There May Be Some Collateral Damage
Fanfiction | |
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Title: | There May be Some Collateral Damage |
Author(s): | metisket |
Date(s): | 2015-10-19 to 2015-11-02 |
Length: | 61,209 |
Genre(s): | Gen, Crossover, Humor |
Fandom(s): | Bleach, Harry Potter |
Relationship(s): | |
External Links: | A03 Link |
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There May Be Some Collateral Damage is a popular Bleach/Harry Potter crossover fanfic by metisket. Unbeknowst to Harry, Ichigo Kurosaki is sent to Hogwarts to be his bodyguard, but trouble inevitably ensues when Ichigo takes matters into his own hands.
Regarding their inspiration, metisket wrote
I wrote this mostly because, despite the surprising number of Bleach/Harry Potter fics out there, none of them seem to address the fact that sending Ichigo to Hogwarts is basically the same as swinging a wrecking ball directly into the side of the castle. So here is an entire fic about that.[1]
Reactions and Reviews
There May Be Some Collateral Damage is one of the most popular Bleach stories on AO3, with over 170K views as of July 2021. It is also frequently included on rec lists for fans of both series, and in many fan-curated collections on AO3. It is frequently cited as one of the best examples of the 'Ichigo goes to Hogwarts' genre.
Okay, first off: I have not laughed so hard at any story, original work or fanfic, since I first read Nobody Dies. This story is a work of comic genius, with a lovely combination of laconic dialogue, observational wit, and an outsider's perspective of the absurdity of the Harry Potter universe. That said, this story also has absolutely spot-on characterizations, both for the Harry Potter cast, and for the Bleach cast. As a result, there are some very dark components that are just slightly below the surface; the darker parts of both stories are absolutely not played for laughs, and Ichigo's perspective is very much based off the results of past trauma - as such, his views of Harry and the Wizarding World are also based off a very traumatic worldview and catalog of experiences.[2]
There May Be Some Collateral Damage is absolutely the Bleach/HP crossover that I never knew I needed. It’s taken mostly from Ichigo’s perspective, although we occasionally get Hermione, Ron, or the Weasley twins’ perspective on him as well. And yeah, it’s basically hilarious from start to finish. Ichigo is sooo not into his role, as he tells Toshiro over the phone repeatedly. And of course, he completely fails to keep stuff a secret from Harry &co., while at the same time, telling them basically nothing about who he actually is or about Soul Society or anything. Ichigo, being the man of action he is, manages to stir up all kinds of trouble with Umbridge, trouble the castle ghosts, rope the twins into his schemes, and generally baffle the student body–all while theoretically trying to keep himself in check and well-behaved. I really loved the characterizations presented here. Ichigo himself is full of snark and having none of this political rubbish. And seeing the HP characters through his eyes is just fascinating; the author did a great job with that. The one thing I didn’t care for was the presentation of Dumbledore, because I actually like him; and yet, I can totally see Ichigo seeing him as he’s presented here, so I can’t even really complain about that. Also, just the writing itself is quite good, managing to be enjoyable and seamless even though it’s written in present tense. I found There May Be Some Collateral Damage to be both insightful and funny (like, I was laughing aloud basically through the whole thing), and I would recommend it to fans without reservation.[3]
One of my absolute favourite crossover fics of all time, this has me in stitches every time I read it. It's a Bleach/Harry Potter crossover that casually deconstructs all Bleach/Harry Potter crossovers, while being absolutely glorious as it does so. It really goes to show the kinds of madness both of these series find completely normal. Likee, Ichigo's just so confused about all the little child bigots? And what the hell, they have a quill that cuts your hand to write in your own blood? Never mind that, these people still use quills and not pens like reasonable people??? Meanwhile the entire Harry Potter gang is just completely unprepared to deal with this orange-haired maniac blowing things up every time he does magic and aggressively bodyguarding Potter. It's glorious.[4]
Influence
Collateral Damage is massively popular and has influenced other Harry Potter crossover fics, such as Snipers solve 99% of all problems.
References
- ^ Author's Notes for Chapter One
- ^ TVtropes Recommendation by RagnarTheSemiGreen, November 6, 2015.
- ^ Review, Archived version by Honya, September 17, 2018.
- ^ Comment by Eluckwent on International Fanworks Day Feedback Fest 2022
- ^ Comments on The genuinely best fanfictions you have ever read? posted to r/FanFiction Aug 13, 2021