorals, depriving him of oxygen. It is only because Izuku’s quirk constantly resurrects him which keeps Izuku from staying permanently dead. Later, during the Sports Festival, Inasa subjects Izuku to a more extreme version of this trope in order to prove conclusively that he is very much a top. And not to mention all of the other little moments where Izuku willingly plants his face into Inasa's chest for whatever reason.
• Meaningful Name: Word of God has coined Izuku and his friends as the Rooftop Gang, primarily ever since Oboro joined the group and they started having their lunches on U.A.'s roof, just like Oboro did with Aizawa and Present Mic when the trio were students.
• Point of Divergence:
  • Izuku does indeed have a quirk, but because it required him to die before it could manifest, he is effectively quirkless throughout his childhood and adolescent years, subjecting him to horrific discrimination, abuse, and torment by peers and society as a whole.
  • By all accounts, Midoriya Inko is a good mother who does her best to raise her son throughout his turbulent childhood and adolescence. Here, she grows to neglect her son completely and ultimately abandons him on the morning right before his suicide.
  • Instead of receiving One for All from All Might, Izuku’s completed suicide attempt triggers his quirk factor, and he is resurrected with the powers of a phoenix.
  • Katsuki is not attacked by the Slime Villain here.
  • It takes a long time in the canon series before Katsuki’s horrendous abuse towards Izuku is finally acknowledged. Here, when Izuku is questioned by Keigo and Tsukauchi in the hospital following his resurrection, the extent of Katsuki’s abuse comes to light right away.
  • In the canon series, the students of Aldera Middle School who bullied and tormented Izuku never face any form of punitive justice, and neither do the teachers who enabled such horrid treatment to take place. Here, on the other hand, the long arm of the law catches up to the school, courtesy of Izuku’s testimony and Aizawa uncovering evidence that Aldera is actually an indoctrination facility run by the quirk supremacy terrorist organisation, the Meta Liberation Army. Tsukauchi organises a raid that has all of the teaching staff and several students arrested, one of which is Katsuki. The school is subsequently shut down.
  • Instead of All Might being his mentor who spearheads his training for the U.A. entrance exam, Izuku has Keigo, Aizawa, and Nezu act as his mentors, working alongside him to build up his new quirk and his strengths.
  • As his mother was arrested and thrown in prison for neglecting and subsequently abandoning him, Izuku is made a ward of U.A. and under Nezu’s custody. He subsequently comes to live with the principal in a house on the school grounds. Additionally, after the events of the USJ attack, Nezu formally adopts Izuku as his son.
  • As Katsuki was arrested for his part in the systemic abuse and torment done to Izuku, the explosive blond is put on trial for his crimes. Izuku is called upon as the primary witness and manages to convince the court to be lenient to his former childhood friend, stating that Katsuki is as much a victim as he was, a result of a toxic environment where his faults were never called out and constantly praised and idolised. Katsuki is subsequently sentenced to seven years of rehabilitative detention. While such a sentence will not leave a criminal record, Katsuki will be too old to enroll in any heroics school upon his release. Effectively, his dreams of becoming a hero are well and truly over.
  • Izuku’s canon first meeting with Uraraka Ochako does not happen here, as he now lives on campus and never trips on his way into the school for the entrance exam.
  • In a significant shift away from canon events, Inasa takes part in the regular U.A. entrance exam and not the recommendation exam. That means that he never has his fateful encounter with Todoroki Shouto and never rejects U.A.’s offer of acceptance. Izuku meets Inasa for the first time in the cafeteria, and the pair hit off a fast friendship.
  • Iida Tenya publicly humiliates Izuku during the practical exam briefing like in the canon series. However, because Inasa is with Izuku, Inasa becomes enraged on Izuku’s behalf and verbally smacks Tenya down so hard that Present Mic has to intervene.
  • Izuku and Inasa decide to work together during the practical exam, and easily decimate the robot targets with their combined firepower. However, mid-way through the exam, they become separated and meet Hitoshi and Neito respectively. As both Hitoshi and Neito have quirks that leave them at a disadvantage against robots, Izuku and Inasa both offer to help them earn some points to better their chances of getting into the heroics programme.
  • When the zero-pointer robot is unleashed, Izuku springs into action and helps free Ochako with help from Inasa. He then orders Hitoshi and Neito to help the injured girl get to safety, while he and Inasa combine the powers of fire and wind to destroy the zero-pointer. The resulting explosion is so devastating that it levels several city blocks down to rubble.
  • Once the exam is over, Izuku effectively hijacks Recovery Girl’s job once he discovers that his tears can heal any injury. This nearly starts a riot as the candidates fight one another to have Izuku heal them first.
  • Izuku tops the entrance exam rankings with a total of 110 points, narrowly beating out Inasa’s score of 108 points.
  • Neito is put into 1-A, while Hitoshi goes to 1-B.
  • Izuku easily breezes through Aizawa’s quirk apprehension tests, earning himself second place behind Yaoyorozu Momo, when he would have been dead last in the canon series.
  • Aizawa’s logical ruse is played seriously here where he would have expelled Hagakure Tooru, who came last in the rankings but ultimately decided to give her and the rest of the students a second chance since they put in their best effort during the tests.
  • The battle trial pairings have changed from those in the canon series since Katsuki and Mineta are absent. Notably, Izuku is paired up with Fumikage and is pitted against Tooru and Tenya.
    • Ochako is paired up with Kirishima Eijirou and is pitted against Yuuga and Momo.
    • Neito goes up against Jirou Kyouka and Kaminari Denki, with Asui Tsuyu as his partner.
    • Inasa goes with Ojiro Mashirao against Kouda Kouji and Satou Rikidou.
  • Inasa’s first encounter with Shouto is different from canon events, although his first impression of the dual-quirked teen is more or less the same. The difference is that his poor impression of Shouto is shared amongst his friends.
  • Izuku is informed by Nezu about the press camping outside of the school gates and harassing students who are trying to get to class. He is then given permission by the principal to use his quirk to get his friends over the walls, bypassing the crowd of reporters entirely.
  • Izuku and Momo are elected class representatives like in canon, but the difference is that Izuku is the deputy to Momo, not the other way around.
  • When the press infiltrates into the school and triggers the alarm, it is Izuku, not Tenya, who stops the ensuing stampede in the cafeteria by transforming into his phoenix form and using his amplified voice to quell the chaos.
  • As Nezu shares his concerns about a malicious entity disabling the gates to let the press in with Izuku, the redhead has the foresight to deduce that something bad will happen to his class when they go for their rescue simulation training at the USJ facility the next day. He contacts Keigo and his friends about the possibility of an attack and mobilises everyone to prepare, just in case. The plan is for Keigo to fly to Musutafu once Izuku sends him a message calling for his help, and for Izuku and his friends to get the class out of the attack.
    • Izuku’s worst fears are confirmed when the League of Villains invade the facility. As per the plan, he and his friends try and get the class to flee the facility, but ultimately fail when their classmates foolishly stand around and don’t listen to his orders. They are subsequently trapped by Kurogiri and warped to different disaster zones, just like in canon events.
  • The USJ attack plays out differently in several ways:
    • Izuku is warped to the Shipwreck Zone with Tsuyu like in canon events. The difference comes when Keigo, having received Izuku’s message, arrives and provides an extra set of wings to get Tsuyu out of the zone and to safety.
    • While Aizawa is grievously injured by the Noumu like in canon events, Izuku’s timely intervention and healing tears reverse all of the damage and keep Aizawa away from death’s door.
    • It takes All Might’s strength and beyond to neutralise the USJ noumu. Here, Izuku one-shots the monster with his flames and cremates it to ashes.
    • While their canon counterparts would have fled upon the defeat of their noumu and the subsequent arrival of the U.A. staff, an enraged Shigaraki foolishly attempts to kill Izuku after he kills the noumu. Shigaraki is subsequently burnt alive by Izuku’s flames. Kurogiri meets a similar fate when he tries to save his master, but the flames burning the warper turn white-hot when the quirk-suppressing cuff on Izuku’s right wrist breaks, subjecting Kurogiri to the full effects of the flames’ alchemic powers. In a twist of fate, Kurogiri undergoes a human transmutation, and Shirakumo Oboro is resurrected. Word of God confirms that the orbs of light seen shooting out of Kurogiri during the transmutation were the quirks that formed the warper’s noumu make-up, and with the loss of these quirks, Oboro is brought back into existence.
  • Traumatised by the events of the USJ attack, Izuku and his friends organise a sleepover to help them move forward from the horrors they faced. Nothing of the sort happens in the canon series.
  • Aizawa mandates that every student in his class will need to attend sessions with Hound Dog following their return to school after the USJ attack. Failure to do so will see them kicked out of the heroics programme. This never happens in the canon series.
  • Just like in the canon series, a crowd of students gather outside of 1-A's classroom to scope out the competition after the Sports Festival is announced. The story deviates from canon where Tetsutetsu from 1-B becomes the source of drama for the 1-A students, not Katsuki or Hitoshi like in canon. Due to his hot-blooded and competitive personality, Tetsutetsu commits a severe faux pas by declaring that 1-B could have easily dealt with the villains better than their 1-A counterparts. Izuku is so triggered by this foolish arrogance that he not only breaks Tetsutetsu's nose, he also almost strangles the steel-quirked student to death in his fiery rage. It is only the timely arrival of Kendou Itsuka that de-escalates the situation before it could end in murder.
  • Hitoshi declares that he will not use his quirk during the Sports Festival, stemming from his desire to keep a low profile in order to become an underground hero.
  • Izuku and Aizawa bring forth to Nezu a proposal that U.A. should have a financial assistance scheme in place to help students who come from disadvantaged backgrounds to cover the tuition fees. This stems from hearing about Ochako's reason for wanting to become a hero - to support her family financially. While Ochako does indeed talk about her family's strained financial situation in the canon series, no such financial assistance plan exists, nor was such assistance ever discussed.
  • It is later revealed by Aizawa that All Might has been stripped of all teaching obligations by Nezu following the USJ attack, much to the outrage of most of the 1-A students. Nothing of the sort happens in the canon series.
  • In a bid to prevent any widening of rifts between 1-A and their 1-B counterparts, Izuku advised Nezu and Present Mic, the latter who is emceeing the Sports Festival, to have 1-A and 1-B introduced together as a united heroics programme. This is in stark contrast to canon events, where 1-A is given special attention, while all of the other classes are effectively sidelined.
  • Because he ranked first in the entrance exam, Izuku is the one to deliver the Competitors' Pledge to open the Sports Festival, not Katsuki. Additionally, unlike Katsuki's egotistical declaration, Izuku uses his moment in the spotlight to drag All Might through the metaphorical mud and highlight the need for society to break its reliance on the Symbol of Peace, calling upon his fellow peers to become the new pillars of peace and stability for future generations.
  • The Sports Festival itself has been overhauled from its canon incarnation. The obstacle race in the first round is replaced by a scavenger hunt, and the cavalry battle in the second round is replaced by a modified form of Laser Tag, with both rounds having a reduced emphasis on quirk usage and instead on the tools provided. This, in turn, no longer provides the heroics programme students an extra advantage and gives the students from other programmes a better chance of progressing to the final round.
  • The final round of the Sports Festival sees some different 1v1 match contestants and configurations than in the canon series:
    • Izuku goes up against Mina, instead of Hitoshi. Izuku subsequently wins the match.
    • Hitoshi battles against Tetsutetsu, when the latter would have battled Eijirou into a stalemate in the canon series.
    • Ochako faces off against Mashirao, instead of Katsuki. Unlike in the canon series, Mashirao does not pull out of the festival, as he was not brainwashed against his will by Hitoshi here.
    • Hatsume Mei takes on Kaminari Denki, instead of Tenya. Tenya, on the other hand, goes up against Inasa.
    • Neito fights against Yuuga in his match, when he would have been eliminated in the second round in the canon incarnation of the festival.
  • In a sharp deviation from canon events, Iida Tensei (a.k.a pro-hero Ingenium) is attending the Sports Festival as a spectator, particularly in support of his younger brother, Tenya. Tensei later finds Tenya after the latter is eliminated from the Festival, and comforts his younger brother. While this does save the turbo hero from being attacked by Stain, it begs the question, what on earth happened to the Hero Killer?
    • The chapters that cover the internship week have confirmed that Stain has gone missing, a development noticed by the hero ranks. Subsequently, Chapter 46 ends on a Cliffhanger note with Keigo telling Izuku, Inasa, and Fumikage that instead of patrolling Fukuoka city, they will be travelling to Hosu in search of Stain.
  • In sharp contrast to canon events, Shouto willingly steps out of bounds after Izuku persuades him to use his fire, giving Izuku the victory.
  • Instead of forfeiting her first match like her canon counterpart did, Mei used a myriad of support equipment to breeze her way through the final round. She is only defeated by Inasa in the semi-finals, and subsequently wins the second runner-up position by defeating Ochako in the third-place match, becoming the first Support student to win a position on the podium.
  • Instead of All Might, Keigo is the one to present the medals to the winners of the Sports Festival.
  • The Shie Hassaikai Arc ends before it can properly begin. While out on a date with Inasa, Eri suddenly runs into Izuku's legs, begging him to not let her get taken back by Overhaul, who makes himself known to the two teens and tries to convince Izuku to let his "daughter" go. A tense stand-off ensues...only to be broken when Izuku suddenly sneezes flames so hot that they incinerate Overhaul's head clean off the neck, killing the Yakuza boss instantly.
  • As mentioned above in Adaptational Name Change, Izuku decides on a different hero name than 'Deku'.
  • Instead of interning with Gran Torino, Izuku has already made the decision to intern with Keigo, along with Fumikage. Inasa, apparently unable to tolerate the idea of his boyfriend spending a week with a potential rival, immediately declares that he will intern with the winged hero too.
• Put on a Bus: Following his arrest and trial, Katsuki effectively disappears from the story. However, Word of God has stated that this will not be the last time we will see Katsuki, and this is later proven correct in Chapter 33, when we see Katsuki inside the rehabilitative detention facility, suffering a very severe case of Never My Fault and seething when he sees Izuku during the live broadcast of the Sports Festival.
• "Reason You Suck" Speech:
  • Tsukauchi tears All Might a new one for being the one who pushed Izuku over the edge. The detective subsequently severs his friendship with the hero.
  • Nezu gives a second one to All Might when the latter complains that Izuku’s friends are disrespecting his authority during his lesson, reminding him of what he did to Izuku, and dropping the bombshell that he actually allowed Izuku’s friends to insult All Might and disrespect his authority.
• Running Gag:
  • Keigo tickling Izuku relentlessly for a wide variety of reasons, ranging from acting recklessly to simply being cheeky.
  • Aizawa bemoaning how Izuku is an overpowered shounen manga protagonist whenever he does something outrageous. This later develops into an alcoholism problem.
  • Izuku's face being pushed into Inasa's pectorals, whether by Inasa or by his own volition.
  • Tenya being made the Butt-Monkey for his uptight and rigid mannerisms. Even funnier when most of the ribbing involves his posterior in some way.
  • The doors of the Support labs being blown off their hinges by Hatsume each time the Rooftop Gang visits.
• Ship Tease: Izuku and Inasa, at first. There was even a bet between Hitoshi, Neito, and Ochako on when they would become a couple. Even more so when the two acted like a couple without them actually being one officially. Izuku and Inasa officially become a couple in Chapter 37, when Inasa publicly asks Izuku to be his boyfriend in front of the entire nation, and Izuku accepts the proposal. Naturally, Ochako is demanding Hitoshi and Neito to hand over her spoils. Subsequently, Oboro comes into the equation in Chapter 41 when he acts as the source of comfort and support for Izuku after the latter's date goes horribly awry, even creating a cloud for Izuku to rest on.
• Shout-Out: A few memes have been referenced in this story thus far:
  • Inasa and Izuku's date in Chapter 39 references the meme, and the original prank video it originated from, where a young woman is unsubtly staring at a man's exaggerated pectorals.
  • The scene on board the Shinkansen where Fumikage calmly drinks a cup of coffee while Inasa and Izuku are kissing in the background references the meme where a girl is downing a bottle of alcohol while two boys are making out behind her.
• The Smurfette Principle: Ochako is the only girl in Izuku's friend group, unless you count Dark Shadow, whom the author addresses with female pronouns.
• Spit Take: While watching the Sports Festival at a Yokohama bar, Dabi spits out his vodka when he watches the broadcast and finds out what Izuku did to Endeavour. Bonus points for spitting the drink on an unfortunate customer nearby.
• Superpower Disability: Izuku and his circle learn the horrifying truth that Izuku is immortal and can never truly die, courtesy of his multiple deaths and resurrections brought upon his quirk after Inasa suffocates the redhead with his pectorals during a sleepover.
• Willfully Weak:
  • Played with for Izuku. He wears a pair of quirk-suppressing cuffs to control his flames. While the cuffs do not actually nullify his ability to produce flames or fly, they do remove the flames’ alchemic powers, which prevents any unintentional accidents if the flames come into contact with a human.
  • Played straight with Hitoshi. After he declares that he will not use his quirk during the Sports Festival, he commissions a bo staff that is outfitted with an electric taser to use against opponents during the festival, in a bid to level the playing field when his opponent uses their quirk or support equipment.

Rise Of The Garuda

• Adaptational Early Appearance:
  • Endeavour is the first character to appear earlier than his canon counterpart, being introduced watching Sekoto Peak burn for the second time, courtesy of Izuku's fiery rebirth.
  • Detective Tsukauchi Naomasa is introduced interrogating Izuku about his alleged crimes of setting fire to Sekoto Peak and assaulting All Might when he would only appear for the first time in the aftermath of the USJ attack.
  • Principal Nezu is introduced offering Izuku a compromise where he will be under probationary custody by U.A. and not criminally prosecuted for the charges laid against him when he would only first appear during the climax of the U.A. entrance exam.
  • Takami Keigo, a.k.a Hawks, makes his debut seemingly being sent by the hero commission to act as a teaching aide to All Might, but Nezu sees right through the lie. His canon counterpart would only appear much later in both the manga and anime.
  • Hitoshi is introduced during Izuku's training by Aizawa, at the behest of Nezu, to help Izuku improve his social skills and ability to make friends with peers his age, when his canon counterpart would only debut in the run-up to the Sports Festival.
  • Yoarashi Inasa and Yaoyorozu Momo are introduced watching the regular entrance exam, when they will only debut during the Provisional Licensing Exam and the first day of school respectively.
  • Monoma Neito is name-dropped when the teachers and Nezu are discussing the results of the entrance exam, when he would only make his formal debut during the Sports Festival.
• Adaptational Sexuality:
  • Just like the original fic, Izuku will be paired romantically with Yoarashi Inasa, when his canon counterpart appeared to only be attracted to girls.
  • Based on the relationship tags, other characters that were originally paired with other characters, or were not romantically paired at all, will be in romantic relationships further down the line:
    • Hitoshi and Neito
    • Shouto and Shirakumo Oboro
• Adaptational Superpower Change: Just like with the original fic, Izuku has a quirk which manifests after he dies in a hit-and-run accident, and doesn't inherit One for All from All Might.
• Adaptation Distillation: The quirk assessment test that Aizawa puts 1-A through is not shown in detail so as to keep the plot succinct and progressing.
• Adaptation Personality Change: After learning of Izuku's supposed death and being dragged to therapy by his father, Katsuki noticeably mellows out and largely loses his explosive temper and propensity for physical violence.
• Adaptation Relationship Overhaul:
  • In the canon series, Izuku and Nezu have negligible interaction between them, but here, as part of a deal with law enforcement, Nezu becomes Izuku's guardian when the latter is made a ward of U.A. in order to serve a probationary sentence.
  • Izuku and Keigo are effectively strangers in the canon series, but here, they become brothers in all but blood, with Keigo even addressing Izuku as his older brother despite being the elder of the two.
  • Izuku and Hitoshi didn't start off on great terms in the canon series, and aren't any more than acquaintances. In this fic, they bond over shared trauma and become fast friends.
    • As an aside, Hitoshi is Aizawa's godson in this fic, when they would only share a mentor/mentee relationship in the canon series.
• Adapted Out: Just like with the original fic, the perverted rat that is Mineta Minoru doesn't exist here.
• Animal Motifs: After his quirk manifests, Izuku is reborn as an Animal-Themed Superbeing, more specifically a humanoid avian. Word of God has stated that Izuku is an incarnation of Garuda in this fic, a divine being in Hindu and Buddhist faiths.
• Back from the Dead: Just like in the original fic, Izuku is reborn after he dies, although the context in this version is different. Instead of leaping to his death from the building that All Might left him on, Izuku is hit by a bus and killed instantly. Additionally, it takes longer for Izuku to come back to life here, more specifically 500 days instead of mere minutes.
• Berserk Button: Any perceived slight against Izuku (real or not) has Keigo's feathers bristling. The winged hero has to be talked down from turning Vlad King into a human kebab when the latter appears to make an unsavoury comment about Izuku, though in reality, Vlad's comment is more to do about the raw power that Izuku possesses, and has nothing to do with his appearance.
• Broken Pedestal: When All Might encounters a newly-resurrected and transformed Izuku, the latter makes his displeasure known to the Symbol of Peace by attacking him, managing to draw blood in his blind rage.
• Death by Adaptation: Izuku, after he is hit by a bus in the second chapter.
• Demoted to Extra: As it stands, Midoriya Inko has been written out of any major plot involvement following Izuku's death in a traffic accident. In an example of Adaptational Angst Upgrade, following her son's empty casket funeral, as his body mysteriously disappeared before the coroner could conduct an autopsy, she isolates herself entirely and is found by a neighbour wasted away and near death. She is immediately rushed to the hospital, and is last seen being warded in the psychiatric unit on long-term stay. However, in Chapter 14, Inko has a The Bus Came Back moment when Izuku visits her in the hospital just before he begins his first day as a U.A. heroics student.
• Dramatic Irony: It isn't lost on anyone, All Might especially, that if the hero hadn't been so tactless with Izuku when discussing the latter's heroic aspirations while lacking a functioning quirk, Izuku wouldn't end up dying after getting hit by a bus, which would've activated his dormant quirk factor. Izuku could've remained functionally quirkless until the moment that he dies, so in a twisted way, he has All Might to thank for finally getting his quirk.
• Too Dumb to Live: Never mind that Sekoto Peak is literally on fire and the firefighters are struggling to get the conflagration under control, All Might rushes right into the burning hill, all because he hears a roar coming from within that fills him with an unknown feeling of fear that reminds him too much of his fight against All For One.
• Fantastic Racism: At first, Izuku used to be bullied and ostracised for being functionally quirkless despite having a quirk factor. But even when his quirk manifested, the fact that he no longer looks completely human means that he is still subjected to some sort of discriminatory and prejudiced behaviour. The first instance is when a police officer uses a derogatory slur when hauling him up for an interrogation, and the second instance takes place during the entrance exam, where several candidates accuse him of "stealing" their points when all he did was save them from dangerous situations, with some even calling him more derogatory slurs. A girl even slaps him, when he literally rescued her from a collapsing building. Talk about ungrateful bastards.
• Filler: What the chapter "Fur and Feathers" essentially is.
• Flat "What":
  • Hitoshi seems to be the main source of this trope. So far, this is his exact response to Izuku telling him that his quirk manifested only after he got hit by a bus and died, and when Inasa very loudly and unexpectedly asked him for Izuku's phone number.
  • This is also Izuku's reaction when Iida apologises for calling him out during the entrance exam briefing.
• I Need a Freaking Drink:
  • Tsukauchi, quite understandably, breaks open the alcohol when he learns the truth about Izuku's rebirth and the events leading up to Sekoto Peak being burnt to the ground.
  • Likewise, Aizawa also goes for the alcohol after being told about Keigo's backstory and the hero commission's criminal activities. He later develops an alcoholism problem, mainly because of Izuku's shenanigans thanks to his quirk.
• In Spite of a Nail:
  • Despite having a quirk factor, Izuku was effectively quirkless prior to his death and rebirth, subjecting him to the abuses and bullying by a prejudiced and biassed society obsessed with quirks.
  • Just like in the canon series, Izuku single-handedly destroys the zero-pointer robot while trying to save Uraraka Ochako from getting crushed.
  • Aizawa threatens 1-A with expulsion from the heroics course during the quirk assessment test. The difference from canon is that he actually goes through with his threat. See Wham Line below for the unlucky victim.
• Irony: Katsuki used to denigrate Izuku for obsessively writing hero analyses in his notebooks, but after Izuku supposedly dies in a hit-and-run accident and he goes to therapy, Katsuki finds himself writing in similar notebooks, more specifically writing letters to Izuku as both a means of processing his grief and keeping track of his progress.
• Papa Wolf: Aizawa is fiercely protective of Hitoshi. When Vlad King teases Aizawa about his godson being the only exception to his self-declared all-round headache that is the recommendation students, Aizawa, in utter seriousness, confirms this, and declares that any attempt to say otherwise would result in defenestration through the nearest window.
• Point of Divergence:
  • Izuku has a quirk in this fic, but because it was dormant, he largely experiences the same discrimination, bullying, and torment by his peers and society as a whole.
  • An In-Universe example, and compared to the original fic, Midoriya Inko loves Izuku dearly and is understandably devastated when Izuku dies in a hit-and-run accident.
  • Instead of inheriting One for All from All Might, Izuku's death triggers his dormant quirk factor, transforming him into the physical incarnation of Garuda, a divine being in Hindu and Buddhist faiths.
  • Instead of All Might, Principal Nezu, Aizawa, and Keigo take charge of Izuku's training.
  • Hitoshi takes part in the recommendation entrance exam, rather than the regular one. Chapter 13 confirms that Aizawa is the one who recommended him. Additionally, Hitoshi is in 1-A, effectively replacing Mineta.
  • Unlike his canon counterpart, Inasa doesn't go to Shiketsu, as he is dissuaded from forfeiting the recommendation exam by Nezu. Although he still harbours negative perceptions about Todoroki Shouto, based on the story tags, Inasa will still be a U.A. student, and the release of Chapter 13 has confirmed this.
  • Katsuki is relegated to 1-B, not 1-A like in the canon series.
• Sacred Flames: When Izuku unexpectedly invokes Vishnu, one of the principal deities of Hinduism, while trying to figure out what the scope of his quirk is, the supreme being bestows this to Izuku as a reward for never wavering in his goal of being a hero for those who need saving. The manifestation of this power results in the house he is living in on the U.A. campus being burnt down, and subsequently, Izuku is able to determine that he has absolute control over his flames, to the point that he can will the fire to not burn anything, which he uses to successful effect against Keigo in a training spar.
• Shout-Out: Izuku visiting the cat café and becoming buried under all of the cats is an homage to the original story. And just like before, Aizawa is less than amused with furious envy.
• Wham Line: Aizawa telling Shouto that he is expelled from the heroics course due to the his continued refusal to use his fire despite being expected to put in his all during the quirk assessment test.
  Aizawa: Fine. I'm removing you from the heroics course.

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