History Fanfic / LockedInDigital

* AdaptationalJerkass: While Mineta has never been the most heroic of 1A's students due to his perverted nature, in this fic there's an element of FantasticAbleism added to him, as shown by his multiple attempts to [[BullyingADragon pick on Izuku for his Quirklessness]].

** Izuku: Instead of being the NervousWreck cinnamon roll he is in canon, he is instead quiet, [[TheStoic distant]], and WiseBeyondTheirYears but at the cost of being a traumatized, [[TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior borderline-sociopathic]] BloodKnight trying to rein that dark part in, though it comes out at times as a sarcastic, slightly sadistic streak.

* ForWantOfANail: The nail in question is Midoriya Izuku being kidnapped, digitized, and uploaded into a simulation before his canon encounter with the Sludge Villain. This sets everything on a different path:

* FreudianExcuseIsNoExcuse: Izuku calls Stain pathetic for becoming a HeroKiller because he was [[BrokenPedestal disillusioned by the hero system]].
* GreaterScopeVillain: Akihiko Sugoh is this since his kidnapping of Izuku derails the canon plot. He is also (in)directly responsible for giving three of the characters in the story (Izuku, Bakugou, and Shigaraki) CharacterDevelopment into stronger and cleverer people, for good or ill. He was captured and sent to Tarturus mere days after putting Izuku into the simulation but is referenced in both the [[FlashbackBPlot Past]] and Present sections of the story. [[spoiler:Sugoh is bumped down to BigBad status, however, the moment he is freed from prison by the other main antagonist, Shigaraki, becoming part of the BigBadEnsemble with Shigaraki, All for One, and Kyudai.]]
* HeroWithBadPublicity: Izuku has a bad reputation because the media leapt on the chance to paint as negative a picture of him as possible after it came out he is the Simulation Survivor. There is also an element of FantasticAbleism involved as people like Endeavour call him a "Quirkless freak" and Chitose of the Meta Liberation Army ties his negative traits to his Quirkless status in her article on him.
* {{Hypocrite}}: Izuku calls out Stain because, for all his hatred of "fake idols", he went and became one himself.
%%* IKnowYourTrueName: Izuku has this power.
* ImmoralJournalist: Kizuki Chitose, best known as "Curious" from the Meta Liberation Army, writes an almost libelous article claiming that Izuku's experiences make him villain-like while subtly implying it's also tied with his Quirkless status.
* InSpiteOfANail:
** Stain still attacks Native in spite of [[spoiler:being encouraged to target Endeavour]].
** Despite his training with Izuku, [[spoiler:Iida still loses to Stain and is badly injured, although he [[CurbStompCushion manages to get one good hit in]]]].
* InternalReveal:
** The U.A. staff and certain heroes and civilians (like Bakugou and Uraraka) know that Izuku is the "Simulation Survivor". Uraraka tells this to Yaoyorozu after the USJ Incident, and Miruko learns this fact from Edgeshot during the Sports Festival. In fact, the reason Izuku was given a chance to participate, despite his unstable nature, was to make sure that people would learn who he is on U.A.'s terms as well as being able to show off.
** The readers and a majority of the cast are aware that Izuku's simulation run was being broadcast online all over Japan and maybe the world. Izuku had forgotten Sugoh said he would do so until after he finished his fourth game, which unlocked the blog featuring posts talking about it. Izuku didn't take it well.
* KillingIntent:
** Izuku is capable of giving off a deathly aura that terrifies people as a result of his experience in the simulations. Even ''Stain'' becomes terrified.
** [[spoiler:Shigaraki learns to do the same thanks in part to learning from Izuku by channeling his anger and hate. He uses this to cow Sugou.]]
* LateArrivalSpoiler: Many spoilers from the games Izuku plays are present, such as [[spoiler:The Walrider]] from ''VideoGame/{{Outlast}}'' or [[spoiler:Solaire's corruption]] from ''VideoGame/DarkSouls.''
* MadScientist:
** Akihiko Sugoh, the man who put Izuku into the simulation, started with "merely" unethical practices before he moved up to kidnapping people in the belief his simulations could create a superhuman.
** [[spoiler: Garaki Kyudai also falls into this category with his creation of Nomus.]]
* TheManyDeathsOfYou: Izuku has suffered hundreds of deaths across the different games he was forced to play through.
* MeaningfulName: Izuku picks [[spoiler:"the Crucible Hero, [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Revenant]]"]] as his [[CodeName Hero Name]]. Crosses over into BilingualBonus and GeniusBonus, as the Author's Notes show that kanji used for [[spoiler:"crucible"]] is ''tatara'' (鑪), the clay smelting tub used in Japanese swordsmithing to produce high-quality sword-steel for forging. [[spoiler:The name Revenant itself, referring to a corpse that has returned from death to gain vengeance on the one who wronged them, is a variation on the term "Undead", which is the only one he really feels he has earned after deciding not to [[VideoGame/DarkSouls Link the Fire]].]]
* MissionControl: Kyoka acts as one during the Hosu incident; after Miruko gives her access to the hero channel, she quickly takes charge of the various combat heroes, rescue heroes, police, and emergency personnel to pass on information and organize them according to where they're needed the most.
* MySignificanceSenseIsTingling: Izuku can anticipate danger before it happens. While he was stuck in the simulation, he dismissed it as the simulation warning him, but he realized otherwise after the USJ attack.
* MythologyGag: Sugoh refers to Izuku as subject Nine (his ninth human experiment as well as its only survivor). One can't help but see how this echoes canon, Izuku being the ''ninth'' holder of One for All.
* OddFriendship: The classmate Izuku gets on best with is [[GentleGiant Kouji]] [[ShrinkingViolet Koda]].
* OneManArmy: During his internship, Izuku singlehandedly ''destroys'' a gang while inducing pants-shitting terror in them all.
* ParrotPetPosition: Kuro likes hanging out on Koda's and Izuku's shoulders.
* PreAssKickingOneLiner: Revenant, upon [[BigDamnHeroes interrupting Stain's execution of Iida]], followed by [[NoSell blocking the crazed psychopath's sword strike]]:
-->'''Revenant:''' Surprise Hero-Killer... ''You aren’t the only swordfighter around.''

* MassiveMultiplayerCrossover: Between ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'', ''VideoGame/{{Slender}}'', ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys1'', ''VideoGame/{{Outlast}}'', ''VideoGame/AlienIsolation'', ''Videogame/Prey2017'', ''VideoGame/{{Bioshock}}'', ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil1'', ''VideoGame/DeadSpace'', and ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsI''.

* AdaptationalJerkass: While Mineta has never been the most heroic of 1A's students due to his perverted nature, in this fic there's an element of FantasticRacism added to him, as shown by his multiple attempts to [[BullyingADragon pick on Izuku for his Quirklessness]].

Izuku being Quirkless was bad enough - but then it got worse: a mad scientist with a Quirk that allowed him to transform people into data used him as his guinea pig for his invention, a device that could create a detailed simulation for data-ified people. Forced through a year of hell to survive, Izuku came out of the other end broken, traumatized and skilled beyond belief.

* ActionPet: Koda ends up getting a lot of animal companions that he uses for hero-work.

* AdaptationalIntelligence: Shigaraki is smarter, having a more well-thought out plan for the USJ attack than he did in canon, which allows him to at least partially succeed in his overall goals for the day. He also has better people skills which allows him to [[spoiler:talk Stain into working with him]].

* AdaptationRelationshipOverhaul: In canon, Izuku has a mentor relationship with All Might due to inheriting One for All, and his friends are Iida, Ochako, Todoroki, and Tsuyu, while Bakugou was a long-time bully and his rival. In the fic, Izuku and All Might never met until the Number One hero starts teaching. All Might is actually unnerved by the teen, despite having some knowledge about what happened to him. Izuku also unnerves Iida and Tsuyu, has a light acquaintanceship with Ochako, and Todoroki somewhat ignores him, his rivalry with Izuku instead taken up by Bakugou. Izuku is instead friends with Koda, Yaoyorozu, Jirou, and to a lesser extent Hatsume, while his relationship with Bakugo is complicated but based more on mutual respect and understanding than anything.

* AttractiveBentGender: During the Sports Festival, Kyouka asks Izuku to dress as a cheerleader to get revenge on Mineta for trying to perv on her and Momo, the result of which makes Mineta pass out from a nose bleed. Izuku gets disguised as a girl again with Kyouka's help in order to get through the reporters before going to his internship, and pulls it off well enough that it fools Iida, who notes there's an attractive touch to him.

** Hawks manages to pull this of twice in Hosu, first by arriving in time to aid Crust, Sai and Kunai against the Nomu they were fighting, then [[spoiler:just barely managing to save Endeavor from being impaled by Cestus' crystal blades]].

* BrokenAce: Izuku is an incredible fighter, with [[SpiderSense lightning]] [[SuperReflexes reflexes]] and a skill with weapons that approaches nothing short of amazing - skills earned at the cost of suffering through terrifying experiences where he died hundreds of times, leaving deep psychological scars in him.

* ColdBloodedTorture: What Stain inflicts on at least two of his victims, specifically by targeting their quirks. He ripped apart Ingenium's engines and decides to "test" Native's SuperSenses quirk by mutilating him.

* FamedInStory: Izuku is well-known as the kid that was kidnapped and placed in a simulation where he was put through hell. This unfortunately includes being known by villains and bigots.
* FantasticRacism: Izuku is discriminated against by the public in general and certain high-profile people like Endeavor because he is Quirkless. It is uncertain if the term can still apply to him, when he has a HealingFactor and a near-literal CharlesAtlasSuperpower.

** Although he doesn't receive One for All, Izuku gains the second highest score in the U.A entrance exam thanks to his skill and weaponry (ironically higher placed than canon).

** In the Heroes vs Villains simulation, Bakugou is teamed with Ashido and Iida teams with Tokoyami; the former playing the villains to Todoroki and Hagakure's heroes, while the latter plays the heroes to Izuku and Koda's villains. Uraraka teams up with Kirishima.
** During the USJ, Izuku is grouped with Yaoyorozu and Jirou; this team up causes the two girls to decide to train with him later to get stronger. Tsuyu was grouped with Todoroki, while Mineta and Uraraka are grouped with Bakugou.

** Izuku is already famous in certain circles, thanks to his simulation being broadcast, and thus some heroes already know who he is. Izuku himself does not want the limelight thanks to this, and thus was not interested in the Sports Festival at first.
** Because of Bakugou becoming a better person earlier, his speech at the Sports Festival is actually decently inspiring instead of deliberately provocative.
** In the obstacle course in the U.A Sport Festival, Izuku comes 9th instead of 1st, though there is heavy indication that he could have won if he wanted to. Bakugou wins by a hair against Todoroki.

** Except for the canon Mei/Iida, Tokoyami/Yaoyorozu and Kirishima/Tetsutetsu setup, the 1-vs-1 first round battles and results are as follows,

*** [[spoiler:Monoma vs Todoroki: Todoroki wins, but becomes emotionally disturbed due to Monoma's taunting and Endevour's indirect involvement in the fight (letting Monoma copy his Quirk and most likely telling the teen how "weak" Todoroki is).]]

** Even with the presence of multiple high-ranking heroes like Endeavour, Edgeshot, Miruko and Crust, the Hosu incident is even worse than in canon, with Shigaraki unleashing ''twelve'' Nomu on the city, leading to multiple civilian and hero deaths.

* GreaterScopeVillain: Akihiko Sugoh is this since his kidnapping of Izuku derails the canon plot. He is also (in)directly responsible for giving three of the characters in the story (Izuku, Bakugou, and Shigaraki) CharacterDevelopment into stronger and cleverer people, for good or ill. He was captured and sent to Tarturus mere days after putting Izuku into the simulation, but is referenced in both the [[FlashbackBPlot Past]] and Present sections of the story. [[spoiler:Sugoh is bumped down to BigBad status, however, the moment he is freed from prison by the other main antagonist, Shigaraki, becoming part of the BigBadEnsemble with Shigaraki, All for One, and Kyudai.]]
* HeroWithBadPublicity: Izuku has a bad reputation because the media leapt on the chance to paint as negative a picture of him as possible after it comes out he is the Simulation Survivor. There is also an element of FantasticRacism involved as people like Endeavour call him a "Quirkless freak" and Chitose of the Meta Liberation Army ties his negative traits to his Quirkless status in her article on him.

** The U.A staff and certain heroes and civilians (like Bakugou and Uraraka) know that Izuku is the "Simulation Survivor". Uraraka tells this to Yaoyorozu after the USJ Incident, and Miruko learns this fact from Edgeshot during the Sports Festival. In fact, the reason Izuku was given a chance to participate, despite his unstable nature, was to make sure that people would learn who he is on U.A's terms as well as being able to show off.

** Akihiko Sugoh, the man who put Izuku into the simulation, started with "merely" unethical practices before he moved up to kidnapping people in the belief his simulations can create a superhuman.

* MissionControl: Kyoka acts as one during the Hosu incident; after Miruko gives her access to the hero channel, she quickly takes charge of the various combat heroes, rescue heroes, police and emergency personnel to pass on information and organize them according to where they're needed the most.

--> '''Revenant:''' Surprise Hero-Killer... ''You aren’t the only swordfighter around.''

** Fatgum's personal chef is two at once: a deeply-tanned, red-haired man named [[VisualNovel/FateStayNight Shirou]] [[Manga/FoodWars Yukihira]].

** Shoto shoots ice at Monoma... [[spoiler:only for Monoma to reveal that he has copied ''Endeavor's Quirk'']].

* WillfullyWeak: In the third round of the Sports Festival, Izuku fights with a huge and bulky sword which weighs nearly ''seven kilograms'' (almost fifteen and a half pounds), because forcing himself to focus on controlling the weapon will stop him from getting carried away and seriously hurting someone. [[spoiler:In his final match with Todoroki, he finally [[IAmNotLeftHanded stops holding back]], pulls out his real sword from within the larger blade, and proceeds to [[CurbStompBattle utterly thrash his opponent]].]]
* YearInsideHourOutside: [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed example]], but from Izuku's point of view, the simulation lasted over a year, while to the outside world it was eight months.

** [[spoiler:After an entire day of exhausting fights, Izuku finds himself flagging against the giant Nomu [[EliteMook Cestus]], only for Ryukyu and Nejire arrive just in time to reinforce him, hitting the monster hard enough to send it staggering.]]

* BullyingADragon: Monoma tries pulling his usual anti-1A garbage, this time on Izuku specifically. Already fed up and annoyed by the public's hypocrisy and disdain and the media's portrayal of him, Izuku gives Monoma a point-blank DeathGlare that completely cows the latter into submission.

* CurbStompBattle:
** [[spoiler:The first fight between Stain and Izuku is this in Izuku's favor. Revenant had the advantage from the start with his superior fighting style and better weaponry, as compared to Stain's erratic and frenetic attacks and poor-quality sword. Their fight ultimately ends with Revenant shattering Stain's sword and dealing a near-fatal blow, which Stain only survives because he distracts Revenant by throwing a knife at Iida and Native and runs away.]]

** Except for the canon Mei/Iida, Tokoyami/Yaoyoruzu and Kirishima/Tetsutetsu setup, the 1-vs-1 first round battles and results are as follows,

* WillfullyWeak: In the third round of the Sports Festival, Izuku fights with a huge and bulky sword which weighs nearly ''seven kilograms'' (almost fifteen and a half pounds), because forcing himself to focus on controlling the weapon will stop him from getting carried away and seriously hurting someone. [[spoiler: In his final match with Todoroki, he finally [[IAmNotLeftHanded stops holding back]], pulls out his real sword out from the larger blade, and proceeds to [[CurbStompBattle utterly thrash his opponent]].]]

** The U.A staff and certain heroes and civilians (like Bakugou and Uraraka) know that Izuku is the "Simulation Survivor". Uraraka tells this to Yaoyorozu after the USJ Incident and Miruko learns this fact from Edgeshot during the Sports Festival. In fact, the reason Izuku was given a chance to participate, despite his unstable nature, was to make sure that people would learn who he is on U.A's terms as well as being able to show off.

* MeaningfulName: Izuku picks [[spoiler:"the Crucible Hero, [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Revenant]]"]] as his [[CodeName Hero Name]]. Crosses over into BilingualBonus and GeniusBonus, as the Author's Notes show that kanji used for [[spoiler:"crucible"]] is ''tatara'' (鑪), the clay smelting tub used in Japanese swordsmithing to create high-quality sword-steel for forging. [[spoiler:The name Revenant itself, referring to a corpse that has returned from death to gain vengeance on the one who wronged them, is a variation on the term "Undead", which is the only one he really feels he earned after deciding not to [[VideoGame/DarkSouls Link the Fire]].]]

* MythologyGag: Sugoh refers to Izuku as subject Nine (his ninth human experiment as well as its only survivor). One can't help but see how it echos in canon, being that Izuku becomes the ''ninth'' holder of One for All.

* EmpoweredBadassNormal: Izuku is Quirkless, but after the year trapped in the simulation, he has gained impressive skills that make him a better fighter than most of his classmates, and the experience also gave him a HealingFactor and SuperSenses.

* FaceHeelTurn: As little a Face as he was, [[spoiler:Stain in canon had [[VillainHasAPoint understandable grievances with the hero system]], and [[NobleDemon twisted sort of morality of his own]]]]. In this story, [[spoiler:Stain joins the League of Villains, who want nothing more than to tear down society]].

* FightsLikeANormal: This trope is the basis of Izuku tearing apart Mineta's argument that Quirkless people can't be heroes. Aizawa's Quirk is to nullify other Quirks; he forces his opponents to fight on his terms, as if everyone is Quirkless, where Aizawa's training is superior. Sir Nighteye's Quirk is the power to see the future; this does not help him in combat – it's his training and experience that lets him fight equally with villains. Momo's Quirk lets her produce equipment which she then uses to fight; at no point does she use her Quirk in direct combat. And Izuku's own skills are similar to and superior to Momo's in using equipment to fight.

** Izuku is already famous in certain circles, thanks to his simulation being broadcast, and thus some heroes already know who he is. Izuku himself does not want the limelight thanks to this, and thus was not at first interested in the Sports Festival.

* EarlyBirdCameo: Dabi is strongly implied to be the one who caught the tail end of Shigaraki's and Stain's meeting.
** Deku in the present sometimes briefly reminisces about characters he's encountered in the simulation before he's shown encountering them proper, such as Claire Redfield or Andrew Ryan.

* FaceHeelTurn: As little a Face as he was, [[spoiler:Stain joins the League of Villains]].

** Izuku never encounters All Might, resulting in the hero giving One for All to someone else [[spoiler: (implied to be Melissa Shield or another female)]].
** Both Bakugou and Shigaraki get some CharacterDevelopment thanks to watching Izuku fight for his life. For Bakugou, see the AdaptationPersonalityChange above; for Shigaraki, he loses some of his PsychopathicManchild tendencies and learns how to adapt his plans. As a result, [[spoiler: he asks for a specific Nomu to fight Izuku, doesn't underestimate the teen when they fight, breaks out some Tartarus prisoners in order to distract the non-All Might heroes from reaching the USJ, and despite the USJ failure, succeeds in his secondary goal of pulling Sugoh out of Tartarus.]]
** Although he doesn't receive One for All, Izuku gains the second highest score in the UA entrance exam thanks to his skill and weaponry (ironically higher placed than canon).

** Izuku [[spoiler: kills the Anti-All Might Nomu, as well as another brought specifically to fight him]].

** In the obstacle course in the UA Sport Festival, Izuku comes 9th instead of 1st, though there is heavy indication that he could have won if he wanted to. Bakugou wins by a hair against Todoroki.
** The second event is the King of the Hill, instead of the Cavalry Battle. [[spoiler: Izuku handily wins in the last few seconds.]]

*** Izuku vs. Tokage: [[spoiler: Izuku wins easily.]]
*** Uraraka vs Fukidashi: [[spoiler: Uraraka wins easily.]]
*** [[spoiler: Yaoyorozu defeats Tokoyami thanks to the training she went through with Izuku, although Tokoyami had also trained due to Izuku's advice.]]

*** Bakugo vs Shinso: [[spoiler: Bakugo wins due to temporarily deafening himself and then physically fighting him. He also gives Shinso TheReasonYouSuckSpeech about the both of them.]]
*** Monoma vs Hiryu: [[spoiler: Monoma wins.]]
*** Jirou vs Todoroki: [[spoiler: [[ForegoneConclusion Todoroki wins,]] [[CurbStompCushion but Jirou fights back, getting a few hits in before losing.]]]]

*** [[spoiler: Izuku vs Uraraka: [[ForegoneConclusion Izuku wins]], [[CurbStompCushion but Uraraka pushes him despite his holding back, resulting in a dislocated arm for him]]. Izuku himself is very happy with the fight.]]
*** [[spoiler: Kirishima vs Yaoyorozu: Yaoyorozu wins.]]
*** [[spoiler: Iida vs Bakugou: Bakugou wins.]]
*** [[spoiler: Monoma vs Todoroki: Todoroki wins, but becomes emotionally disturbed due to Monoma's taunting and Endevour's indirect involvement in the fight (letting Monoma copy his Quirk and most likely telling the teen how "weak" Todoroki is).]]

*** [[spoiler: Yaoyorozu vs Izuku: [[ForegoneConclusion Izuku wins]], but like the Uraraka fight, [[CurbStompCushion he is pushed despite his holding back]].]]
*** [[spoiler: Bakugou vs Todoroki: Todoroki wins due to Bakugou accidentally making him use his fire, setting off the blond's nitroglycerin sweat.]]

*** [[spoiler: Todoroki vs Izuku: Izuku wins handily while [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech brutally tearing apart Todoroki's justifications for always handicapping himself]].]]

** Thanks to Shigaraki's CharacterDevelopment, [[spoiler: his meeting with Stain goes better: they form an alliance with Shigaraki being a distraction for Stain's Hero-hunting, while also pointing the Hero Killer towards Endeavour to be his next target.]]
** During the Hosu incident, because Todoroki is held up fighting one of Shigaraki's Nomu, Izuku has to rush to rescue Iida from Stain alone, and [[spoiler: while he easily wins the fight against Stain, the Hero Killer distracting him at a critical moment allows him to escape and regroup with Shigaraki, with the two villains going after Endeavour together]].

* GreaterScopeVillain: Akihiko Sugoh is this since his kidnapping of Izuku derails the canon plot. He is also (in)directly responsible for giving three of the characters in the story (Izuku, Bakugou, and Shigaraki) CharacterDevelopment into stronger and cleverer people, for good or ill. He was captured and sent to Tarturus mere days after putting Izuku into the simulation, but is referenced in both the [[FlashbackBPlot Past]] and Present sections of the story. [[spoiler: Sugoh is bumped down to BigBad status, however, the moment he is freed from prison by the other main antagonist, Shigaraki, becoming part of the BigBadEnsemble with Shigaraki, All for One, and Kyudai.]]

** The UA staff and certain heroes and civilians (like Bakugou and Uraraka) know that Izuku is the "Simulation Survivor". Uraraka tells this to Yaoyorozu after the USJ Incident and Miruko learns this fact from Edgeshot during the Sports Festival. In fact, the reason Izuku was given a chance to participate, despite his unstable nature, was to make sure that people would learn who he is on UA's terms as well as being able to show off.

** [[spoiler: Shigaraki learns to do the same thanks in part to learning from Izuku by channeling his anger and hate. He uses this to cow Sugou.]]
* LateArrivalSpoiler: Many spoilers from the games Izuku plays are present, such as [[spoiler: The Walrider]] from ''VideoGame/{{Outlast}}'' or [[spoiler: Solaire's corruption]] from ''VideoGame/DarkSouls.''

* MeaningfulName: Izuku picks [[spoiler: "the Crucible Hero, [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Revenant]]"]] as his [[CodeName Hero Name]]. Crosses over into BilingualBonus and GeniusBonus, as the Author's Notes show that kanji used for [[spoiler:"crucible"]] is ''tatara'' (鑪), the clay smelting tub used in Japanese swordsmithing to create high-quality sword-steel for forging. [[spoiler: The name Revenant itself, referring to a corpse that has returned from death to gain vengeance on the one who wronged them, is a variation on the term "Undead", which is the only one he really feels he earned after deciding not to [[VideoGame/DarkSouls Link the Fire]].]]

* RaceAgainstTheClock: After completing his fourth game, Izuku is able to contact the outside world. An I-Island scientist reveals to him that his run is being broadcast for the world to see, [[spoiler: and that the server he has been digitized into will overheat and destroy itself within seven months, killing Izuku with it.]]

* BigDamnHeroes: [[spoiler:With Endeavor and Shouto paralyzed by Stain, and Dabi burning the air above the former so Endeavor can't use his Quirk, Stain is about to murder both of them - only for Izuku to appear by ''riding a flying Nomu'', shoot down Dabi and then crash-land the Nomu almost on top of Stain, finish off the Nomu with his sword and telling Stain that they are not done yet. InUniverse, this event is compared with ''All Might's debut''.]]

* DoorStopper: Over 270,000 words and counting.

** Akihiko Sugoh and his former I-Island research team shown in chapter 21 are one to ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline''. Sugoh himself is a combination of the first two antagonists in the novel/anime.

* AdaptationalIntelligence: Shigaraki is smarter, having a more well-thought out plan for the USJ attack than he did in canon which allows him to at least partially succeed in his overall goals for the day and having better people skills so he could [[spoiler: talk Stain into working with him]].
* AdaptationalJerkass: While Mineta has never been the most heroic of 1A's students due to his perverted nature, here there's an element of FantasticRacism added to him, as shown by his multiple attempts to pick on Izuku for his Quirklessness.

* AnArmAndALeg: [[spoiler:Izuku shoots Dabi's kneecap. He later slices off Stain's left arm.]]

** For Izuku, Akihiko Sugoh. One of his main hopes is to find the man and kill him with his bare hands for the hell he put him through and for threatening his mother.

* BigDamnHeroes: [[spoiler:With Endeavor and Shouto paralyzed by Stain, and Dabi burning the air above the former so Endeavor can't use his Quirk, Stain is about to murder both of them - only for Izuku to fly in by ''riding a flying Nomu'', shoot down Dabi and then crash-land the Nomu almost on top of Stain, finish off the Nomu with his sword and telling Stain that they are not done yet. InUniverse, this event is compared with ''All Might's debut''.]]

* FamedInStory: Izuku is well-known as the kid that was kidnapped and placed in a simulation where he was put through hell. This unfortunately includes villains and bigots.

** The second round is the King of the Hill, instead of the Cavalry Battle. [[spoiler: Izuku handily wins in the last few seconds.]]

** Akihiko Sugoh, the man who put Izuku into the simulation, started with "merely" unethical practices before he moved up to kidnapping people in the belief his simulations can create the perfect being.

* MeaningfulName: Izuku picks [[spoiler: "the Crucible Hero, [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Revenant]]"]] as his [[CodeName Hero Name]]. Crosses over into BilingualBonus and GeniusBonus, as the Author's Notes show that kanji used for [[spoiler:"crucible"]] is ''tatara'' (鑪), the clay smelting tub used in Japanese swordsmithing to create high-quality sword-steel for forging. [[spoiler: The name Revenant itself, referring to a corpse that has returned from death to gain vengeance on the one who wronged them, is a variation on the term "[[VideoGame/DarkSouls Undead]]", which is the only one he really feels he earned after deciding not to Link the Fire.]]

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome:
** While Nezu has no problem in allowing Izuku to attend U.A., he does request that Izuku regularly meet with a therapist, on account of his deep-seated issues after what was pretty much a year in hell.
** Izuku spent his entire last year of middle school in the simulation. It takes the next two months for him to catch up in his studies while also trying to recover.
** It is not surprising that there are people who wonder why Izuku isn't in Tartarus when shown the violent BloodKnight side of him; even Izuku wonders the same.

** [[spoiler:Their second fight goes even worse for Stain, where Revenant reopens the wound he gave him earlier and caps it by slicing off the villain's left arm, all while tearing apart Stain's justifications for his actions and [[BreakThemByTalkinv psychologically breaking him]]. By the end of the fight, Stain has to be extracted by Kurogiri and is left terrified and hateful of Revenant.]]

* FantasticRacism: Izuku is discriminated against by the public in general and certain high-profile people like Endeavor because he is Quirkless, however technically the term can still apply to him when he has a HealingFactor and a near-literal CharlesAtlasSuperpower.

** Izuku never encounters All Might, resulting in the hero giving One for All to someone else [[spoiler: (implied to be Melissa Shields or another female)]].

*** [[spoiler: Izuku vs Uraraka: [[ForegoneConclusion Izuku wins,]] [[CurbStompCushion but Uraraka pushes him despite his holding back, resulting in a dislocated arm for him]]. Izuku himself is very happy with the fight.]]

*** [[spoiler: Monoma vs Todoroki: Todoroki wins, but becomes emotionally disturbed due to Monoma's taunting and Endevour's indirect involvement in the fight (letting Monoma copy his Quirk and most likely telling the teen how "weak" Todoroki is.)]]

*** [[spoiler: Yaoyorozu vs Izuku: [[ForegoneConclusion Izuku wins,]] but like the Uraraka fight, [[CurbStompCushion he is pushed despite his holding back]].]]

** Even with the presence of multiple high-ranking heroes like Endeavour, Edgeshot, Miruko and Crust, the Hosu incident is even worse than in canon, with Shigaraki unleashing ''twelve'' Nomu on the city, leading to multiple civillian and hero deaths.

** Despite his training with Izuku, [[spoiler: Iida still loses to Stain and is badly injured, although he [[CurbStompCushion manages to get one good hit in]]]].

** The UA staff and certain heroes and civilians (like Bakugou and Uraraka) know that Izuku is the "Simulation Survivor". Uraraka tells this to Yaoyorozu after the USJ Incident and Miruko learns this fact from Edgeshot during the Sports Festival. In fact, the reason Izuku was given a chance to participate, despite his unstable nature, was to make sure that people will learn who he is on UA's terms as well as being able to show off.

* MySignificanceSenseIsTingling: Izuku can anticipate danger before it happens. While he was stuck in the simulation, he dismissed it as the simulation warning him, but he realised otherwise after the USJ attack.

--> '''Revenant:''' Surprise Hero-Killer… ''You aren’t the only swordfighter around.''
* PsychologicalProjection: When Todoroki realises Izuku held back during the first event of the Sports Festival, he becomes outraged since other people were giving their all and taking the Sports Festival seriously. This is all while Todoroki is still handicapping himself by not using his fire.

** During an instance at ''Prey'' where Izuku's opening a vent, the chat queues multiple themes from ''Franchise/ThePinkPanther'' and ''Film/MissionImpossible''. Then, when he gets a shotgun, someone queues in Nightcore's ''Angel with a Shotgun''.

** Izuku is walking back home after [[spoiler:his victory in the Sports Festival... when he's suddenly attacked by a blonde girl ([[AdaptationalEarlyAppearence Toga Himiko]]) armed with knives.]]

* AdaptationRelationshipOverhaul: In canon, Izuku has a mentor relationship with All Might due to inheriting One for All, and his friends are Iida, Ochako, Todoroki, and Tsuyu. In the fic, Izuku and All Might never met until the Number One hero starts teaching. All Might is actually unnerved by the teen, despite having some knowledge about what happened to him. Izuku also unnerves Iida and Tsuyu, has a light acquaintanceship with Ochako, and Todoroki somewhat ignores him, his rivalry with Izuku instead taken up by Bakugou. Izuku is instead friends with Koda, Yaoyorozu, Jirou, and to a lesser extent Hatsume, while his relationship with Bakugo is complicated but based more on mutual respect and understanding than anything.

* AnArmAndALeg: Izuku slices off Dabi's leg. He later does the same to Stain's left arm.

* BigDamnHeroes: [[spoiler:With Endeavor and Shouto paralyzed by Stain, with someone implied to be Dabi burning the air above the former so Endeavor can't use his Quirk, Stain is about to murder both of them - only for Izuku to fly in by ''riding a flying Nomu'', shoot down Dabi and then crash-land the Nomu almost on top of Stain, finish off the Nomu with his sword and telling Stain that they are not done yet. InUniverse, this event is compared with ''All Might's debut''.]]

* CurbStompBattle: [[spoiler: The fight between Stain and Izuku is this in Izuku's favor. Izuku had the advantage from the start with his superior fighting style and better weaponry, as compared to Stain's erratic and frenetic attacks and poor-quality sword. Their fight ultimately ends with Izuku shattering Stain's sword and dealing a near-fatal blow, which Stain only survives because he distracts Izuku by throwing a knife at Iida and Native and runs away.]]

* FreudianExcuseIsNoExcuse: Izuku calls Stain pathetic for becoming a HeroKiller out of a BrokenPedestal.

* IKnowYourTrueName: Izuku has this power.

* DeathGlare: Izuku gives one to [[SmugSnake Monoma]] so potent that not only is the latter reduced to temporary catatonia, but the rest of the cafeteria felt it even if it was not directed at them.

* EyeScream: [[spoiler: Shigaraki gets his eye shot out by Izuku at USJ. All For One gives him a new one after a painful surgical process.]]

** Izuku meets Mei Hatsume earlier than canon, who becomes his personal weapons and costume support engineer.

*** [[spoiler: Izuku vs Uraraka: [[ForegoneConclusion Izuku wins,]] [[CurbStompCushion but Uraraka pushes him despite his holding back, resulting in a dislocated arm for him.]] Izuku himself is very happy with the fight.]]

*** [[spoiler: Yaoyorozu vs Izuku: [[ForegoneConclusion Izuku wins,]] but like the Uraraka fight, [[CurbStompCushion he is pushed despite his holding back.]]]]

** Thanks to Shigaraki's CharacterDevelopment, [[spoiler: his meeting with Stain goes better: They form an alliance with Shigaraki being a distraction for Stain's Hero-hunting, while also pointing the Hero Killer towards Endeavour to be his next target.]]

** Izuku is capable of giving off a deathly aura that terrifies people as a result of his experience in the simulations.

For a fic inspired by ''Locked in Digital, see ''Fanfic/LingerMHA''.

* InSpiteOfANail: Stain still attacks Native in spite of [[spoiler:being encouraged to target Endeavour]].

''Locked in Digital'' is a ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'' fanfic by [=RogueDruid (Icarius51)=]. It can be read on Website/ArchiveOfOurOwn [[https://archiveofourown.org/works/17292761 here]].

** During the Hosu incident, because Todoroki is held up fighting one of Shigaraki's Nomu, Izuku has to rush to rescue Iida from Stain alone, and [[spoiler: while he easily wins the fight against Stain, the Hero Killer distracting him at a critical moment allows him to escape and regroup with Shigaraki, with them going after Endeavour together]].