Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Behold: The Playlist (on YT Music)

From The Birth Of Our Two Protagonists (yes, literally) Until Right Before The Sludge Villain Incident

In brief explanation: this first playlist isn't super eventful, it's mainly outlining the progression of Katsuki and Izuku's relationship. It's a prologue, of sorts - a way to explain why their personalities were the way they were at the beginning of the story. Since I feel like Katsuki and Izuku's family situations are a big part of the reason they turned out the way they did, I started off the playlist with songs about their moms. There's also quite a bit about All Might, since he had such a heavy influence on their early childhood

1. Lullaby, The Chicks - Inko's reaction to having a baby (Izuku) and all her hopes and plans for his future
2. Hawk In The Night, Madds Buckley - Okay, I'm aware that the artist probably intended this song to be about Hawks. I mean, the word "Hawk" is literally in the title. But the first time I heard it, I honestly thought it was supposed to be Mitsuki singing. To me, it perfectly captures Mitsuki's attitude towards raising Katsuki
3. Unstoppable, New Politics - The way baby Katsuki viewed All Might
4. I'll Be There, Jackson 5 - The way baby Izuku viewed All Might
5. Holding Out For A Hero, Bonnie Tyler - The way All Might actually was (so much the stereotypical hero that he's basically a meme). Undeniably heroic, but also a little silly
6. Heroes And Friends, Randy Travis - The lessons that Izuku learned from watching All Might as a child
7. Hero, Machinae Supremacy - The wildly different (though not necessarily less accurate) lessons that Katsuki learned from watching All Might as a child
8. Hello Goodbye, The Cure - Katsuki and Izuku's personalities are naturally so opposite that they're unable to find a middle ground on absolutely anything, leaving them frustrated and confused when trying to deal with each other
9. Mister Glassman, Scotty Sire - Izuku's shy and insecure personality as a child
10. Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood, The Animals - This song's a bit more of a stretch, but it's the closest I could find to Katsuki's childhood. At his heart, he always viewed himself as a hero and wanted to be viewed as one by others, but his own temper and bad behavior led him to act unheroically. That disconnect, between the way he viewed himself and the way others viewed him (or the way he perceived how they viewed him), led him to feeling misunderstood (by Izuku in particular)
11. I'm Sticking With You - Izuku's admiration for Katsuki made him determined to stick to Katsuki for the rest of their lives, regardless of whether or not his presence was appreciated or even desired. The intensity of his devotion lands somewhere between admirable and slightly unhealthy. However, contrary to Katsuki's belief, Izuku's attachment really was innocent and genuine, with no harmful ulterior motives. Anyone who has ever been the younger sibling/cousin/friend, who is on some level aware that they're annoying the older person but admires them so intensely that all you want is a little bit of their attention no matter the cost, can relate to this situation
12. Copy Cat, Melanie Martinez - Katsuki is aggravated by Izuku's constant attention. He thinks Izuku has ulterior motives, and that the younger boy is just trying to copy him and steal his glory. It's a childish reason to hate someone, but that's because at the time, they were children. The thing about "childish" reasons is, to an actual child, they seem pretty reasonable. Anyone who has ever had to deal with a younger sibling/cousin/family friend, who you don't get along with but who is absolutely obsessed with spending time with you at all costs even when you're not in a great headspace for it, can relate to Katsuki's frustration here
13. Zero, Imagine Dragons - How Katsuki's bullying makes Izuku feel about himself
14. Loser, Limp Bizkit - A showcase of Katsuki's childhood insecurities (AKA, the way his incorrect perception of Izuku makes him feel about himself)
15. Mean, Taylor Swift - As Izuku gets a little older, he starts to recognize that the way Katsuki treats him is wrong. But since the bullying hasn't gotten too intense yet, and Izuku himself is still young, his acknowledgment of the wrong is still childish, calling Katsuki out for being a "meanie"
16. You Don't Mean Anything To Me, Simple Plan - Katsuki's insecurities get more intense, leading him to double down on his hatred for Izuku. Katsuki insists that Izuku is beneath him - he's the kind of person Katsuki never wants to be, a "weak" person, and therefore means nothing to Katsuki. There are also some lyrics in this song that showcase Katsuki's backwards perception of the situation. He feels like Izuku is the one who's trying to push him down and act superior
17. Wish I Was Him, Noise Addict - The unhealthy side of Izuku's admiration for Katsuki. In his despair over his own quirklessness, Izuku becomes extremely jealous of Katsuki, wishing he could have that kind of power. He starts to idolize Katsuki as having the "perfect life," since he has the one thing Izuku desperately wants, all while not recognizing that Katsuki might have his own trials and pains to overcome
18. Only One King, Jung Youth - The constant praise Katsuki has received since his quirk developed has, at this point, blown his ego to gargantuan proportions. He truly believes he is the best that ever was or will be, and he's now willing to tear down anyone or anything in his path in order to prove that he's on top
19. I Hate Everything About You, Three Days Grace - Izuku can clearly see Katsuki's personality flaws. There are things about his attitude and behavior that Izuku genuinely hates. At the same time, even though he's aware of all the problems, he still can't stop himself from admiring and caring about Katsuki. He can still see Katsuki's good qualities underneath all the bad. It's a confusing paradox, which leaves Izuku both hating and loving his childhood friend in equal measures
20. I'm A Mess, Bebe Rexha - Although I don't think Katsuki was self-aware enough in this part of the story to admit to any of these song lyrics, at this point in his life he was, in fact, a mess
21. Reach, Madds Buckley - Setting the stage for Izuku's attitude at the start of the series. He's become so fixated on this seemingly unattainable goal that he's lost in it, leading him to a lot of pain and frustration (look, I love the "you too can become a hero" scene as much as the next girl, it was epic. That having been said, you absolutely cannot tell me that Izuku's mentality and attitude at the start of the series was in any way healthy)
22. Little Big Boy, Madds Buckley - Setting the stage for Katsuki's attitude at the start of the series. His desire for greatness has crossed over from being a motivating goal into a self-destructive obsession, and the closer he comes to reaching it, the closer he comes to heartache. Basically, little boy has gotten too big for his britches, and is about to have a well-needed wake up call that was a long time coming

And that's a wrap, folks. Hope you liked it! Feel free to stick around for the next installment, even if the music selection in this playlist wasn't your cup of tea. As you can probably tell by now, I'm not going with any specific era or musical style for these, so odds are eventually you'll come across one that suits you. It'll be a nonstop genre-whiplash thrill ride from here on out.

Stay tuned!