Sometime ago...

"Hello there, everybody! Welcome back to Late Night Live with Lily Thompson!" A tall, beautiful blonde woman with blue eyes wearing a black mini dress announced cheerfully, "But today, we have a very special guest tonight! And you won't believe who it is! It's none other than Viridi! The World's Famous Vigilante and the Greatest Detective!"

Said Vigilante/Detective is currently sitting on the couches of the stage (Izuku's vigilante costume is that of Ronin but has a Batman-like bodysuit underneath. It's basically very dark-green with black linings.). An applause is heard in the background as the woman makes her way to the opposite couch, looking very excited herself.

"I must say, all of us were very surprised when you agreed to our request for an interview. Why did you agreed to it, Mr. Viridi?" Lily asks.

"A friend of mine persuaded me to it. They told me that it would be better for me if I made my intentions known so people would have a clear idea for the purpose of my activities." He told her casually, his voice modifier on, making it slightly deep and distorted.

She nodded at his answer, understanding of his use of the word 'they' instead of a specific gender, "If you don't mind, is it okay to ask several questions?"

Viridi simply shrugged, "Isn't that why I'm here?"

She giggled at his cheekiness before finally starting, "What made you become a vigilante?"

"That's the question everyone wants to know, isn't it? Why become an illegal hero when you can become a licensed one? However, many people become vigilantes because of one shared belief."

"And that is...?"

"The desire to help others. Sounds cliché, but it's the truth. Many of us believe that one doesn't need to be licensed simply to help others. In fact, it's common knowledge among us that people become Pro Heroes for fame and money." He said.

Lily nodded sadly, "Unfortunately, that is a fact."

"But that isn't all that bad. While the true meaning of being a hero has been tarnished once it became a profession, as long as Pro Heroes continue to prioritize saving lives instead of fighting villains first, I'm fine with it."

"Even if their desires are only for fame and money?"

"Like I said, being a hero is a job now, unfortunately. But greed is part of human nature and there's not a single thing we can do to change that."

"I see. But if you would have the opportunity to become a licensed hero, would you take it?"

Viridi seemed to think about for a few moments before answering, "Yes, I would."

"Why is that?"

"Whether I like it or not, there's no denying that it has its advantages. While being a vigilante certainly grants more freedom of access, it's the laws against vigilantes that prevents us from effectively doing our work and we always have to run from the police right after we defeat a villain, but I may be an exception of that. However, becoming a Pro Hero means that others would be more willing to cooperate with me and that the government would no longer have to send the police or heroes after me while I'm doing that is supposedly their job. America is one of the few countries that are actually a bit more lax with their laws, hence the continuous crusade of Spider-Man."

The woman nodded at his answer before remembering a certain part of his statement, "An exception?"

Lily could almost swear that she can feel the vigilante smile, "According to the laws, a vigilante is someone who uses their quirks without a license, am I right?"

The blonde tilted her head, "Yes...?"

"However, in this specific situation, what if that 'vigilante' does not even have a quirk to use for their daily activities?"

Silence.

"A-Are you saying you're..."

Viridi nodded.

Outside of the screen, everyone who was watching the show gaped at the reveal.

"T-That's... That's amazing! A quirkless vigilante and detective!? You're like some of the Avengers!" Lily's excitement nearly blew the eardrums of the cameramen.

Viridi chuckled in amusement, "I'm flattered by your praise. This is why I settled in New York for now."

Lily immediately stomped down her excitement and awkwardly cleared her throat, "Um, why here?"

He then sighed, "America has the highest percentage of quirkless in the world. This is the reason why America is one of the most advanced countries in the world, second only to Wakanda, as they rely much more on technology than quirks. I'm just glad that the quirkless aren't being put down by others simply because of their lack of quirk. Unlike in Japan..."

"Japan? Are you Japanese?" Lili asks curiously.

Viridi nodded, "I'll be honest right now. I actually grew up in Japan until I left there but it wasn't easy. Despite having the lowest crime rate in the world thanks to All Might, there are lots of equality issues there, especially discrimination. Once everyone learned that I was diagnosed as quirkless, they all turned their backs against me. All my former friends started to bully me, always telling me that I can't be a hero without a quirk, that being quirkless is equivalent to useless. My teachers didn't care, they ignored my cries for help and just watched the discrimination happen in front of their eyes. Even when I try to report the bullying, they'll just pin the blame on me by saying that I provoked my bullies even though I never even talked to them." The woman gasped at that, "They often exclude me in simple activities because they didn't think that a quirkless could keep up with his other peers."

"That's awful! Those people should have been fired!" Lily angrily said.

"I completely agree but I was just a child back then, powerless and naive. No one would believe a word from a quirkless child because they think that not having a quirk is a disability." Viridi said sadly, "I did a lot of research for a long time because I knew that it wasn't just me experiencing these unfair hardships."

Lily nodded in silence solemnly.

"Out of all the countries, Japan has the highest rate of quirkless suicides. At least 70% of the quirkless who committed suicide are teens, ranging from middle school to high school. The reasons for this are all the same: Bullying and Discrimination." Her eyes widened in horror, "In fact, it's not just the quirkless who have it tough."

"Who are the others?" She asks, seemingly knowing what's he going to say

"People with weak or so-called 'villainous' quirks. Most of those with mental or blood-related quirks become criminals simply because society didn't like them. People tend to overlook the usefulness of the quirk underneath the 'scary' or 'weak' appearance, always judging the book by its cover."

"I can relate to that." Lily admitted, "My quirk, Night Vision, allows me to see clearly in the darkness. But they told me that kind of quirk is weak and isn't useful for heroism."

"Then those people are fools." Viridi bluntly stated, surprising the woman, "While it isn't a quirk for physical combat, Night Vision is clearly useful for reconnaissance. Being able to see in the dark allows you to easily locate ally or enemy. In other words, your quirk is useful for strategic and spy purposes."

Lily blushed at his statement regarding her quirk, "T-Thank you!"

"Japan isn't the only one having these problems, there are plenty of other countries as well. Quirks have dictated society. Having a strong and flashy quirk basically means you're destined for greatness while those who have weak quirks and quirkless are left in the sidelines. Do not even try to deny that quirks basically determines your social status."

Lily was very intrigued and let him continue without interruption.

"Quirks are also what is hindering humanity's development. People become so reliant on quirks that they don't even consider help from anything else. In fact, the only reason America is so technologically advanced because half of the population don't have any quirks to rely on. They had to rely on something else. Iron Man is a prime example of this. A quirkless but natural genius who used his money and tech to become the hero he is today."

In a certain tower, Tony Stark, Pepper Potts and Happy Hogan were watching the interview. Tony couldn't help but laugh in delight at the mention of his name, much to Happy's annoyance.

Viridi turned towards the screen, "To everyone who is currently watching this, I will just let you know that Quirks are not everything. Those who have been cast aside, quirkless or not, do not let difference stop you. Let them call you 'weak', 'useless', 'villainous', because they are people who are ignorant of your potential. If you have the drive to prove them wrong, show them what you're made of and send those words back at them!"

The hostess and cameramen's cheers were the only sounds that could be heard before the show was cut into the commercial.

The interview had exploded in the media all over the world. It turns out, it was also live in the internet and it racked up to a hundred million of views. In the following days after the interview, Japan has been heavily called out regarding their discrimination problems, with many people (which some are quirkless) confirming about Viridi's statement.

In an attempt to prevent public outrage, the government implemented anti-discrimination laws not only to those with quirks that are considered 'weak' or 'villainous', but also to the quirkless. As a result, at least 300 schools, including orphanages and companies, were sued, some of them even closed down, this only also proved the vigilante's point. Many heroes also supported this cause, as they have been victims in the past as well. Some of the top pro heroes, which were All Might, Hawks, Edgeshot and Ryukyu, publicly voiced their disgust by this unfair treatment due to the difference in quirks and supported the anti-discrimination.

One of the very recent cases of this problem was when a middle school in Musutafu, Aldera, was sued and fined due to rumors of quirkless discrimination, which were confirmed by a second-year quirkless girl who stayed anonymous. Another instance was in Nabu Middle School where another second-year student was discriminated due to having a brainwashing quirk and was often blamed by other students until Detective Tsukauchi had put a stop to it.

To say that Viridi is a prominent figure is an understatement. He soon became an inspiring figure to many people and was regarded as the person to have given them the courage to stand up for themselves. There was also another thing that he generously gave...

Hope.

Our vigilante boi made a bigger impact than we thought! :D

Izuku's speech in the last part was inspired from Sora's speech in No Game No Life.