Cover Art Drawn by Tunafishprincess at https://tunafishprincess.tumblr.com/post/702723994984595456/art-commission-for-aimportantdragoncollector-s
Izuku Midoriya was only a kindergartner when his parents purchased a quirk for him and indebted him to the Symbol of Evil. When All for One comes to collect his due, he takes Inko hostage and gives Izuku less than a month to get into the top hero school in Japan.
At U.A., Izuku finds himself torn between his morals or survival, and his hero friends or his bonds with the villains.
Walk a Mile in Another’s Shoes is an Alternate Universe My Hero Academia fanfic written by katydid / chibikaty.—-
Walk a Mile in Another’s Shoes contains examples of:
- Abusive Parents: Hisashi Midoriya abused Inko and made it clear from chapter one that Izuku had no value to him without a quirk.
- Adaptational Heroism: Due to Izuku having a quirk, his friendship with Katsuki Bakugo remained strong and Katsuki never became a bully.
- Adaptation Relationship Overhaul: Played with. Due to fearing All For One would kill anyone who becomes his friend, Izuku pushes away Tenya and Ochaco on the first day when they offer to be friends, acting Cruel to Be Kind even though it visibly hurts them. This causes them to be nowhere near as close with him as canon, Ochaco even rebuking Izuku during the Sports Festival while throwing his words right back at him. Only after Izuku saves Tenya from Stain at Hosu do things start to change, Ochaco apologizing for what she said and being more open towards Izuku, and once Izuku reveals his circumstances to everyone after All For One is arrested, the two decide to start over with Izuku, it all but said their relationship will become more like it was in canon now.
- Affably Evil: All for One frequently gives Izuku gifts, takes him out for dinner, and offers suggestions on how to improve his quirk.
- Alternate Timeline: This story diverges when Izuku receives a quirk from All for One and Aoyama remains quirkless.
- Bad "Bad Acting": Bakugou Katsuki is a boy of many talents, but acting is not among them. This becomes clearer the more we hear about the performance of Hamlet he starred in at Aldera. Twenty people were hospitalized, the drama teacher had to be carted off in a straightjacket, and during the ensuing quirkism lawsuit, the judge took one look at the recording and agreed that there was no way Katsuki earned the role on merit.
- Befriending the Enemy: Izuku decides to sincerely befriend Tomura despite seeking a way out of his bargain with All for One.
- Big Brother Worship: Due to a misunderstanding while Izuku was covering up his spy activities. Shouto Todoroki believes that Dabi is a heroic vigilante who also manages a support group that helps people who struggle to use their quirks. Dabi… remains like in canon.
- Conspiracy Theorist: Shouto Todoroki, as is popular fanon. His theories revolving around his missing brother Touya are partly correct.
- Dark Secret: Izuku cannot let anyone find out that All for One threatened him into acting like a spy.
- Deadpan Snarker: Izuku’s unfortunate circumstances bring out the sarcasm in him.
- Dysfunctional Family: Hisashi groomed Inko as a teenager and made her financially dependent on him, using this to control the family.
- For Want Of A Nail: Due to differences in the circumstances of U.S.J. very little is known about Tomura which later backfires when All Might tries to convince Tomura that All for One has been deceiving him without realizing that Tomura hates All Might.
- Immortal Immaturity: All for One is insanely petty and enjoys trolling Izuku.
- Lesser of Two Evils: Izuku believes that he must hurt classmates he likes to win the Sports Festival because All for One threatened to kill the winner if Izuku doesn’t win.
- Like a Son to Me: All Might bonds with Izuku while pretending to be the U.A. janitor Toshinori Yagi.
- Manipulative Bastard: All for One is a manipulative bastard as in canon, and he focuses his efforts into converting Izuku into a true villain.
- Minor Living Alone: Izuku is left on his own after his mother is kidnapped. His father abandoned the family long ago.
- Morality Pet: Izuku is able to use Tomura’s affection for him as a little brother to stop Tomura from committing murder.
- "Not So Different" Remark: All for One uses this to try to win Izuku to his side, even opening up about his own abusive father.
- Oh, Crap!: Izuku refuses to spy for All for One, so he kidnaps Inko.
- Power at a Price: Izuku’s naval laser quirk causes severe strain to his body. Later he develops a gas laser that poisons him.
- Running Gag: Dabi keeps accidentally looking like a hero.
- Sadistic Choice: Izuku is constantly forced to decide if he will obey All for One’s orders and hurt people or let his mother die. This culminates in All for One forcing him to choose between All Might’s life or his mother’s.
- Secret Identity: All Might pretends to be U.A.’s janitor in his skinny form, because he wants to see how the One for All candidates treat him when he’s not famous.
- Take a Third Option: Izuku frequently tries to find ways around All for One’s orders, with mixed results.
- Talking the Monster to Death: Izuku’s kindness persuades Tomura to defect from All for One’s side.
- That Makes Me Feel Angry: Nezu casually drops this exact line when talking about how Hisashi Midoriya seems to think that he's going to get away with decades of preying on sixteen-year-old girls, neglecting his child, and collaborating with All For One. The effect just emphasizes how very badly things are going to turn out for the man.
- The Berserker: Izuku at the Sports Festival.
- The Commies Made Me Do It: Izuku is forced to spy for All for One because his mother has been taken hostage.
- You Owe Me: All for One forces Izuku to obey his orders in exchange for the quirk he received as a child.
- We Can Rule Together: All for One attempts to convert Izuku into a villain, culminating in offering Izuku a high position in his organization at the climax.
- What You Are in the Dark: Izuku receives an offer from All for One to murder his abusive father, his only chance to get revenge outside the law without anyone finding out.
