In a world where everyone has their own quirks, Izuku Midoriya was an exception.
I’ve read through a lot of Boku No Hero Academia works of fiction after the anime raised in popularity. I hadn’t found many that caught my eye other than the occasional AU. A lot of what I found was just shameless slash and I was looking for a story. Something with an actual plot. Then, to my utter delight, I came upon a gem while I was surfing the archives of Fanfiction.net. I couldn’t find it published on AO3 (since a lot of authors publish their works on multiple websites and prefer to do so) but I have a link that leads to its publication on Fanfiction.net.
The Long Way Around is a story that features Deku without the quirk of All Might written by redgrass-and-silvertrees. Others might know them as Redrobin-detective.
Anyways, here’s the summary!
Izuku has wanted to be a hero his whole life but has been told it’s hopeless without a quirk. Fed up with society’s discriminations, Izuku is determined to become Japan’s first quirkless hero, even if that means taking the long way around. AU.
The Long Way Around is not a completed story at this present time but it still updates consistently! I would advise anyone who loves a good plot, character development, and an engaging author to check it out.
I was actually lucky to get the thoughts of the author! I asked, “What provoked you to write a story about a quirkless Deku?”
Redrobin-detective replied, “A couple of reasons: I’ve read my fair share of quirkless Deku fics but I never saw one that really took the time to build Izuku up physically and emotionally. I wanted to write a fic where it’s undeniable that, despite being quirkless, Izuku had earned his spot as a hero.” Then Redrobin-detective continued by saying, “Also I’m fascinated by the society and world-building of bnha but it’s very seldom addressed in ff. Once Izuku gets OFA, his quirklessness is kind of forgotten. I wanted to show how people view it as a disability and Izuku’s desire to prove that he’s just as capable.”
The Long Way Around seems to have hit the target when it comes to character and plot development. Things aren’t quick and don’t happen in just a chapter or two. When an event occurs there is a guaranteed build-up to happen beforehand. The only thing that might put off future readers is the case of original characters created to help Izuku’s development move along around the beginning.
This was also mentioned in my interview with Redrobin-detective who stated, “I know it took a lot of chapters of build up and OCs but I wanted people to genuinely feel Izuku earned his spot. I was SO worried people wouldn’t stick through but I’m glad people persevered.”
I would recommend The Long Way Around to anyone who likes reading about Izuku Midoriya. It’s also for the people who want to see a tougher Izuku who doesn’t get pushed around physically or emotionally. Izuku is a jittery, nervous, wreck. Yet, in The Long Way Around, he becomes the opposite. The former anxiety-ridden boy becomes a collected thinker. It’s already displayed in both the manga and the anime that Izuku has a skill in tactics. This fanfiction just brings that out a lot more and it becomes one of his main strengths. It also provides amazing scenes!
Ultimately, we have no idea how Izuku might handle certain situations, especially since he doesn’t have the abilities of All-Might at his side. It provides a curiosity that’ll keep you reading. To top it off, for your patience, you’ll be rewarded with a great immense amount of satisfaction when Izuku triumphs through his problems.
The Fanfiction Workshop 