Chapter 2: Writing a (Bad) OC Insert
Welcome to the next chapter of this guide. This one is for those who love the My Hero Academia cast and want to create a character so they can be part of the story. So, here's how to (badly) write a self insert student!
The Basics
First, the OC will need a name. As My Hero Academia is set in Japan, let's give them a name that isn't Japanese. We'll justify it by saying they're American or something. A foreign OC could raise interesting questions such as, "How have Quirks impacted their country?", "How does heroing differ between there and Japan?", or "How are they adjusting to living in Japan and learning the language?" But, we'll throw away that story potential because that would be extra work.
Next, what do they look like? Be sure to explain with a multi-paragraph info dump in the first chapter. Bonus points if you have them look at a mirror to do it.
If the OC's male, you've got to make him manly. Make him at least six feet tall, a totally standard height for a fifteen-year-old boy. Six-pack abs are encouraged. Now, you might be tempted to think, "What elements of appearance best reflect my character and their background? Maybe I should have them wear bright colors to indicate they are loud and cheerful, or have them wear worn clothes to show that their funds are low." No. Stop! He's supposed to be cool! So, shove in all the "cool" traits you can think of to make him look the part. Spiky hair? Heterochromia? The color black? Military-grade boots? Whatever you can think of. And remember, regardless of what definition of cool he fits, girls who see him will swoon, while guys who see him will look on with envy.
Now, if the OC is a female, it's a little different. Instead of "cool," the traits we want to shove in are typically "beautiful" and "cute." Occasionally "goffic." You'll be damned if all the training she does gives her muscles, spoiling her femininity somehow. And never say she has long blue hair. Say she voluminous locks of shimmering oceanic perfection that make her the envy of all other girls. Pay extra special attention to her clothing. Be sure every outfit she wears is described in paragraphs of detail, even if you interrupt a firefight to do it.
Then, there's the personality. The most important part of a character that, done well, can get readers to relate to them... said no one. You don't want to think too hard on this. If you must, just slap something together and state everything about their personality in the first chapter. Don't worry about following up on it and have them actually act "nice" or "hard working" or whatever.
One quick solution is to base their personality off yourself. Since good characters have flaws, and real people have flaws, there's nothing that could go wrong, right? Real people are all very self aware and willing to expose their shortcomings in a story, I'm sure. This has the added benefit of allowing you to channel whatever you're feeling. Did you just go through a breakup? Stop the narrative to have your OC take it out on those around them!
Last basic thing is the Quirk, the brand of superpower that makes My Hero Academia stand out. In the story, you've weak Quirks, like Ojiro's tail, and you've got top tier stuff, like Bakugo's explosions and Todoroki's fire and ice. Aim big, aim for the top tier and beyond! Your character, after all, is the best. Give them the best Quirk, even if the Quirk sounds nothing like what other characters have. Don't listen to the readers who say it'd be refreshing to see an OC who relies on something other than sheer power for once.
The Narrative
I suppose your OC does need some sort of backstory. If you want to make one fast, here's the perfect solution: Hijack the backstory of Midoriya and Bakugo! That part where Midoriya protects the kid from Bakugo and his lackeys? Have your character show up there! This gives them the perfect opportunity to hog the spotlight by scaring off Bakugo. They even get to beat All Might to the "You can be a hero" part.
In fact, you can fill out a lot of your chapters by lifting scenes straight from the manga/anime and shoving your character into them.
The scene of Midoriya and Bakugo in middle school? The OC can be in their class.
The practical exam? Have the OC come across a girl who's pinned under the rubble, with the zero-pointer coming right for her. No déjà vu here, people. Be sure to smash the robot to pieces, too.
The fitness tests? Have them speak up in support of Aizawa's threat to expel last place. Yes, cool points to OC and whiner points to everyone else. It isn't like someone with a Quirk that doesn't help with any of those tests (cough, cough, Tooru) has a right to be nervous.
The Canon Characters
First is Midoriya. Regardless of whether Midoriya's just a classmate, a friend, a boyfriend, or a sibling, there's not much to say here. With your OC taking over the narrative, there won't be much for him to do.
What your OC can do with him is be there to shield him from everything – injuries, Bakugo, everything. Just like a helicopter parent. Maybe even a romantic helicopter par- oh, that's creepy. Make sure to sprinkle in a bit of encouragement, like, "I know you can do it, Midoriya!" Advice, which, coming from someone with a Quirk strong enough to compete with Bakugo or Todoroki, does not come off as shallow one bit. Does your OC ever take inspiration from him, as many of his classmates do? Nah, probably not – your OC is too busy being cool.
Next is Bakugo. Much like a good chunk of the My Hero Academia fanbase, your character can take one of two attitudes towards him. They can either hate him instantly, or they can love him instantly.
If they hate him, beat him up. Never mind that he's set up as the strongest student in the class. There's always that pedestal that you can put your OC up onto. Having Bakugo get tossed around like a ragdoll won't detract from his complicated relationship with Midoriya, and the challenge he poses to him. (In all seriousness, it'd be interesting to see an OC that hates Bakugo's behavior, resulting in them trying but failing to beat him up.)
If she likes him, have her constantly follow him around, annoy him, and argue with him. Never give a reason why she's so intent on pursuing him; his secondary main character status will be plenty enough. The plethora of fights they will get into is a sign of a healthy relationship.
There's also Todoroki, another common romantic interest for OCs. With all his baggage given his family situation, he's a perfect match for characters with their own set of baggage. Lots of baggage, huh? Hope it doesn't strain the relationship, like baggage tends to do! When dealing with a Todoroki x OC relationship, make sure to focus on all the OC's baggage, and never Todoroki's. Quite the equal relationship, if I say so myself.
Next are the female students.
If your OC is a boy, guess what? All the girls are interested in him! Yes, they're going to be all over your OC, despite there being over twice as many male hero students as potential alternate romantic interests. (No joke, there are six girls and fourteen boys in 1-A, and similar applies to 1-B). Feel free to change what little we do know about them. Have Momo become extremely smitten when he complements her appearance, even though he's no doubt not the first guy who's made a move on her, and that she prides herself in her intelligence more. Turn the spunky and energetic Ashido into a crybaby for some reason. Anything to make them more dependent on your character.
If your OC is a girl, writing them is easy! As a writer, you can ignore them. It's not like your OC will ever approach them as friends. They're going to be far too busy chasing down the boy that you-I mean they, are crushing on.
Now is time to talk about is Mineta. Beat. Mineta. Up. He's a controversial character, meaning that if you say anything less than that he's a dangerous creep who should be expelled and arrested, you'll lose readers and get banned from fansites. This is especially important if you've written your OC to accidentally touch boobs and have all the girls throw themselves at him for shallow reasons. You have to convince your readers you're not a pervert.
Last are the side characters, like Sero, Shoji, Aoyama, Koda, and so forth, stop. Nobody cares about those guys nor their vague to nonexistent backstories and basic personalities that would be nice molding clay for a writer interested in taking their OC insert story into a different direction.
Ending Notes
And that is how you (badly) write a self insert student. A disclaimer, just because I poked fun at something here doesn't necessarily mean its bad. Consider it more an, "I often see these things done bad." I hope you enjoyed!