RodyDeku

RodyDeku is the slash ship between Rody Soul and Izuku Midoriya from the My Hero Academia fandom.

Act 1: Heroes Assembled
Izuku, Katsuki, and Shoto walk down the streets carrying grocery bags. As the lowest ranking members of the Hero team, they are making some errands for the heroes, much to Katsuki's annoyance and frustration. As they walk back to the hotel where the heroes are residing for the duration of the mission, they discuss about and their fanatical paranoia about the Quirk Singularity Theory. Suddenly, a jewel robbery is being commenced nearby. Izuku, Shoto, and Katsuki spot the robbery and respond quickly. The two villains see them and decide to split up, with Katsuki chasing one of the robbers while Shoto and Izuku chase the other, who is the one carrying the briefcase with the stolen jewelry. Due to this villain attacking bystanders during the escape, Izuku stays behind helping the civilians while Shoto continues the chase.

Shoto finds out the defeated villain no longer has the briefcase and tells Izuku about it when he arrives. Izuku then spots Rody running away with the briefcase and makes a break into a chase after him across the city, through the streets and on the rooftops. Izuku even tries to apprehend him with his Blackwhip, but Rody, who is exceptionally skilled in thievery and parkour, the knowledge of the city streets, and also the timely help of Pino, easily evades all of his attempts to capture him. Izuku eventually loses track of Rody. While all this is happening, on the highway, is driving a car, with a briefcase in his possession planning to alert the authorities, but he is ambushed by a Humarise agent,, who uses her Longbow Quirk to shoot armor-piercing arrows, leading to a car crash on a bridge just as Rody was passing under it. The young thief is nearly crushed by falling debris and loses his briefcase during the scruffle.

Izuku, who is still looking for Rody not far from there, sees the accident, though Shoto tells him to keep chasing after him while he deals with the car crash. After verifying that he is alright, Rody grabs the briefcase supposedly meant to contain the jewelry, and runs towards the subway station when he sees Izuku again, who goes after him. They are spotted by Beros, who picks up Alan's alleged briefcase. Rody rushes into a train just as it is leaving, and thinks that he has finally managed to give Izuku the slip, but he ends totally surprised when he sees the young hero reach the train after catching up to it on foot. At the next subway stop, Izuku questions Rody about why he was running, and orders him to show what's inside the briefcase. Rody doesn't want to do it, arguing that he is a foreign hero who has no jurisdiction in Otheon, which triggers a fight over the briefcase before the two, dropping it where they realize it only contains documents, books, and notepads, confusing the two, especially Rody.

Back on the bridge, Shoto is able to spot the crash and freeze the car to prevent it from exploding. There, he notices the large holes on the car. Nearby, unknown to the police, Beros checks the briefcase, only to find it containing the untraceable, uncut diamonds. She informs her leader, Flect Turn, about the situation, and he orders her to continue tracking Alan's case while he also takes some measures to get it back. At the subway stop, Izuku exaggeratedly apologizes to Rody for taking him for a thief, to which Rody tries to brush off, though inwardly he is completely freaked out that he doesn't have the briefcase with the stolen jewelry. He then realizes that he must have mixed it up with another case during the earlier accident. Barely hiding his anxiety, Rody leaves the place, taking the wrong briefcase with him. Seeing his nervousness, Izuku follows him to make sure everything is alright, but shortly after leaving the subway, the Otheon police arrive. All the officers point their guns at the frightened Rody and order him to surrender. Izuku tries to defuse the situation, but suddenly Rody runs away clutching the briefcase strongly. The police respond with a shoot-to-kill order and begin to fire at Izuku and Rody.

Izuku grabs Rody and escapes with him by swinging throughout the city with Blackwhip, avoiding the police, and landing on the roof of a train. Rody is totally stunned by the experience, while Izuku wonders why the police attacked them. When the train passes through a bridge, they are suddenly attacked by Beros with her arrows from the other shore. Izuku swings across the bridge dodging the projectiles, but the dangerous experience is too much for Rody, who passes out from the shock. When the police reappear to chase them, Izuku is forced to escape into the ocean to avoid civilians getting hit in the crossfire. Unable to continue attacking them, Beros leaves the place to inform her boss of what has happened. Back at the hotel where the Otheon team is staying, Endeavor reprimands both Shoto and Katsuki for disobeying direct orders to standby and for stopping a petty thievery instead, and demands to know where Izuku is. Shoto claims that Izuku was chasing after the third person suspected of helping the jewelry villains, but he hasn't called back or answered his phone. Right on cue, Izuku gets in contact with Shoto, explaining the situation with him being shot of by the police and a villain.

As Izuku continues on to explain his encounter, Shoto and the rest of the team are notified by Clair showing them to the television screen where the Otheon international news agency announces that Izuku is publicly accused of a mass murder of twelve people, notifying the entire nation that he is considered to be extremely armed and dangerous, resulting in putting him on the most wanted list. The entire team are shocked of Izuku's accusation as Shoto tells him to stay off the grid, and remove the GPS chip on his phone once he is done talking.

Act 2: On the Run
The news of Izuku's accusation spreads to the entire world, including All Might and the members of Class 1-A who are all shocked by the supposed evidence. Class 1-A voice their opinions of Izuku's innocence in protest over the false claims by the Otheon government.

In Otheon, Izuku and Rody are now wanted fugitives by the authorities. Rody is completely mad because he has been declared Izuku's accomplice, and demands him to explain how his life went south like this. He cannot give him a clear answer, much to Rody's discouragement. Izuku figures out that the reason for the police to be shooting at them was because of the briefcase that Rody stole, but after checking it, nothing that seems important is found. Rody suggests to hand the briefcase over to the police to clear their names, but Izuku advises against it because those who want it would kill them anyway. Rody then suggests other options to get rid of the briefcase, but Izuku dismisses all of them as it wouldn't change their situation. In short, Izuku and Rody decide to make their way over to another place where the Otheon police won't have jurisdiction. They change out their clothes and disguise themselves as native tourists to avoid being spotted by anyone and the police. The two begin their journey by climbing onto the roof of a bus.

After several hours traveling, Izuku and Rody take a break inside of an old farmhouse to get some rest for the night before they can move again. Rody becomes distressed over leaving his siblings alone, remembering the unbearable childhood of his past. He remembers when he and his siblings lived with their father, Eddie Soul. the hate that he felt towards his father that day made Rody break the necklace he gave him. Rody can't bear the idea of his siblings suffering even more for not being with them for those moments, so overnight, while Izuku sleeps, he takes the briefcase. Pino vigorously shows her distaste for his action, but Rody chooses to ignore his bird companion's protests and goes off to secretly report to the police. Pino manages to wake up Izuku and take him to where Rody is. Outside, Rody spots a search helicopter arriving, thinking it's the police, and hands the briefcase over to them. However, the man, who turns out to be a Humarise agent, Rogone, transforms, preparing to kill him for supposedly knowing the briefcase's secrets, despite Rody's insistence of just wanting to go back to his siblings. Just then, Izuku arrives to save Rody, deflecting Rogone's attacks and knocking him back into the helicopter.

However, it turns out he was accompanied by Beros, who prepares to shoot an arrow at Rody, until Izuku jumps in the way to save him. Despite his injury, Izuku fights back, managing enough of a distraction for him and Rody to escape with the briefcase, much to Beros' frustration. Once safe, Izuku's wound is treated, although fortunately it is not very serious since his phone reduced the arrow's strength, although it ended up destroyed, leaving him and Rody without any communications to contact the Otheon team. Rody apologizes for his actions while helping stitch him up, and Izuku forgives him, and after Rody asks why he saved him, Izuku announces his intentions to become a hero like All Might, someone Rody has respect for, even despite having mixed feelings for heroes overall, due to many not residing or choosing to help in Otheon's shantytown. Finally, they both decide to formally introduce themselves to each other. The next morning, Rody gets ahold of a nearby van and as they travel, the two get closer to each other, with Rody explaining how he and his siblings were abandoned by everyone after his father suddenly left to join Humarise, stating that they are the most important things in life for him now. The trip continues for several days with little incidents, and one night, Izuku asks Rody what his Quirk is. He refuses to tell him out of embarrassment, but after making Izuku promise that he won't laugh, he tells him.

After days of traveling, Izuku and Rody finally reached to the Otheon-Klayd border in the canyon, only to find out that the only way to get across is heavily guarded by the police, forcing them to climb up on the canyon to escape. Rody offers the briefcase to get Izuku out of the country safely and easier, but then they are found by another Humarise helicopter and are once again attacked by Beros and another Humarise agent, Sidero. She shoots arrows at Izuku and Rody, but Izuku is able to evade quickly despite his wound. Sidero uses his Quirk to detach Iron Balls from his knuckles and gives them to Beros, increasing in size and mass when fired, making things difficult for the two boys. Izuku latches onto the helicopter with his Blackwhip and nearly crashes it by attacking it with a Delaware Smash Air Force. During the scuffle, Rody loses the briefcase and when he goes to pick it up, he is attacked by Sidero causing him and the briefcase to almost fall off a cliff. Humarise's agent prepares to finish him off, but luckily he is rescued by Shoto, freezing Sidero as well, while Katsuki chases after Beros. Sidero surrenders and promises to tell them all about Humarise, but Beros shoots arrows at him to prevent him from talking, before continuing her confrontation with Katsuki until she runs out of arrows. Finding herself cornered, Beros chooses to jump out of the helicopter into the chasm, right before it crashes.

In the aftermath, when Izuku asks Shoto how they found them, he explains that they were at the border when they saw the fight. Rody thanks them for saving his life and Katsuki explains that the briefcase belongs to Humarise, something that Izuku and Rody were still unaware of. Then, Izuku discovers during the fight, a hidden compartment in the briefcase was revealed, containing a puzzle box. Rody sees that it is exactly the same as the one his father had years ago, so he offers to solve it, and after doing so, the four discover that inside there is a microSD and some kind of device. The four head to the nearest town in Klayd to investigate it.

Act 3: The Race Against Time
is informed of Rody's escape with the briefcase into Klayd's borders. However, he is not worried about it, considering that they are too far away to stop him, and begins the final phase of his plan to save humanity. Humarise publicly broadcasts to the world that they will detonate their bombs in two hours at over twenty-five different cities around the world. Even so, Flect Turn decides to give his opponents a chance to stop the detonations, indicating in which cities the Trigger Bombs are located. As expected, this causes a massive widespread hysteria and panic throughout all the cities, and even in areas outside the danger zone. The All-Star World Heroes Association gives the Heroes the green light to scramble in defense to the major cities that are being targeted by Humarise in attempt to quill the society and locate the bombs. Meanwhile, at a hotel in Klayd, Izuku and his companions investigate the MicroSD, finding an audio file from Alan. Alan reveals that that the strange device is actually a key to shut down the bombs for good. It was created by Rody's father, a fellow scientist who, like him, was also kidnapped and forced to work in exchange for the lives of his children. He was executed shortly after his treachery was discovered by Humarise. Although he doesn't show it, this revelation has a profound effect on Rody, realizing that his father had never stopped caring for him and his siblings.

Drawn by a scream, the four see the news talking about the threat of Humarise's Trigger Bombs. Rody realizes that his siblings are within the blast radius of the bomb. They also know that the Otheon team is being deployed to the Otheon capital to locate the bombs, leaving them without support. With no backup and running out of time, the four of them decide to take the disarming device to disable the bombs themselves. Decoding through the data, Katsuki is able to figure out the exact location of Humarise's true home base, and with Rody flying them there on a plane, they head out to shut down the bombs. During the flight, they take the opportunity to inform the World Heroes Association of everything they had discovered and their intentions to stop it. At the Otheon Team, Burnin suggests going to assist Shoto, but Endeavor tells her they don't have time and have to stay behind to deal with the bomb, putting their trust in his trainees. Eventually, the Hero teams around the world manage to track down the Bombs, however are then attacked by Humarise sleeper agents defending the bombs that they must all fight against. Izuku, Katsuki, and Shoto gear up and arrive at their destination with less than 30 minutes left before detonation. Because of the danger, they ask Rody to return before they launch a direct assault at the Humarise base, heavily guarded by armed terrorists and Quirk users. They oppose a strong resistance, but the three future heroes are able to defeat them all little by little. Izuku and Shoto manage to enter the base, while Katsuki stays behind to take down the last of the cultists. Rody, meanwhile, ignores the students' warnings and carelessly lands in a nearby forest. He also wants to help, but is quickly captured by Humarise's soldiers.

After some fight with Flect Turn, Izuku is lying on the ground bleeding profusely, while that, Flect Turn shows several screens to Izuku where he sees the heroes, among whom are his classmates, doing their best to defeat Humarise, as well as a countdown that shows there are only five minutes left before the detonation. Izuku tries to get up to continue fighting, but his injuries are too serious, so he is about to fall to the ground again. Rody suddenly appears and holds him up, which surprises Izuku. Rody ensures that everything is fine and takes away the deactivation key from him, seemingly preparing to betray Izuku, having already made a deal with Humarise not to detonate the Otheon bomb in exchange for saving his siblings. Izuku tries to convince him they can still win, but Rody says it's fruitless and just wants to make sure his family is safe. Flect Turn proceeds to compare Rody to his father, both seeing the "bigger picture" to help their cause in order to protect their family. Rody is about to give the disarming key to Flect Turn, however, Izuku sees Pino peeking out from behind his sweater. He then recalls the conversation they had a few days ago, in which Rody revealed that Pino is actually his Quirk, Soul, an extension of himself that shows his true intentions, and that even though he considers the Quirk embarrassing, Izuku says it is a great Quirk. Realizing it is a feint, on Pino's command, Rody flicks the deactivation key into the air, catching Flect Turn off guard, allowing Izuku to attack him, as Rody runs to the control room to defuse the bombs.

Enraged for being fooled, Flect Turn reactivates the room's laser defenses to shoot at both of them. Rody manages to dodge some of the shots but in the end, he is fatally wounded by one of the lasers. Still, he continues to make his way to deactivate the bombs while Izuku keeps Flect Turn at bay. He increases the power of One For All and attacks Flect Turn with volumes of kicks and punches to keep him at bay. Rody manages to get to the computer, but ends up passing out from blood loss before inserting the key. After defeating Flect Turn, Izuku runs downstairs to help Rody. He arrives at the control room to find that Rody is still alive, and that Pino had managed to insert the key in time, defusing all the bombs and saving the world. In the World Hero Association and in all the cities where the bombs were found, the heroes celebrate that the tragedy has been stopped. A semi-conscious Rody asks him if he has managed to protect his family, and Izuku replies he did, saying he is amazing. Rody then says that make him looks real cool, and both laughs.

Epilogue
With the terrorist plot foiled and imminent destruction averted, it was a decisive victory for the heroes worldwide. All the surviving Humarise members have been arrested, including the police officers, the bombs are safely removed, and the injured Heroes are treated with medical care. Recovery Girl arrives to heal heal Izuku, Katsuki, Shoto, and Rody, who reunites with his younger siblings. After recovering from his injuries, the members of the Endeavor Agency prepare to head back to Japan. When they are about to board the plane, Rody appears at the airport to say goodbye to Izuku. Although he pretends that he is glad to be rid of Izuku, Pino's reactions show that he will miss him. Izuku and Rody bid a tearful goodbye to each other. After the end of the mission, the students who participated reunite back with all their classmates at U.A., who welcome them, congratulate them for their success, and are happy to see that they all are all right. Meanwhile, Rody decides to stop being a crook and gets a real job to help his siblings. He goes to Stanleyk's to ask if he has any respectable work for him, which he tells him that one of his employees quit and needs someone to replace him, something that Rody accepts without hesitation. Rody starts working as a bartender and continues to care for his siblings, as well as looking to pursue his dream of becoming a pilot.

Fanon
RodyDeku got popular after the third movie,, was released publicly. The fans liked seeing their friendship grow in difficult situations; getting chased by the police, getting chased by terrorists, having to travel undercover, and hauling a vehicle over troublesome terrain. The fans also loved that they were enemies that slowly turned into best friends. This ship still loses to TodoDeku and other Izuku ships, but it's Rody's most popular ship. Some of the fans also ship the two of them with Ochako, liking the idea that Izuku attracts brunettes romantically. Even Japanese fans of My Hero Academia were quick to draw and make content about the two on Twitter. There are currently over 300 works of them on AO3.

In fan works, the two are often compared to Nick Wilde (Rody) and Judy Hopps (Deku) from Disney’s Zootopia for their smooth talking con-man (Rody) and dedicated and cheerful hero (Deku) dynamic.

Rody’s quirk Pino is featured heavily in fan works as a plot device, with her ability to reveal hidden feelings often leading to a confession.

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Variations

 * RoDekuChako refers to the ship between Ochako Uraraka, Rody and Izuku
 * TodoBakuRodyDeku refers to the ship between Shoto Todoroki, Katsuki Bakugou, Rody and Izuku