In a Superhuman Society

by Stonecreek

A world with quirks means its people are wind up rather quirky. Whether heroes, villains, or somewhere in-between, every BnHA character deserves to have their story told. These are but tiny 100-word snippets of their lives, told one a day, every day, in 2023. Newest chapter: Mina Ashido is a vivacious hero in training. She's equally enthusiastic about her classmates' love lives.

133. Neito Monoma (Phantom Thief)

A.N. — Today there are two birthday characters to choose from. One's seen his popularity poll ranking steadily go up, the other has mostly gone the other way. So I took pity on the latter individual, someone who (like his quirk) is often reviled but pretty dang useful. No pity party here — happy birthday, Neito Monoma!

133. Neito Monoma/Phantom Thief

Neito knew he was alienating Class 1-A and his own class with his antagonistic attitude — he wasn't stupid. He had to be pretty smart, in fact, to properly utilize his quirk. Neito viewed it all as an act: his debut performance as the Phantom Thief.

With a "villainous" quirk like Copy, plus choosing a hero name that sounded nefarious, Neito had planned his whole persona around the grief he got and throwing it back in people's faces. Spite was a powerful motivator. Every jeer was mentally catalogued and built on, to make Neito a more informed and effective do-gooder.