u/GRSalt123

My answer: Yes, Ryuji 100% takes the chance (partially out of spite). Ryuji would probably have to fight AFO himself (since Bakugou otherwise wouldn't become stronger than ever). Maybe Ryuji would start to rapidly age as he uses Pagkawasak more and more (especially since he'll start to reach Mach 10), but still, I could see Ryuji at this point win against AFO.

Does your OC step up to volunteer?

If not, then your OC may hear stories about what actually happened in Black Mesa JP, which is the latest branch of the New Mexico-based research corporation Black Mesa (they actually have a second branch over somewhere in Siberia, dubbed "Black Mesa East"), such as what the employees actually are in Black Mesa, though the actual results of the experiment are obviously going to be classified.

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But if your OC chooses to go, they may find a few things that they might not expect:

• Black Mesa's personnel are not very professional.
• First of all, the first candidate for the test, Dr. Mossman, was caught trying to make unwanted advances upon Dr. Vance, who is married with a daughter.
• Second, Dr. Magnusson had caught the newest hire on the science team, as well as the second candidate, Dr. Freeman (who, despite his accolades as an MIT graduate with a Ph.D. in theoretical physics, as well as having earned his Heisman Memorial Award as MIT's star Running Back (bringing the MIT Engineers to the NCAA's Division I), was incredibly juvenile) quote-unquote, "fucking with the microwave", which completely ruined Dr. Magnusson's casserole.
• Thirdly, there were talks of taking the test in the United States, with rumors that the third candidate would be one Cpl. Shephard from the USMC, though this would obviously require tons of funding that the US can't afford considering they're working on their top secret project (that being their Number 1 Hero, who has yet to be identified).
• Fourthly, another candidate that was considered was actually going to be one of Aperture Science's own test subjects. However, they were incredibly difficult to locate after Aperture Science had ceased operations.
• Fifthly, Security Officer Calhoun was considered, but Administrator Breen had that option vetoed.
• So, in the end, your OC (or some other hero student) was the last option, meaning they only got here primarily due to workplace drama.
• The device has been expected to transport your OC to an alternate dimension, where they are expected to meet with an alternate version of Black Mesa, where they will meet with Dr. Levy. Now, due to the complexities of the device's calculations, your OC could theoretically instead end up in a place called "Xen", or a place called "Philtrum", among other possible locations. But your OC doesn't need to hear all that, they're a, uhm... highly, er, trained... "professional"? Yeah, Administrator Breen will be going with that.
• The purpose of your OC is to take photographs and video recordings of wherever the portal will send them through. If your OC manages to make it to the alternate Black Mesa, they will have to perform some interviews with Dr. Levy, as well as the other alternate Black Mesa employees. However, if your OC finds themself in a highly dangerous situation, it is best to immediately take cover and wait for the portal device to transport them back to this universe. Regardless, whatever footage your OC has gathered will be analyzed once they return. They are to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement after the test is over, though Black Mesa seems to have forgotten to include the workplace drama and the previous candidates that were supposed to be test subjects.

So, with all that in mind, will your OC leak information or will they keep quiet about it?

Ryuji Paranga would spend the summer break in his second year going to the Philippines and helping out the Philippine Government here and there. He'd be a massive enough impact in the Philippines where he'd become the "Better Paranga", compared to the absolute demon and menace that was his grandma Rizalina (before she got killed by All Might in Japan). He'd also have another Philippine president elected, this time someone who can actually run the country in a direction that isn't the ground (meaning there'd be few screw ups at most).

During his second year in UA, Japan, he'd be around Japan after noticing a string of mysterious deaths involving criminals and such (they die after a tracking device that gets implanted onto them by the Japanese police suddenly explodes), but the moment he meets an ordinary college student by the name of Akira, it's as if Ryuji and Akira suddenly were on the same wavelength and could practically hear each others' thoughts (it's not a quirk, it's just some of the most insane coincidences that they somehow predict each others' every action, every word, and every thought).

Eventually, Ryuji finds the alias of the killer, Kira, and even manages to connect the dots of how Kira is just Akira without the A at the start, though he initially thinks that's got to be the stupidest naming scheme he's ever heard (Ryuji soon finds out that it really is Akira without the A). Ryuji finds out who Kira is (Akira), and has the guy cornered. As it turns out, Akira had been using the new technology where a recently-captured criminal is given a tracking device, and Akira had been able to remotely hack the tracking devices in order to explode them, usually killing them as a result.

Akira, in an act of terrorism, proceeds to attach multiple tracking devices onto himself before lunging at Ryuji while simultaneously hacking the devices to cause an explosion great enough to take out both of them. Ryuji manages to dodge the attack in time before Akira explodes (he even saves a marine biologist who would've otherwise gotten hit with the shrapnel from Akira's exploding body).

During Ryuji's third year in UA, he'd still be around in Japan. He'd spar with a younger class, maybe get his ass beat, but he'd surprisingly have a lot of restraint when dealing with them, only adjusting his fighting skill proportionally to the student he's fighting. Otherwise, generally not as impressive.

Ryuji would spend his third year Summer break at sea, and he'd eventually come across an island where an annual Korean death game is being held. He'd basically launch a solo operation where he singlehandedly takes the entire island down and manages to rescue over a hundred people (there were around three hundred casualties, so out of the 456 contestants total Ryuji would've saved around a hundred and twenty-something people).

After graduating, Ryuji would carve his name out as basically THE successor to All Might in terms of actual hero work. Izuku would still receive his props as the guy who defeated Shigaraki/AFO (Bakugou wouldn't have died, Ryuji would've taken the blow for Bakugou instead, though Ryuji wouldn't die either and instead go on to face AFO in Bakugou's place), but everyone would know Ryuji as another All Might. Except for the fact that he is absolutely atrocious when it comes to his personality. He'd spend practically all his time as the lowest-ranked hero in Japan (even lower than underground heroes!).

Ryuji would probably tour the world in his early twenty's. From dismantling an Italian mafia (with its boss being responsible for a series of global memory wipes, as if the world "skipped time"), to chasing down the French villain Hawkmoth, to stopping an old Russian colonel suddenly reanimated as a perpetually-burning Nomu after two centuries since his supposed "death". He might even go to America to solve some issues there (like chasing down two cults, one in New York where vigilantes dress up in red and blue and fight crime in the name of "The Spider", a 20th Century Folk Vigilante, and another in Florida where a mad priest tries to accomplish "The Heaven Plan", which was started by an ancient vampire from the 1800s who died later on in the 1980's).

At the 8-year timeskip, Ryuji would come back to a chorus of national boo's. Despite all that he's done, he's still the tyrannical enforcer all of Japan knew and hated. Only fellow pro heroes and hero students actually praise him for his accolades worldwide, the civilians just find him more odious than Mineta and Bakugou combined.

And of course, Ryuji Paranga dies at 27. His wake involved Bakugou kicking off the festivities (this was actually planned, btw. It was even in his plans for the funeral and the memorial to have the place trashed and his memory disrespected.), and his three cloned children Ryumi, Ryusuke, and Regina went their separate ways.

Ryumi became the next Rageman (dubbed "Wrathwoman") and stayed in Japan, working as a professional hero.

Ryusuke went to the UK and became a famous entrepreneur there, setting up a restaurant franchise dubbed "Paranga's Fast Food: Burgers, Chicken, and more!" (it was surprisingly successful), as well as working as a professional hero in the UK (he's probably not beating most of the UK's top heroes, but hey, he's still a very reliable hero who works with the MI5).

And Regina? She went to the United States, grew up as a professional hero, changed her surname to "Burns" (after her paternal grandfather Andrés Burns), and eventually ran for president as a democrat once she turned 35. She actually won, by the way, and even implemented a few of her promises (she basically supported mutant rights, treating them as average citizens, as well as made sure the richest people in the US had a "money cap", where they were forced to forfeit all their money until they had exactly $999,999,999 as their net worth, though this one wasn't as popular, etc.).

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So, what would your OC's timelines look like after the Final War?

Slugfest is an emitter quirk that works similarly to Hitoshi Shinso's Brainwash, except the affected person is fully conscious and aware of what they're doing.

To start, the user has to make a gesture of invitation to close-quarters combat. The target can either accept or decline the invitation. If the target decides to accept, then the user emits pheromones that trigger heightened aggression and a complete disregard for anything other than punching within both the user and the target's brains.

In this state, both the user and the target stand at most a meter and a half away from each other, and they throw punches of any kind (either big power shots or light jabs). They can parry and/or weave while in this state. While the target may not use their quirk for anything else, they may use it to boost the effectiveness of their punches, or to either sway or parry incoming attacks.

Slugfest is otherwise functionally useless anywhere else, and aside from not having an extra toe bone, the user is basically quirkless.

Slugfest is also completely random when it comes to manifestations. Even if two Slugfest users came together and had a baby, that baby would be either quirkless or take a similar quirk from either of the two parents' other relatives, rather than Slugfest itself. Likewise, Slugfest can randomly manifest in a baby even if the family tree had absolutely no members that had Slugfest as a quirk.

By mediums, I mean like including comics, movies, video games, anime, manga, western animation, what-have-you. If a character can show up on TV Tropes (and sometimes it doesn't even have to be TV Tropes), they're allowed.

Now, lemme answer my own question:

Ryuji Paranga would fucking IDOLIZE Judge Dredd. Seriously, the guy's catchphrase is "I AM THE LAW.", no fucking way Ryuji wouldn't adore this guy.

But he'd also find a lot of himself within Joe Yabuki from Ashita no Joe, and he'd find himself agreeing a lot with Mamoru Takamura's whole "monster" quote from Hajime no Ippo.

Granted, while Joe is a street rat and a boxer and Ryuji's a complete and utter lawman working as a hero (who'd hate street crooks), Ryuji would genuinely find Joe's own determination to be admirable itself. Ryuji even finds himself heading down the same path Joe did during the manga: Burning so brightly that all that's left are pure, white, unignitable ash.

And yes, while Ryuji would definitely see himself butting heads with Mamoru Takamura WAYYY too much (Ryuji finds Takamura unbearable as fuck), Ryuji would at least agree with Takamura's idea of a monster: To be completely and utterly devoted to your passion or your profession, a darker form of "Plus Ultra" that necessitates the sacrifice of your humanity. And it's also what happened to Joe Yabuki, coincidentally enough.

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So, if your OC is interested in any character at all (that isn't from MHA), who would it be?

Arguments for Ryuji/against Rikido:

• Would have more relevance and a more interesting story as an antagonistic character
• A quirk that initially makes him stronger than Deku's OFA (that being Dragon's Heat) which also doesn't put Ryuji at a severe handicap
• Has a stronger personality, isn't a gentle giant (which is surprisingly not being called out as clichéd or whatever) but rather a stern authority figure
• Would also have his own fair share of hype moments and aura (hey it has to be a balance between good writing, and hype moments and aura)
• Holds people like Bakugou, Iida, Mineta and Kaminari (don't think you're off the hook because you're just as pervy as Mineta) accountable
• Has a more interesting design (Filipino scarred giant with a pompadour, maybe a middle part bro flow on bad hair days, and combat fatigues as his hero uniform) than a Kinnikuman wannabe
• Bigger than everyone else in Class 1-A (even Shoji), fits the "strong guy" role better

Arguments for Rikido/against Ryuji:

• Bakes better than Ryuji (Ryuji isn't actually that good at cooking)
• Won a dorm competition once
• Ryuji would probably end up being too polarizing for anyone's liking, whereas Rikido fits nicely as a side character
• Nice guy, gentle giant (look even if it is clichéd people still like it)
• Provided red food coloring for Eri's candy apples
• Has a friendship with Ojiro, who acknowledges his own irrelevance and how generic he is
• Is a pretty alright character in general, would be an incredible roommate