Izuku always wanted to be a hero, but the world always stonewalled him in every direction.
So he became a hitman for hire, a decision that would send shockwaves through all of hero society.
Written by RarepairKai22, Null: One Shot, Head-Shot is a My Hero Academia fanfic where after being beaten down one too many times, Izuku becomes a hitman for hire, with massive consequences for the quirk-obsessed society that tried to snuff him out. It can be read on Archive of Our Own here
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This fanfic contains examples of:
- Adaptational Sexuality: While Izuku has only been shown to express romantic interest towards girls in the canon series, according to the story’s relationship tags, he is set to be in a romantic relationship with Aizawa Shouta in the future.
- Adaptational Villainy: While Aldera Middle School and the teachers are terrible in the canon series, here, it is uncovered in the aftermath of Izuku's shooting spree that the school is actually an indoctrination facility for the Meta Liberation Army, which in of itself is made even more villainous than its canon counterpart, as in this fanfic, the MLA calls for the extermination of the quirkless and certain individuals with mutant quirks, when in the canon material, all they work towards is the de-regulation of quirks in society and has never advocated for the genocide of supposed "lesser" beings.
- Adaptation Relationship Overhaul: Aizawa and Izuku are teacher and student in the canon series. Here, though, they are effectively strangers until the USJ attack, where they meet face-to-face for the first time.
- Age Lift:
Word of God has stated that Izuku is older in this fanfic than his canon counterpart, which also makes his future relationship with Aizawa acceptable as any romantic relationship between the 30-something Aizawa and a teenage Izuku is not only troubling, but also illegal. - Anti-Villain: While Izuku is indeed the perpetrator of the Aldera school shooting and the deaths of over three hundred students and staff, he seems to recognise the fact that many of his peers who were involved in the bullying campaign were simply immature kids who didn't understand the severity of their actions and, because they were actively encouraged to torment Izuku by the teachers, who were supposed to intervene and punish such bad behaviour, they didn't know that what they were doing was wrong. Apart from several students who were singled out, probably because they had a more active role in the bullying, Izuku grants the others a quick death by a bullet to the head.
- Badass Normal: While he may be quirkless, it would be a fatal decision to underestimate Izuku, given the fact that his skill with firearms are unparalleled, and he has built up a reputation as a fearsome hitman who eliminates his targets without being spotted or noticed.
- Because You Were Nice to Me: Implied with the custodians and cafeteria vendors in Aldera. When Izuku goes on his shooting spree, the custodians and vendors are the only staff members to escape with their lives. Given the fact that Izuku specifically prolonged the teaching staff members' agony by shooting them multiple times before ultimately killing them, it seems to indicate that the custodians and vendors were the only adults in Aldera who were even remotely decent to Izuku, which resulted in him not going after them during his rampage.
- Contrived Coincidence: It is by sheer coincidence that the mission that his handler sends him into turns out to be the attack on the USJ facility led by Shigaraki and the noumu.
- Death by Adaptation: Basically, the USJ attack ends before it can even begin, courtesy of Izuku, resulting in several notable deaths:
- Shigaraki is killed by a bullet to the head.
- Kurogiri is presumably killed by electrocution by Izuku using a modified taser on his metal neck brace.
- In a case of Your Head Asplode, Izuku stabs the noumu’s brain with a live grenade, causing the monster’s head to explode, spraying gore all over the plaza.
- In Spite of a Nail: All Might, just like in the canon series, foolishly used up his time limit fighting petty crime all over Musutafu, and is therefore unable to oversee 1-A’s lesson at the USJ facility.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Aizawa immediately realises that something huge is about to go down when Principal Nezu drops his teacup when Izuku reveals himself as Agent Null in Chapter 4. Aizawa knows that Nezu never wastes his tea, aside from spilling it when laughing maniacally, so to see the principal dropping his teacup is, in the hobo's eyes, equivalent to the apocalypse arriving.
- Point of Divergence:
- Izuku never receives One For All from All Might, remaining quirkless.
- Izuku also never goes to U.A., instead becoming a hitman for hire.
- As mentioned above, the USJ attack ends before it can even begin, courtesy of Izuku. As a result, Aizawa and Thirteen are spared their canon injuries that they would’ve received had the attack gone as planned.
- The end of Chapter 4 reveals the identity of Izuku's handler, being none other than Tsutsumi Kaina, a.k.a Lady Nagant.
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: In a really tragic case of Beware the Nice Ones, Izuku goes on a shooting spree in Aldera when the bullying, torment and abuse pushes him over the edge. In the aftermath, over 300 students are massacred, and all of the teaching staff are dead, though not before Izuku prolongs their agony by shooting non-lethal, but still painful, wounds all over their bodies before finishing them off with a bullet to the head.
- Shout-Out: The author has stated that he was inspired by John Wick and Hitman in creating this fanfic.
