Class 1-A - Hero Name Selection
Tsubaki stared at the blank whiteboard in his hands, the marker cap twisted off but the tip not yet touching the surface.
'A hero name,' he thought, his blue eyes distant. 'Something that defines me. Something that represents who I am.'
For most teenagers who wanted to be heroes, this would be simple. Pick something cool. Something flashy. Something that sounded impressive and made people remember you.
But Tsubaki understood something that many of his classmates didn't yet grasp.
The name he chose would define him in hero society.
Some heroes never got to choose their own names the media decided for them based on a single moment, a viral video, a dramatic rescue. Those heroes lived their entire careers under names that didn't represent them, that they'd never wanted, that had been thrust upon them by public perception.
This was his chance to avoid that fate. To choose his own identity before society chose it for him.
But he had to choose wisely. Had to pick something he could uphold. Something with weight and meaning that would represent not just his quirk, but himself.
'And that's the problem,' Tsubaki thought, his marker still hovering. 'Who am I?'
For most people, that question was simple. But for him, it was complicated by years of pain, rejection, and desperate striving for recognition.
Was he the discarded son seeking revenge? The student who'd proven everyone wrong? The cold tactician who'd dominated the Sports Festival? The brother who'd frozen Shoto solid?
All of those? None of them? Something else entirely?
His past was tangled, complex, weighted with expectations and disappointments and victories hard-won.
'What name could possibly capture all of that?'
Around him, his classmates were having similar struggles or jumping in without overthinking.
"Alright!" Midnight clapped her hands, drawing everyone's attention. "If you're confident in your choice, come to the front and present! Let's see what you've got!"
For a moment, no one moved.
Then Mina bounced to her feet, her board held high with obvious excitement.
"I'll go first!"
She walked to the front and turned her board around with a flourish.
ALIEN QUEEN
"Ta-da! What do you think?!"
Midnight's expression immediately became skeptical. "Alien Queen? That's... aggressive. Intimidating. Are you sure that's the image you want to project?"
Mina's enthusiasm deflated slightly. "I... I mean, I thought it sounded cool?"
"Think about it from a civilian's perspective," Midnight suggested gently. "If you're scared and need help, would 'Alien Queen' make you feel safe? Or more scared?"
"Oh..." Mina's face fell. "I didn't think about it like that."
"Try something cuter," Midnight said with a smile. "Something that matches your personality. You're bubbly, energetic, friendly. Your name should reflect that."
Mina thought for a moment, then erased her board and wrote something new.
PINKY
"How about this?"
Midnight's smile widened. "Much better! That's memorable, cute, and approachable. Good choice!"
Mina returned to her seat with renewed excitement, and Kirishima immediately stood up.
"I'm next!"
He walked to the front and showed his board with pride.
RED RIOT
"It's a tribute to an old hero I really admire," Kirishima explained, his voice carrying genuine emotion. "The Chivalrous Hero, Crimson Riot. He was all about manliness, courage, never backing down. That's the kind of hero I want to be!"
Midnight studied the name thoughtfully.
"Red Riot... it's bold. Energetic. I like it. But be aware—if you're taking inspiration from a beloved hero, people will have expectations. You'll need to live up to that legacy."
"I know!" Kirishima grinned, his teeth sharp and determined. "That's exactly what I want! Something to push me to be better!"
"Then go for it," Midnight approved.
Kirishima pumped his fist and returned to his seat.
Next, Bakugo stood up with aggressive confidence, his board already written.
He walked to the front and slammed it down on Midnight's desk.
KING EXPLOSION MURDER
The class fell silent.
Then several people started laughing.
"Are you serious?!" Kaminari wheezed.
"That's the most Bakugo name ever!" Sero added.
Midnight's expression was flat, unimpressed. "Absolutely not. That's not a hero name, that's a villain threat. Try again."
"WHAT?!" Bakugo snarled. "It's perfect! It shows my power and—"
"It shows you have no sense of public relations," Midnight interrupted. "Heroes need to be approachable. Trustworthy. 'King Explosion Murder' sounds like you're going to kill people, not save them."
Bakugo grumbled but erased his board and wrote something new.
LORD EXPLOSION MURDER
"How about—"
"No," Midnight said immediately.
"You didn't even let me finish!"
"I don't need to. Any variation of 'Explosion Murder' is a hard no. Too violent. Try thinking about what you want people to feel when they hear your name. What emotion do you want to evoke?"
Bakugo's scowl deepened, but he slouched back to his seat, muttering angrily under his breath about "stupid rules" and "that's a perfectly good name."
The presentations continued. Aoyama revealed "Can't Stop Twinkling" to mixed reactions. Asui showed "Froppy" which Midnight immediately approved. Uraraka presented "Uravity" with a clever play on her quirk and the word gravity.
Then Midoriya stood up, his board clutched tightly, his expression nervous but determined.
He walked to the front and, after a moment's hesitation, turned the board around.
DEKU
The class erupted with confused noise.
"Wait, what?!" Kaminari blurted out. "Isn't that the insult Bakugo calls you?!"
"Midoriya, are you sure about that?" Kirishima asked, concerned.
Even Bakugo had gone oddly quiet, his red eyes fixed on Midoriya with an unreadable expression.
Midoriya took a breath, his grip on the board tightening.
"I know it started as an insult," he said, his voice gaining strength as he spoke. "It used to mean I was useless. Worthless. Someone who couldn't do anything."
His green eyes lifted, meeting his classmates' gazes with surprising confidence.
"But someone changed the meaning for me. She said it sounded like 'you can do it!' And now... now when I hear 'Deku,' I don't think about being worthless. I think about never giving up. About proving people wrong. About becoming the hero I want to be even when others say I can't."
His hands steadied, his posture straightening.
"So I'm taking that name. I'm making it mine. And I'm going to show everyone that Deku can be a hero."
There was confidence in his gaze the same confidence he'd shown when facing Shoto, when breaking his own bones to keep fighting, when refusing to give up despite overwhelming odds.
The class was silent for a moment.
Then Midnight smiled warmly. "I love it. Reclaiming something negative and making it positive—that's powerful. Well done, Midoriya."
Several classmates nodded approvingly. Even Bakugo, though he looked away with a scowl, didn't make his usual mocking comment.
Tsubaki watched Midoriya return to his seat and felt something shift in his perspective.
'I remember him at the entrance exam,' Tsubaki thought. 'Standing at the gate, looking terrified. I thought he was nothing noteworthy. Just another hopeful student who'd probably fail.'
But that same boy had pushed Shoto to his absolute limit. Had broken his own body repeatedly to keep fighting. Had made it to the quarterfinals despite having no control over his quirk.
'He started from nothing and built himself up through pure determination.'
Tsubaki's eyes dropped to his own blank board, and his mind began working through the problem differently.
'From zero. From nothing. That's where I started too, in a way. Cast aside. Called a failure. Dismissed as worthless compared to Shoto.'
He thought about obvious names. Frozone—simple, clear, a direct reference to his quirk. But it lacked depth. It was just a description of his power, not who he was.
'My name needs weight,' he realized. 'It can't just reflect my power. It needs to represent something. Stand for something.'
His mind drifted to All Might—the Number One Hero, the Symbol of Peace.
'All Might. That's a bold name. A declaration. If he'd failed, if he'd been weak, people would have ridiculed him for choosing something so audacious. But he believed in himself enough to choose it anyway. And now he's become exactly what his name promised—a symbol of overwhelming might.'
Tsubaki's marker finally touched the board.
'If I want to stand out, if I want people to remember me, I need a name with meaning. Something that represents not just what I can do, but what I am. What I've overcome. What I'll become.'
His hand moved, writing carefully, deliberately.
'A name that carries weight. That makes a statement. That—'
"Well, well," Midnight's voice cut through his thoughts, her tone carrying playful challenge. "I think it's time we heard from our class president. The current Sports Festival champion. The student with over four thousand agency offers."
She looked directly at Tsubaki, her smile cheeky and knowing.
"Come on up, Todoroki. Show us what name the number one student has chosen."
The entire class turned to look at him, their expressions ranging from curious to excited to genuinely interested.
Yaoyorozu leaned forward slightly, her dark eyes focused. "I'm very curious what Todoroki-san chose."
"Probably something cool and mysterious," Mina whispered to Uraraka.
"Maybe something about ice?" Kaminari suggested.
Even Bakugo was watching, his red eyes sharp with competitive interest.
Tsubaki stood slowly, his board held against his chest so no one could see what he'd written. His blue eyes were calm, but there was something underneath—certainty, determination, the weight of a decision made.
He walked to the front of the classroom with measured steps, his footsteps the only sound in the suddenly quiet room.
Everyone waited, anticipation building.
Tsubaki turned to face the class, his expression composed but showing the slightest hint of... something. Pride? Challenge? Conviction?
His hands gripped the board.
And slowly, deliberately, he turned it around.
The class leaned forward, eyes widening as they read the name written in clear, bold letters.
To Be Continued...
You can still suggest names if you have something unique.
Vote if you like these names:
The Absolute hero: Zero
The frost Hero: Sub-Zero
The Glacier Hero: Northstar
The Absolute hero: Eclipse
The Frostbound Hero: Everfrost
The Winterborn Hero: Axiom
The Zero-Origin Hero: Origin
If you like a name comment by the name.