Fanfic / MHA: World's Finest

MHA: World's Finest is a My Hero Academia and Batman crossover story by LD1449 in which Bruce Wayne is thrown into the world of My Hero Academia and strikes up a friendship with Nana Shimura. You can also read it on Spacebattles and SufficientVelocity.

The sequel called MHA: Triumvirate Knights is also up, showing the AU that follows from the events of the first story. Take heed of spoilers for World's Finest, should you choose to read the sequel first. It can also be read here which has additional chapters.

No longer posting on Fanfiction, but is on AO3.

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MHA: World's Finest contains examples of...

• Adaptational Name Change:
  • Due to the press recording what they can of the Triumvirate's activities and powers, Sorahiko becomes publicly known as "Blink" (although he uses his canon moniker Gran Torino when acting in an official capacity).
  • Mixed with Named by the Adaptation, Nana is also dubbed "Titania".
• An Arm and a Leg: Batman loses his right arm in the final battle against All for One.
• Badass Normal: Batman, as usual. With the Dramatic Irony that, until the end of the story, nobody knows that he's Quirkless. Theories on what his quirk could be abound even in the sequel.
• Bittersweet Ending: All for One is still at large and dangerous, but his clash with the Triumvirate has shaken him, as Batman brought his fears to the surface, they all survived him, and the Broken Masquerade has overall weakened his operations. Nana can't continue the good fight and must flee Japan, but she knows that she made a lasting difference, neither her Love Interest nor her best friend died, and a new slew of heroes will rise to oppose their Arch-Enemy; this slew will be led by Toshinori, who at the end of the story comes to America to find that his mentor is alive, Happily Married, and ready to guide him into becoming the Symbol of Peace.
• Broken Bird: Beneath her go-getter optimist mask, Nana is readying herself for an eventual fated encounter with All for One that she doesn't expect to survive, and is mourning both the death of her husband and the fact she needed to put her son, Kotaro into foster care to keep him safe.
• Broken Masquerade: All for One's existence and influence is made public thanks to the heroes' efforts, leading to his criminal empire being torn apart, with many of his underlings and associates being identified and arrested. As a result, he can no longer hide in the shadows as he has done since the very beginning of his career.
• Broke Your Arm Punching Out Cthulhu: Batman and Nana managed to save Sorahiko and drag All for One out into the open, but the former ends up losing his right arm.
• Career-Ending Injury: Bruce survives the fight with All for One, but his lost arm means he couldn't continue crimefighting if he wanted to.
• Chekhov's Gun: Batman prepares a secret measure that he intends to use to counter All for One when the time comes and there is no other resort. This is none other than Scarecrow's fear toxin, which proves vital in distracting the villain and enabling the trio to make it out of their battle with him alive.
• Cry into Chest: Recalling the story of how she lost her husband and subsequently gave up her son for his safety ends with Nana sobbing while Bruce holds and comforts her.
• Giving Radio to the Romans: Bruce Wayne establishes WayneTech on the MHA earth by introducing (and patenting) the DC universe's more advanced technological advancements, in turn upping the Support Gear industry (notable even more for being some three decades before MHA canon, with I-Island not even established).
• Hope Bringer: While Bruce (and Batman) lay the first chinks in Nana's armor, it is of course Toshinori who convinces her that One For All can be passed to a successor who will eventually defeat All for One.
• I Shall Taunt You: In order to distract All for One and get under his skin, Bruce suggests that Nana laugh in his face. When she, Batman, and Gran Torino finally do face him, they make sure to taunt him all the while so that he'll slip up.
• Just Toying with Them: Due to boredom, AFO plays around with the heroes. They use this to their advantage, resulting in his criminal empire being exposed and torn apart.
• Likes Clark Kent, Hates Superman: Nana grows ever closer with Bruce even as she grows ever more irritated with Batman.
• Loophole Abuse: Though he is a vigilante in by the strict definition of the word, Batman is technically not breaking the Japanese laws against them because he doesn't have a Quirk. Not that anyone knows this. Hilarity Ensues.
• Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl: Respectively with Bruce/Batman and Nana/Titania; although it's also downplayed by the latter being a Stepford Smiler, and while the former remains a world-weary cynic he's determined to find a way to make a tangible difference in the war against All for One.
• Second Love: Bruce for Nana, who slowly falls in love with him as she continues to grieve for the husband she lost and the son she gave up.
• Stealth Hi/Bye: Nana is quite incensed whenever Batman pulls this on her.
• Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Nana and Sorahiko don't get a good initial impression of Batman, so their team-up starts off like this (only on their side, however, as he knows who they are and is more entertained than anything).
• Underestimating Badassery: AFO took his time playing around with Batman, Nana, and Sorahiko, which ended up costing him dearly.
• Villainous Breakdown: As a result of being affected by Scarecrow toxin, AFO ends up seeing hallucinations of his past victims. He becomes too distracted to effectively fight back against both Nana and Batman.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: Even after coming to trust Batman, Sorahiko and he still snipe at each other frequently.
• Wham Line: Batman reveals just how much he knows about All for One after the villain is affected by Fear Toxin.
  You've been frightened all your life...Shigaraki.

Triumvirate Knights contains examples of...

• Adaptational Badass:
  • Thanks to more training and proper support, Gentle is a lot stronger and more skilled than in canon. Best exemplified, thus far, by him single-handily holding off a Nomu.
  • All Might of all people thanks to being taught by the Triumvirate. Nana taught him how to use One For All even better, as well as fighting with super-strength, while Batman and Sora hammered into him more about how to fight and investigate. During his fights, we see him analyzing key details upon the fly, using expert skill, and in quieter moments demonstrating astounding stealth, and even Sir Nighteye respects his strategic prowess.
  • Heroes in general are also held to a higher standard, as they are not signing up for an occupation during a time of peace, but when All For One and his minions publicly remain at large.
• Adaptational Heroism: Gentle is now a teacher at UA in this story, having succeeded in becoming a Hero.
• Adaptational Intelligence: While canon Izuku is pretty intelligent, this story plays it up further due to Izuku both not having the crippling anxiety and doubt that inhibited him early in canon, as well as knowing that becoming a hero without a Quirk means he needs to fight smarter than his opponents in order to stand a chance.
• Adaptational Nice Guy: Bakugo is only slightly better in his attitude than his pre-character development phase. With Izuku more confidentially standing up to him throughout their childhood, to the point where they've had multiple fights a month with Izuku coming out on top sometimes, he starts U.A. with significantly more respect towards Deku than he does in canon. Word of God notes that it's still in a condescendingly egotistical way along the lines of 'he's been a rival to me for years, so disrespecting him is disrespecting me,' but it's better than nothing.
• Adaptational Wimp: In some regards to All For One. While the megalomaniac is unquestionably dangerous, he has lost several canon advantages. He has been a public threat for decades, with ongoing investigations chipping away at his resources, and keeping Quirks away from him—especially the Super Regeneration Quirk he had stolen in canon and copied into all his Nomu. Now if they or he take damage, it actually sticks. He also retains mental trauma from his clash with the Triumvirate which he has been unable to do away with.
• Adaptation Relationship Overhaul:
  • Izuku and Katsuki's relationship is simultaneously better and worse than canon; there is more mutual respect overall, but the former is more defiant towards the latter (notably addressing him on a Last-Name Basis and no longer as Kacchan). The latter is also still irritated by the former if more tempered due to time and experience.
  • Melissa being the adopted daughter of Bruce and Nana, which had the two-fold effect of implementing a fan theory - she is actually the daughter of Toshinori Yagi/All Might and was adopted by David Shield in canon but by the Wayne's instead in the TK-verse.
  • Following Shoji's humiliating loss to Izuku, which he publicly acknowledges was from him underestimating Izuku for being Quirkless, and apologizes for, they become closer friends than canon.
  • After many students from 1-A and 1-B leave the Hero Course at UA, both classes are merged together, with the remainder becoming much closer.
• An Arm and a Leg: Tokoyami loses an arm fighting one of the villains that All for One unleashes.
• Artificial Limbs: Bruce has one that comes with a few surprises, which comes in handy when he has to neutralize Muscular.
• Big Damn Heroes: Just as the students are being overwhelmed by the villains All for One sent, Nana, Sorahiko, Bruce, and Terry come in to save them.
• Boring, but Practical: According to Word of God, Gentle was this for most of his career. He would win fights quickly and simply by trapping them in the air as that was his main technique, but as this is not very flashy it did not get him much attention, even when he became an UA teacher. However, this proves vital in allowing him to stonewall a High-End Nomu all on his own.
• Demoted to Extra:
  • Whereas he was one of the more prominent members of 1A in canon, Kaminari is one of the 16 students who left the Hero Course following the attack by All For One.
  • The same applies to the canon identity of the UA Traitor. In canon, while not constantly prominent, the identity of the Traitor was still someone with a good amount of relevance and one of Izuku's friends. Here, Aoyama is one of the 16 students who left the Hero Course.
• The Dreaded:
  • All For One. The people of Japan have known about him for decades, and are justifiably afraid of him and his Nomu.
    • During the attack on the Sports Festival, the heroes and hero students have to deal with waves of low-level villains, who are attacking in good part because they are terrified of what All For One will do to them if they do not.
  • Batman, even thirty years later. Chimera was panicking at the very idea of someone facing him with an outfit resembling Batman's appearance and symbol, having to reassure himself that it was not the original.
• Eye Scream: Bruce electrocutes one of Muscular's eyes and slices up his other one in order to disorientate the villain.
• Happily Adopted: Melissa Wayne.
  • Bruce and Nana had their reasons for being the ones to adopt her.
• Good Is Not Soft: The Triumvirate are absolutely brutal in putting down their enemies, but they stay down, and pass on their teachings well.
• I'm Not Afraid of You: Bruce says as such to All for One.
  "You want to know something?"
  Wayne's voice softly spoke, cutting through the tension. All for One stopped, his hand just a hair's breadth away from the nearly hyperventilating Melissa.
  The old man's sneer could have chipped at a steel wall for all its intensity. "I can be afraid of Monsters... " Then he smirked, condescension and contempt dripping from the expression. "But I'll never be afraid of sad, pathetic creatures."
• Jerkass Has a Point: Endeavour is this for Shoto in the aftermath of the Sports Festival. [[spoiler:The man does not even bring up how Shoto nearly died continuing to use ice against Muscular when it had proven useless as opposed to fire, but instead the very terrifying likelihood that All For One would target Shoto for his immensely powerful Quirk. As much as Shoto hates it, he concedes it would be the height of irresponsibility to risk All For One getting it or even giving it to one of his pawns.
• Inspirational Insult: Bakugo gives one to Ochako, which gets her to think twice about quitting being a hero.
• Legacy Character: Terry takes up the mantle of Batman.
• Nerves of Steel: Even with All for One in front of him, a literal thought away from ending his life, Bruce shows no fear whatsoever.
  AFO: You truly hold yourself as the man with no fear. Don’t you.
• No Hero to His Valet: To the public, All Might is the world's greatest hero, the one who defeated All for One, something even the Triumvirate couldn't do. To the Triumvirate, he will always be their student and friend.
• Non-Action Guy: Gender-inverted with Melissa. Bruce taught her some self-defense, but she isn't interested in fighting herself.
• Noodle Incident: Tokoyami and Mei have a match against each other in the Sports Festival. Whatever happened, it took nine minutes, involved the use of her Big Red Button, ended with Mei stealing All Might's microphone to advertise her merchandise, and had the result of turning Tokoyami's feathers, his clothes, and his Quirk all completely pink and enraged him so thoroughly that everyone, even Bakugo, quietly agreed to his demand to never speak of it again.
• Nuclear Option: Gigantomachia is being kept as a weapon of last resort by AFO.
• Point of Divergence:
  • Because All Might never had the falling out with Nighteye, he ended up having more sidekicks than canon. Included in the list are Hawks, Mirko, and Edgeshot.
  • Instead of outright dismissing Izuku's dream, All Might instead tells him these lines below, leading to Izuku taking a more proactive stance against Bakugou:
    "If you choose it, it is not an easy life.
    "But the quirk in your body is not the sole measure of what it is to be a hero. Perhaps they can punch harder, move faster, See things others can't. But what is a hero, a true hero young man is measured by the spirit that beats in your chest."
    "If you want it hard enough, work hard enough and chase your dream, whatever that may be, then there's no force on earth that can stop you."
    "You can become a hero."
• Primal Fear: As the most feared villain of Japan, All for One inspires this.
  Izuku wasn't sure if he could've mustered up the strength to move, even if he wasn't being held in place by All for One's quirk.
  The sheer presence the villain exuded alone made him afraid, sent his heart a-racing and every muscle in his body feeling drained and weak. He wasn't sure if it was another quirk or just his own cowardice at work.
• Properly Paranoid: Bakugou, having grown up fighting Izuku and his tactics, grows suspicious when the latter seemingly gets his partner for the exercise captured. He ended up being right.
• Put on a Bus: Following the attack by All For One, 16 students from the Hero Course decide to either transfer to different schools or drop out entirely, leaving a single Class 1 consisting of the remaining 24. The students that left: from 1A, Aoyama, Kaminari, Sero, Ojiro, Sato, and Mineta; from 1B, Awase, Kodai, Shoda, Komori, Kamakiri, Tsuburaba, Manga, Bondo, Reiko, and Rin.
• Retired Badass: They may no longer be active, but the Triumvirate can still kick ass when needed.
• Revenge Before Reason: Even though AFO knows intellectually that Bruce is no longer a physical threat, he can't ignore being insulted by Bruce due to Bruce being the first man to ever beat him.
• Right for the Wrong Reasons: In-universe shippers are right in that Batman and Titania are a couple, but not because the new Batman is their love child.
• Secret Secret-Keeper: Nedzu is aware of the Triumvirate's true identities.
• Shrouded in Myth: Even after all these years, the Triumvirate are still a mystery to many.
• Shut Up, Hannibal!: All Might isn't taking All for One's taunts lying down.
  "You can't protect them from me All Might."
  The Symbol of Peace crashed downwards, both fists slamming down only to be caught by All for One, his own feet burying themselves up to the knee in the asphalt as the ground cratered and cracked beneath them.
  "You can't protect anyone... And you know it... That's what you're afraid of."
  All Might grit his teeth struggling to power through the man's iron-hard grip.
  "He will die. So will Nana. So will Sorahiko. I'll get them, one, after another. You can't protect them forever."
  All Might lurched forward, and with another shock wave the mother of all headbutts cracked along All for One's face, bone and blood bursting before All Might freed himself from the hold, grabbed the villain by the neck and knee, lifted him up, and sent him headfirst into the asphalt.
  He knelt over the fallen villain fist reeling back. "I CAN PROTECT THEM TODAY!" He roared.
• Stealth Hi/Bye:
  • Just because he hasn't done it to Nana for years does not mean Bruce can't or won't do it when necessary.
  • Surprisingly, it is revealed that All Might can do this too, likely due to Bruce's training.
• Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Strongly averted with the heroes in Japan. With the example of the Triumvirate, there is a lot more emphasis among heroes on teamwork, especially given the public knowledge of the threat of All For One, including how many independent heroes he has killed. All Might himself has put together a team of some of the most powerful heroes within Japan, declaring them his Pillars of Peace. Another example is Gunhead and Ingenium forming their own team.
• Underestimating Badassery: The villains think they're just facing a bunch of old people when the Triumvirate show up to help the students.
• Unrelated in the Adaptation: Terry McGinnis is in no way related to Bruce here, rather than being his unknown offspring as in the DCAU. LD1449 despised that reveal and considers it a Broken Aesop, so he's not using it in the story.
• Wrong Assumption: When Midoriya tells Tsuyu that he's thinking about a big decision, she assumes he's thinking of quitting. In truth, he's contemplating accepting One for All from All Might.

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