Shadow Monarch Hero: Viridian (SMH: Deku rewrite)

Izuku's Journal Page 3 (Hero Rankings)

I'm so sorry, I know you probably want another plot chapter, but this journal entry just totally came to me and I wanted to write it. I promise the next one will be a normal chapter. This one focuses on Hero Rankings. Again it's just an extra chapter, not plot important but it might help keep track of characters later on.

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There are two distinct forms of Hero Ranking within most countries. There is the pure strength of the Hero, that being their Letter Rank, and then there is popularity. However, because the strongest Heroes get the most media attention, it is almost impossible for most Heroes below S or A-Rank to get on the charts and receive significant popularity, enough to be Ranked on the Hero Charts. Because of this, when referencing Ranking in popularity, it almost always corresponds to a Hero's Ranking in strength as well.

The Hero Popularity Charts were created not long after Endeavor Awakened, causing many to speculate that he had a hand in the creation of the Charts, primarily to boost his own ego. However, this theory is contested by Endeavor's PR team, and by many skeptics who don't believe he would create such Popularity Contests when All Might exists, as it is almost a bygone conclusion that All Might is Ranked first. That is to say, Endeavor would never help create something that would invariably leave him in second place.

But since Endeavor has no way to reach All Might in terms of raw strength, the popularity polls may have been his attempt to claim first over All Might in something. If this is the case, he failed miserably. In every yearly ranking, All Might has five times the votes as second place.

Ironically, All Might is one of the few Heroes on the top of the charts that believe them to be worthless measurements. He has only ever attended one of the popularity poll announcement events, the first one. From there on out, he took them to be an idealized farce that meant nothing in the grand scheme of Hero Work and distracted people from the real problems of society.

All Might himself made references to the quote made by Stephen Hawking about IQ, comparing it to Hero Rankings.

"A true Hero's worth is not measured by the number of adoring fans. If that was the case, lower Ranks like E and D would be worthless, but they are not. We need men and women like them on the ground to handle those threats. They are just as brave as any A or S-Rank running into their respective Gates. A Hero's worth is in what they do for the people, whether they are acknowledged or not. To toil away in anonymity is far more heroic than to bask in the glow of the media."

Despite his reservations about what the Popularity Polls say about a society at large, the Polls have continued to keep score, with him remaining at the top, and many other countries began to follow suit.

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Japan's Hero Rankings:

All Might (Toshinori Yagi) (National-Rank)

Endeavor (Enji Todoroki) (XS-Rank)

Hawks (Keigo Takami) (XS-Rank)

Best Jeanist (Tsunagu Hakamada) (S-Rank)

Edgeshot (Shinya Kamihara) (S-Rank)

Ryukyu (Ryuko Tatsuma) (S-Rank)

Miruko (Rumi Usagiyama) (S-Rank)

Yoroi Musha (Real Name) (S-Rank)

Crust (Tsuguo Mogami) (S-Rank)

Gang Orca (Kugo Sakamata) (S-Rank)

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Korean Hero Rankings:

The Reaper (Sung Jin-Woo) (XS-Rank)