Because from now on I'm gonna stay by your side and make sure your happiness comes first before anything else... Because I want to protect you, Rias
High School D×D: The Tale of the Gutsy Sekiryuutei
is a High School D×D fanfiction written by Retribrutus (author), an OC-Insert/Protagonist-replacement story that introduces multiple AU elements.
Not all grand heroes started off great and Michael Hanamura is an example of that, a regular student with no redeeming qualities or features that gain him attention not to mention being some no name orphan to top it all off. Basically, his life as a whole has been quite below standard up to this point, but that all changes upon unknowingly making a contract with a Crimson Beauty.
High School D×D: The Tale of the Gutsy Sekiryuutei provides examples of:
- Adaptational Badass: Many characters in the story both from the original canon and new for the fanfic experience this trope:
- Always being the runner up by never catching up with Michael's rapid improvement, Saji's had his moments of stepping up when the stakes are high such as when he fought off and temporarily succeeded in trapping and frightening Rallen Kurosaki, a powerful magic practitioner possessed by the Evil Dragon, Grendel. That's not even mentioning the accomplishments of him retiring Xenovia and Koneko, almost retiring Michael through a technicality, and him forcibly unlocking his own Balance Breaker in his battle against Michael in the Gremory vs. Sitri Rating Game and its all thanks to him enduring his month of Training from Hell in the Underworld.
- Throughout most of the story, Rias Gremory has always been shown to rely on the destructive capabilities of her bloodline inherent Power of Destruction to deal with all of her foes in powerful straightforward blasts, she gets a Wake-Up Call in the form of Natsuru Abe, whose power far exceeds hers and also possesses the skill to avoid Rias' attacks and almost kill her. This development pushes Rias to better herself and train under her sister-in-law, Grayfia Lucifuge to better develop her skill set in magic and use the special circumstances that she's been given to grow such as her sucking and ''sucking'' Michael's dragon energy out of him and indirectly absorbing it out whenever it was too abundant, and used that to create an Elemental Armor composed of her Power of Destruction to carry the motif of a dragon, which immediately overwhelms Sona during their Rating Game Match.
- Adaptational Heroism: Yuuma (Raynare) gets hit with this after being moved by Michael's selflessness during the climax of their date. Apparently, him scrounging up all of his funds to pay for a manageable date, gifting her an incredibly expensive and meaningful bracelet, and finally, admitting that all he wanted to give her was a good time despite already knowing that her confession to him was fake was all that was needed to push her in the right direction. That and the added deed of Michael constantly standing up to Dohnaseek despite being physically outclassed.
- She even saves the teen that she originally intended to kill by using the leaflet in his pocket to summon, Rias Gremory to take him to safety while she held off Dohnaseek.
- Alternate Universe Fic: The Protagonist, Michael Hanamura, whose birth and presence in the story creates massive ripples, which drastically change and affect the established past canon of the story.
- Always Someone Better: Despite possessing the Boosted Gear and steadily progressing in strength throughout the story, Michael has always been shown to be the lesser to more experienced fighters, who've seen more conflict before he was even reincarnated as a devil, and these individuals are Shirou Fujimura, Sairaorg Bael, and especially Vali Lucifer. With Vali Lucifer being the only antagonistic rival since Michael's childhood to utterly demolish him in every challenge that he could think of, which is a contributing factor as to why he's shown to be the stubborn idiot that he is today.
- Ambiguously Brown: Though it has yet to be explained, Michael's dark skin complexion is quite uncommon to expect in the story's main setting in Kuoh Town, Japan. This is revealed to be the case due to the fact that he was born in the Hidden Celtic Isles of the Welsh.
- Arc Villain:
- First Arc: Dohnaseek, Kalawarner, Mittelt
- Second Arc: Riser Phenex
- Third Arc: Kokabiel & Freed
- Fourth Arc: Rallen Kurosaki, Drayfus Mammon, Vali Lucifer, Mysterious Woman
- Fifth Arc: Natsuru Abe/Kurogane, Malignant Woman
- Breather Episode: In the story these take the form of chapters titled "Filler" after each major arc:
- In Chapter 35, At Saji's request, Michael gathers Kiba and Gasper to secretly go support Sona's [Queen] Tsubaki with handling a member from her former clan kidnapping their clan members and making them ethereal warriors under his rule. Amongst the bickering between the four teens, the heartwarming beginning of Tsubaki's budding feelings for Saji, and the random unveiling of the 10-year time bazooka on Saji, Kiba, and Gasper; this chapter is a refreshing break from the tense battles of the Three Faction Conference.
- In Chapter 55, Its literally a race between Michael, Saji, Kiba, Shirou and Azazel against the female members of the Gremory Peerage to restore Michael's forced transformation into a child.
- Brilliant, but Lazy: Compared to his more literate best friend, Michael's more illiterate tendencies stem from his interests rather than him plainly being stupid. For him, unless the knowledge given to him helps him better protect his friends, helps his chances of one day becoming a Maou, grow stronger, or provides more excitement to his pranks, then he’s not interested. This only becomes more evident in Chapter 57 where his only motivation to learn the entire Devil Alphabet was so that he could later prank the tutor that Rias’ mother, Venelana, assigned to him and Millicas:Tutor:So now young master, how are you with your devil alphabets? Have you gotten better at them yet?
Michael: Well, the things is… [Barely containing his laughter alongside Millicas] Could you perhaps read this sentence for me? I seem to be having some trouble translating it.
Tutor: Why certainly. [Takes Michael's paper] Why hello there I am a Big fat meanie called Hugh Jass. Say do you know if there's anyone else in your life that's a Hugh Jass?
Michael: [Hysterical Laughter] I don't know why don't you try looking down, bucko!
Tutor: [Looking mortified, he looks up to spot Michael and Millicas running for the door] Hey, where are you-!?
Michael: Hah! He fell for it! Go! Go! Go! - Conveniently an Orphan: The first thing readers of story are introduced to in the first chapter is Michael’s empty apartment, meager living arrangements, and lastly him hollowly announcing his departure for school while receiving no obvious response.
- For Your Own Good: Out of concern, Raymond pulls this on his little sister, Raynare ever since their childhood by using his hellish flames to inflict upon her every night through her dreams, every imaginable horror and tragedy that humans can inflict upon her. Though the reason why he forced her to suffer these nightmares is unknown, its clear that it was done out of concern for his sister, who in turn garnered an artificial hatred for humans, and an unbelievable fear and resentment for her brother for subjecting her to that torture for most of her life.
- Foreshadowing:
- In Chapter 10, when Riser explains the importance of keeping the lineage of pure-blooded devils alive, he subtly ribs the Sitri clan for failing to follow through with task by siring an impure heir as the clan's next head, which earns him a friendly warning from Son Kai in the form of his staff almost crushing the aristocrat's skull as its later revealed in Chapter 23 that he's sired a child named Shura Sitri with his wife, Serafall Leviathan.
- During his training, after revealing his status as a monkey Youkai, Kai tells Michael that he's been attending Kuoh Academy with a few other youkai in disguise. Already the distinction that he's referring to Koneko is obvious for readers of the Original story, but not even 17 chapters later, we're introduced to Natsuru Abe...
- Goggles Do Nothing: Michael's goggles hold no actual function beyond making him look cool, and being a valued treasure to him as his goggles hold significant importance for him and his Eternal Rival, Vali Lucifer.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: Michael has been friends with Saji Genshirou since middle school, long before the events of the story began. No matter how dismissive he is of Michael's backfiring pranks, and no matter how confused and annoyed Michael is of his fellow [Pawn’s] nerdish, intellectual bantering, the pair always have each other's back. In Chapter 17, unlike in canon, Saji readily agrees to help Michael destroy one of the Holy segmented Swords of Excalibur to help out Kiba, but mostly with the intention of making sure that Michael doesn’t accidentally kickstart a war between the Devils and the Church.
- Hidden Depths: When we’re first shown Michael, he’s introduced to be a loud, unlucky, obnoxious, and self-centered seventeen year old, he has shown moments of kindness and selflessness that have even won over the hearts of those that were out to take his life. This also extends to his more boisterous and prideful front, where in Chapter 26, in an attempt to relate to Gasper’s loneliness, he reveals that he constantly speaks about himself in the third person as a way of coping with having no family or loved ones around to call him by name and have his existence positively acknowledged.
- Marshmallow Hell: The first thing Rias does after saving Michael's life from Dohnaseek is to divest herself of her clothes and lay the resting boy's head betwixt her bosom to properly heal him.
- Official Couple: Michael and Rias officially begin their relationship much earlier than their canon counterparts during the Three Faction’s Conference. Not too long after Rias’ confession, the pair shared an intimate night together.
- Though it hasn't been given enough focus, its heavily implied that Shirou and Seekvaira Agares are indeed an item as shown in Chapter 57 as the young man silently consoled Seekvaira by secretly holding her hand as the masses of high class devils mocked and derided her pronounced dreams.
- Omniglot: A passive ability for the Devil race known simply as language, which basically allows for any devil to speak and understand the languages of other races and people without prior practice.
- Original Character: Oh boy, there are a whole gaggle of original characters made to expand and really signify the divergence in events from the original canon with the major example of this trope being Michael Hanamura, this universe's Red Dragon Emperor. Along with him there have been others introduced into the wider world of DXD that includes:
- Son Kai or Kai Sun Wukong, otherwise known as the Monkey of Destruction, Grandson to The original Sun Wukong, Third Generation Sun Wukong, Queen to Serafall Leviathan, Devil Advisor to Sirzechs, and Martial Arts Master to Sairaorg Bael and Michael Hanamura. Elder Half-brother to Michael Hanamura.
- Raymond. Yup, a pretty average name for a pretty average Fallen Angel who earned the rank of ''Cadre'' amongst his fellow peers in the Grigori and possesses the ability to channel his light magic with the flames of hell itself, which also come with the bonus of inflicting whoever comes in contact with them to experience their worst fears and nightmares which gave him the fitting moniker of the Nightmare Inferno. Did we also forget to mention that he's the feared older brother to Raynare.
- Polyamory: Since this is of course a High School D×D fanfic, you already know that this will be a foregone conclusion for the story with Michael being the lucky poor sucker being the center of adoration for the group of women who’ve become infatuated with him. It’s also been
confirmed that other characters like Saji, Vali and Shirou Fujimura have their own respective harems in story as well. As of Chapter 80, the official harem lists include:- Michael’s Harem: Rias Gremory (Main Girl), Raynare, Asia Argento, Akeno Himejima, Koneko Toujo, Xenovia Quarta, Irina Shidou, Kiyome Abe, Natsuru Abe/ Kurogane, Ravel Phenex, Kalawarner, Mittelt, Isabela, Rossweisse, Nyx
- Saji's Harem: Ruruko Nimura, Momo Hanakai, Tsubaki Shinra, Sona Sitri
- Vali's Harem: Kuroka, Artoria
- Relationship Upgrade: As of Chapter 23, Michael and Rias finally invoke this trope. Just to clarify that this chapter takes place during the events of Volume 4 just 6 volumes earlier than the official Relationship Upgrade between Issei and Rias.
- Seinfeldian Conversation: In Chapter 35, gathering Michael, Kiba, and Gasper, Saji preps everyone for an incredibly dangerous mission to assist a struggling Tsubaki on a solo mission, but before they actually get to buisiness the first thing they argue about is their totally necessary team name and who's initial gets to go first:Saji:Okay, so here is what we'll do for each of us. We'll use our first lettered name in the anagram when we address ourselves.
[Everyone nods]
Saji: Good for example, I will say mine as S.K.G.M. is that good do we have everyone jotted down as okay?
Kiba: I'm fine with it.
Gasper: M-Me too.
Michael: [Being that guy] How come my name is the last letter in your anagram?
Saji: [Rage Broken] Grrrrrrrrr! - The Protagonist: Michael Hanamura, the Hero of the story who's recklessness could even give the #1 Knucklehead Ninja a run for his money.
- Third-Person Person: If you’re a reader of this story then you'll already know of Michael's infamous three words whenever he refers to himself as “THE GREAT HANAMURA!” He grows out of that habit in Chapter 37 after Natsuru Abe bluntly points out how redundant he sounds:Natsuru: Don't you ever get tired of saying your last name? Is it like a catch phrase for you?
Michael: Well, I only say it because it's true. I am Great, so I can call myself the Great Hanamura anyway I want to. Why you have a problem with it?
Natsuru: "No, it sounds like something that will get old and annoying fast." - Trickster Mentor: A trope which describes more than Son Kai's entire character. Lets walk through his first ever lesson to Michael, someone who he's never met with, and how informs and sics Tiamat on him despite already knowing her strained, rocky relationship with Ddraig all for the purpose of seeing his potential by having Michael face and almost get killed by a Maou-level Dragon King. Another example is seen with Kai's first pupil, Sairaorg where he basically hands the young devil a flimsy sword and nonchalantly threw him into a beautiful lake inhabited by a venomous and ''immortal'' Hyrda. Michael at least tries to call him out on it but was met with unsettling indifference from his mentor:Kai: Hehe! Well, you see, I was curious about your power before, so I observed you and kind of tested your strength by sicking her on you...yeah, maybe that was a bad idea.
Michael: I almost died because of you!
Kai: Ah! Almost so you can forgive me, right?
Michael: No I can't!
Kai: Oh, come on it was ages ago.
Michael: It was two days ago! - Yandere: You'd never expect it, but the way that Raynare's devotion for Michael is written in the story can be a bit unsettling as she's more aware of how his unintentional Chick Magnet tendencies create more competition for her to deal with and so she usually makes an effort to frighten the competition before they get in too deep such as with her hushed not at all unsubtle threat to Tsubasa Yura.
