U.A., the most well-renowned Hero School in all of Japan. Izuku Midoriya managed to make it in and was all set for his first day as part of Class 1-X. He only had one question: why was he in the girls' class instead of the boys'?
1-X
is a My Hero Academia fanfic by Nanocowie on Archive of Our Own. Inspired by the one-shot Belonging by SonnieCelanna, it explores how things could radically change because of a single rule regarding students at U.A. established long ago: all Hero Course classes would be separated by gender.
1-X provides examples of:
- Adaptation Name Change:
- Rather than the Hero Course classes being referred to as "A" or "B", the classes are referred to as "X" and "Y" in reference to the chromosomes, to fall in line with the classes being split by gender.
- Downplayed with Ryukyu, as "Ryuko Tatsuma" is her canon name, but she's hardly referred to as such outside of extra material in favor of her Hero name. Much like Aizawa in canon being referred to as "Aizawa" rather than "Eraserhead" though, she is referred to by her students and the narration as "Tatsuma".
- While all of the gender flipped students had their given names changed to be more feminine, Koko stands out due to her canon given name now being her family name. In canon, his name was "Koji Koda", with "Koda" being his family name and "Koji" his given name. Here, her name is "Koko Koji", with "Koji" being her family name and "Koko" being her given name.
- Adaptation Relationship Overhaul:
- As Tatsuma has the students introduce themselves by their actual names rather than jump straight into the Quirk Apprehension Exam, Ochako never mistakenly believes Izuku's name to be "Deku". Without her redefining the name for him, the two initially remain just classmates compared to quickly becoming best friends like in canon. This is something Ochako laments about after she can only watch Izuku be accosted by Bakugo in the cafeteria since she wants to be friends with Izuku, but hasn't had the chance to do so. They slowly begin growing closer following the USJ, even if not to the extent in canon, as Pony takes the position of Izuku's best friend instead, with Ochako instead being his second closest friend similar to Iida's canon spot.
- Due to never getting the chance to stand up to him in the battle trials, Izuku is initially still skittish around Bakugo, considering him his tormentor. After Pony stands up for Izuku and helps build up his confidence though, up to even beating Bakugo in the Sports Festival, Izuku comes to accept the "Kacchan" he knew is long gone, and stops using the old nickname in favor of calling him Bakugo.
- As Tatsuma put him in her class to spare him from dealing with Aizawa, Aizawa's original perception of Izuku remains unchanged, considering his being at UA a mistake and deriding any of his efforts during the Sports Festival, openly admitting on the air that had Izuku been in his class, he'd have expelled Izuku on Day 1, All Might and Midnight having to talk Tatsuma down so she wouldn't maul him. Honenuki even tells Izuku that Aizawa constantly badmouths him to their class. As a result, it makes Aizawa look vindictive and petty over being unable to expel Izuku.
- Due to not being classmates this time around, Kaminari's relationship with Izuku and Kyoka is different. Canonically, Kaminari and Izuku didn't have much in common, but could still be rather good friends with each other, while Kyoka largely served as The Gadfly to him and the two acted as Vitriolic Best Friends, with the occasional bouts of Ship Tease. Here, Izuku barely knows him, so he can't fault Shoko for being disgusted at his "fight" with Mei and accidentally disrespecting everyone by not taking the tournament seriously, and Kyoka's more just resigned to his antics after he tried hitting on her during the Sports Festival, with Nanocowie all but saying in a comment that Kaminari will not be paired with Kyoka, but Mei instead.
- Adaptational Dumbass: Played for Laughs with All Might. He already had his issues with being a teacher in canon such as regularly referring to cue cards, but that's taken even further here, regularly forgetting his lines to the point Izuku has to subtly coach him, failing to pull off dramatic movements due to technology errors, and showing himself to be a lot less composed to his students. All of 1-X end up considering him much more dorky in person as a result.
- Adaptational Jerkass:
- Played with regarding Shoko Todoroki. She possesses a sense of entitlement and haughtiness that Shoto didn't have in canon, internally considering herself better than all of her classmates and desiring to show them "their place" so that they can be part of her agency when they graduate, expressing irritation at the idea of Izuku not wanting to be on her team in the Cavalry Battle in favor of proving his own merit. She demonstrates a Sugar-and-Ice Personality outside of that though, willing to be soft-spoken and friendly with her classmates, letting her become quick friends with Ochako after their match in the Sports Festival, but harsh and cruel to those outside of it, as she demonstrates when she curb stomps Kaminari and calls him pathetic for his "match" against Mei. Nanocowie has stated this was a deliberate nail they wanted to explore, that while Shoko still suffered abuse under Endeavor and his training, she ended up gaining a sense of superiority as a means of coping this time around compared to Shoto's lack of social graces, outright stating Shoko is a "himedere", in that she wants to be treated like a princess even if she isn't one, Izuku even noting it was as if Endeavor himself was constantly over her shoulder whispering in her ear how she was better than everyone else. When Izuku manages to break down her barriers and get her to use her fire, she displays a more Hot-Blooded demeanor and maintains a level of self-confidence, calling Izuku her "prince" and meeting his challenge head-on, just without the haughtiness this time.
- Since he never received a helping of Humble Pie from Izuku outsmarting him here, Bakugo is still an arrogant and domineering bully when he makes his debut here and hasn't realized he was a Normal Fish in a Tiny Pond back at Aldera. He only begins to realize this after he's defeated by Pony in the first round of the 1v1 matches.
- Played with for several of the students in 1-X following the USJ. Several of the students demonstrate more ferocious or angry behaviors, even if they try to hide it beneath a mask of more typical behavior, as a means of coping with the trauma they suffered there.
- Ochako ends up letting her Kansai accent show and takes on a more boisterous persona, which inadvertently makes her look aggressive and unsympathetic to the rest of Class 1-X regarding their trauma, even nearly causing a fight with Itsuka. Izuku is quickly able to defuse it though, having realized her new persona is her own way of coping and trying to help the others, convincing her she needs to let the others cope at their own pace while making clear he understands her intent. He still expresses concerns about her hiding her trauma Beneath the Mask, but Ochako waves it off in favor of trying to push forward.
- Mina, normally Fun Personified, begins showcasing anger comparable to her behavior in canon when faced with Midnight's killer as early as the Sports Festival, giving Izuku a Death Glare after he beat her in the semi-finals before catching herself and trying to act like a good sport, and being uncharacteristically serious and ruthless facing Setsuna for third place, to the point Setsuna actually forfeits upon realizing Mina is seriously willing to melt all of her body parts if need be.
- Adaptational Nationality: In canon, there's little indication that Hanta Sero is anything but pure Japanese. Here, Hana introduces herself as half-Japanese via her father, half-Korean via her mother.
- Ambiguously Bi: Shoko Todoroki. She shows clear signs of romantic interest in Izuku, but when Izuku is later talking to Ochako after she and Shoko fought in the Sports Festival, Ochako says 'Roki "likes" Ochako. While Izuku believes Ochako meant "as a friend", Ochako then says she "likes" Izuku too but has competition for him, much to his confusion. It's ambiguous if Ochako is using "likes" in the same manner when referring to herself and Izuku, making Shoko bisexual, or if it's a case of Ambiguous Syntax.
- Ascended Extra:
- Ryuko Tatsuma/Ryukyu is the homeroom teacher for 1-X, giving her a much larger presence here as a mentor figure to the class.
- The girls of 1-B all receive more focus by virtue of being Izuku's classmates this time around. Of special mention are Pony and Itsuka, the former becoming Izuku's best friend after they initially bond from Izuku being able to speak English, and the latter being someone Izuku considers a leader and looks to for guidance.
- Blunt "No": When Izuku goes to ask Aizawa about them giving him an internship offer, their initial response is simply "No." before telling him to accept the offer.
- Clueless Chick-Magnet: Izuku has attained the affections of multiple classmates already, but is practically denser than stone by failing to recognize so, even when some like Ochako blatantly outline it like when she told him Shoko liked him, but had some competition.
- Commonality Connection: Izuku and Pony quickly hit it off once Izuku reveals he can not only understand Pony but speak English himself, the two regularly having entire conversations in English while others can only guess what they're talking about. Add on the two of them finding common ground in being massive hero nerds and Pony standing up to Bakugo for Izuku's sake, the two quickly become close, with Izuku even considering Pony his new best friend.
- Dark Horse Victory: Bakugo was highly favored to win the Sports Festival due to being The Ace of Class 1-Y and placing highest on the Entrance Exam, Present Mic outright stating a special betting site has him as the one to win. Pony beats him in the first round of the finals instead, leaving everyone, including Midnight and Present Mic, stunned beyond belief, the latter even struggling to find words for what just happened.
- Demoted to Extra:
- The students in Class 1-Y are largely relegated to cameos outside of Bakugo, the only one to get any significant appearances aside from him being Honenuki due to his match with Izuku in the first round of the Finals. Others though like Kaminari, Tetsutetsu, Iida, and Mineta only get namedrops or passing appearances. Chapter 17 would see Izuku properly interacting with Honenuki and Kaminari while featuring cameos of Kamikiri and Mineta, but said interaction lasts for a third of the chapter, and it's made clear that they could at best be considered "acquaintances" of Izuku's compared to some genuinely being his friends in canon.
- Aizawa is largely left in the background due to not being Izuku's homeroom teacher here.
- Shinso is relegated to an unnamed cameo, as Izuku never meets him due to being in Nedzu's office when he comes to declare war, and his team not making it past the Cavalry Battle this time around.
- Foreshadowing: At the beginning of the Sports Festival, Izuku begins to get inklings of approaching problems - setting up the reveal that he's unlocked Danger Sense.
- Gender Flip: Since the fic established that each class is comprised of 20 students and that canonically there were only 13 girls between Class 1-A and 1-B, Nanocowie decided to change six of the boys into girls, picking Shoto Todoroki, Eijiro Kirishima, Fumikage Tokoyami, Rikido Sato, Hanta Sero, and Koji Koda, becoming Shoko Todoroki, Eiko Kirishima, Futako Tokoyami, Rika Sato, Hana Sero, and Koko Koji.
- Harem Genre: Nanocowie has confirmed the fic to be a harem style fic, albeit a slow-burn style to properly flesh out Izuku's relationship in particular, and that not everyone in 1-X will enter a relationship with Izuku. So far, the only outright confirmed member is Pony, and while not outright confirmed, Ochako, Shoko, Mina, and Toru all canonically have feelings for him, and Izuku has received moments with them, in addition to Itsuka, Momo, Kyoka, and Koko.
- Lovable Sex Maniac: Yui makes it no secret she's got the hots for Izuku, and quickly ends up making everyone realize how horny she can get despite her usual blank stare. She doesn't take it as far as Mineta canonically did though, such as backing off from using the peephole in the locker rooms after Itsuka chides her.
- Noodle Incident: The circumstances that led to Ochako and Futako getting so injured in the USJ aren't elaborated on. The only hint is that Setsuna saw what happened but was too scared to intervene.
- Open Mouth, Insert Foot: Aizawa ends up perpetually badmouthing Izuku while commentating on the Sports Festival, seemingly festering a grudge over being unable to expel him on day one thanks to Tatsuma putting Izuku in her class. As many point out, it will just end up backfiring on him if Izuku does well in the Sports Festival, which he does indeed, managing to tie for first place against Shoko. The end of the Sports Festival even has Tatsuma deciding to give him a Bitch Slap for talking shit about Izuku and having it blow up in his face.
- Point of Divergence:
- The prime point is the fact that, when U.A. was established, it was decided to split all classes between genders so as to fall more in line with single-sex schools prior to the Dawn of Quirks, the class names changed to "X" and "Y" to reflect the chromosomes. Since then, while all other courses have returned to being co-ed, the Hero Course remains split between genders, Izuku only being in Class 1-X due to Tatsuma pulling some strings to get him in her class out of concern that Aizawa would just write him off as a lost cause.
- As Tatsuma opts to let the class get to know each other first before jumping right into training, everyone learns each other's names right off the bat. This, combined with Bakugo not being in their class, means Ochako never mistakenly believes Izuku's name to be "Deku", nor does she end up redefining it for him. "Deku" instead remains a derogatory term, and Ochako calls Izuku "Zuku".
- Thanks to taking a more gentle approach and seeing in Izuku a kindred spirit regarding their Quirks, Tatsuma suggests Izuku try communicating with his Quirk rather than simply find a way to not break his bones as Aizawa did in canon. As a result, Izuku focuses less on trying to reallocate the excess energy of One For All in favor of trying to commune with the inner Vestiges, allowing him to unlock Black Whip much earlier instead of attaining Full Cowl.
- Bakugo doesn't learn Izuku made it into U.A. until over a week into the school year, meaning the principal of Aldera never brought them both to his office to congratulate them and Bakugo never threatened Izuku immediately afterwards. As a result, he still thinks Izuku is a Quirkless weakling he can intimidate, and Izuku, not having had to stand up to him this time around, still sees Bakugo as his tormentor and freezes up as a result.
- Since Iida isn't friends with them here due to being in Class 1-Y, Izuku and Ochako are left at the mercy of the panicking students trying to flee the cafeteria, no one managing to alert everyone it's just the press until Nejire and Yuyu show up later. As a result, several of the girls end up trampled in the chaos, Koko suffering the worst of it after being knocked to the ground.
- Thanks to having unlocked Black Whip and not simply breaking his bones to use One For All, Izuku doesn't gain a reputation as a "mad man" during the Sports Festival, nor are Midnight and Cementoss as ready to try and intervene to stop him from hurting himself. He instead gains the moniker of the "Prince" of 1-X thanks to being the only boy in the class, and his effective yet respectful behavior when facing his opponents.
- When Izuku managed to reach Shoko and convince her to use her fire, thanks to Shoko's Adaptation Personality Change making her more Hot-Blooded beneath her icy exterior, she doesn't anchor herself to the ground during their final clash, sending both Izuku and Shoko out of the arena and into the walls. The both of them actually try to get up and keep going, but Midnight ruled the match a draw rather than let them continue injuring themselves.
- Recursive Fanfiction: 1-X was inspired by the one-shot Belonging by SonnieCelanna, sharing a similar initial premise of having Izuku in a class full of girls with a female pro-hero as his teacher who placed him in said class out of concern Aizawa would treat him poorly, and several of the students from the canon 1-A gender flipped to fill out the Class roster, including Shoto Todoroki and Eijiro Kirishima. Whereas Belonging had Kaoruko Awata/Bubble Girl as his homeroom teacher and had gender flips of Tenya Iida, Denki Kaminari, and Minoru Mineta, 1-X has Ryuko Tatsuma/Ryukyu as his homeroom teacher and has gender flips of Koji Koda, Fumikage Tokoyami, Rikido Sato, and Hanta Sero.
- Scars Are Forever: Ochako gets a scar across her left eye following the USJ, reaching down to right above her cheekbone. The scar, combined with her more openly showing her Kansai accent and more Hot-Blooded demeanor, is noted to make her more intimidating.
- Take a Third Option: When Stain is brought down by Izuku, Ochako, and Shoko, Tatsuma tells Izuku that having people learn they did it could cause people to lose faith in heroes if three hero students could pull it off when experienced heroes couldn't, so she suggests two options: attribute the entire thing to an anonymous underground hero or claim that he was just found incapacitated. Izuku instead suggests revealing the truth and playing up the fact that they are first years, because, if this is what they can do now, what will they be able to do when they are stronger?
- Took a Level in Kindness: After the Sports Festival, Aizawa acknowledges his mistakes in underestimating Izuku and sends an internship offer to him.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Following the USJ, while it's mentioned that Ochako and Futako were taken to the hospital for their injuries, no mention is given as to the status of Thirteen. While it's later said that there were no hero casualties at the USJ, Thirteen's condition is left unsaid, leaving unclear if she was hospitalized too like in canon, or made it out of the USJ unscathed this time.
