Fanfic / An ordinary life

An ordinary life is a My Hero Academia fanfic by Elia14, which begins four years after the series and depicts a now adult Izuku trying to live a normal life while trying to come to term with his rather messy U.A. history.

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Tropes contained in An ordinary life:

• Actually Pretty Funny: Aizawa almost laughs when he sees the video of Chargebolt leaving the Lurkers' Agency.
• Affectionate Nickname: Izuku's students respectfully and lovingly call him Sensei. The same way, they refer to Aizawa as Sensei's Sensei and Ochako and Tsuyu as O-san and Tsu-san respectively. In turn, those who know the teens generally call them the Strays.
• Alliterative Name:
  • After marrying Mirio, Tamaki's name become Tamaki Togata. The same way, Akira's father is named Hizumi Hoshinami.
  • After her adoption, Akari's name becomes Akari Aoyama.
• Amicable Exes: Ochako and Tenya started dating after Izuku was expelled, but eventually decided they were Better as Friends. They are still on good terms.
• Arboreal Abode: Noraneko Foyer's dorms and the Treetop Agency are realistic examples courtesy of Sami's Quirk.
• Art Initiates Life: This is the true origin of the monster of Tsugaru Strait. A girl drew him to life to defend Hokkaido from the "brainy monsters"... who turn to be Nomus. And the girl has drawn more than Ryujin to defend the Strait, outright summoning Lugia, Amatsu and Fatalis to protect her home.
• Assassin Outclassin': During Mirio and Tamaki's wedding, the Front sends three clones to assassinate Mirio. Though they successfully pull a Kill and Replace on Snipe and Power Loader, the sniper is noticed by Akira, Kishun and Izuku and foiled the moment he tries to shoot Mirio. The other clones are literally sniffed out by Kishun, then stabbed by Eiko and neck-twisted by Jiyu.
• Attack! Attack... Retreat! Retreat!: Hawks thought Akari floating in the water was an easy target. A giant water dragon head courtesy of Akira made him reconsider.
• Authority in Name Only: As far as Aomori is concerned, the HPSC has no power anymore and just serves as a figurehead while the Hero schools are the real authorities. The Commission President is enraged when Skipper spells it before the Billboard Chart crowd.
• Awakening the Sleeping Giant: Izuku is completely uninterested in getting involved in the Front/League conflict. He is also one if not the strongest person in Japan and his students possess macro-scale Quirks or skills to compensate their weaker Quirks. Nezu is quick to realize that getting on his bad side is a stupid idea... and the Front is well on its way of doing just that.
  • Eventually Averted. After Dabi visits Nishimeya, Izuku sends him back to the Front (in one piece) to warn them to leave him and the Aomori prefecture alone. The Front does some quick math and gets the message.
  • Unfortunately, the Commission does not learn the lesson and sends Endeavor to Aomori to arrest Izuku. When Endeavor threatens to burn the Foyer and everything Izuku loves, Izuku gives him the beating of a lifetime and all but declares war on the Commission.
• Badass Adorable: What else would you call a group of eight teenagers with macro-scale Quirks taught by All Might's heir of all people? Izuku's students are as tough as they are cute.
• Badass Teacher: Izuku aside, Mashirao Ojiro is also noted to have become a teacher at U.A.
• Battle in the Rain: The battle between Izuku, the Strays and Kagutsuchi occured under a downpour summoned by Hayate to counter the Flame Titan.
• Berserk Button: Whatever you do, do not so much as think of hurting Izuku. His students won't be happy, and Aizawa notes that they have the habit of striking first and asking questions later.
  • Izuku's classmates are absolutely livid upon realizing how much Izuku blames himself for the Fiasco, and silently wish they had taken more Front soldiers during Coruscant.
  • When trying to arrest Izuku, Endeavor threatens to burn the Foyer and anyone who tries to stand with him. Izuku gives him the biggest Curb-Stomp Battle he's ever suffered.
• Beware the Nice Ones: As a rule and with the notable exceptions of Eiko and Akira, the Nishimeya crew is fairly nice. Five out of eight students have macro-scale Quirks, the other three are either skilled enough to compensate or can kill you without you ever noticing them and their teacher was once billed as All Might's heir and has lost none of his skills. Mess with them and be prepared to be very sorry.
• Big Brother Instinct: even though he is her supperior rather than her brother, Bakugo is fiercely protective of Changeling, who regards him as an older sibling.
• Big Damn Reunion: Izuku's reunion with Tsuyu, Tokoyami and later Shinso is this, with them hugging him and crying in his chest from sheer joy at seeing him safe. Averted with Ochako and the classmates who were presents during Mirio and Tamaki's wedding. His students being protective and Izuku fearing they may be hostile made the reunions tense at first, the eight teens notably ambushing Ochako, Aizawa and All Might at the Foyer.
  • Yuga and Akari's reunion. After struggling to rescue her for a decade, Twinkle and his cousin are finally together.
• Bring It: When the Commission threatens to declare every Aomori Pros vigilantes unless they surrender Izuku, the Pros give the Commission a single answer: Make us.
• Bullying a Dragon: Endeavor may be the Number One Hero, but Izuku still remains One for All's Bearer and a former Hero student. The moment Endeavor presses his Berserk Button is the moment Izuku mops the floor with him.
  • Doctor Garaki really shouldn't have abducted people from Hokkaido. As soon as Izuku and Shigaraki put two and two together, they agree to team up with the League to take him down.
• Central Theme: Family.
  • Izuku and his students (with the notable exception of Kishun) have troubled family lives or are missing one or both parents. However, his students see Izuku as a surrogate father and each side find comfort in the bond they share.
    • Izuku is fiercely protective of his family, to the point of going vigilante and using his Quirk whenever they are endangered. This motivates the Commission into trying to arrest him, to disastrous results - for them.
  • Kishun's parents care deeply for her and did everything they could to help her endure her Power Incontinence. As a result, out of the Strays, she is the one with the most stable and loving family.
  • Akari is Yuga's missing cousin. Yuga did everything in his power, including becoming a Hero, in order to find and save her. His efforts were rewarded when Izuku helped the two reunite.
  • Mirio is Eri's adoptive father and Tamaki's lover. After the pair marries, they form a loving family, especially after Eri Rewinds her adoptive dad to the time he had a Quirk.
  • On the opposite end, Shoto and Endeavor have a deeply strained relationship, Shoto refusing to go to the JP Hero Billboard Chart in part to annoy his father. Endeavor is noted to not understand the concept of Family, something that bites him in the rear when he threatens Izuku's - something that angers the Quirk teacher enough he demolishes the Pro.
  • Going further, Akira's relationship with both of his parents is extremely strained. One of their fights cost him his eyes, both are in rehab and he ends up killing his own father to stop his rampage. On the other hand, his mother knows she isn't suited for the job and asks Akira's Parental Substitute, Izuku, to replace her. Izuku agrees. Akira's relationship with his mother considerably improves from there.
• Color-Coded Characters: Each of Izuku's students has their own color scheme. Kishun is black and blue. Himai is blue and white. Akira is black, blue and white. Eiko is white and red and shares the motif with Eri. Jiyu is white and pink. Akari is white and yellow. Hayate is yellow and black. Sami is green and brown.
• Combat Pragmatism: Even moreso than their Quirks, this is what makes Izuku's students so deadly. They don't simply rely on their powers, they strategize as well, even setting an ambush for Aizawa, All Might and Ochako the first time they show up.
  • It becomes especially prominent in the Strays' Defiance, where the kids planning and making strategies catches everyone but Izuku and Aizawa off-guard and allows them to eliminate Shoto/Coldfire within the first minute.
• Compelling Voice: Shinso's Brainwashing aside, Izuku's coworker Hatsune can mind-control people whenever she sings and a former pupil who joined U.A's Hero course, Kisei Hakiita, has the trope as an inherent property of his voice, meaning he cannot talk without mind-controlling everyone in earshot.
• Cool Bike: Besides Izuku's Kawasaki Ninja, Eijiro Kirishima owns a Triumph Daytona 675, Hitoshi Shinso got a Suzuki Hayabusa and Hanta Sero has a Y2K Turbine Superbike. Tsuyu later gets her hands on a Honda Goldwing Valkyrie while Denki gets a Harley-Davidson V-Rod Muscle.
• Cool Car: Mirio owns a red Mazda RX-8. Izuku notes his sempai has good taste in cars. Among Class A, Momo Yaoyorozu notably has an Aston Martin DB 11, Kyoka Jiro owns a Honda NSX NC 1 and Rikido Sato has a Ford Falcon GT-F. Tenya and Yuga are later revealed to own a Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R and a and a Porsche 992 respectively.
• Cool Teacher: Izuku is probably one of the best Quirk teachers in Japan. He can see a Quirk and immediately come up with ways to train and use it. Not only do the Strays learn from this, a good lot of the Aomori Pro Heroes have managed to become stronger and more capable in the use of their Quirks thanks to him.
• Cry into Chest: Izuku's chest seems to be a magnet for tears, be they of joy or sorrow. When he needs to cry, however, he does it in Ochako's chest.
• Curb-Stomp Battle: The Strays' Defiance. Between grossly underestimating Izuku's students and the eight teens' heavy strategizing, the fourteen Pros couldn't catch a single one and were wilted down one after the other through heavy use of guerilla tactics.
  • Endeavor threatens to burn the Foyer if Izuku doesn't surrender. Izuku proceeds to destroy him in a fight before he actually activates One for All.
• Cuteness Proximity: Changeling spends a certain amount of time squeeeing and cuddling Bakugo's Pomeranian, Puffball.
• Dark and Troubled Past: Toshinori notes that everyone in Noraneko Foyer suffered from tragedy in some form, from Izuku to his students. It is pretty telling that, of all eight kids, only Kishun, Jiyu and Akira have both parents alive, and only Kishun actually lives with her family. Akari's parents are unknown but presumed alive later discovered to have died in the Battle of Coruscant Ward, Sami lost his father and Himai, Eiko and Hayate are all orphans while Izuku only has his mother.
• David Versus Goliath: Izuku (1,85m + One for All) against Kagutsuchi (30m Wreathed in Flames). According to witnesses, Izuku used the Flame Titan as a punching bag before snapping his neck.
• Death from Above: Two variants show up during the Strays' Defiance. The first is Hayate unleashing lightning bolts and a hailstorm against the sky-faring team. The second is Eiko dropping on Eijiro's back to taser him the moment he drops his Quirk.
• Defensive Feint Trap: Fat Parry in a nutshell. Fat Gum's deadliest trait is the massive amount of fat that serves as his armor. With it, he is more or less invulnerable. In order to take him out, the Strays need to strip him of it to make him vulnerable. How do they proceed? By having Akari blast him with her Solar Beam. Fat Gum is forced to absorb the attack to endure it, then use Fat Counter to cast out the kinetic energy he absorbed and is threatening to overload him. However, Fat Counter is the very move that strips him of his armor. Akari, having predicted the blow, dodges in time and lets Kishun headshot the now-vulnerable Pro. Basically, the Strays forced Fat Gum to waste his armor on a blow that looked dangerous, but was still less threatening than the sniper waiting to shoot him in the head.
• Didn't Think This Through: The Hero Public Safety Commission thought it would be a good idea to have Nezu expel Deku (who was already well known as All Might's heir) from U.A., barring him from being a Pro Hero. This deprived them of the strongest Hero in Japan at the worst possible time, eventually leading to the Battle of Coruscant Ward that ensured they would lose leadership of the heroes to the League of Heroes.
  • Then, after they learn that Izuku has been acting as a vigilante and the Aomori Prefecture has been covering for him, they decide to order his arrest. This is them trying to arrest the guy that the Front (whom the Commission has been very unsuccessful in trying to stop) is terrified of. And, to compound on the error, they send Endeavor, who proceeds to threaten Izuku's home and loved ones. All this gets them is Izuku pretty much declaring war on the Commission and all of Aomori's Pro Heroes going rogue.
• Elemental Baggage: Zig-zagged. Even though Sami can grow plants and explicitly controls their genetic structure, it's never said where he finds the materials to grow them (presumably in his own DNA and what's in the soil but still...) On the other hand, Akira explicitly controls the water around him instead of generating it, notably within people, and Akari similarly has to absorb sunlight to power her Quirk, meaning she is Quirkless at night unless she charged.
• Elemental Powers: Aside from canon characters like ShotoTodoroki and Fumikage Tokoyami, four of Izuku's students can control specific elements. Akira controls water, Sami controls vegetation, Hayate controls the weather and Akari controls sunlight.
• Elemental Rock-Paper-Scissors: Being capable of making Hard Light weapons and blasts, Akari is naturally suited to counter an out-of-control Dark Shadow. The same way, Akira's Quirk is the best counter the group got against Dabi, though they note Denki would make short work of the kid. Finally, Dabi and Shoto would have little trouble dealing with Sami.
• Elemental Shapeshifter: Chapter 14 introduces a former pupil of Izuku, Seishiro Asamoya, whose Quirk lets him turn into mist. He needed Izuku's lessons because he had trouble staying corporeal and was stuck as a mist cloud most of times.
• The Empath: Kimochi, one of Noraneko's Schoolmarm can sense and, in a pinch, project the emotions around her.
• Enemy Mine: upon hearing Doctor Garaki has gone rogue and is kidnapping people in Hokkaido, Izuku and Shigaraki decide to team up, having personal grudges against the Good Doctor. Shigaraki goes as far as considering an alliance with the League of Heroes, something Izuku approves.
• Even the Guys Want Him: Shoto reflects that, back at U.A, half the school (him included) were keen on Izuku, regardless of gender. In the present day, men also find him attractive, such as Jiyu or Hitoshi who nearly asks for Izuku's number before learning it's his old friend.
• Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: For all that he may have improved in the past years, Endeavor does not realize what being a father is actually like - which leaves him in the backfoot when he pushes Izuku's Berserk Button and promptly earns the beating of his lifetime.
• Extremely Protective Child: Izuku is a Parental Substitute and a Cool Teacher to the residents of Noraneko Foyer. Because of this, the kids are fiercely protective of him and will go against anyone threatening him with no hold barred. The problem? Half of them are a Person of Mass Destruction, one of a Person of Mass Construction and the other three have Boring, but Practical skills. It doesn't matter that Izuku has One for All when he has his students.
• Family Theme Naming: The men in the Iida family all have names starting with Ten: Tenma (father), Tensei (elder son) and Tenya (younger son)
• The Fellowship Has Ended: Following the Class 3 Fiasco, Bakugo and his friends, the "Bakusquad", fell apart pretty harshly after Ashido threw some painful truths at Bakugo. Since Kirishima stayed with his best friend, Ashido left him as well, Kaminari went his separate way and Sero tried and failed to play mediator.
• For Want Of A Nail: Chapter 35 reveals that the story diverges from canon from shortly before the events leading to the Paranormal Liberation War, with the nail being Twice discovering that Doctor Garaki was planning to copy All for One's consciousness in Shigaraki's mind, kickstarting a second Enemy Civil War that led to the doctor going rogue.
• Free-Fall Fight: During the Strais' Defiance, Eiko and Mirio square against each other in one, Mirio using Permeation to phase through the wood while Eiko uses her flawless sense of balance to run down the trunk of the tree without losing her footing.
• Gamer Chick: Kishun and Eiko are seen playing on a console several times and have based their fighting styles around their favorite video games.
• Gay Groom in a White Tux: During his wedding with Mirio, Tamaki wears a white suit. Being a brunette, this is set to contrast Mirio, who is blonde and wears a black suit.
• Genre Savvy: Unlike his superiors, Slidin' Go has excellent insight regarding Izuku's students and notably Eiko, who is one of the Front's targets. He outright tells Dabi she would rather die or murder Toga for killing her family... and has no idea he is dead right.
• Get Out!: After delivering a Curb-Stomp Battle to Endeavor, Izuku tells him - and the Commission through him - to leave Aomori and never return.
• The Glomp: The first thing that Dabi gets when returning to Deika City is a tackle-hug from Geten, because he's warm and the Villain was getting cold.
• Godzilla Threshold: The people of Aomori are fully aware who Izuku truly is and will call him in case of trouble the local Pros cannot handle. Another example is letting Akira's mother, a recovering addict whose Quirk is best-suited to counter the currently-rampaging Villain, take Trigger to fight him.
• Great Offscreen War: The conflict between the Paranormal Liberation Front and the League of Heroes is repeatedly mentioned and is a key part of everyone's backstory, from Izuku and his students to Ochako and U.A. Hostilities between the two sides have calmed down, but they are slowly restarting as the story progresses...
• Green-Eyed Monster: A fairly benign exemple. Eijiro has no problem admitting he is envious about Izuku's current life and wishes to have his own family. He does have recurring dreams about it but, since Izuku is his friend, he is more focused on getting one himself without taking away his.
• Grey-and-Grey Morality: Discussed. After Aomori is declared rogue, Ochako tells Izuku she learned there is no right and wrong in a war, merely people with opposite opinions. Izuku muses that there is no Black-and-White Morality anymore.
• Hair-Contrast Duo: Mirio and Tamaki are a romantic example, what with them being married. Hammy, flashy and outgoing Mirio has blonde hair styled in a quiff while quiet, inconspicious, introverted Tamaki has dark blue hair styled downward.
• Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Akari and Hayate are both blonde and are the quietest, gentlest of Izuku's students.
• Happily Adopted: Eri was officially adopted by Mirio after he became an adult. Before that, Aizawa was her legal guardian.
• Happily Married: Izuku's coworkers, Kimochi and Hatsune, are a lesbian couple. Mirio and Tamaki also end up marrying later in the story. Izuku and Ochako aren't there yet, but it is on their to-do list.
• Head Desk: upon seeing Izuku and Endeavor's fight, Nezu proceeds to bang his head on his desk, repeatedly.
• Heart Is an Awesome Power: Changeling has a secondary Quirk that lets her see the relations between people. Every relation. This makes her an incredibly good information gatherer, capable of getting accurate info out of thin air.
• Hell Is That Noise: The monster of Tsugaru Strait has a particularly hellish scream that makes Pros almost drop their Quirks.
• Heroic BSoD: Mentioning U.A. has strong chances of sending Izuku into one. Seeing Aizawa, All Might and Ochako for the first time after four years drove him to drinking and crying, and Mirio asking him to be his best man sent his brain in a loop, enough that Hayate joked it was rebooting. Confirming it would happen in U.A. made him nope out until Ochako convinced him to attend by bringing the kids along.
• Heroic Neutral: If possible, the Nishimeya crew would like to stay out of the Front-League conflict. However, given every single member got wronged by the Front in the past, should either side come asking for help, they are more likely to side with the League of Heroes. Mei herself notes that Izuku getting involved is something exceptional. Izuku rightfully points that the Front killed two former teachers and nearly got Mirio too. Of course, the Commission doesn't help its case when it attempts to arrest Izuku.
• Hoist by Their Own Petard: During a game of hide-and-seek, Aizawa uses Erasure to neutralize Kishun's Super-Senses… instead, she spots him by noticing his glowing red eyes and standing hair. Aizawa is not happy.
• Home Field Advantage: Discussed. Having trained their powers in the open area behind the Foyer or in the Shiakami preserve, Izuku's students are naturally more at ease in woodland areas. Meanwhile, the Pros are much more at ease in cityscapes. When pitted against fourteen trained Pro Heroes, the Strays use Sami, Akira and Hayate's Quirks to alter the Ground's layout, turning it into a forest.
• Hot for Teacher: Kishun and Jiyu are perfectly fine admitting they find Izuku really attractive. However, they are also aware of the problems with this trope and encourage Ochako to go for it instead.
• Hyper-Awareness: Kishun's elder brother, Minazuki, possesses a variant of his sister's Super-Senses that take this form, making him generally more aware of what's going on around him, but at the cost of activating all five senses at once and having a weaker degree of amplification. Case in point: Kishun can sneak up on him.
• I Know Mortal Kombat: Eiko and Kishun are big fans of Assassin's Creed and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim respectively, and picked their fighting styles from there, Eiko using hidden blades and Le Parkour while Kishun favors the "stealth archer" approach.
  • Izuku's students are generally fond of video games. When pitted against fourteen experienced Pro Heroes, they decide to use their gaming experience to devise strategies that leave the Heroes completely unprepared, such as dividing them into Damager, Healer, Tank, going after the Squishy Wizard (Shoto) first and relying extensively on Geo Effects and Home Field Advantage.
• Impact Silhouette: Twice, courtesy of Jiyu. After Real Steel is caught by his Tree Buchet, he goes through two large branches before leaving a noticeable dent in the last. When Phantom Thief later takes on the teen, Jiyu sends him crashing in in another branch with enough strength to leave a dent the shape of his body.
• I Need a Freaking Drink: Izuku's standard reaction to anything related to U.A.
• Instantly Proven Wrong: Which follows a nifty Tempting Fate from Aizawa. During the game of hide-and-seek, Aizawa activates Erasure to negate Kishun's Super-Senses, noting that with her senses reduced to average, there was no way she could find - Nope. Kishun uses Erasure's tells to locate him instead. This gets Aizawa to curse and run like hell.
• In Love with Your Carnage: Bakugo is fiercely turned on by Izuku squaring against the monster of Tsugaru Strait.
• Internal Reveal: Izuku reveals the secret of One for All to all of Japan.
  • Izuku learns in Chapter 35 that the monsters in the Tsugaru Strait were created by a girl that was trying to stop Nomu from attacking Hokkaido.
• Invisibility Cloak: Mei's creation, the Nightingale Cloaking System. It has three buttons, the first deploying a light-reflecting cloak, the second spreading a cloud of ambient-temperature particles to conceal the wearer's heat signature and the last containing a short-range jammer. Kishun gets one as part of her gear, and Mei plans to give one to Eraserhead, Froppy, The Shadow (Shinso) and Phantom Thief.
• I Owe You My Life: The reason why Izuku's students are so loyal to him. Besides being their teacher and father figure, Izuku rescued them all one way or another, and the teens are simply begging to return the favor.
• It's Personal: Mei doesn't take well to Power Loader's murder at all, and swears Revenge by Proxy by giving Izuku's students the gears they need against the Front. The same way, Izuku's students are fiercely protective of their Sensei. The moment they hear how the Front crushed his dreams is the moment they call dibs on the Front's leaders.
  • Not Hyperbole: Kishun's reaction, in particular, is to literally tape Shigaraki's name on an arrow and swear to stick it in his heart. Jiyu similarly swears to Slingshot Hijack into orbit, and he has sent wooden discs into orbit by accident.
  • Shigaraki hasn't forgiven Doctor Garaki for attempting to implant All for One in his mind and jumps at the chance to take him out, even if he had to ally with Izuku and the League of Heroes.
• Kaiju: The monster of Tsugaru Strait is an aquatic abomination with grey skin, an anglerfish jaw and eight tentacles for legs and is well over thirty meters. And it fires pressurized water bursts. The Heroes and governors of Aomori and Hokkaido are frightened by its sight.
• Killed Off for Real: Snipe and Power Loader are killed by the Front during Mirio and Tamaki's wedding. Izuku and Nezu retaliate by having Kishun kill Granny Goodness and Vandal. In the backstory, the Battle of Coruscant Ward cost the life of Sanctum, Red and Spinner for the Front while the League lost Sisicross, Mr Smith, Saiko Intelli, Crust, Death Arms and Backdraft.
• Know When to Fold 'Em: Upon seeing the sheer size of the monster in Tsugaru Strait, Hawks acknowledges that his feathers will do close to nothing to the kaiju. Since attacking at close range is suicidal for anyone not named Midoriya, he and Tsukuyomi decide to retreat.
• Land, Sea, Sky: Sami, Akira and Hayate respectively. Double as Blonde (Hayate), Brunette (Akira) and Redhead (Sami). It becomes relevant in that their ability to command all three realms allows them to Terraform Ground Psi, turning it from a downtown district into a flooded garden and gaining the terrain advantage over the Pros. Nezu decides to keep it like that as a new interesting training ground for the students.
• Laser-Guided Karma: As far as the Aomori Pros are concerned, the Battle of Coruscant is this for the Commission. They got the Symbol of Hope and All Might's Heir expelled? Guess who didn't come to rescue them when the Front came knocking!
• Le Parkour: Eiko's Quirk makes her an absolute monster at it. She ends up teaching some of it to Eri. Himai is no slouch in the department either.
• Manly Gay: Compared to the Elfeminate Tamaki, Mirio is considerably more masculine than his husband.
  • Bakugo, of all people, although only aimed at Izuku. Present Mic similarly has an unrequited crush on Eraserhead.
• Meaningful Rename: The Aomori Pros decide to rename themselves Watchmen to mark their new status as protectors.
• Metronomic Man Mashing: during his beatdown of Endeavor, Izuku repeatedly flings him around the parking lot while punching him.
• Mister Muffykins: Bakugo, of all people, has a couple of fierce purse dogs - a Pomeranian and a chihuahua called Puffball and Mouse. He trained them to obey to his explosions and they act as his guard dogs.
• Morality Pet: Changeling seems to be this to Bakugo. Despite being polar opposites, Bakugo greatly cares for Changeling in spite of - and actually because - of her Cloudcuckoolander tendencies, keeping her at his side to protect her when she's out of it and so she has someone to talk to. Meanwhile, Changeling handles the talking and, being more diplomatic than Bakugo, defuses situations to prevent conflict. She is also one of the few people who genuinely like him despite his flaws.
• My Greatest Failure: The Class 3 Fiasco is considered this by Izuku and the U.A. staff in equal measure.
  • Izuku blames himself for being overconfident and falling prey to Hijack, the manipulator subsequently turning him against his classmates to devastating effect.
  • The U.A. teachers and especially Nezu blame themselves for not being cautious enough and failing to account for Hijack, whose intervention turned what should have been a flawless victory into a complete rout.
    • Furthermore, Nezu was forced to expel a student by the Commission following the Fiasco. He chose Izuku (although it is heavily hinted this is what the Commission wanted), who took the decision so poorly he outright abandoned any thought of becoming a Hero and vanished with his mother one week later. The twist? The expulsion was supposed to be temporary. By the time Nezu found Izuku, four years have gone and it is too late to re-enroll him. Nezu's sole consolation is that Kishun, Eiko, Jiyu and Akira want to join U.A.
• Named by the Adaptation: In the series, Manual's Quirk is never given a name. In the story, it is named Tide's Grip and is used by every Mizushima by blood... which includes Akira and Izayoi.
• Nasty Party: Downplayed and narrowly Averted. Upon hearing Lemillion was about to return, the Front decided to send a trio of clones to murder him at his wedding. Two successfully pulled a Kill and Replace on Snipe and Power Loader while the third got within shooting distance of Mirio. Unfortunately for the clones, Izuku and his students were there and foiled the attempt thoroughly. Izuku shielded Mirio while Kishun and Akira took down the sniper. Then Kishun identified the clones and Eiko and Jiyu dealt with them.
• Non Sequitur, *Thud*: After Real Steel is sent flying courtesy of Jiyu's Tree Buchet, he is found by Suneater and Phantom Thief, whom he calls a neat guy (Neito) before losing consciousness.
• Not Me This Time: No, the PLF isn't behind the sudden string of Nomu-related disappearances. Doctor Garaki has gone rogue.
• Not Quite Flight: Izuku, Akari, Jiyu and Hayate all have different means to fly and only Akari's method involves wings. She uses her Quirk to make wings of solid light. Izuku uses Nana Shimura's Quirk, Float. Jiyu uses his Quirk on himself to float like his sensei. Hayate summons gales strong enough to carry him and rides the wind.
• Not the Fall That Kills You…: Skipper, the Aomori teleporter, usually deals with his opponents by teleporting them at a height and leaving gravity to do the rest.
• One-Man Army: Izuku. It may have been four years since he was expelled, but not only hasn't he forgotten what he learned at U.A., he's become even more powerful and stronger. Shigaraki is terrified of angering Izuku because he knows that, if he does, Izuku can destroy the Front's entire leadership on his own.
• Our Fairies Are Different: Bakugo's intern, Changeling, looks like a fairy, from her insect-like wings to her star-shaped pupils to her shiny pink hair and odd behavior. This is why she chose that particular alias.
• Pass the Popcorn: Suggested by Aizawa in the event that the Front came sniffing around Nishimeya.
  • Shigaraki outright says he'll get snacks if the League and the Commission decide to antagonize Izuku. Given the League is losing to the Front and the Front is terrified at the thought of angering Izuku...
    • When the Commission decides to send Endeavor to arrest Izuku, the Front's brass proceeds to sit in front of the TV while Twice's clones bring them snacks.
• Pensieve Flashback: A Gen Ed student possesses the (uncontrolled) ability to see people's past. His closest friend can create an illusion of what's going on in a person's mind. When the teen's Quirk activates upon watching Eiko train Eri, his friend uses his Quirk, thus showing Izuku, Hitoshi, Mirio and Tamaki a memory of ten-year-old Eiko learning free-running with her father.
• Person of Mass Destruction: Five of Izuku's students are this, namely: Hayare Maukisho, Akira Hoshinami, Jiyu Baraemi and Akari Kinatsui. More than the target of their Quirk, it is their scale that makes them devastating. Hayate's lessons were about scaling down his Quirk's effects. Akira can control a lake's worth of water… anywhere he can sense it, which includes within people. Jiyu's weight limit stretches over to a dozen tons. Akari has yet to figure how much she can stock up on sunlight (she can charge for a full day without problem) and her blasts are noted to be particularly devastating. Samidori Morihinan is a Person of Mass Construction instead, able to regrow half a forest in less than a day.
• Poor Communication Kills: Everyone agrees that Nezu not telling Izuku right off the bat that his expulsion was temporary was one if not his biggest mistake. Nezu thinks the same.
  • The monsters that have been plaguing Tsugaru Strait? The creations of a ten-year-old girl who only wants to protect her island from the Nomus, having already lost her father to them. Izuku talking things out with her clear the misunderstanding and prevent yet another fight.
• Power Incontinence: Some Quirks are difficult to control, or have subtleties that make them impractical. This is Izuku's job to help people overcome the issue.
  • The very first chapter is made of two halves. The first half is Where Are They Now regarding Class A. The second half is Izuku's final lesson with Kishun and her finally leaving her room after a decade trapped inside.
  • Chapter 14 introduces two more kids Izuku mentored, who are currently in U.A's Hero Course. Seishiro Asamoya can turn his body into mist. He used to have huge difficulties staying corporeal. Kisei Hakiita, on the other hand, can brainwash people just by talking. It turns out the brainwashing aspect is an inherent property of his voice that has no off-switch, which forces him to talk with sign language or artificial vocal cords.
• Precision F-Strike: Courtesy of the Technopath Skywork, on whether or not Aomori should hand Izuku to the Commission.
  "Fuck the Commission."
• Puppy-Dog Eyes: Changeling can make particularly potent ones. Bakugo knows he cannot resist them, and even Hitoshi doesn't last long against them.
• Rapid Aging: Thanks to Izuku's lessons, Eri discovers she can invert Rewind's flow to achieve this effect, and successfully masters it. Nezu calls the ability Fast Forward.
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Skipper delivers a particularly painful one to the HPSC during the Billboard Chart, calling them out on having Izuku expelled, pointing the Battle of Coruscant was their fault and explaining how they are Authority in Name Only.
• Ring-Ring-CRUNCH!: or, in this case, BOOM. The clock that wakes Bakugo from an erotic dream with Izuku is summarily blown to pieces.
• Run or Die: Much as he hates giving that order, Shigaraki instructs Dabi to run like hell if he ever meets Izuku in Nishimeya.
• Runaway Hideaway: Officially, Noraneko Foyer is a socio-educative residence for children and teenagers in academic Failure. Unofficially, it is a Type 3. Any teenager on the run and looking for safety is sure to find it there. Kishun's father even calls it "a shelter for runaways", and noraneko is Japanese for stray cat.
• Running Gag: Whenever a new Pro comes to visit, it's while the Strays are playing Super Smash.
• Schoolmarm: Kimochi and Hatsune count, being the only two academics teachers at Noraneko Foyer. Kimochi handles middle school education while Hatsune teachers junior high classes.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: at Tokoyami's request, Mei hacks into the bank accounts of every Pro directly working for the HPSC and hides their funds somewhere else. Some Pros like Endeavor and Mirko get mad. Others, like Hawks and Rock Lock, decide to seize the opportunity to escape the HPSC's grasp and settle somewhere else.
• Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: As far as Izuku is concerned, the law forbidding civilians from using their Quirk is more like a friendly suggestion. If his family and home are in trouble, he'll use One for All. The authorities of Aomori not only agree but actually call on him when things go so wrong even the local Pros have trouble.
  • When the Commission learns that Aomori Prefecture has been shielding Izuku's actions, they threaten to declare all of Aomori's Pro Heroes vigilantes unless they surrender Izuku. They choose to tell the Commission to go fuck themselves.
• Sexy Discretion Shot: Anytime two characters start getting intimate, the scene changes before it becomes explicit, and only tiny bits are mentioned after the fact. Chapters 6 to 7 are especially notable: the chapter ends when Ochako confesses her love and Izuku kisses her back. Next chapter starts with the pair waking up after Their First Time.
• Shipper on Deck: Izuku's students very much support his relationship with Ochako.
• Shoot the Mage First: If Jiyu is to be believed...
  "In a fight, you don’t shoot the Tank first. You shoot the healer or the guy throwing fireballs around."
• Shoot the Messenger: Slidin' Go is rightfully concerned that this may happen to him should he give his superiors the information he gathered on the Strays... information that clearly explains how several important plans have a snowball's chance in hell of happening.
• Shout-Out: The Ryokan Inn in Nishimeya is called The Sleeping Giant, a reference to the inn of the same name in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. It serves the same Foreshadowing purpose.
  • After taking out Hawks during the Strays' Defiance, Eiko calls "Red Hawks Down! Red Hawks Down!"
  • One of Izuku's old students has a Quirk called Echo, which can be combined with a friend of his, who utters "Hear. Feel. Think." when he uses it. Both are a reference to Final Fantasy XIV, where the Echo is an ability of the Warrior of Light that lets him watch people's past and is unlocked by hearing Hydaelyn utter those very words.
  • One of Aomori's Pro Heroes is Miss Militia, with a Quirk that takes the form of a green swirl of energy that can become any kind of weapon she can imagine.
    • Also, the villain who controlled Izuku and started the whole story was a body-controlling Master named Hijack, the former alias of Undersiders member Regent who had the same power.
• Side Bet: Aizawa and All Might end up having one on how long it will take for Izuku and Ochako to hook up: three days or the whole week. Aizawa wins.
• Single-Target Sexuality: The only girl Izuku has been known to actually like is Ochako.
  • Bakugo mentions that Izuku is the only person he's ever felt sexually attracted to.
• Smarter Than You Look: Even though they are teenagers, Izuku's students are still living with a Quirk teacher and are thus more knowledgeable than most on matters regarding their Quirks. Himai knows the formula behind strength while Eiko knows the formula behind speed. Given the nature of his Quirk, Hayate knows more about meteorology than a lot of Pros and can give the definition of the Coriolis force, Sami has near-encyclopedic knowledge of biology and Akira possesses a certain amount of knowledge regarding water-associated chemistry. He is also studying médicine in the hopes of becoming a surgeon.
  • In a fight, when your Quirk makes you a Person of Mass Destruction, your primary tactic should be to use your powers to steamroll the opposition. As such, the U.A. staff is dumbstruck when Izuku's students start to strategize, set up tactics and generally use heavy planning to deal with the fourteen Pro Heroes they are pitted against.
• So Proud of You: Upon seeing Izuku combine the different Quirks of One for All to restrain and bring the monster of Tsugaru Strait to the shore, All Might feels deep pride toward his student. Him spelling it to Izuku via message causes Izuku to squeal in joy.
• Squishy Wizard: Shoto packs an amount of firepower comparable to Izuku's students. However, he is still more fragile than Red Riot or Fat Gum and a well-aimed taser arrow of Kishun takes him out within the first minute of the Strays vs. Pros exercise.
• Start My Own: A friendlier version than most. After reuniting with Izuku, Ochako decides to leave Ryukyu's agency and start her own in Nishimeya, bringing Tsuyu along after telling her the agency would be in a tree. This is how the Treetop Agency comes to be. Mirio, Tamaki and Nejire also discuss plans to start their own Agency together.
  • With Tensei Rewound back to healthy thanks to Eri and ready to take back the reins of Idaten, Tenya is free to follow Shoto to Aomori and start their own agency, Turbodynamics.
• Stealth Expert: Of all eight of Izuku's students, Kishun and Eiko are the most furtive, especially since they take inspiration from video games that rely heavily on stealth. Kishun is the Cold Sniper, hides-in-the-shadows kind of sneak. Eiko is the hide-among-the-crowd and Back Stab kind. Both girls get to demonstrate their skills during the Strays' Defiance, where they both get the most Heroes out of all eight of the Strays, Kishun by shooting them from afar and Eiko by sneaking up and tasering them from behind.
• Stone Wall: If the kids are to be believed, Red Riot and Real Steel fit the archetype. Fat Gum is more a Mighty Glacier.
• Street Urchin: Two flavors in Himai Azayaka and Eiko Shirantei. Himai was a Satisfied Street Rat who made a living being a street performer until he fell sick and decided to stay at the Foyer out of pragmatism. Eiko, on the other hand, wasn't satisfied with her life at all and actively sought a haven, which she found in the Foyer.
• Super-Senses: Two types are present in Kishun Aratame and Eiko. Kishun's Quirk, Keen Senses, is plain old-flavored enhancing of the five senses. Eiko's Absolute Balance, on the other hand, gives her a flawless sense of balance.
• Surprise Jump: Shigaraki's reaction to Izuku Suddenly Shouting through the phone is to jump and cling to the ceiling lamp, forcing Re-Destro to answer in his stead.
• Take This Job and Shove It: Fed up with being the Lurkers' No-Respect Guy and after three years of failing to graduate from Sidekick status, Denki decides to epically quit the team and join Ochako and Tsuyu's Treetop Agency as an equal. Pulling a Chargebolt subsequently becomes the Hero idiom for doing just that.
• Talking Is a Free Action: if Izuku is to be believed, Defied. In a fight, talking is not a free action and actually takes focus that could be used for more pressing matters - like the guy trying to beat you. As Izuku instructs, in a fight, first you hit and then you talk.
• There Are No Therapists: Averted to hell and back. Not only is Sami seeing a professional to help him deal with his hemophobia, everyone of Izuku's students who suffer from a Dark and Troubled Past are seeing someone to help them deal with the trauma. The support Izuku provides them with is meant to complement it, as befits his role of Parental Substitute.
• The Thirty-Six Stratagems: The Strays' Defiance is, as Hayate explains, a textbook example. The Strays' entire strategy is focused on #25, going so thoroughly against the Pros' expectation they were caught completely flat-footed. Then they used #15 and #28 to lure then trap the Pros in an environment they weren't familiar with. Himai baiting them was basically a mix of #17 and #21 and the Strays topped it off with #6 to catch the Pros by surprise.
• This Is Gonna Suck: Dabi's reaction upon hearing all of Izuku's classmates have joined him in Nishimeya. In fact, the whole observation mission feels that way to him. Shigaraki didn't tell him to Run or Die for nothing...
• This Is Unforgivable!: For Nezu, the Commission ordering Izuku's arrest is essentially the last straw, enraging him so much he leaves gouges in his desk from his claws and calls upon the League of Heroes' leadership to dissolve the Commission.
• Time Master: During his first Lesson with Eri, the girl's explanation of how her Quirk feels like makes Izuku realize Rewind goes both way. With enough training, Eri can deage and age people, effectively making her this trope. He succesfully teaches her control of both abilities.
• Title Drop: The story's title is mentioned in the fourth chapter, when Aizawa muses over what Izuku has become and notes that not everyone with a powerful Quirk wants to become a Hero.
  "Not everyone had this chance. Some turned to villainy, but others did as his former student and chose to live an ordinary life"
• Titled After the Song: each chapter is named after the lyrics of a song that is given at the start and helps set the mood. Most songs range from the 80's-2000's.
• To Be Lawful or Good: Discussed. The authorities of Aomori are firmly on the side of Good and will ignore the rules if they are deemed obstructive or outright harmful. Meanwhile, the League of Heroes is on the Lawful side and will uphold the laws even if the Commission has become Authority in Name Only. This causes friction between Tenya/Ingenium II and the Aomori Pros, and after Izuku beats the hell out of Endeavor he is unsure of what to do until his father encourages him to stay in Aomori.
• Too Dumb to Live: The Hero Commission's decision to try arresting Izuku, despite being explicitly warned not to by Nezu and nearly everyone else, goes so monumentally bad that Nezu uses the fiasco as grounds to finally oust the organization for overwhelming incompetence.
• Town Girls: Kishun, Eiko and Akari form one such trio. The flat-chested Tomboy Eiko is the butch. The gentle, dress-wearing Akari is the femme. The busty outdoors-girl Kishun is neither. Doubles as Beauty, Brains, and Brawn, with the feminine golden-haired Akari as the beauty, sheltered archer Kishun as the brains and former Street Urchin Eiko as the brawn.
• Tree Buchet: Turns out taking a branch the size of your chest right in the stomach will send you flying. It will also make you glad you can cover your skin with steel.
• Two-Teacher School: Noraneko Foyer is technically a socio-educative residence rather than an actual school, but the trope still stands. It is a place of learning that counts two primary teachers: Kimochi and Hatsune. Izuku only half-counts since he teaches Quick control rather than academics.
• Underestimating Badassery: As far as the fourteen Pros were concerned, them against Izuku's students was a no-brainer. After all, the kids may have powerful Quirks but they lack practical experience and they aren't even in U.A's Hero course. Cake walk, right? Wrong.
• Unspoken Plan Guarantee: Averted A full chapter is dedicated to the Strays setting strategies and making plans against the fourteen Pros they are pitted against during the Strays' Defiance. The next chapter sees said plan go without a hitch.
• Vomit Indiscretion Shot: After Izuku rectifies Yuga's deformed Quirk, the blonde Pro throws up in a corner of the field. It isn't hidden.
• Wardrobe Malfunction: After taking Akari's Solar Beam straight on, Fat Gum's suit is completely ruined… except somehow for his underwear.
• Weak, but Skilled: Supple Body and Absolute Balance may sound pretty weak compared to Weather Control, Green Thumb, Solar Battery, Mind over Matter, Tide's Grip and Keen Senses, but Himai and Eiko compensate with sheer skills, most of which they acquired in the streets.
• We Used to Be Friends: What Izuku assumes his classmates think of him after the Fiasco, and one of the reasons he disappeared. As far as he was concerned, his friends hated his guts for causing the disaster. As it turns, he couldn't be more wrong.
• Wham Episode: Chapter 29. Hand down.
• What the Hell, Hero?: After Mirio's offer to have Izuku be his best man sends him into a Heroic BSoD, all eight of his students thoroughly chew him for pressing their Sensei's Trauma Button - or, as Sami calls it, his pain trigger. This makes Mirio and Aizawa realize how bad the Fiasco and its fallout hurt him.
• Where the Hell Is Springfield?: Averted. Nishimeya is a real-like location in the Aomori Prefecture, set close to the Shirakami-Sanchi wilderness area.
• Who Would Be Stupid Enough?: To target someone the Parahuman Liberation Front is terrified of angering? Apparently, the Commission.
• Worth It: even though it makes Ochako want to kill him, Bakugo doesn't regret at all the kiss he gave Izuku.
• Wrong Genre Savvy: During the Pros vs. Strays sparring session, the Pros fully expect the Strays to go at them with their massively powerful Quirks. What they don't expect is for the kids to heavily strategize and opt for guerilla tactics, with an emphasis on limiting straight confrontation.
• Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Skipper is terrified of dogs, regardless of their size.
• You Shall Not Pass!: When the Front attacked their home, Eiko's parents fought them off to give their daughter time to escape.