History Fanfic / ThievesCanBeHeroes

** Monoma and the Gentle Criminal. Both modeled themselves as a PhantomThief in the main series but considering the fame of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, they would be seen as mooching off the fame, honoring them, or proclaim himself as a direct inspiration. Monoma's Hero Name is literally The Phantom Thief, which opened himself up to snide remarks or other responses.

* StatusQuoIsGod: Tackled really hard. The world of ''My Hero Academia'' can be described as a place where the public is used to trusting authority and heroes. A typical Vigilante being amusing side-attractions that authorities don't see much care of bringing in; Vigilantes don't shake up the status quo or have a message in their actions. While Stain's message did cause some upheaval, the Phantom Thieves' actions tackled the crimes that Heroes nor Police could do little about, the crimes that fell through the cracks. The Phantom Thieves showed that society really hasn't changed in spite of the Heroes' presence. However, unintentionally, their actions humiliated Heroes and Police as the public would call them incompetent and question authority, allowing them to think for themselves rather than the public just resigning to their place or to listen to authority blindly. However, it would also mean fear and distrust and lack of research for anyone who says they would change the system...

* StatusQuoIsGod: Tackled really hard. The world of ''My Hero Academia'' can be described as a place where the public is used to trusting authority and heroes. While Stain's message did cause some upheaval, the Phantom Thieves' actions tackled the crimes that Heroes nor Police could do little about, the crimes that fell through the cracks. The Phantom Thieves showed that society really hasn't changed in spite of the Heroes' presence. However, unintentionally, their actions humiliated Heroes and Police as the public would call them incompetent and question authority, allowing them to think for themselves rather than the public just resigning to their place or to listen to authority blindly. However, it would also mean fear and distrust and lack of research for anyone who says they would change the system...

* StatusQuoIsGod: Tackled really hard. The world of ''My Hero Academia'' can be described as a place where the public is used to trusting authority and heroes. While Stain's message did cause some upheaval, the Phantom Thieves' actions tackled the crimes that Heroes nor Police could do little about, the crimes that fell through the cracks. The Phantom Thieves showed that society really hasn't changed in spite of the Heroes' presence. However, unintentionally, their actions humiliated Heroes and Police as the public would call them incompetent and question authority, allowing them t think for themselves rather than the public just resigning to their place or to listen to authority blindly.

* WrongContextMagic: Authorities and citizens believed the Phantom Thieves has Quirks. It's reasonable, given the world they lived in and had obviously not known the supernatural powers as Persona existed for much longer than Quirks. Because of this and what entails in the world of Persona, the world of Heroes had no idea how the Phantom Thieves manage to change the 'hearts' of their targets and would react with fear that these vigilantes can change 'hearts' without being nearby. Because the Phantom Thieves are targeting big names, the Heroes have to seriously contemplate the matter as the more the fame these vigilantes get and their ideals, the consequences on the public narrative would turn into pressure and open questioning about the status quo and how to improve.

* WrongContextMagic: Authorities and citizens believed the Phantom Thieves has Quirks. It's reasonable, given the world they lived in and had obviously not known the supernatural powers like Persona existed for much longer than Quirks.

* BroadStrokes:
** The Quirk-cancelling bullet seemed to be in its prototype stage as that would take a while in MHA canon. Given Overhaul is now a Target...

* AffectionateNickname: Makoto calls Izuku "Midori" for short while he calls her the more formal but still friendly "Koto-san", having met in the past. Makoto also refers to Bakugou "Baka-chan" as both a sign of affection and an insult.

* DeconstructionCrossover[=/=]DeconstructionFic: Even with the overall brighter tone of My Hero Academia's world when compared to Persona's, the story is happy to deconstruct concepts covered in both series.
** BrainwashingForTheGreaterGood[=/=]IDidWhatIHadToDo: In ''Persona 5'', the morality of stealing the hearts of others to force them to change was frequently challenged. In the world of ''My Hero Academia'', where Brainwashing Quirks are a very real and very dangerous threat, the heists are treated in an even worse light, with Izuku and Ryuji hesitating to steal Kamoshida's heart until Shiho attempted suicide. Even when things turn out for the better, the rest of the student body is quick to pin the sudden change on Izuku, vilifying him and believing that he had hidden a Brainwashing Quirk to make things go his way. He justifies this to himself by saying that it was the only way to stop the perverted teacher from doing any more harm, but [[spoiler:Makoto calls him out on this and says that he's no better than a Vigilante, or in other words a Villain, for not following the code of the law and worries for his safety after he tells her everything.]]
** ChronicHeroSyndrome: As mentioned above, thoughtless heroism (as much as All Might would like to praise it) is frequently frowned upon and has serious consequences, as shown by Izuku missing the U.A. Entrance Exam, being branded a criminal, and being forced to move out to Tokyo to serve out his probation after rushing in to save a woman without thinking. Izuku and Ryuji's rash decision to confront Kamoshida in his office and promise to take him down does nothing but give the teacher an excuse to expel both of them to cover his tracks.
** Izuku also has serious misgivings about the [=Social Link/Confidant System=], wondering if his relationships with his friends are actually real or artificially constructed just to boost the power of his Personas. Morgana is quick to assure him that these relationships are just as real as any other, but he still feels bad about the system.

* ShoutOut: Outside of the fanfic, there's a meta reference in [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12829659/3/Persona-Vein Ch. 3]] of a crossover called ''Fanfic/PersonaVein'', where the characters mentioned a fanfic about the Phantom Thieves meeting Deku.
** In the first chapter of the fanfic [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13101006/1/The-Times-They-Are-A-Changin]] ''Fanfic/TheTimesTheyAreAChangin'', a Dr. Manhattan-esque Melissa Shield makes a reference to Thieves when mentioning an Izuku that 'steals the hearts' of criminals.

* CallBack / ContinuityNod:
** In the possibly non-canon omake, Futaba brought up [[VideoGame/Persona4ArenaUltimax Yukari's role as Feather Pink]] to Tsui and Ochako.
* TheCameo: Class 1-A shows up in a non-canon {{omake}} at the end of chapter 23, with Ren Amamiya having taken Izuku's place within their ranks.

* LockedOutOfTheLoop:
** Izuku refuses to drag Makoto into his mess, leaving her in the dark about his activities as a Phantom Thief. Unbeknownst to him, this causes Makoto to feel useless and that Izuku doesn't want her help, even though he desperately does but wants to keep her safe at the same time.
** [[spoiler:Izuku spills the beans to her in Chapter 17. While it initially goes well, the conversation ends on a sour note due to the ProtagonistCenteredMorality aspect of the Thieves' BrainwashingForTheGreaterGood and their mutual admiration of Heroes in comparison to the reckless Vigilantism of the Thieves.]]

* OutsideContextProblem: It didn't look like the Heroes and the police was aware of the Metaverse. Izuku initially attributes Persona-related to a Quirk before Morgana and the Velvet Room residents made it clear that their powers are something else entirely.

** While police officers are shown to be [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure competent and reasonable cops]] in ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'', it does not mean that there aren’t bad cops in the mix. Two cops that patrol around the school [[spoiler:knew about Kamoshida’s true nature, [[DirtyCop]] but said nothing due to being paid off by Principal Kobayakawa]]. Just because you see some competent cops, it does not mean all of them are good.

* GargleBlaster: The concoction Tae has Izuku drink to test his bravery was designed to release an odor comparable to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surströmming Surströmming]], the world's worst smelling food, upon making contact with stomach acid. The horrid stench it produced puts Izuku in a coma for several hours and causes him to repeatedly fade in and out of consciousness. The taste wasn't much better, since it was an eye-opening mix of bitter and sour that Izuku only barely managed to get down.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: When Izuku bumps into Bakugou shortly after Kamoshida's confession, Bakugou is far more subdued than his original personality as TheBully and actually worries about Izuku in his own... special way.
* KeepingSecretsSucks: Izuku feels really bad about hiding his activities from others, which makes him come clean to Ann after she gets sucked into the Metaverse and promising to tell Makoto everything after the issue with Kamoshida is resolved. [[spoiler:To his dismay, she vocally disapproves of after learning that he was considering [[BrainwashingForTheGreaterGood stealing the hearts of other neer-do-wells]] because of the [[ProtagonistCenteredMorality morally questionable nature of the Thieves' actions.]]]]

* RedEyesTakeWarning: Played completely straight for Bakugou, who is still Izuku's tormentor in this story up to the point that our hero was put on trial. Completely inverted for Makoto, who is Izuku's ChildhoodFriend and one of his closest confidants. Her red eyes are one of the first things he notices after seeing her for the first time in four years.
* RightForTheWrongReasons: The student body accurately pins the blame for Kamoshida's confession on Izuku, but they believe he did so through a hidden Brainwashing Quirk rather than through the Cognitive World, the former of which is the far more logical option given the world of ''My Hero Academia''.

* TalkingAnimal: Morgana takes the form of a cat in the real world, but only those who have visited the Cognitive World can understand him.
* TakingTheBullet: While battling Kamoshida's Shadow, Izuku shoves Ryuji out of the way of an oncoming barrage of volleyballs, stunning and knocking the wind out of Izuku until Ryuji pulls him behind cover. The older Thief then reminds Izuku not to make any "{{Heroic Sacrifice}}s". Morgana attempts the same with Ann, but he didn't react in time, causing them both to get hit.
* TenderTears: Izuku is frequently crying both tears of regret and tears of joy, though he always tries to wipe them away. He gets this from his mom, who also cries OcularGushers when they reunite over Golden Week.
* ThemeNaming: Izuku names his Smash techniques, Quantico Smash[[note]]Referring to the name of [[https://www.bustle.com/articles/112649-is-quantico-a-real-place-this-isnt-the-first-time-a-tv-show-has-been-set the U.S. Navy's headquarters]][[/note]] and Virginia Smash, in the same vein as the signature moves of his lifelong idol, All Might. It also references the fact that John Carter was a Virginian soldier.
* ThouShaltNotKill:
** No matter how vile the target is, Izuku refuses to do anything that could potentially result in AccidentalMurder, causing him to hesitate when given the option to perform BrainwashingForTheGreaterGood out of fear of killing Kamoshida. Even Shadows aren't totally exempt from Izuku's no-kill rule, since he's happy to let Shadows he can negotiate with go if they don't have any money or items to provide and are no longer a threat, frequently trying to recruit them as Personas.
** After defeating Kamoshida's Shadow, Ann is tempted to grab him and fling him over the balcony for ATasteOfHisOwnMedicine after what he did to Shiho. The rest of the thieves, especially Izuku, practically beg her not to go through with it because it would likely end up triggering a fatal mental breakdown. Only after they escape the collapsing Palace does she learn that Izuku planned on turning himself in if such a thing happened to Kamoshida, horrifying her.

* ToBeLawfulOrGood: The Phantom Thieves go after people who are so irredeemably evil that stealing their hearts is guaranteed to better the lives of others. But no matter how much good they do, it doesn't change the fact that their actions are unsanctioned and illegal under Quirk control laws. This means that they could all be severely penalized (and in Izuku's case, sent to jail) if they are ever caught. Makoto is quick to bring this up to Izuku after he tells her about the Metaverse and how the Phantom Thieves do their work, creating a schism between them.

** While police officers are shown to be [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure competent and reasonable cops]] in ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'', it does not mean that there aren’t bad cops in the mix. Two cops that patrol around the school [[spoiler:knew about Kamoshida’s true nature, [[DirtyCop but said nothing due to being paid off by Principal Kobayakawa]]. Just because you see some competent cops, it does not mean all of them are good.

** With Shiho, when Izuku finds her he attempts to talk her out of attempting suicide by appealing to her that she is not the only one suffering. But when Shiho reveals how Kamoshida sexually assaulted her, Izuku is completely stunned and disgusted while being unable to say anything. Turns out that despite being a Shonen protagonist where motivational and uplifting speeches are the norm and work, Izuku is a teenager who would have no idea how to properly talk down a suicidal girl or how to respond to the fact someone was raped]]. Because of this, Shiho jumps, thinking Izuku is disgusted with her.
** While a few police officers are shown to be [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure competent and reasonable cops]] in ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'', it does not mean that there aren’t bad cops in the mix. Two cops that patrol around the school [[spoiler:knew about Kamoshida’s true nature, [[DirtyCop but said nothing due to being paid off by Principal Kobayakawa]].]] Just because you see some competent cops, it does not mean all of them are good.

* LockedOutOfTheLoop: Izuku refuses to drag Makoto into his mess, leaving her in the dark about his activities as a Phantom Thief. Unbeknownst to him, this causes Makoto to feel useless and that Izuku doesn't want her help, even though he desperately does but wants to keep her safe at the same time.

* NoSell: Carter is immune to Bless attacks and resistant to Curse attacks. Later on, Carter's own Bless attacks get {{No Sell}}ed by a Shadow in Kamoshida's Palace.
* {{Omake}}: Chapter 23 ends with an extra short where the Phantom Thieves hang out with Class 1-A after rescuing Bakugou from the League of Villains during the Hideout Raid arc. Intriguingly, Ren Amamiya is also present as a member of 1-A, having apparently swapped places with Izuku.

* AdaptationalEarlyAppearance: As Izuku's ChildhoodFriend, Makoto is considerably more involved in the Kamoshida chapter than she is in canon, funneling Izuku as much information as she can even as he refuses to tell her what he's been up to out of fear of dragging her down with him if things go awry. [[spoiler:She also learns about the Metaverse immediately after Kamoshida confesses, rather than after the end of the following arc.]]
** [[spoiler:Futaba looks on longingly at Izuku and Inko through one of her monitors in Chapter 17, rewatching the clip of them hugging over and over. All the while, she mutters about how it "must be nice" to have a loving mom and to be able to hug her.]]

* BadPowersGoodPeople: Izuku knows how easy it would be to abuse his access to the Metaverse to brainwash or even kill people by attacking them in the Cognitive World, but he has no intention of using his abilities for anything but stopping criminals.
* BigDamnHeroes: Kamoshida tries to take Mishima's petition to have Recovery Girl treat Shiho under the pretense of getting it approved by the school faculty in hopes of covering his tracks. Makoto then swoops in, using her popularity among the teachers and excellent grades to back the petition, keeping Kamoshida from ripping it up while also getting the third-year students to sign it.
* BigSisterInstinct: Makoto was protective of Izuku when they were kids, with Sae comparing their relationship to a lioness guarding her cubs. Even after spending four years apart, she still wants to help him in any way she can [[spoiler:and is furious when she realizes he's putting himself and his friends in danger by acting as Vigilantes.]]

* ButtMonkey: Izuku is on the receiving end of much of the story's verbal and physical slapstick, whether it's getting a chop on the head from Makoto [[AngerBornOfWorry after worrying her]], getting teased for his Hero obsession by Morgana, or knocking himself out with the horrid potion cooked up by Tae.

* CallingYourAttacks: Necessary when using magic and when Izuku calls out his various Personas. Izuku also does this when having Carter replicate All Might's various Smash attacks.
* CannotTalkToWomen: Izuku's inability to speak to girls his age is highlighted in particular here. He practically melts when Ann asks to trade phone numbers with him or when he's trying to pull her to safety even with the confidence boost he gets in the Metaverse. The only girl he's remotely comfortable with at first is his ChildhoodFriend Makoto and he constantly has to talk himself into acting like he's speaking with her whenever he's conversing with a girl he only barely knows. Tae loves abusing this for a quick laugh.
-->'''Izuku:''' ''[blanching while trying to push Ann out of the Metaverse to safety]'' S-s-sorry, Takamaki-senpai! ''[internally]'' This is for her own good, this is for her own good! D-don't think J-Just pull her along to safety!\\
'''Ann:''' ''[to Ryuji]'' H-Hey! Where did you just touch me?!\\
'''Ryuji:''' O-oh, s-sorry! I was-y-you were struggling too much and-that's not important! I-Izuku! Get a better hold on her!\\
'''Izuku:''' ''[[[LuminescentBlush face red-hot]] with sweat pouring down his face]'' I-I can't... I'm at my limit... ''[internally]'' I-I'm actually touching a girl! Thi-this is..! Th-think of it like Koto-san, think of it like Koto-san!\\
'''Ryuji:''' ''[as Izuku faints in and out]'' Dude, focus!
* ChildhoodFriend: Although she's two years older than Izuku, Makoto was Izuku's neighbor and a good friend of his when they were younger, having defended him from bullies "like a lioness would her cubs". Because of this, she is the only girl in his age group he can comfortably talk to until he gets to know Ann. [[spoiler:This is what made her rejection of the Thieves' activities especially painful for Izuku.]] She is also implied to have been a MoralityChain for Bakugou, whose behavior worsened after she moved away.

* ChronicHeroSyndrome: Deconstructed as per its source material. Izuku's thoughtless attempts to help a woman in trouble ends with him getting on the bad side of a man with connections in the government. The encounter ends with a rigged trial where the drunk walks away scot-free while Izuku is left with a year's probation and a permanent assault charge on his record on top of missing the U.A. Entrance Exam because of said trial. He spends the first part of the story trying to clamp down on his heroic instincts to avoid causing trouble for others, but he still can't help himself. They return with a vengeance after Shiho attempts suicide.
** Later, Izuku and Ryuji confront Kamoshida in his office while promising that the man will pay for his crimes, which only gives him the excuse to prepare to expel both of them for threatening him.
* ClarkKentOutfit: Even without All Might to guide him, Izuku ends up getting into a routine of jogging and working out in preparation for the U.A. Entrance Exam, continuing this routine even after the trial. While he looks "fairly average" with his clothes on, he's also described as "quite well built" when seen shirtless or in a tank-top.
* ClassicalAntiHero: Izuku is shy, nervous, easily startled, lonely, ostracized and has little power to change the system as he knows it until he becomes a Phantom Thief.
* CowardlyLion: Izuku is still easily frightened and flustered, with everyone taking note of how jumpy he is. It doesn't stop him from rushing into the thick of battle to help others.

* DorkKnight: Izuku is about as {{Adorkable}} as you can get: A [[HeroWorshipper Hero]] {{Otaku}} who CannotTalkToWomen who is also a SociallyAwkwardHero who struggles to refer to anyone by their first name because of how informal it is for him. He's also the undisputed leader and overall strongest member of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, who work outside of the law to bring unmistakably evil people to justice.

* FireForgedFriends: The Thieves become especially close friends after saving each others lives repeatedly in the Metaverse, promising to have each other's back no matter what happens and standing behind Izuku even as his reputation gradually worsens.

* {{Forgiveness}}: Izuku doesn't hold anything against Mishima for leaking his criminal record and basically ruining his high school debut, since he knows that Mishima was pressured into doing so by Kamoshida. Ann is also quick to forgive several girls for not doing anything about the rumors about her or Kamoshida's abuses in general.
* ForWantOfANail: Izuku is never attacked by the Sludge Villain. So he never meets All Might or gains One for All. He also completely missed the entrance exam because of his trial for "assaulting" a drunken man who was molesting a woman, putting Izuku on probation and forcing him to go to Tokyo. His criminal record also means that he will probably never be able to enroll in Hero school or even get employment at a Hero office while making it extremely difficult for him to become a police officer. In short, his dreams are virtually impossible to achieve now.

* ICouldaBeenAContender: Izuku feels this way about his decision to try to save that woman, resulting in his criminal record and effectively being permanently barred from pursuing his dream of becoming a Hero. Subverted when he realizes that he doesn't regret what he did even with the ultimate consequences, which allows him to form his contract with Carter. By Chapter 12, he completely gets over this when he realizes that if he ''had'' gone to U.A., all of his new friends would still be suffering under Kamoshida's thumb. So while he definitely still misses the lost opportunity, he knows that he wouldn't give it up for the life he has now.
* InelegantBlubbering: Izuku breaks down and lets the tears, snot, and drool fall after he fails to stop Shiho from attempting suicide.
* InnocentlyInsensitive: Ryuji learns about Izuku's criminal record shortly after they escape the Metaverse for the first time. The older teen first tries to spin it as making Izuku sound cooler, but he quickly backpedals when he realizes that he's only making things worse.
-->'''Ryuji:''' I just thought it was funny. She's such a prim and proper kinda chick, and you're the kid with the criminal record, right?\\

* KeepTheReward: Izuku doesn't expect a reward for anything he does and usually tries to refuse it until other people insist or he absolutely needs it. Sojiro calls him out on this behavior, saying that Izuku should expect ''some'' compensation for his deeds or else other people will just exploit his good will until he has nothing left to show for it.
-->'''Sojiro:''' ''[after Izuku washes the dishes for Sojiro]'' Of course I won't ask you to do this for free, though I can't rightly pay you...\\
'''Izuku:''' Don't worry about that, Sakura-san, I-\\
'''Sojiro:''' Nonsense. You might be well-meaning, kid, but don't let yourself get conned by others into doing stuff for free all the time. People will abuse that kindness until you've rightly run out.
* TheLeader: Even though he's the youngest among them, Izuku's raw capability leads Ann, Morgana, and Ryuji to name Izuku the leader, taking aspects of the Levelheaded (his role as TheStrategist and being generally clear-headed), Headstrong (his ChronicHeroSyndrome), and Charistmatic (his ability to bring people together through his sheer niceness and his status a a Wild Card) types.
* LightEmUp: Carter is able to able to throw balls of light imbued with the Bless-attribute Kouha spell in contrast to Arsene's Curse-attribute.
* LightIsGood: As the embodiment of Izuku's dream of becoming a hero, the porcelain-skinned, Bless-attribute Carter is an unambiguously good BoisterousBruiser who can use the Kouha line of spells and encourages Izuku when he's feeling down. Further emphasized by Carter's rousing summoning speech which states that he will break the chains that hold Izuku down, which stands in contrast to Arsene's promise to provide power even if it ends up chaining Ren to Hell.
-->'''Carter:''' '''''From the sea of your soul, I come forth! I am the rebel hero of your soul, your power to save others in this foreign land! I am Carter!''''' ''[flourishes his cape]'' '''''If you ask, I will give you the power to break forth and save yourself from this mess!'''''\\
'''Izuku:''' Please, give me the power I need! Carter!\\
'''Carter:''' '''''Then consider it done, kid! Let's show 'em that you can be a hero!'''''

* LuminescentBlush: Izuku has this frequently out of embarrassment, whether he's talking to (or worse, ''touching'') a girl or if Morgana is teasing him by revealing something he'd rather keep hidden.
* MagneticHero: Izuku's sheer niceness ends up drawing the Phantom Thieves to him on top of his status as a Wild Card. Then there's the Shadows who become his Personas.
* MegatonPunch: Izuku develops his own Smash techniques in time for the battle with Kamoshida's Shadow. Quantico Smash is his canon counterpart's Delaware Smash in all but name, with Carter firing a powerful shockwave with a finger flick. He ups the ante to Virginia Smash for the finishing blow after Morgana left the Shadow open to attack, charging Carter's fist with blinding light before driving it into Kamoshida's stomach, sending him flying and completely destroying the staircase the Shadow crashed into and leaving a massive crater in its wake. These attacks are also {{Dangerous Forbidden Technique}}s, leaving Izuku wracked with pain and exhaustion, but without any broken bones like his One for All-using counterpart, allowing Morgana to use Dia to heal him enough to move after the fight was over.
* MistakenForSuicidal: While examining his new room, Izuku pulls up a chair to see if a ceiling beam would be sturdy enough to use as a pullup bar. Sojiro then walks in to find Izuku suspended off the ground with a chair under his feet.
-->'''Sojiro:''' Holy shit, kid... You're not trying to...
* MommasBoy: Even his criminal conviction doesn't change the relationship Izuku shares with his mom. She's anguished when she's forced to have him move away and he doesn't blame her for his situation at all. The first thing they do when seeing each other over Golden Week is to hug each other tightly with tears in their eyes. [[spoiler:This is what makes Futaba jealous, since this is exactly the kind of relationship she had with her own mom.]]
* MythologyGag: Carter tells Izuku that he can be a hero, much like All Might would have in another time and another place.

* OutsideContextProblem: It didn't look like the Heroes and the police was aware of the Metaverse. Anything supernatural-related to Persona was initially called Quirks-related at first before Morgana, Justine, Caroline and/or Igor made it clear and the Phantom Thieves experienced.

* RageBreakingPoint: While Izuku ''tries'' to be the voice of reason when Ryuji storms off to Kamoshida's office to pick a fight. But even he has his limits, exploding at Kamoshida as he continued to taunt them over Shiho's suicide.
-->'''Izuku:''' ''[gives Kamishoda a DeathGlare]'' I was saying... that you’re not going to get away with this. ''[trembles with rage as he releases Ryuji]'' You’ve hurt too many people and caused Suzui-senpai to try to kill herself. You... you’re not the king of this school, Kamoshida! ''[raises his voice and points at Kamishoda]'' The students aren’t yours to rule over! You will be stopped! Because no matter what, there will always be '''heroes''' around to put an end to your crimes! And they won’t stop until all of your victims have been saved!

* RousingSpeech: Carter gives one to Izuku as he seals their contract.
-->'''Carter:''' ''[booming, echoing voice]'' Come on, kid. You gon' give up that easily?\\
'''Izuku:''' Wh-what?\\
'''Carter:''' You proved yer resolve when you jumped to save the blond. Even now, I can feel that you never regretted yer choice in savin' that woman, either. Actin' and doin' right without thinkin'... and yet, society's tellin' you that you're a criminal. A piece of scum for havin' the guts to do right by yer fellow man... what do you think? Or was that all just some act? '''''[[WhatYouAreInTheDark Would you take back what you said? Would you?!]]'''''\\
'''Izuku:''' ''[internally as he grinds his teeth in frustration]'' Would I take back what I did? No! S-she called for help! There was no way I would ever ignore that! Not then, and not '''''now!'''''\\
'''Carter:''' Well said, my boy! We are in agreement! Now then, let's seal our contract with a vow! I am thou... thou art I... I shall grant you the power to enact '''''justice on this world!''''' ''[Izuku grips his head in pain]'' '''''[[BadassCreed Never regret! Never surrender! Never doubt! If society chains you for being a hero... then rip those chains off and save them, whether they want you to or not!]]'''''
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney: While eavesdropping on Kobayakawa, Makoto finds out that he [[spoiler:had been bribing the cops not to mess with Kamoshida. This causes her to seriously reevaluate how reluctant of a supporter she is to the Phantom Thieves.]]

* SuperheroPackingHeat: The Thieves bring (model) firearms into the Cognitive World to help them deal with the Shadows inside. Because the Shadows ''think'' they're real, the Cognition effect kicks in and makes the guns work like the real thing within the Metaverse.
* SweatDrop: Izuku has these frequently and sweats profusely whenever he's nervous. Notably, the author actually uses this trope as a verb, which gets edited out in later editions of the story after vocal fan annoyance.
* TalkingAnimal: Morgiana takes the form of a cat in the real world, but only those who have visited the Cognitive World can understand him.

* ThouShaltNotKill: No matter how vile the target is, Izuku refuses to do anything that could potentially result in AccidentalMurder, causing him to hesitate when given the option to perform BrainwashingForTheGreaterGood out of fear of killing Kamoshida. Even Shadows aren't totally exempt from Izuku's no-kill rule, since he's happy to let Shadows he can negotiate with go if they don't have any money or items to provide and are no longer a threat, frequently trying to recruit them as Personas.

* ThreatBackfire: Izuku's lack of confidence and sheer niceness means that most Shadows are hardly impressed with his attempts to perform a Hold Up until Ryuji and Morgana step in to pick up the slack.
-->'''Izuku:''' ''[threatening Pixie]'' A-Alright! G-Give me whatever you have! Money or items... please...?\\
'''Pixie:''' ''[all fear of death gone]'' ...Was that really the best you could do?\\
'''Morgana:''' We really need to work on your execution, Hero...

* TooDumbToLive: Tae accuses Izuku of being this when he agrees to down an unknown concoction from a woman he's only met twice if it means getting a part-time job and discounts on potentially life-saving (but barely legal) medicine for the Phantom Thieves.
-->'''Tae:''' Okay... wow. You actually drank it... color me impressed because I honestly didn't think you had the guts to do it. You're definitely braver than I thought... or dumber...\\
''[after Izuku wakes up from the several-hour-long coma the drink put him in]'' Are you out of your mind? We've only met twice before this and you just accept some strange medicine from me? Only an idiot would drink that...
* YourMindMakesItReal: Ryuji's toy gun (a model based on Snipe's customized revolvers) looks almost identical to the real thing. In a world where everything is based on one's own perceptions, this allows it to work like one because the Shadows believe it's one. They later go to a model gun shop to get even more realistic guns to use against Shadows.