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Yoichi’s lifetime love of manga had prepared him well for being reincarnated.
Most people, upon opening their eyes in a hospital inside a tiny infant’s baby, would freak out. Yoichi was absolutely delighted. Where had he ended up, a fantasy or science fiction world? Did he have a system? Was he inside a novel? What would his cheat power be?
When Yoichi realized that he had been born into the same world only a century later, into the same country no less, he cried so much his parents thought he had colic.
During the long days stuck in a crib staring at a mobile, Yoichi had plenty of time to wonder about what had happened. In the moment of his death, he had felt his ability transfer to Kudou. He’d believed that he must have a weak, hidden quirk that let him transfer an ability to another person. But what if his power had been more complicated that that? What if he actually had the ability to transfer parts of his soul? His older brother always said that quirks were part of the soul, mostly because the asshole kept getting chased by quirk ghosts. It was at least theoretically plausible that a transfer ability might let Yoichi reincarnate.
In his new life, he was named Shouta Aizawa. His parents were eager to help him discover his quirk, bringing him books full of powers to try. He did not yet have the heart to tell them that he felt fairly sure he still had a hidden useless ability that would lead to him being diagnosed as quirkless.
After he turned age four, his parents started to get worried. His mother followed him around the living room, using her wind ability to lift up small objects. “Can you do this, Shouta? Please give it a try. Close your eyes and embrace the wind.”
Yoichi merely rolled his eyes. If only he’d gotten some super powerful wind ability possibly gifted by a hot fantasy world god, but alas he was still stuck in Japan. The wind blew his ball from his hand. In his annoyance, he glared.
The wind vanished from the room, the objects falling. His mother gaped. “My power…it’s gone…”
Yoichi realized he had his brother’s ability—to steal quirks. Except even stronger, because he could take quirks merely by looking at people.
Hastily, he sent his mother’s quirk back through his eyes.
She ran over and hugged him. “An Erasure ability! Oh, my baby, what a cool power. That will definitely be useful. You could even become a hero, if you want.”
Yoichi almost told his mother the truth. But from his very rough childhood, he had a deeply engrained suspicion of people in general and the government in particular. He did not want to find out how the Hero Public Safety Commission would react to someone with such a powerful and useful ability.
There were many other parties who would be interested, too. Villains, foreign powers, the yakuza.
No, it would be better to lay low. His mother would be happier to have a son with a useful, but not too attention-grabbing, quirk. He’d also concluded his mother would be happier never knowing about his reincarnation. She was an ordinary woman with the regrettable opinion that manga rotted the brain. She was simply not equipped to handle the revelation.
So Yoichi smiled broadly and said, “Yay! Erasure!”
His parents took him downtown to register his quirk, then out for ice cream to celebrate.
As Yoichi licked his spoon, he had a horrifying thought: if his power was the same as his brother’s, what if All for One could also reincarnate?
By the time Yoichi hit middle school, he was no longer certain if he wanted to become a hero.
It had seemed like a given at first. Yoichi had always admired comic book heroes, and now society had turned heroism into a real profession. He had the perfect ability for it. He’d always wanted to prove that his brother’s quirk could have been the kindness one in the whole world.
But as soon as Yoichi had grown old enough to watch the news, he’d grown disillusioned with modern heroism. It was all about ratings, endorsements, and maintaining the status quo even when that meant hurting people. Yoichi hated how the hero business drew a line between who could use their powers and who couldn’t, and who was allowed to help and who couldn’t. It ran contrary to all his ideals. He did not consider anyone who he saw on TV to be a true hero.
His parents wanted him to become a hero. He was an only child, cosseted and pressured to succeed. (He’d been worried about his older brother reincarnating into the same family but dodged that bullet.) To their hints, Yoichi only shrugged and played a child who did not yet know what he wanted. It would be a shame to disappoint them, but he knew they’d get over it. Not as if they would ever lock him up in a bank vault for not doing what they wanted.
Deep down, Yoichi was still bitter he hadn’t reincarnated into a fantasy world where he could become a mage-knight and maybe even slay a real demon king.
Walking home from school one day, Yoichi saw a dark figure wearing a trench coat in an alleyway. He stiffened, because he recognized that coat from a century ago. It could not possibly be.
But it was. All for One had his hand over a hero’s face, stealing his quirk.
Yoichi reacted on instinct, sucking away the quirk with his eyes. Then he quickly ducked behind a dumpster. He didn’t think his former brother would know him on sight, but he also didn’t want to test it. Here was the very last person on the planet who he would ever want to uncover his secret.
All for One dropped the man. He scowled, looking down at his hands. Then he must have concluded the hero had died before he could take the quirk, because he shot off into the sky.
Yoichi returned the quirk, then ran to call the police.
It figured that big brother hadn’t reincarnated because he didn’t have the decency to die even after a century. Now Yoichi would have to become a hero in order to stop All for One.
Yoichi kept a low profile as a hero student. He did not even participate in U.A.’s sports festival. (A terrible idea, in his opinion, for aspiring heroes to reveal all their secrets before even starting the job.) After graduation, he became an underground hero. As a result of his caution, so far he’d avoided any more All for One encounters. He also joined U.A. as a teacher, hoping to cultivate better heroes than the ones he saw on the news.
Only Principal Nezu had any idea of Yoichi’s true power, and he thought that Yoichi could erase quirks forever if he desired. Yoichi had never once kept a quirk. It went against his principles.
Nezu introduced Yoichi to All Might, saying, “I believe one of my staff has a unique ability that will aid you in your fight against All for One. He can erase quirks.”
“That would be amazing,” All Might boomed. “A pleasure to meet you, young man.” He held out his hand for a shake.
Yoichi gazed at the hand, starry-eyed. A real All Might handshake! This was so cool. In Yoichi’s opinion, All Might was the truest hero in the world. He always put saving people ahead of personal gain. He was strong, indomitable, and cool. Best of all, he was the successor to Yoichi’s power. Yoichi teared up. Before him stood the culmination of his dreams. Everything that his friends had sacrificed and died for had been to create this hero. He wanted to drop to his knees and thank All Might for being worthy.
Alas, Yoichi stared a bit too long, too nervous about his sweaty palms to shake. All Might finally let his hand drop away. Awkwardly, he bowed Japanese style.
Should Yoichi bow too? He was too busy hyperventilating.
“I look forward to working with you,” All Might said. “Your ability is impressive.”
Yoichi meant to say, Your power is far cooler. But all that came out was: “Harumph.”
“I know you’re risking a lot to help me against a monster like All for One. I promise not to let him near you.”
Yoichi opened his mouth to say: Please give me your autograph. Then he realized he’d forgotten his All Might poster that he’d planned to get signed. Instead, he grunted.
All Might’s smile dropped away. He whispered to Nezu, “Have I done anything wrong?”
Mortified beyond measure, Yoichi ran away.
As Yoichi stumbled down the hallway, Yamada and Oboro caught up to him. His childhood friends were also both teachers at U.A.
Yamada asked, “How did your meeting with your favorite hero go?”
Yoichi wailed, “I choked! I couldn’t say anything, then I ran away. He must think that I hate him.”
“You didn’t even get an autograph, Shouta?” Oboro asked.
Even after he’d lived longer under his new name, Yoichi did not think of himself as Shouta Aizawa. Perhaps a part of him still had attachment to the name that his brother had gifted him, one of the man’s very few acts of selflessness. It took a moment for Yoichi to even register the comment had been directed at him. Then he wailed, “I forgot my poster.”
“Why not just ask him to autograph a regular piece of paper?” Yamada asked.
“I forgot I could do that!”
Laughing, Yamada and Oboro slung an arm around Yoichi on either side. “Come on, let’s drink your sorrows away,” Oboro said.
“Yeah!” Yamada cried. “We’ll get you so drunk you forget to act emotionally repressed.”
The two of them dragged him away.
Yoichi nearly fainted when he realized that the Ninth holder of his quirk was in his homeroom class. But that bone-breaking power was unmistakable.
At first, Yoichi kept an eye on Izuku Midoriya to investigate if he would be a worthy successor. Then he watched out of concern. One for All had grown too strong. It was tearing this poor boy apart.
Sitting next to Izuku in the infirmary, not for the first time, Yoichi waited for the injured boy to wake up.
Izuku’s eyes fluttered. Both his arms were in casts. “Teacher?”
“Lie still, you’re still injured. Recovery Girl did her best, but you pressed your body to its limits.” Yoichi looked at the too-young child, carrying on a legacy that had already gotten seven people killed. If only he and All Might had succeeded in stopping All for One. Then this small boy would have never needed to bear this burden. He blurted out, “I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault, Mr. Aizawa,” Izuku said.
Except it was. He’d started this legacy. He’d gotten seven people killed and left All Might with severe health issues. Already Izuku had taken permanent scars carrying the quirk rapidly approaching singularity. Everything that happened to this poor child from this point forward was all Yoichi’s fault.
Yoichi almost blurted out his entire life’s story, included his reincarnation.
Then he stopped. Why burden the child even more? Izuku was so kind, he would surely comfort Yoichi instead of being comforted. The knowledge of Yoichi’s true identity could prove dangerous. At the very least, Yoichi should carry this weight on his own.
Yoichi reached out and patted Izuku’s head. “I’m your teacher. Showing you how to safely use your quirk is my responsibility. We’ll create a new training regime as soon as you recover.” He paused, struggling with words. “You’re a great hero, Izuku. I’m already very proud of you.”
Tomura Shigaraki horrified Yoichi.
Wild, white hair. Red eyes. That scrawny body. At first sight, Yoichi had known that Tomura was meant to be his replacement. And it infuriated him that apparently his older brother had wanted to him to be a worshipful manchild. Tomura had so very clearly been raised to be unable to function without All for One.
When Yoichi discovered the truth about Tomura’s past, he felt even more horrified. It was just like his brother. All for One blamed the One for All holders for taking his brother away. Therefore, All for One had decided to mold his replacement from one of their families.
On the battlefield, Tomura had Yoichi pinned down. His deadly hand approached all too closely to Yoichi’s cheek. “You’re cool, Eraserhead,” he crooned.
Staring at the hand, Yoichi stole Decay.
“Hey!” Tomura screamed. “What kind of cheat code did you use?”
“I’ve listened to enough of your ranting. Now it’s your turn to listen to me.” Yoichi grabbed Tomura by his collar and dragged him down into the dirt. They both were gripping each other. “All for One doesn’t love you, only the person he’s projecting onto you.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Tomura demanded.
“He calls you Yoichi sometimes, doesn’t he?”
Tomura stiffened. It was a silent confirmation.
“Yoichi Shigaraki was All for One’s dead little brother. All for One is the kind of person who treats people as possessions, so of course he thinks they can be replaced. He’s never seen you as yourself.” Yoichi touched Tomura’s cheek. “Don’t let him do that to you. You can be Tenko Shimura or Tomura Shigaraki. But be your own person. You’re the only one who gets to write the script to the video game of your own life.”
“That’s pretty cheesy.”
“All for One is very good at manipulating people. I bet sometimes he makes you feel like the most special person in the universe, other times like a miserable failure. Trust me, I’ve been there. You’ll never be good enough for him unless you surrender completely to him. Give him a chance, and he’ll take your body and your very soul. I bet he’s already making moves towards turning you into a spare body. That’s always been his ideal—someone he can have completely under his control.”
Tomura’s stare turned hard. “How do you know all this?”
“That’s a secret.”
“You’re coming with me until you tell me!”
“No, I’m afraid you’re coming with me.” Yoichi got Tomura into a chokehold. Predictably, All for One had never taught his protégée how to fight without a quirk. Yoichi had grown up on the streets scrapping while quirkless. “I’ll visit you in prison. We have a lot to talk about.”
The League of Villains had been arrested. All for One had died on the battlefield. For the past week Yoichi had utilized all his contacts and searched every hospital, knowing what would come next.
Finally he struck gold. A nurse working in a maternity ward had sought out medical attention after she’d stopped being able to use her quirk.
Standing over the infant’s crib, Yoichi growled, “You never change, do you? You couldn’t even last one day of life before you started stealing quirks again. You’re going to have to give her quirk back. If you don’t, then I’ll take it from you and return it. You won’t like that very much. You’re too weak to stop me right now.”
A pair of big furious black eyes glared up at him. All for One in this life looked completely different—an average-sized baby with black hair and round cheeks.
“Your mother put you up for adoption. That makes this a lot easier.” Yoichi picked up the baby swaddled in a green blanket. “You’re coming home with me.”
All for One thrashed and waved his arms. Only baby babble came out. Then a letter that sounded like H.
“What? No, I’m not part of the Hero Public Safety Commission. They’re undergoing a major reform.” Yoichi chuckled. “Have you truly not figured it out, big brother? We’re twins. We both have the same quirk. Mine was underdeveloped when I died. I think that’s why it took me so long to reincarnate.”
All for One’s eyes widened, slowly filling with hope. The wailing stopped. He raised a small, very soft hand up to touch Yoichi’s cheek.
“This could be a second chance for us, big brother.” Yoichi rocked the infant in his arms. Perhaps All for One could become better with a different childhood.
At the very least, Yoichi was a lot stronger than his brother this time. There wouldn’t be any opportunities to stick him in a bank vault.