Boku no Hero Academia: Symbol of Terror

by Raja-Ulat

This is a story concept/summary of a villain Izuku who has a hidden quirk. It is based on one of my earlier works and I would like to offer this one to anyone who wants to write a different kind of villain Izuku story.

Boku no Hero Academia: Symbol of Terror (Story Concept/Summary)

Disclaimer: This is a mature-rated fanfiction story concept/summary of Boku no Hero Academia that I am writing for fun. Needless to say, this story is AU, the characters may seem OOC to some and there will be implied violence. Also, I own nothing of the series other than the fanfiction stories that I make.

Character Sheet: Midoriya Izuku (a.k.a. The Quirk Ripper: Deku)

Due to his misdeeds as a brutal vigilante, who later got categorised as an S-Class villain, Izuku is required to take part in a villain rehabilitation program at U.A. High School so that he can be reintegrated back into lawful society. Given that the alternative is being forced to fight against both pro-heroes and enemy villains for the rest of his life, he agrees with a number of strict conditions which must be fulfilled.

The conditions are as follows:

The children under the Quirk Ripper's care must be provided for with Midoriya Inko as their legal guardian. They must also be housed within U.A. High School together with the Quirk Ripper and Midoriya Inko.

Villains and vigilantes, who are associated with the Quirk Ripper and wish to reform, are to be given the same opportunity for reform at U.A. High School as him. Older individuals may be given jobs instead of education.

Entrance exams for hero courses must grade not only the ability to take down villains but also the ability to cooperate with others. As for credit associated with the willingness to help others, the Quirk Ripper agrees that it should remain as a hidden point system. Skills and abilities that are not necessarily related to quirks should be given consideration by the education system as a whole.

The dangers and responsibilities of being a pro-hero, including the responsibility of helping the weak and saving the forsaken, must not be ignored in favour of the "positives" such as fame and wealth.

A clear distinction must be made between a pro-hero, which is ultimately a profession that allows quirk usage, and a true hero, which is defined by the willingness to do what is right and just.

While Izuku understands the need to earn a living, as he has to steal to provide for the children under his care, he despises heroes who do not even try to help others. He also despises people who abuse their power, be it quirks or otherwise, and people who betray their own friends and family members.

Although an infamous former villain, he has a soft spot for innocent and cute things including fluffy animals.

He has a great talent for drawing, analysing quirks and death-metal singing.

He has a tendency to be somewhat paranoid, especially when it comes to protecting the few people whom he cares for. Sadly, his paranoia is generally justified and understandable.

In terms of sadism, he is a "stone-cold" villain who is aware of his capacity feel sadistic joy in hurting the people that he despises. He makes it a point to avoid feeling anything more than grim satisfaction as he fears becoming no different from the "monsters" that he hunts down. His capacity for sadism also makes him particularly vindictive and cold towards people whom he despises.

Izuku's quirk, [Hell's Ashes], is unusual as it did not manifest until the beginning of his final year in junior high school. Prior to its first manifestation, namely the formation of a cocoon made of ashes and surrounding debris to undergo a metamorphosis, Izuku was essentially quirkless. After undergoing his metamorphosis, Izuku became a tall and lean young man with broad shoulders and well-developed muscles, short dark-green hair which got bushier as it got longer and a distinctively handsome face with freckles on his cheeks and green eyes. Although he usually wears a mask to hide his face, his closest friends and loved ones have seen his genuine smiles which has earned him the nickname: [Izuku of the Gentle Smile].

Mutation Trait: Prior to the metamorphosis, which is believed to be activated by puberty if not extreme emotional stress to the point of suffering a mental breakdown not unlike "Trigger Events" in the fictional 'Parahuman Series' webnovels, Izuku was essentially quirkless. After the metamorphosis, Izuku possesses superhuman strength, speed, stamina and durability. The metamorphosis also makes him as tall as All Might although not as muscular. In terms of basic power levels, he is half as strong as All Might in his prime. He is noted to have exceptionally dense bones and muscles and durable skin. Due to his dense bones and muscles, his body is heavier than normal and he is unable to swim.

His eyes tend to become burning blood-red orbs with wisps of red flames when he activates the other aspects of his quirk thus giving him downright hellish eyes.

Izuku is noted to have keen observational skills and analytical intellect even before his metamorphosis.

Izuku is noted to have a keen sense of danger awareness and is skilled at detecting liars. How much of it is due to his past as a victim of bullying, abuse and discrimination is unknown.

Izuku is known to be able to sense distress in others.

Izuku is known to be capable of intimidating people with his powerful presence alone. His intimidation factor grows exponentially when he starts to radiate malicious intent.

Transformation Trait: After undergoing his metamorphosis, Izuku gains the ability to transform his body into ashes, hence the name of his quirk. The transformation can be partial or complete thus giving him the ability to not only become intangible like smoke at will but also the ability to "regenerate" himself by transforming his body to an uninjured state. However, overusing the ability will inevitably cause his body to burn itself out, as in literally burning into cold inert ashes, unless he is able to somehow obtain additional "fuel" and "materials".

Izuku's "usable ashes" can never fall below human body temperature but they can become hot enough to burn like fire at the expense of burning themselves out and becoming inert.

Izuku can choose to become an [Ash Wraith] which is intangible like smoke or an [Ash Ghoul] which is a more solid form that can still change shape and flow like fine sand. He can move freely while using both forms but only his Ash Wraith form can float in the air and avoid triggering laser sensors. Due to being intangible, his Ash Wraith form cannot attack physically like his basic or Ash Ghoul forms. That being said, he can switch between Ash Ghoul and Ash Wraith forms in rapid succession when necessary. Ash Wraith is vulnerable to being blown away by powerful gusts of wind or shock-waves while Ash Ghoul is less durable than his basic form. Both forms can reform after getting scattered but Ash Wraith is significantly more vulnerable to getting scattered too widely.

Izuku can use his own "usable ashes" to create a smokescreen. Anyone inside the smokescreen will be detected by him as he can "feel" the person's presence inside it. The smokescreen can also be controlled by Izuku, thus allowing him to move it at will and, at the cost of burning itself out, become hot enough to burn. He can also "melt" into the smokescreen by transforming into his Ash Wraith form and "teleport" to anywhere within the smokescreen. He can choose to either reclaim the ashes or leave them to be scattered by the wind.

Water and cold temperatures can turn off his ability to transform but he can counter the weaknesses by making the ashes hot enough to boil water and resist the cold. However, doing so will make him lose "fuel" and "materials" even more quickly.

Izuku's ashes are known to contain DNA which is most likely his own. However, the DNA within the ashes tend to be too degraded to be of any use for identification.

Whenever he uses the transformation aspect of his quirk, his flames tend to be green and black in colour. Only his eyes possess red flames instead.

Stockpile Trait: After undergoing his metamorphosis, Izuku possesses the ability to "consume" matter by literally burning or oxidising them with his own ashes. However, he can only consume and stockpile elements that are normally found in the human body including carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, sulphur, chlorine, phosphorous, iron, calcium, sodium, potassium, copper and magnesium. After consuming the matter, he can store them in his own body for later use such as restoring his own body after suffering an injury and even create his own equipment. It is essentially an extension of the transformation trait.

By consuming suitable organic matter with his quirk, Izuku can essentially live without needing to eat or drink.

Since Izuku oxidises the materials that he consumes and stockpiles, he can safely consume materials that most would not even consider as food such as plastics, rotten meat, faecal matter and rusty needles. However, as stated before, he can only consume and stockpile elements that are normally found in the human body. As such, materials that he cannot consume or stockpile tend to be left behind as burnt or oxidised residue. Understandably, he makes sure to "sterilize" the materials that he consumes with his quirk by burning them into ashes.

Izuku does not need to use the toilet when he uses his quirk to transform his body as whatever waste products he has in his body would be oxidised and consumed by his quirk.

Emitter Trait: After undergoing his metamorphosis, Izuku possesses the ability to produce equipment from his own biomass. His equipment tend to be made of materials found in mammalian animals including leather, wool, fur, bone, ivory and sinew which may be infused with metals and carbon fibres to become even sturdier. Although unable to produce complex tools, he can create his own clothes, armour and weapons which tend to be black, grey or white in colour. It is essentially an extension of the transformation trait.

His usual clothes include a white skull-like bone mask, a black hooded leather coat with shoulder pauldrons, gauntlets and boots made of black leather with grey bone plates, a pair of black leather trousers, a black leather belt with a grey bone belt buckle, a grey woollen singlet and a pair of white woollen underpants. Other clothes include a white bone mask that covers only the lower half of his face, a helmet that covers his entire head, a black hooded woollen cloak, a black hooded woollen jacket, white woollen socks and black woollen gloves.

His weapons include shields, hammers, clubs, hooks, axes, machetes, knives, cleavers, sickles, crowbars, spears and whips. He has also been known to use bladed claws and gauntlets equipped with modified hair as "Razor Floss" weapons in place of his usual gauntlets. Although not formally trained, he has an instinctive understanding of how to best use his weapons. His favoured method of using them is to maim his enemies without killing them.

He tends to cauterize the wounds of his victims so that they would not bleed to death. As for the dismembered body parts, he tends to consume them with his quirk and has even been known to make a furnace-like "basket" on his back to "store and process" the dismembered body parts as "fuel" and "materials".

Izuku has been known to consume his own equipment to recycle them and make other kinds of equipment.

Besides creating equipment, Izuku has been known to emit blasts of hot air and even fire for various uses. This includes attacking enemies with torrents of green flames and accelerating his attacks with bursts of "exhaust". As stated before, he cannot produce complex tools but there is nothing complicated about a sturdy tube to efficiently deliver the fire, hot air and/or ballistic projectiles that he produces.

Izuku can produce surprisingly soft and fluffy fur products not unlike the furs of otters, rabbits, beavers and foxes. In fact, he has a "side-job" as a provider of quirk-produced fur, wool and leather goods. People who deal with the black market such as Giran enjoys buying such products from Izuku even though he has refused to make materials that can be used to make genuine support equipment and weapons for villains who are not affiliated with him.

Izuku has the ability to combine both the transformation and emitter aspects of his quirk to become a [Lord of Ashes]. It is essentially a version [Ash Ghoul] that is equipped with weapons and armour. However, his Lord of Ashes form is even more difficult to maintain than his basic Ash Ghoul form. The two variants of Lord of Ashes are [Grim Reaper] which is a hooded form in a robe that favours agility and [Death Knight] which is a helmeted armoured form that favours durability.

Izuku has the ability to create bones infused with chemical compounds that cause the bones to burn like white phosphorous or explode like a bomb.

Story Summary/Time-line

-Start…-

Izuku meets All Might in the same way as canon. However, All Might does not drop the Sludge Villain and Izuku wanders off to Dagobah Municipal Beach Park where he undergoes his metamorphosis. He does not return home later that day.

Worried by the fact that Izuku has not returned home, Inko calls the police later that night and, by sheer coincidence, gets into contact with Detective Naomasa. All Might later learns about Izuku's disappearance from the detective.

Detective Naomasa, who is acquainted with All Might, visits Aldera Junior High to find information about Izuku. Part of the reason why he is taking part in the investigation personally is because All Might, who feels guilty of crushing Izuku's dream to be a hero in spite of being quirkless, wants to find the boy who has gone missing and apologise to him. The detective soon learns about the bullying and abuse at the school which leads to many teachers and students having their misdeeds recorded in their permanent records if not worse. Katsuki's chances of joining U.A. High School is jeopardised as a result. This angers Katsuki greatly and he blames Izuku for the problem.

-A New Vigilante/Villain…-

A new villainous vigilante, nicknamed the Quirk Ripper, becomes known to the public due to his disturbing tendency to mutilate his victims by ripping them apart in such a way that they either become functionally quirkless or are permanently crippled. The only reason why he is not regarded as a full-fledged villain, at first, is because his victims tend to be people who use their quirks, or other forms of power and authority, to hurt others without proper or moral justification. His actions catch the attention of not only the pro-heroes and the police force but also various villainous groups such as the Shie Hassaikai, the Creature Rejection Clan and the Meta Liberation Army.

Although infamous for his brutal actions, it should be noted that the Quirk Ripper tends to be more merciful, as in simply knocking people out or scaring them into submission, to those who who commit lesser crimes such as stealing. In fact, he has been known to help "villains" who are actually desperate people who need money or other goods to stay alive or support their family members. His willingness to help such "villains", as well as attack actual pro-heroes and government officials who happen to be corrupt, quickly got him relabelled as a villain.

Few realise that the Quirk Ripper is actually Izuku who has lost his memories and tends to suffer mental and emotional distress whenever he tries to remember his past. Part of the reason why he constantly wears a mask is because his own reflection causes him distress.

Although All Might and Detective Naomasa soon have their suspicions, they agree that they should avoid publicly announcing the Quirk Ripper's "possible civilian identity". Part of the reason is because there is no way to fully confirm it without apprehending the Quirk Ripper first. They also wish to give Izuku a chance to live a normal life and prevent Inko from getting targeted by people associated with the Quirk Ripper's victims. Eventually, they reveal the possibility to Inko who reluctantly agrees that they should refrain from revealing the possible identity of the Quirk Ripper.

Other pro-heroes, including the pro-heroes who work at U.A. High School, All Might's associates and even members of the Top Ten, soon get involved in the Quirk Ripper investigation. However, in spite of the pro-heroes' best efforts, the Quirk Ripper is frustratingly good at escaping capture and generally avoids people whom he does not have any intention to attack unless they need help.

-A "Villainous" Organisation…-

The Quirk Ripper eventually settles in an infamous ghetto city known as Endoru. Located with one of the coastal areas of the Shizuoka Prefecture, it is infamous as a place where "low-class villains" gather. In truth, many of the "low-class villains" are people with freakish mutations, people with "villainous quirks" and even quirkless people. That being said, there is a notable number of criminals among them which is partly due to the fact that both pro-heroes and the police force generally avoid the area and the few that do are generally incompetent if not corrupt.

The Quirk Ripper quickly establishes himself as the new "Boss" of the city by taking down many of the villainous organisations that reside within the city. He even takes down the corrupt pro-heroes and police force in the city. His actions earn him the respect of the people in the city who simply wish to live their lives in peace without being persecuted.

The Quirk Ripper develops unlikely friendships with several people including Bubaigawara Jin, Iguchi Shuuichi, Sako Atsuhiro, Himiko Toga, Aiba Manami and Tobita Danjuurou. He even rescues children and essentially adopts them. Among them are Eri, whom he rescued from the Shie Hassaikai, children with mutation quirks from the Creature Rejection Clan, a child who has been rejected due to her mind-reading quirk and even a quirkless child from his abusive parents. They soon start to help him in his endeavours such as providing incriminating evidence of corruption and breaking into secure locations without triggering the alarms.

Lady Nagant, who is both a pro-hero and an assassin for the Hero Public Safety Commission (HPSC), is sent to kill the Quirk Ripper. However, she is easily defeated and end up joining forces with the Quirk Ripper instead due to growing tired of the corruption in the HPSC.

Shigaraki Tomura, Dabi and Stain attempt to have the Quirk Ripper recruited for their respective causes. However, the Quirk Ripper refuses to join them.

In the case of Shigaraki Tomura, the Quirk Ripper sees no point in simply destroying everything even though he sympathises with his desire to destroy everything that he despises. He also gets Tomura to consider if he truly wants to destroy everything by making him realise that a stable society is needed to allow the production of video games. He also makes Tomura question what he will do if he somehow succeeds in destroying current hero society. In the end, Tomura develops a begrudging sense of respect and understanding towards the Quirk Ripper and even starts to question his loyalty to All For One.

As for Dabi, the Quirk Ripper refuses to help him kill his younger brother, Todoroki Shouto, on the grounds that hating him is no different from hating someone for being literally born. Unlike Tomura, Dabi ends up disliking the Quirk Ripper to the point of refusing to talk to him. That being said, both Dabi and the Quirk Ripper agrees that Endeavour needs to pay for his misdeeds towards his own family.

Although the Quirk Ripper understands Stain's desire to eliminate "fake heroes", he does not believe that killing them is the best method. Instead, he believes that the best way to deal with "fake heroes" is to obtain irrefutable proof of their misdeeds and reveal it to the world. He also scoffs as Stain's belief that All Might is the ideal hero due to having the subconscious awareness that All Might, while an undeniably great hero, is still a flawed person in the end. Stain did not take the Quirk Ripper's opinion of All Might well but he could respect the Quirk Ripper's willingness to not readily trust pro-heroes until they prove themselves to be worthy.

As the Quirk Ripper needs to keep the children under his care fed, clothed and happy, the he decides to start stealing from others. He makes it a point to leave either apologetic "I.O.U. Tokens" or evidence of corruption in any business that he steals from. He even steals from various villainous organisations and pro-heroes. As for why he refuses to simply let the pro-heroes help the children, he has an instinctive distrust towards the current government in spite of his lost memories. His other method of earning money is to produce wool, fur and leather products for other people to use which is still illegal due to the involvement of unauthorised quirk usage.

-The Symbol of Terror…-

Due to the Quirk Ripper's actions, specifically his tendency to cripple his victims' quirks and steal money from people who are coincidentally affiliated with the Meta Liberation Army, the Meta Liberation Army decides to eliminate him. However, as direct attacks often result in dead ends and crippled members, the Meta Liberation Army decides to attack the people who know him. Thankfully, the Meta Liberation Army is unable to successfully kidnap or harm anyone either due to being heavily protected (such as Inko who has pro-hero protection) or due to being able to fight back (such as most of the people who has befriended the Quirk Ripper).

In retaliation to the deliberate attack by the Meta Liberation Army, the Quirk Ripper challenges the leaders of the group and attacks Deika City by himself. To the horror of many, including the pro-heroes who later found out, he effectively destroys not only the leadership of the Meta Liberation Army but even the very spirit of their ideology. Consumed by negative emotions and partially-recalled memories, the Quirk Ripper makes a declaration to the world and renames himself as the Quirk Ripper: Deku. His declaration earns him a number of nicknames: The Anti-Might, The Demon of Deika, The Breaker of Armies, The Harbinger of Pain and The Symbol of Terror.

Among the people crippled by the Quirk Ripper are the leaders of the Meta Liberation Army and roughly a third of their "soldiers". Many of the crippled victims have been rendered functionally quirkless while the truly unlucky ones have been reduced to "blind and deaf human torsos with missing tongues and limbs". Even those who have not been not physically harmed by the Quirk Ripper are traumatised by his actions and words to the point of needing therapy.

Due to the Deku's declaration, everyone who knows Midoriya Izuku's infamous nickname, Deku, realises his identity. Katsuki is unable to accept that Izuku is the infamous Quirk Ripper. As for the students and teachers of Aldera Junior High, many of them fear that Deku will soon begin to hunt them down.

-Conflict With Pro-Heroes…-

The Hero Public Safety Commission, police force and pro-heroes are forced to deal with the fallout of Deku's declaration which has shaken hero society to its very core. During that time, Deku demands a challenge against the top ten pro-heroes of Japan. He wants fight against each pro-hero in a one-to-one match from the tenth rank to the top rank.

If Deku defeats five of the top ten pro-heroes, he will be given the right to rule over Endoru without unwanted interference from both the Japanese Government and the leaders of other countries. If he somehow defeats all top ten pro-heroes instead, he will not only be allowed to rule over Endoru as previously stated but also be "promoted" as the new No.1 pro-hero in all of Japan. If the pro-heroes refuse to accept his challenge, he will personally hunt down and "interrogate" all the students and teachers of Aldera Junior High to find out more about the truth of his "upsetting past" and will take down anyone and anything that stand in his way.

Having no other choice, the top ten pro-heroes agree to the challenge. Left unsaid is that some of them, including All Might, hope to use the challenge as a chance to convince Deku to stop his villainy.

A duel between Deku and various pro-heroes ensues. To the horror of many, Deku is able to defeat most of them. In fact, only All Might is able to defeat him and that is partly due to Deku being unwilling to use lethal force against the pro-heroes. Deku also subconsciously avoids attacking All Might's injured side in spite of having no memories of meeting the man.

During the fight, All Might is inspired by Deku's reluctance to attack his injured side and so reveals his true form to appeal to Deku's better nature. The revelation caused Deku to fully remember his past as Midoriya Izuku and, more importantly, the fact that he still has his mother who loves him. Shaken by the fact that he has effectively forsaken his own mother due to a moment of weakness, combined with his reluctance to become a pro-hero by sheer ruthless might alone, Izuku is defeated by All Might.

Although All Might succeeds in defeating Deku, his true form is revealed to the rest of the world. Even so, All Might cares little of the revelation as he only wants to help Izuku and atone for what he has said to him.

It should be noted that Deku defeats Endeavour by telling him that Todoroki Touya (a.k.a. Dabi) is still alive and hates him enough to be willing to kill Shouto just to spite him while on fighting on live television.

-Aftermath…-

It is later revealed that Izuku has made the challenge to the top ten pro-heroes to not only protect the people of Endoru from possible retaliation from both enemy villains and pro-heroes but also to drive the point that "might does not make right". After all, if only power is needed to be a pro-hero, Deku is technically already eligible to be one of the top ten pro-heroes in all of Japan in spite of causing fear in its civilian populace instead of hope. Izuku also hates the idea of becoming a pro-hero in spite of his crimes due to being extremely powerful because it only proves to the world that all the people who have abused him are right about power being the only thing that matters to be a hero.

Both All Might and Inko are surprised by Izuku's willingness to forgive them as he knows that they ultimately mean well even though they have not supported his dream to be a hero in spite of being quirkless at the time. However, Izuku refuses to forsake the people whom he has come to see as his friends and loved ones even if it means remaining as a villain who rules over Endoru with an iron first for the rest of his life. Thankfully, Nedzu is willing to offer Izuku a suggestion.

An agreement is made between Izuku, Nedzu, the police force and the Hero Public Safety Commission. Izuku will be given a chance to study in U.A. High School and become a proper pro-hero. In exchange, the Izuku's friends and loved ones will be allowed to study or work at U.A. High School under the condition that they stop committing crimes.

The rest, as they say, is history…

Izuku's Quotes:

-To the Meta Liberation Army-

You claim that what I do is evil and unjust.

Yet you strive for the complete deregulation of quirk usage, for the 'freedom' to use your powers however you wish without fear of the consequences.

This 'freedom' that you speak off is, in truth, simply a hollow excuse for you and those like you to use your powers without restraint, wisdom and responsibility.

What is villainy and evil if not the abuse of power for one's own benefit regardless of the pain and suffering it will cause to others?

So tell me, what makes my actions any different from your so-called righteous ideals?

After all, am I not using my powers as I see fit?

To destroy as I wish without remorse?

How can you claim that your cause is just when I'm doing exactly what you want your followers to do?

Granted, I am using my 'power and freedom' to destroy YOU instead of your so-called 'oppressors and inferiors' but that's honestly an insignificant detail in my opinion.

After all, what is freedom if not the ability to make my own decisions, to choose my own path regardless of what others may think of me as a result?

Now, since we're currently… 'debating' about the morality of my actions, here's a question that you should be asking yourselves: Are my actions unjust or is your cause just?

…

It's quite simple, really.

My question leaves you with two answers to choose from.

You can either denounce my actions as evil, thereby acknowledging your cause as evil as well, or continue claiming that your cause is just, thereby acknowledging my actions as just as well.

As I have said before, I am doing exactly what you want your own followers to do. To use my quirk as I wish even if it causes pain and suffering. The only real difference is that YOU are the ones who are suffering because of MY choices.

…

Insane, you say?

Perhaps, but I like to think that I'm a necessary evil to create a just world.

-To Hero Society…-

I am.

Through my circumstances and choices, I am.

Though I have endured a forgotten past of loneliness and suffering, I am here.

I am a villain of a 'hero society' that ultimately values power and glory over morality and righteousness.

You have expected me to remain as worthless trash, doomed to die alone and unloved in a world where men are not born equal.

Yet here I am, standing before you all in defiance of your biased expectations of me.

I am the ripper of quirks, the breaker of wills and the monument of all your sins.

To all who abuse their power without remorse, beware my ruthless wrath.

Tales of consequences shall be inspired by your broken remains.

I am the Quirk Ripper.

Once a boy forsaken by this 'hero society'.

I am Deku.

I. Am. Here!

-To Pro-Heroes (1)…-

There are people in this world who hate and hurt others simply because they can and people whose desires go beyond any semblance sanity let alone morality.

When facing such individuals, the only thing that can be done to stop them without destroying them, breaking them or locking them away forever is to make them live in fear of the consequences.

However, it cannot be an ordinary fear that can be overcome by resentment and hatred.

No, it must be a primal terror so great that they would rather die than face it.

-To Pro-Heroes (2)…-

You know, for a 'society of heroes', I can't help but notice that its people seem to favour 'pro-heroes' over 'true heroes'.

What's the difference, you ask?

In my honest opinion, 'true heroes' are people who protect the innocent, uplift the weak, guide the lost, inspire the hopeless, mend the broken and vanquish the evil not because they will be rewarded but simply because they want to help people and make the world a better place.

In other words, there should be no reason why a weak person, including a quirkless person, cannot be deemed as a true hero or at least a good person who is worthy of being acknowledged as long as the person does what is right and helps others.

Granted, a weak person may never be able to achieve greatness but we're talking about genuinely moral actions here, NOT great feats of power or ability.

'Pro-heroes', on the other hand, are ultimately just people who take up heroics as a mere profession, a job that no one will willingly take up if they do not receive their dues be it in payment, fame or both.

Admittedly, there are genuinely good people among pro-heroes, but, even if we ignore the possibility that at least some of them are merely 'false idols' who lack the morals necessary to even deserve to be called good people, let alone 'true heroes', there is no denying that society as a whole has been favouring power over morality.

After all, even after forgetting more than decade of my own past, I can still perfectly recall the tragic fact that I once wanted to help others but was never given the chance to even try simply because I was deemed as a 'worthless Deku'.

-To Pro-Heroes (3)…-

If a pro-hero's greatest value is power, then I think it's reasonable for me to consider myself qualified for the job, don't you think?

After all, I have just defeated most of your top ten pro-heroes without resorting to crippling them permanently.

There's also the fact that, brutal and unlawful methods aside, I've helped to rid society of the abusive, the villainous and the corrupt.

-To Hero Society (Take 2)…-

People of this 'hero society', are you not entertained by this latest spectacle of violence?!

Are you not thrilled to witness the strong crushing the weak yet again?!

Will you not cheer in sheer adoration of my overwhelming might?!

…

Are you by any chance silent because I am a villain who has defeated your pro-heroes, the 'supposedly unbeatable' champions of your society?

Are you perhaps horrified by the realisation that the person whom you have rejected and deemed as worthless for years has finally started fighting back with his own overwhelming power?

Some say that everyone deserves a chance to redeem themselves but… as you can probably tell by my deeds as a villain, I don't give second chances so readily.

So tell me, how many of you are prepared to suffer the consequences of your past actions as a society?

-To the authorities…-

Do you honestly expect me, a victim of ten years of discrimination and abuse, to trust you and the enforcers of your rule?

The authorities of a society that sees nothing wrong with abusing and forsaking people who lack desirable quirks or are quirkless?

The very same authorities that are either incompetent or complicit enough that a quirk-obsessed cult such as the Meta Liberation Army was able to have influence in nearly all levels of your societal order?

The very same 'people' who literally sent an unwilling assassin to kill me?

You'll have to forgive me for being… doubtful of your ability and desire to actually help the 'worthless rejects' of society like myself.

-Ally of Justice…-

I'm no true hero or ally of justice.

If I was, I wouldn't have resorted to crippling my victims or driving them to despair so readily and without remorse.

In fact, I'm the kind of villain who will readily destroy lives for the sake of protecting the few people whom I love and care for.

The only reasons why I don't consider myself as the worst kind of villain there is are because I happen to be the type that easily gets sympathetic towards people who genuinely need help and has a strong desire to not disappoint my loved ones.

…

You know, there was a time when I was genuinely willing to help others even at my own expense.

However, as one of the 'few' that has been forsaken in favour of the 'many' in society, my priorities have… shifted somewhat.

Call me selfish if you wish, but I refuse to sacrifice myself to help those who will not even bother to be grateful for my help even if they form the majority of this 'hero society'.

-To the people of Aldera Junior High (1)-

Tell me, what exactly did you "mean to happen"?

Did you mean to drive me to "taking a swan dive off a roof and pray for a quirk in my next life"?

Perhaps you meant to drive me into becoming miserable for the rest of my life or even insane due to being constantly told that I would amount to nothing?

Maybe you even thought that you should be deemed as 'free of sin' simply because you only made fun of someone who was deemed as worthless as a result of a condition he was literally born with.

…

Silence…!

For years, I have been forced to stay silent while you mock me for being born the way I am.

Now YOU will listen and I SHALL talk.

-To the people of Aldera Junior High (2)-

Tell me, are you apologising to the boy I used to be or to the villain that I am now?

…

It's quite simple really.

Would any of you even consider apologising to me if I had remained as the powerless boy that I used to be instead of becoming the villain that I am now?

…

Of course it matters.

After all, there is difference between feeling genuine guilt and simply wanting to avoid the consequences of your past actions.

…

For years, you have called me worthless trash for being a quirkless boy who wanted to be a hero to help others.

However, if my past self was indeed worthless thrash, what does that make you? People who think that they are 'worthy' to become heroes in spite of abusing those who are weaker than you and lacking the courage to accept the truth of your own faults?

Here's my personal opinion about people like you.

You, all of you, are scum even lower than worthless trash.

-To the people of Aldera Junior High (3)-

By the way, did you know that Christians believe that people who commit suicide are damned to suffer forever in hell regardless of whether or not they have committed any other sins?

Assuming that the Christian version of damnation is true, it basically means that even the purest and most innocents of souls are sent to hell simply because they have chosen to commit suicide instead of continuing to live a life of pain and misery.

As for Buddhists, it is often believed that people are often punished for their sins in their previous lives by being forced to suffer in their current lives. Why, it is not unusual for people to be reborn as animals as punishment for their past sins.

…

True, not all of you are religious. However, do you seriously believe that you will be able to avoid the consequences of your past actions by committing suicide?

-To Katsuki (Katsuki does not attend U.A. High School but is given a chance to reform in a separate hero school due to being the son of family friends)…-

By the way, Bakugou Katsuki, I should probably congratulate you for being… born lucky.

After all, not only are you born with a powerful and flashy quirk you are also the son of people whom both my mother and I genuinely care about.

So not only have you been given praise by basically everyone, including myself, and have been allowed to torment me without consequences for ten years, you have even been graced with a chance to somehow turn your live around in spite of everything that has happened lately. Why, you have even succeeded in making me give up on my old dream of being a hero like All Might in spite of being quirkless at the time.

True, All Might was the final nail in the coffin and I have gained a powerful quirk but can you honestly claim that I have even a half-decent chance of being a well-liked pro-hero let alone the next "Symbol of Peace"?

It must be such a 'shame' that making me finally give up on my dream of becoming a hero like All Might came at a much higher cost than expected.

…

Mocking you? Perhaps I am.

However, it is not as though I am lying to anyone, including YOU.

-End Chapter-

Author's Notes:

This story is based on one of my one-shot stories: 'Boku no Hero Academia: Tales of Heroism'. Specifically: 'Tale 4.1: Metamorphic Hero Izuku'.

Inspirations, ideas and useful materials for quotes, characters and even locations include:

- Naruto (especially the 'lower than thrash' part)

- Nobody Dies (an Evangelion fanfiction that I read long ago: /Fanfic/NobodyDies)

- Kotoura-san (for the girl who can read minds: /Manga/KotouraSan)

- Made in Abyss (for the mutant children rescued from the Creature Rejection Clan: /Manga/MadeInAbyss)

- Parahuman Series (for the 'Trigger Event': /Literature/Worm)

- Star Wars (Namely Endoru City which is named after Endor)

- Get Backers (for the idea of a run-down city: /Manga/GetBackers)

- Pumpkin Night (for additional ideas of relatable villains and corrupt authority figures: /Manga/PumpkinNight)

- Zombie Land Saga (who better to run a red-light district site than Yugiri: /Anime/ZombieLandSaga)

Until next time, go beyond, plus ultra!