Those Society Rejected
is a My Hero Academia fanfic by Mrotrax on Fanfiction Dot Net.
Most fics that portray Izuku as a Villain have him slide into evil as revenge for society's mistreatment of him. This is not that type of fanfiction. In a twist on most Villain!Deku fics, this story focuses on Izuku leading his own group of misfits who can neither be called heroes nor villains that fight to ensure that society does not leave the marginalized ones in the dust. They are the Rejects, and whether the world likes it or not, they will be the ones to disrupt the status quo, for good or for ill.
Those Society Rejected displays examples of:
- Adaptational Nice Guy: Quite a few:
- Magne in canon was an unrepentant murderer who, apart from her Villainous Friendship with Toga and Twice, didn't have much going for her as a character. While Magne is still unrepentant towards her crimes, she is noticeably nicer given that she's spending time with better people, serving as a mother figure to Eri along with being a Cool Big Sis for the younger members of the Rejects.
- Toga is much more well-adjusted thanks to Izuku and the Rejects providing her with the unconditional friendship and love she direly needed.
- Curious in canon was an Immoral Journalist who gleefully carried out whatever the Meta Liberation Army needed her to do and only cared about getting the next "big scoop". This Curious has doubts about the MLA's cause and is beginning to side with the Rejects after seeing how callous her current organization is.
- Stain here acknowledges that his quest to purge false Heroes was flawed from the beginning and voluntarily lets Ingenium arrest him, a marked divergence from his canon counterpart who remained dead-set on accomplishing his goals regardless of the cost.
- Mr. Compress and Twice are members of the Rejects this time around who, along with Magne, serve as the de facto parental figures for the younger members of the crew.
- Adaptational Villainy:
- Very much downplayed with Izuku; while he has no love for the rest of society given how poorly they treated him, he still intends to do good like he once wanted to as a child (albeit through much more unconventional means).
- Saito murders Toga's parents after he suffers a mental breakdown from seeing Toga live on the Rejects' Sports Festival announcement.
- Adaptational Wimp: As of the latest chapters, the League of Villains consists of only Tomura, Dabi, and Kurogiri.
- Anti-Villain: The Rejects are out to forcibly change the world and get some manner of revenge against the people who wronged them, but are far more noble and sympathetic than other villains.
- Arch-Enemy: Izuku and Tomura loathe each other from the get-go, mostly due to Izuku being more pragmatic and, in Tomura's eyes, being able to get so many good villains to his side just by being himself.
- Bullying a Dragon: A Shie Hassaikai pretending to be a valet attempts to attack Hisashi Midoriya while he's on his way to the Sports Festival. Even if Present Mic hadn't intervened, it would have been a bad idea regardless since Hisashi works for the United Nations Security Council, meaning that the Shie Hassaikai thug would have gotten himself and his organization in hot water with his stupid plan.
- Death by Adaptation: Overhaul ends up having a fatal heart attack over being in such close contact with so much filth shortly after he accidentally fuses himself with the Sludge Villain.
- Didn't Think This Through: Death Arms moves to arrest a disguised Izuku the second he sees him at the Sports festival. While normally this would be a good thing, the Pro's confidence falls when it's pointed out he's disrupting what is essentially the Olympics to make this arrest on a person who he is publicly known to have played a hand in vilifying.
- Faking the Dead: To society at large, Izuku died after All Might mistimed the attack he launched in an attempt to stop the Sludge Villain while Izuku was in the process of saving Bakugo. In reality, Izuku went underground after that incident after the people that would become the Rejects found and nursed him back to health, though he suffered some memory loss from his injuries.
- Fusion Dance: Overhaul ends up fusing himself with the Sludge Villain after Izuku pushes him into the other villain while both are in the process of attacking him.
- Groin Attack: Monoma gets punched in the groin by Eri after she mistakes him for Bakugo.
- Heel Realization: Stain realizes that his crusade against "false heroes" was built upon impossible standards and targeted the wrong people as a result of the delusional actions he took under that mindset after spending time with the Rejects.
- Laser-Guided Amnesia: Izuku temporarily loses his memories leading up to the Sludge Villain incident as a result of the injuries he received when All Might mistimed his punch.
- Laser-Guided Karma: Izuku and the Rejects deliver a delicious serving of justice onto his old classmates at Aldera Junior High for the Quirkist abuse they heaped onto him for much of his life by luring them into the derelict school with a fake interview offer so they can have their crimes aired out in front of their faces.
- My Greatest Failure: All Might has nothing but regret for how his recklessness caused Izuku to take up villainy and got him killed, which then leads to ...
- My Greatest Second Chance: Eri uses her Quirk to bring All Might back to his prime after the Number One Hero's genuine regret for his actions and willingness to do better proves to Eri that he still has what it takes to be a true hero.
- Named In The Adaptation: The Sludge Villain goes by the name of Suraimu Setto.
- Original Character: Dimitra V. Steinyer is an OC originally conceptualized by Rogelis who shows up in chapter 12 as Spinner's friend.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Izuku's announcement at the Sports Festival has him call out Bakugo, Aldera Middle School, Toga's parents, the League of Villains, and the HPSC in grand fashion over their mistreatment of those they saw as 'lesser' (Bakugo, Aldera Middle School, Toga's parents), incompetence (League of Villains), and corruption (HPSC).
- True Companions: The Rejects are all loyal to each other and will risk their lives to save their comrades.
- Pay Evil unto Evil: Saito murdering Himiko's parents normally would be horrifying, but given how they denied Himiko the blood she needed to survive, it's hard to feel bad for them considering how it contributed to Saito getting attacked by a blood-starved Himiko as a result of their abuse and neglect.
- Undignified Death: Can't get much worse than Overhaul's, who dies of a heart attack from being fused with Suraimo Setto due to Setto's Quirk making him a living embodiment of Kai's germaphobia
- What If?:
- The League of Villains are forced on the run after the Rejects leak the location of their base.
- Death Arms, Mt. Lady, Kamui Woods, and Katsuki Bakugo are marked for trial by the HPSC over their actions driving Izuku into villainy after the Sports Festival.
- Tenya Iida never goes after Stain since Ingenium arrested the Hero Killer without receiving any of the injuries that forced him into retirement in canon.
- Bakugo receives a "pity internship" with 13 after his history of bullying comes to light.
- Wouldn't Hurt a Child: Despite being a group of villains, the Rejects do not condone the harming of children.
