New Game Plus 2022 / Tropes In Act 1

#-J

• Abusive Parents: Endeavor continues to be this towards Shouto. This is highlighted after All Might declares Izuku as his new successor which leads the Flaming Garbage Hero to double down on Shouto's Training from Hell.
• Adaptational Angst Upgrade:
  • Tsuyu may have faced a bully or two, but she had a relatively normal school life. In this story, she's a victim of racial discrimination and is constantly painted in a negative light by her school environment.
  • Shinso is revealed to be in foster care and in a home where he's not happy to be, to the point he's taken the beach cleaning job in Takoba just to have an excuse to stay away from there. A later chapter even has his foster dad calling him a "villain".
  • Nejire's personality caused many people to be annoyed and stay away from her, leading her to be friendless for a long time. It got so bad she even attempted suicide at one point.
  • The new events since Izuku traveled back have caused both Bakugo and Todoroki to grow much worse than they were originally by the time they enter UA.
• Adaptational Early Appearance:
  • Ochako, who first appeared during the U.A Entrance Exams, is one of Izuku's new classmates at Yomawari Junior High.
  • Iida, Tsuyu, and Shinsou volunteer to help with the Takoba Municipal Beach Park clean up, showing up far before the Entrance Exams^note For Iida and Tsuyu and Sports Festival^note For Shinsou Arcs.
  • Himiko Toga first appeared after the Stain Arc in canon. Here, she tries to assault Izuku and Ochako while they are hanging out at the mall while still in middle school.
  • Izuku meets Kota sometime between the UA recommendation exam and the regular entrance exam, helping him with his issues - which include facing and subduing Muscular, who coincidentally shows up soon after.
  • Fuyumi Todoroki is hired as an on-site tutor for Eri and comes to live at the UA campus when the new school year begins.
  • Some Nomu seen in the early arcs are instead used earlier by Shigaraki for his assault at the UA campus. Both the Winged Nomu from Hosu and the Chainsaw Nomu from the forest camp are seen.
• Ain't Too Proud to Beg: Overhaul has the audacity to beg for his life after Izuku destroys him using Black Whip... and still tries to kill Izuku as soon as Eri convinces the boy to stop.
• Alpha Bitch: Mira Akotone in Hanako's origin story, a girl with a good quirk and heroic aspirations despite her rotten personality. Their school being another under the MLA's control played a huge part in making Mira so horrible.
• Amputation Stops Spread: In order to prevent Ai from being fully decayed by Shigaraki's Quirk, her arm is severed with one of Kamakiri's blades from the elbow down.
• An Offer You Can't Refuse:
  • Nedzu presents one to Bakugou. If he wants to get into UA and become a hero, he'll need to attend weekly therapy sessions with Hound Dog, be on academic probation for his previous delinquency, be forbidden from participating in the Sports Festival, be unable to interact with Izuku under any capacity, and will be forced to intern under a hero of Nedzu's choosing. If Bakugou cannot meet these requirements, then he'll be immediately expelled from Yuuei and blacklisted from every hero school in Japan.
  • Said verbatim by Dabi when offering Shoto to join him against Endeavor.
• Armor-Piercing Question: During his review of Bakugou's Entrance Exam score and how he was only interested in Villain Points^note most candidates end up getting Rescue Points even involuntarily, so Bakugo not getting a single one means he went out his way to help no one, Nedzu openly asks him if he would willingly turn down rescue assignments if there were no villains for him to pummel. This leaves the bombastic blonde speechless.
• Ascended Extra: Downplayed with Hisashi Midoriya. Unlike canon where he was never mentioned or brought up, his wife and son frequently mention him (even though he's working overseas) and discuss with him about the various events that occur in their daily lives. He shows up in Chapter 19, finally able to see his new house, and new daughter (he and Inko have just accepted to adopt Eri).
• Asshole Victim:
  • The Hirikones. The first Side Story reveals they were this even in the original timeline.
  • Mira Akotone and her two lackeys in the origin story of Hanako Yumara.
  • Gallant Blade, the Hero who killed Hanako's father with an excuse only because of his racism toward mutants, and was covered by the HPSC, would eventually become one of the first victims of Stain a few years later.
    • The daughter of the lawyers who defended Gallant Blade reveals to Hanako the murder wasn't an accident, just to mock her. She pays dearly for that.
  • In a very dark timeline, the HPSC and basically all the heroic cast, falling to a vengenful Ronri for the horrible fate of Izuku while they didn't lift a finger for him.
• Attempted Rape: During the villain invasion of UA Aoi is captured by two members of the disbanded MLA. She is saved by Mirko before they can go through.
• A Twinkle in the Sky: In Chapter 38, the Nomu we know from USJ is sent flying away by Izuku with even more power and speed than originally, ending up in literal orbit. And immediately after a milder version of this happens, with a furious Shigaraki who doesn't even see Mt. Lady's foot coming as she punts him out of the UA campus.
• Awesomeness by Analysis: Izuku's habit of analyzing heroes and their capabilities is brought up and admired by his classmates and adult heroes. Heck, Nedzu is so impressed that he offers him a chance to study directly under him when he comes to Yuuei.
• Backstory:
  • Chapter 10 is dedicated to Ai's backstory, specifically on how she went from the kind Ai Uzumaru to the cruel Ai Hirikone.
  • Chapter 16 highlights Nejire's childhood and the hardships she faced for her nonstop chattering.
  • Side Story #4 is about Hanako before she went to Yomawari Junior High and how deep the trauma and darkness inside her run.
• Babies Ever After: In the epilogue of What If, set several after Izuku and the rest of Class A have graduated from UA, Aoi is pregnant with Izuku's child.
• Bad Powers, Good People: Shinso has faced Quirk discrimination because of his brainwashing power but Izuku proclaims that it can be used for so many good purposes if he wanted to be a hero.
• Big Damn Heroes:
  • During the raid at the Shie Hassaikai, Izuku kicks Overhaul away an instant before he can touch Eri and render her comatose. Shortly after, Mirio comes just in time to prevent Izuku from running into Overhaul's spikes, then brings Eri to safety.
  • Later in the story, Izuku would be dead twice if it wasn't for Aizawa coming in with his quirk just one moment before Shigaraki touches him, and keeping his sight on Shigaraki as the latter manages to break one arm free and grab Izuku's neck.
  • Mirko ends up being this twice for the same person. In her Pro Hero debut she came just in time to save Aoi from a fire, as another Hero on the scene was leaving her to die just because she was Quirkless. In the present, she saves Aoi from an Attempted Rape.
  • Mt. Lady almost casually punting Shigaraki out of the UA campus, just as he's attacking an exhausted Izuku.
• Bigot with a Badge:
  • The Meta Liberation Army have infiltrated the police forces and their agents turn a blind eye towards Quirk-based discrimination, especially when the victim is Quirkless or mutant. In the Asahi Police Department, more than half are compromised.
  • There are Heroes who refuse to lift a finger to save a Quirkless person. One would have left Aoi to die in a fire if it wasn't for Mirko.
  • Other Heroes are racists towards mutants, looking for excuses to "purge" them. Like Gallant Blade, who murdered Hanako's father.
• Birds of a Feather: Rappa ends up becoming Mirko's first sidekick thanks to their shared love of fighting and bloodlust.
• Blessed with Suck: The quirks of some minor characters are a curse rather than a blessing. For example a student of class 1-C at UA is forced to always cover part of his face because his Quirk compels people to punch it. He's also got it active since birth, which caused a very embarassing situation between his mother and the hospital staff.
• Blood Knight: The whole reason Mirko agrees to be the faux villain in Izuku's Provisional License Exam is because she's heard he's All Might's student. She doesn't even want to stop when he finishes the exam.
• Bullying a Dragon: Mira Akotone realized too late that Hanako Yumara, whom she mercilessly bullied, simply chose to not use the abilities bestowed by her mutation quirk - until she decided to.
• The Cameo: Yuuga Aoyama briefly appears in Ai's backstory flashback. It would qualify as an Early-Bird Cameo if it wasn't that he and his parents are eventually revealed to have fled, so he's not become a Hero Student.
• Can't Kill You, Still Need You: The only reason All For One interferes in Shigaraki attempting to assassinate Izuku is because he still needs to steal One For All from him.
• Cerebus Retcon:
  • The suicide of middle school classmate Aoi Haji is an addition to Ochako's motivations for being a Hero in the original timeline (and other timelines for that matter), and can be easily handwaved as being too painful a memory for Ochako to talk about.
  • A commonly accepted explanation for how Tooru Hagakure managed to pass the entrance exam is that the robots have off switches which she managed to press undetected thanks to her invisibility, even if no official material has ever even hinted at that. Here it's treated as true but it ended up facilitating Tooru too much: her actual physical prowess is scarce, causing Aizawa to threaten expulsion if she won't put enough effort in.
• Character Filibuster: Nejire turns out to be a deconstruction of this. Her non-stop questioning and talking resulted in everyone around her finding her too annoying which led to her being friendless and depressed. She even tried to commit suicide at one point.
• Conveniently Unverifiable Cover Story: Izuku's cover story for his Quirk is that he's a late bloomer who gained a power known as Superpower, complete with various "aspects" (the quirks of the Vestiges); because of its "similarity" to All Might's power, the Symbol of Peace has decided to make the boy his apprentice and eventually successor.
• Corrupt Politician: Nezu declares the Heroes Public Safety Commission to be this after Izuku explains to him how the HPSC summoned every hero and hero student to fight against the Paranormal Liberation Army in the original timeline. The rat explains that to take on such opponents would first require the use of the Japanese military and for the commission to use heroes first is illegal for various reasons. Even their move of sending a difficult opponent like Mirko to be the faux villain against Izuku is considered an attempt at sabotaging Izuku.
• Cruel to Be Kind: Izuku does this to Himiko Toga by bringing up her abusive upbringing and the misunderstanding of her Quirk in order to encourage her to surrender.
• Curb-Stomp Battle: The confrontation with Overhaul turns into this after he kills Nejire, causing Izuku to go berserk on him.
• Curse Cut Short: Just before Izuku can say the 'F' word after learning that Nejire has been assimilated into the Realm of One For All, the scene cuts to his mom offering fudge to her guests. Though he does finish his swear word in the following scene.
• Cutaway Gag:
  • No less than three when Izuku agrees to be Nedzu's personal student. Eraserhead shoots up from his nap in a sudden panic, All For One feels a shiver run down his spine, and Endeavor pauses doing his paperwork to ask why he hears boss music.
  • During Izuku's Provisional License Exam, whenever someone mentions the last time Mirko fought against a U.A. student for the test last year, the narrative cuts to Nejire mentioning that her arm just went numb.
• Cuteness Proximity:
  • Ai faints for the sheer cuteness of Eri reacting to the news of having been adopted into the Midoriya family.
  • Mina and several other girls as they are introduced to Eri, who for her own protection is going to reside in the 1-A dorm in this timeline.
  • Amura with Aoi at UA, attracted by Aoi's cat.
• Dark and Troubled Past: Both Aoi and Ai got it in spades: most of their sufferings are due to abusive parents who hated Quirkless people (with the exception of Aoi's mother, who sadly died young). Thankfully the changes Izuku brought to the timeline have saved them from their original fates, which would have been suicide for both.
  • Later on, Hanako is revealed to be quite troubled as well, although in her case the main cause is discrimination of mutants.
• Death by Adaptation:
  • Nejire Hado becomes the first serious death after Overhaul kills her during the new yakuza raid.
  • Overhaul is rewound out of existence by Eri.
• A Death in the Limelight: Chapter 16 goes into depth with Nejire's origins and ends wih her death at the hands of Overhaul.
• Death Wail: Aizawa does this in Chapter 11 after learning from Izuku that his friend Oboro was killed and turned into a Nomu to serve All For One. What's worse is that the event was orchestrated because the Dark King was after his Quirk.
• Defeat Equals Friendship: Kendo Rappa enjoys his battle with Izuku so much he joins his side after losing, and it's an old acquaintance, Mirko, who takes him as a sidekick.
• De-power: Izuku uses the permanent Quirk-destroying drug on Ai to save her from the Quirk her parents had All for One implant in her, then Eri heals her brain damage.
• Didn't Think This Through:
  • At the end of the new yakuza raid, Izuku blames himself for requesting that Nejire be involved, as she was part of the original raid. He never realized that Nejire had her own personal issues she was working on, which unfortunately turned her into a casualty.
  • This is played more lightly after he admits to the public about being All Might's successor which leads to him gaining the attention of every media outlet. However the long-term consequences on people close to him are much worse...
• Disappointed in You:
  • Nighteye has a vision that shows Izuku saying this to Bakugou.
  • All Might tells Re-Destro that Destro wanted the Quirkless to be left in peace and that he would be disgusted at his descendant, who turned the Meta Liberation Army into a hate group.
• Double Entendre: From Chtylla of all people. During the villain attack at UA, she has the sprinkler system activated by Hatsume to use her quirk at best, as she "thrives in the wet". Shoji thinks the wording could have been better.
• Dramatic Irony: After seeing to it that the Hirikones are not going to be able to disclose anything about him, All For One decides that due to her Quirk causing brain damage when it was erased by Aizawa, Ai is not a concern.
  All For One: "She is no threat. At the moment young Ai is comatose, and even if she does wake, you said yourself that her files showed she will likely have suffered permanent brain damage. The only one likely to take anything she says seriously is that fool All Might. It's not as if there exists some Quirk that can rewind the most permanent of injuries or something."
• Driven to Suicide:
  • When she was younger, Nejire was ostracized by her peers due to them being annoyed by her Motor Mouth and the isolation eventually led to her making a suicide attempt that was stopped by Eraserhead.
  • The Izuku of an Alternate Universe was wrongly accused of being a villain spy, tortured to extract information he didn't have, and imprisoned in Tartarus because the HPSC still considered him "dangerous". He ultimately killed himself in prison. This is eventually expanded upon in The MHA Multiverse: Deep Dive #1.
• Early-Bird Cameo:
  • When All Might is forced to take an adult class about teaching under the Toshinori Yagi identity, he meets Fuyumi Todoroki there.
  • Even if he's not seen directly, Nine makes his presence clear through a reported "freak lightning storm"^note Weather Manipulation is his original Quirk that kills the men in pursuit of the fugitive Geten.
  • Mezo Shoji and Mina Ashido both appear thanks to the Sneeze Cut Running Gag. The latter also appears again in a humorous scene at the end of Chapter 23.
  • Melissa, Mahoro and Katsuma are among the characters reacting to the announcement of Izuku as All Might's apprentice.
  • Jirou briefly appears in Chapter 24, being in Mie prefecture during a family trip. Later the same chapter, Gentle and La Brava show up playing Santa and Elf at a Christmas party, after some "convincing" by Izuku.
• Easily Forgiven: In Chapter 24, Nejire shows no ill-will towards Izuku for getting her trapped in the Realm of One For All. The same applies to her family who forgive Izuku despite asking her to be involved in her last mission. Subverted with Yuyu who hates Izuku as she holds him responsible for killing her closest friend.
• Elemental Rivalry: Endeavor is pitted against Geten during the raid against the Meta Liberation Army.
• Emotion Eater: A creepy 1-A student named Kuro Yume reveals that his Quirk involves feeding off of the fears of others to gain power.
• Entertainingly Wrong: When Hawks reveals that the Heroes have someone well-informed telling them about the Meta Liberation Army, Re-Destro thinks it must be a traitor or spy in his army. He briefly considers time travel but dismisses that as unlikely.
• Evil Is Petty:
  • The rich Hirikones enroll their daughter in a public school for the sole purpose of lording their status over every other family that sends their kids there. The cruel way they had an alternate personality forced into her body was simply motivated by hating her for being kind.
  • It's implied in Chapter 30 that All for One destroyed Capcom just because they cancelled Mega Man Legends 3.
• Excessive Mourning: Yuyu is, after over a year, still in mourning over Nejire's death and she holds bitter anger towards Izuku for being instrumental in her demise and how he isn't held accountable. Her actions catch the attention of Nedzu, who decides to place her in mandatory therapy.
• Expy: Mira Akotone from the Side Stories is one of early Bakugo, if not worse than he ever was. She even went with a Suicide Dare herself. It ended very badly for her.
• Failed a Spot Check:
  • All Might proudly reveals himself to Izuku in front of his house and calls him his apprentice. He does this without noticing Aizawa and Aoi Haji are with him.
  • In Chapter 25, it dawns on Izuku that in all the months he was stuck in the past, he forgot to tell anyone about the Todoroki family abuse.
• Flat Character: Hirikone's parents are wealthy assholes with no redeeming qualities whatsoever.
• Flat "What": During the raid on the Shie Hassaikai, Amajiki, Tabe and Setsuno react like this in unison at Rappa who knocks Hojo out, greets Amajiki, and candidly says he's joining the Heroes just to fight Izuku again.
• Foreshadowing:
  • An offhand thought that Izuku has before he was sent back in time confirms that Himiko Toga was undergoing rehabilitation. When Toga shows up in the past, Izuku is able to convince her, using her need for blood and tragic past, that she needs help, thus causing Toga to surrender to the police.
  • Pretty much all of the screentime Hirikone gets shows her as a sadistic Hate Sink who hates Quirkless people for no good reason, lacking any of Bakugou's Freudian Excuse and cominh off as extremely one-dimensional. Come chapter 9, and it turns out that it was an artificial personality programmed into acting that way, and that she actually was Ai, Aoi's childhood friend, thus explaining why Hirikone was so one-note.
  • Eri is uncomfortable in the presence of Hanako, stating that "it feels wrong". Considering what is gradually revealed about the character in question going forward, it looks like her sensations were right.
• Foregone Conclusion: It's no surprise that Izuku would be admitted into UA regardless of his scores or what type of exams he'd take. Nedzu even openly admits it in the video message with the results.
• Foster Kid: Shinso admits to being one and he doesn't seem fond of his current foster home.
• Freudian Slip:
  • Izuku accidentally calls Tsuyu "Tsuyu-chan" when they first meet in the new timeline, despite Tsuyu never giving Izuku permission to call her by her first name. Thankfully, beyond Izuku being scolded by Iida, none of the characters think much of it.
  • Izuku has an even bigger slip later on, while talking with Tsuyu at the phone: he mentions her siblings' names despite Tsuyu never telling them to him beforehand. It causes her to ultimately deduce the truth and become a Secret-Keeper.
  • Aoi's abusive father rants to the officers arresting him about his useless daughter and how she wasn't born with a Meta Ability. This tips off Tsukauchi about the monster being affiliated with the MLA.
  • After Izuku returns from his Provisional License Exam, Hanako Yumara says she's sure he'll become a true hero who will contribute to society. Unfortunately, Izuku gets distracted before he can realize that this means she's a follower of Stain.
  • When All Might reunites with Eri, the little girl happily calls him "Grandpa Toshinori" out loud which tips off Ochako, Aoi and Ai about his civilian identity.
  • Izuku has yet another slip when he briefly meets Kyoka Jirou and utters her name instinctively, making her suspicious. He saves himself by saying he deduced from the similarity to her mother Mika, who's a known musician.
  • Izuku has possibly the most dangerous slip when he escapes an attack from Shigaraki and utters his name despite being the first time they meet in this timeline, proving him that All For One's deductions about time travel are true.
• Good Is Not Soft: In Chapter 37, Bakugou sees Ai with an amputated arm but needs to have it cauterized. So does the deed with a brutal explosion that leaves her screaming while calling her a bitch and telling her to be grateful for his service.
• Good Powers, Bad People: Akotone in Side Stories #4, a girl with a quirk that makes her skin turn into a substance similar to diamond. Very suited for hero quirk and she aspires to be one, if it wasn't for her being an awful bully groomed by the environment of a school run by the MLA.
• Gory Discretion Shot: During the Villain Raid of Chapter 37, the story describes Shoji seeing a cloud of red appearing in the pool where Cythlla was attacked by the gator villain.
• Happily Adopted: In Chapter 19, Eri is adopted into the Midoriya household.
• Heel–Face Turn: After Kendo Rappa switches sides during the raid to the yakuza, Mirko takes him under her wing to have him reformed and become her sidekick.
• He Knows Too Much: All For One sends Shigaraki to Ai's parents after they are imprisoned to prevent them from revealing anything about him.
• Heteronormative Crusader: Ibara Shiozaki due to her upbringing, which causes her perceptions to be skewed even when her intentions are good, such as thinking the thouple between Izuku, Ochako and Aoi is due to the latter being taken advantage of.
• Hidden Depths: There's more to Nejire beneath her bubbly personality. She was in a bad head space before she attended UA but Hound Dog was a huge help in dealing with those issues.
• History Repeats:
  • Izuku mentions having bad luck when he hangs out at the mall. He's proven right when Himiko Toga shows up with the intention of hurting him and Ochako.
  • Just like in canon, a powerful and privileged bully terrorizes a defenseless Quirkless kid. And to add salt to the wound, they use the same horrid words that Bakugou used on Izuku.
    Hirikone: "If you want a Quirk so badly, then take a swan dive of the roof and pray for one in the next life."
  • Rock Lock voices concerns about having an underage hero hopeful (Izuku) taking part in a dangerous sting operation.
  • To Aizawa's anger, another Yuuei high school student (Nejire) is killed during combat with him being unable to save her, just like with Oboro. Made worse by how Aizawa actually saved her in the past - from her suicide attempt.
  • Just like in the Meta Liberation Army Arc, Curious ends up falling to her death, thought this time it's out of sheer stubbornness while trying to escape Hawks.
  • Izuku can't seemingly avoid getting punched in the balls by Kota. And confront Muscular not long after - although this time he makes short work of the villain.
• Homophobic Hate Crime: Due to a bully overhearing her coming out to her only friend at the time, Hanako faced homophobia on top of the trauma and discrimination she already suffered. Notably, bullies would put Red Spider Lilies (a flower associated with death) on her school desk.
• Honor Before Reason: When asked to cauterize Ai's arm before she bleeds to death during the Yuuei Villain Raid, Shouto says he won't due to his vow to not use his fire side.
• Hypocrite: Izuku chews out Overhaul for wanting to rid the world of Quirks yet proclaiming that his Quirk shouldn't be erased for the good of humanity.
• I Need a Freaking Drink: Yoichi wishes for one when he discovers that One For All somehow pulled Nejire's soul into its Realm.
• Insane Troll Logic:
  • Bakugou genuinely believes that Izuku was pretending to be Quirkless and hiding his Quirk for ten years just for the sake of making him look bad. Tsuyu and Shinsou are quick to point out the fallacy of this logic as Izuku would gain no benefit from pretending to be Quirkless. Subsequent events make him even worse in his belief, such as witnessing Izuku's incredible power after Nejire's Quirk manifests in him.
  • Bakugou also genuinely thinks Izuku was looking down on him all those years ago when he lent a helping hand after he tripped. His own parents are stunned with disbelief and disgusted with their son after hearing that.
• Innocently Insensitive: Izuku tells Mandalay that she and the other adults were acting this way to Kota by proclaiming that his parents dying as heroes was a good thing while ignoring his own perspective and trauma as their child.
• Internal Reveal:
  • Aoi learns about One for All in Chapter 11.
  • Izuku tells Eraserhead about Kurogiri being his former friend Oboro in Chapter 11.]]
  • The whole world learns about All Might's true form in Chapter 37.
• It Amused Me:
  • All For One confesses to Ai, who would become Hirikone, that unlike Yuuga whom he turned into his personal Judas, he'll be using Hirikone for his personal entertainment.
  • After Ai moved away, a False Friend locked Aoi on the school roof because he thought it would be funny. She was trapped there for two whole days.
• It Runs in the Family: To All Might's displeasure, the Midoriyas have a habit of fainting without hesitation. When it happens with Aoi, he asks if she isn't related to them.
• It's Personal: In Chapter 36, a gigantic gator woman named Rika Hyoto reveals herself as one of Aizawa's expelled students and wants to make her former teacher pay by killing Shoji, one of his current students. Just the following chapter, however, she rants about permanently crippling a classmate she deemed unworthy, showing she was expelled for a good reason.

K-R

• Laser-Guided Amnesia: In Chapter 6 of the Side Stories, Endeavor ends up meeting Ronri much earlier and learns of her origins and motivations. Alas, the chapter ends with his memory being erased.
• Laser-Guided Karma:
  • Death Arms stood by and did nothing during the Sludge Incident but chastised Izuku for running in without a Quirk. In this new reality, Izuku turns the tables by calling Death Arms ouy for not doing anything to better the situation. All Might publicly agrees with Izuku, it gets recorded and shown throughout different media, and ultimately Death Arms gets his license suspended.
  • Aldera Middle School is a Sucky School that encouraged Quirkist beliefs and allowed bullies with powerful quirks to attack those who did nothing wrong. But after Izuku's testimonies, Nedzu is already making a thorough investigation to punish the school system for its toxic practices. It culminates in an operation where the faculty members are arrested, the school evacuated, and Nezu shows up with a Zero Pointer robot to demolish the building.
  • Ai and Aoi's parents are both horrible towards their Quirkless daughters and inflict various levels of abuse onto them. At the end of Chapter 10, Detective Tsukauchi is preparing to have them arrested for their crimes against them. Chapter 11 sees the Hirikones get killed in their cell by Shigaraki and Kurogiri to prevent them from revealing anything.
  • The Hirikones were killed in the original timeline too, by their daughter Ai after she finally managed to get control of her body back.
  • Overhaul could just surrender after Izuku spares him thanks to Eri's intervention but tries again to kill Izuku. He ends up rewound out of existence by the same Eri who was the basis of all his plans.
• Living MacGuffin: Eri is is very important in the wider narrative of Act I.
  • Hostage MacGuffin: Izuku's will to save and protect her from Overhaul once again is one of his main driving forces during the first half of Act I.
  • MacGuffin Super-Person: As the different outcome of the Shie Hassaikai raid causes All For One to learn about Eri and her Quirk, most of his and Shigaraki's actions are motivated by the intention to get her, forcing the heroes on the defensive more than once.
• Look Behind You: How Izuku initially gets Mirko off his back during the Provisional License Exam is by making her think Hawks is in the stands, then sucker-punching her.
• Loophole Abuse:
  • With Nighteye's help, Izuku learns that he can take the Provisional Hero License early provided that he has the approval of five licensed Pro Heroes.
  • Izuku manages to use his Quirk against Bakugou since him participating in the beach cleanup allows him to use his quirk during that time and place.
• Love Epiphany: Eri asking Ochako and Aoi if they'll both marry Izuku causes Aoi to realize she loves them both.
• Mood Whiplash: Side Stories #6 is humorous for its first half as Endeavor is a victim of many pranks by Ronri, then turns quite dark as the extent of Ronri's powers and her intentions become clearer, all while the reader is treated with the knowledge of other universes where things went really wrong.
• Moving Angst: While Inko has alot of fond memories living in Musutafu, she agrees to move to Mie Prefecture so her son can get away from Aldera and continue his middle school education.
• Mythology Gag:
  • Curious dies from falling from high-up in the air just like in canon, except this time, it's due to her destroying Hawks' feathers that was holding her up and not realizing her position. It gets lampshaded when Himiko feels an odd sense of deja vu when it happens.
  • A meta example. The way the main story, after months of regular weekly updates, skipped a week after Chapter 38 ended Act I reminds of the occasional breaks of the manga, often coming after cliffhangers or other significant events. It wasn't a true break for the author though, as What If #1 was published in the meantime.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: While the fault lies more with on news helicopter, Eri using her Rewind Quirk on Overhaul gets broadcasted to all of Japan. This not only makes her a target to the Hero Public Safety Commission for using her power to kill a man but also All For One who's very interested in stealing her Quirk.
• No Body Left Behind:
  • After being arrested and exposed, All For One has Shigaraki pay a visit to Ai's abusive parents and kill them to tie up any loose ends.
  • The ultimate fate of Overhaul as Eri accidentally uses her rewinding power on him, sentencing him to Death by De-aging.
  • In the past, after killing her bullies Hanako thoroughly cleaned up the scene with her webs and dumped their bodies in a trash incinerator, ensuring they were never found and there was no evidence against her.
• Noodle Incident:
  • Nedzu mentions having met a girl with a Quirk that can send people's consciousness back in time and used the opportunity to take revenge against his cruel experimenters.
  • While speaking to Gran Torino for Nana, Izuku mentions an event with apple cider vinegar, a quirked dolphin, and marshmallows.
  • When Aizawa thinks up of cases of Quirks manifesting late in someone's life, he recalls an apparently Quirkless girl from UA's General Studies who manifested acidic saliva that damaged the floor of her classroom... and several stories below.
  • At the Yomawari school festival, Eri is mentioned to have been found in the bathroom, seemingly in a trance, referencing Chapter 3 of Side Stories.
  • Izuku took care of Gentle and La Brava and sent them to a path of redemption sometime before Christmas. With a not better specified use of ramen cups during the encounter, making it a literal incident involving noodles.
• Not Quite Dead: The Stinger of Chapter 17 reveals that Nejire's soul has been transported to the Realm of One For All.
• Offscreen Romance: At the end of the What If one-shot, set years after the Final War, we learn that Izuku, Ochako and Aoi still got together despite them meeting in different circumstances, Ai is engaged with Todoroki, and Cthylla with Shoji (although there was already some Ship Tease in the main fic).
• Off with His Head!:
  • How Hanako's father was killed by Gallant Blade.
  • In a cruel irony, some years later Hanako would do this to her bullies when they made her snap.
• Oh, Crap!:
  • Re-Destro when he realizes that his Stress quirk at 100% isn't enough to worry All Might, who was in fact provoking Re-Destro into going all-out in order to gauge his strength.
  • Izuku as he realizes he forgot to tackle Todoroki's situation when he meets him at the Recommendation Exam.
  • Not long after, Izuku when he faces Shigaraki and sees he's stronger and flies, thanks to AFO and the Doctor.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business:
  • While normally presented as a chipper, preppy, annoying, talking animal, Nedzu gives a serious face when informing Bakugou about his limited options in enrolling at his school and how he can easily ruin his hero dream if he steps out of line. Happens again when he has to inform Class 2-A of Nejire's death. And when he learns about the disappearance of the Aoyamas, he throws a knife at the wall in frustration.
  • While normally presented as stoic and unflappable, learning that Kurogiri is his friend Oboro, and he was the one All for One originally planned to turn into a Nomu causes Aizawa to completely lose his cool.
    Aizawa froze as he processed this information. Then he turned and stormed down the hall and into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him before they all heard his scream of despair and frustration.
  • Both Izuku and Ochako turn quite angry and foul-mouthed at Shinato when he tells them he foresaw Aoi's death with his Quirk but didn't tell nor do anything, even calling her survival an "anomaly".
  • Aya Mochizuki flirts so insistently with Izuku, even forcing a paper with her phone number in his pocket, that after she leaves he calls her a "bitch" between his teeth.
• Pay Evil unto Evil: In the present, she wrecks the men trying to rape Aoi with more kicks than the one needed to knock them out.
• Precision F-Strike: Re-Destro as he realizes he is far outclassed by All Might, after briefly believing he could take him on.
• The Promise: Izuku's desire to take part in the new raid mission against the Shie Hassaikai is because he promised Eri that he would protect her no matter what.
• Punch a Wall: Precisely, the floor. Izuku leaves a hole just beside Chronostasis's head as he angrily asks him where Eri is.
• Put on a Bus: The Aoyama family's house is found out to having been uninhabited for months. It's eventually revealed they fled and even All For One doesn't know their current whereabouts.
• The Remnant:
  • Even after peace has returned in the original timeline there are several adepts of Re-Destro, from a faction that never accepted Shigaraki, still around and targeting the UA students in an attempt at revenge in the name of Re-Destro. One of them, and a Trigger bullet, cause the incident that kickstarts the whole story.
  • In the new timeline the MLA is disbanded earlier than in canon but many adepts are still around. While their precise status and numbers are unknown as of the end of Act I, Geten is still a fugitive who is reorganizing in the shadows, and some members answer Shigaraki's recruitment call for the attack on UA as a means of revenge.
• The Reveal:
  • Chapter 9 reveals that Hirikone the bully was formerly Quirkless. The next chapter then explains that the reason she went from kind girl to bully is because of an artificial personality her parents had All For One implant in her.
  • Chapter 11 reveals Aoi's father is a member of the Meta Liberation Army through him using the term Meta Ability.
• Right for the Wrong Reasons: Shiozaki is concerned about Aoi because she notices the signs of someone who suffered abuse. However she wrongly thinks Izuku and Ochako are the cause because she can't accept their three-way relationship.

S-Z

• Say My Name: Aizawa calls out "PROBLEM CHILD" after Izuku gives his phone number to Ms. Joke.
• Screw the Rules, I Have Connections!:
  • Izuku evokes this against a representative from the Hero Public Safety Commission who are after Eri, boasting about having All Might and Nedzu's protection, meaning that any threats coming from him and his organization will be futile.
  • Izuku does it again when he tells Shinso he could have his abusive foster parents arrested through All Might, rather than Shinso doing all the effort to enter UA to get them off his back.
• Screw the Rules, I Make Them!: Nedzu knows he can get away with just about anything since he's the ringleader of the most prestigious Hero Academy in Japan. When he forces Izuku to take the Recommendation Exam to not exploit his knowledge of the regular Entrance Exam, Izuku suspects it's rigged in his favor anyway.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: During the Meta Liberation Raid Arc, Geten hightails it out of the fight after learning that All Might is making short work of Re-Destro.
• Ship Tease:
  • Aoi becomes attracted to Izuku in Chapter 11 and that same chapter reveals she feels the same way about Ochako. They finally come clean with each other in Chapter 23.
  • Hanako once talks about an ideal girlfriend (she in fact came out as lesbian quite early in life) and there's a Sneeze Cut to Mina Ashido. Later, Hanako meets her briefly and seems very pleased by her looks. Furthermore, Mina sees a photo of Hanako and finds her "pretty hot".
  • In the last chapters of Act I, Cthylla and Mezo Shoji.
• Spanner in the Works: All For One's plan to have Kurogiri kidnap Eri is unexpectedly thwarted by her quirk flaring and causing Shirakumo's conscience to emerge; AFO has to retrieve Kurogiri and can't use him until the Doctor will "reprogram" him. This also causes Nedzu to turn UA into a boarding school earlier than in canon and Izuku and Eri getting a constant escort, possibly making future attempts harder.
• Stalker without a Crush: The ending note of Chapter 25 reveals that Dabi has been stalking Shouto for quite a while. He finally reveals himself and his intentions to Shoto in Chapter 28.
• Sympathy for the Devil:
  • Izuku shows more sympathy towards Past!Bakugou as he knows that Aldera encouraged his toxic mentality and how he was able to see his Character Development in the original timeline. Should Nighteye's vision come true, though, he will eventually lose all of it.
  • Izuku also shows sympathy for the League, particularly Shigaraki and Toga. Izuku considers not being able to save Shigaraki to be one of his greatest failures, and before being sent into the past actively visited Toga to help her get better. Izuku also immediately talks Himiko down from villainy when he encounters her in the past by sympathizing with her backstory, preventing her from joining the League and making sure that she would get help.
• Take That!:
  • Chapter 34 has the 1-A girls criticizing the costume choices made by the support companies. Ochako isn't happy that her preferences were ignored and she was given a skin-tight bodysuit with heels instead, Momo isn't comfortable with her costume being so revealing, Jiro notes how hers looks like an everyday attire, Pony's costume comes with a saddle which she considers offensive and Hagakure admitting that her company gave up on her and allowed her to be naked leaves All Might completely dumbfounded. It's eventually revealed that while most cases were honest mistakes by the companies, Momo and Ochako's designers are jerkasses who wanted to impose their designs (and the former possesses illegal material from the Dark Web, causing Nedzu to send the police to him).
  • The first What If? one-shot calls out Aizawa's questionable teaching methods and how, earlier on in canon, he does next to nothing about Bakugo and Mineta's behaviors. He ends up demoted as a teacher, and Eri is taken off his custody after a short time.
• This Is Unforgivable!: After learning what Ai went through, Izuku vows that All For One will pay for what he did.
  Izuku: "All For One... Only he could have done something like this. I'll make him pay for this, I swear it!"
• Too Dumb to Live:
  • Aldera's principal Ayoshi seems naively proud of the horrible way the school is run, even using a demeaning nickname for a student - as it turns out, even the corrupt school staff called Izuku "Deku" - in front of a representative of UA, like he was convinced anyone who visits him would share his viewpoints and methods. It's almost a miracle he never outed the Meta Liberation Army involuntarily.
  • Two of Izuku's middle school bullies genuinely believe that he's lying about his Quirk despite witnessing him going barbaric with Black Whip on their phones, and have the bright idea to report him to the police for Quirk fraud. They get arrested for abusing emergency services for their sheer stupidity.
  • Curious is captured by Hawks but is so maniacally excited to have him nearby that she uses her quirk to make the feathers holding herself explode, while forgetting she's very high up. She falls to her death.
• Trash the Set: Principal Nedzu takes great pleasure in demolishing Aldera Middle using his skyscraper of a mecha.
• Traumatic Superpower Awakening: After Izuku witnesses All Might reverting back to his skeletal form on public TV after the fight with the Nomu proved too much for him, Nejire's Spiral Quirk awakens within him and causes him to power up.
• Uncle Pennybags: Toshinori becomes this as he uses his vast wealth to cover any expenses or trivial things for Izuku, his mother and his new friends.
• The Unseen:
  • David and Melissa Shield make Izuku's new hero costume but are just referred as All Might's "friend on I-Island and his daughter." Melissa makes a cameo later though.
  • Mei Hatsume buys a lot of the scrap Izuku and friends collect while cleaning Takoba Beach, and later at UA she is the one who activates the sprinklers to help Cthylla with her quirk during the villin invasion, however she hasn't been directly seen or named so far.
  • At the end of the operation against the MLA, a reported "freak lightning storm" helps Geten's escape. It's caused by Nine's original quirk.
• Unstoppable Rage: In Chapter 16, Izuku goes ballistic after Overhaul kills Nejire and mocks her worth as a hero. The following chapter has him unleashing a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown on the despicable villain.
• Use Your Head: Apparently, Izuku got to watch some Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba and came up with One For All: Kamado Style as a result.
• Villain with Good Publicity: Toshinori and Detective Tsukauchi discuss arresting Dr. Garaki based on Izuku's testimony of him working for All For One. But without solid evidence mixed with him being one of the most acclaimed doctors of Japan, they can't do anything to stop him for the time being.
• Villain Takes an Interest:
  • In the ending notes of Chapter 10, Dr. Garaki informs his master about Izuku's super stunt at school which bore a strong resemblance to One For All.
  • And in Chapter 17, All For One assigns Shigaraki to track down and capture Eri after witnessing her Rewind Quirk on public television.
• We Will Meet Again:
  • Just before leaving the Meta Liberation fight, Geten promises Hawks and Endeavor that he will return with a worthy army of Meta Liberation warriors.
  • Said by Ronri before she takes her leave through a portal, disappearing just as she appeared, to the dumbfounded Hanako and Izuku, when she meets them on separate occasions.
• What the Hell, Hero?:
  • Ochako gives this reaction to Izuku for trying to talk down Himiko despite the girl being an actual serial killer. And she does it again in Chapter 17 after she sees news coverage of Izuku participating in the yakuza sting operation.
  • In Chapter 37, Kirishima uses a hardened punch on Shouto for his refusal to use his fire Quirk to cauterize Ai's amputated arm. He even goes as far as to call him a villain for putting his pride above saving others.
• Wedding Finale: The What If one-shot wraps up with Hanako marrying that universe's version of Mira Akotone.
• Would Hit a Girl: Izuku gives a well-deserved super punch to Hirikone for being upset that he interfered with Aoi's suicide jump.
• Would Hurt a Child: Along with Overhaul who has no shame in abusing Eri, there's also Dr. Garaki who honestly intends to turn his grandson into a Nomu.
• Yank the Dog's Chain: In Chapter 26, Kurogiri regains his consciousness as Oboro Shirakumo after being hit by Eri's Rewind Quirk. To his dismay, All For One knocks him unconscious and orders Dr. Garaki to reprogram him. Some weeks later, he's reduced to an almost robotic state and even Shigaraki is unhappy about that.
• You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: When All For One deduced Izuku is a time traveler, he reorganized his plans and decided to remove the Aoyamas from the board too. Thankfully for them, they realized the threat for different reasons and fled in time.

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