Work Text:
Hanta Sero as a character is very friendly, and often provides comic relief and an upbeat attitude for his class. As the Taping Hero: Cellophane, Sero serves as a mobile, ranged supporter, geared towards capture and rescue, though his smarts have proven to be useful for attack strategies. This combined with his great skill in handling his quirk make Sero pretty versatile, though I feel that he is kinda stuck into one or two roles instead of having his full potential embraced. But to understand where he could go, we must first look at what he can already do.
Tape is a mutation-type quirk that gives Sero cylindrical dispenser-like organs where his elbows are, from which he can fire tape. Sero has improved his quirk to the point where he can fire multiple bands of tape at once, as well as produce double-sided tape that is sticky on both sides. The tape he produces in very strong, able to bind enemies and support his own weight, as well as large and decently heavy objects which he throws around. Hanta also has the option of either severing the tape he creates or retracting it Overusing Tape causes Hanta to suffer from dry skin.
In terms of fighting style, Sero primarily attacks from range, using his tape to restrain targets from afar. He also uses Tape for mobility, swinging and pulling himself through the air, not to mention that he often creates traps and blockades. The tape Hanta expels is excellent in combination with other quirks, which is the main reason Sero serves as a ranged supporter, and excels at teamwork. So far Sero has shown two different super moves with Tape, the first is Barricade Tape, whereby Hanta covers his surroundings with a large amount of tape in order to protect allies from enemy attacks and discourage them from approaching, otherwise they could end up tangled. The second move is Tape Shot Trident, with Sero grabbing several objects from the environment around himself with Tape and then launching them as projectiles. This second move has only ever appeared in the second movie.
Honestly, Sero is surprisingly powerful as is, but there are ways for him to improve his usage of Tape, particularly in regards to combat. It’s rare for Sero to act alone as a hero since he works best in a team setting, but I feel there are ways for Tape to be used offensively. However this would require a slight change in Hanta’s fighting style, at least in terms of when he comes up against close combat specialists. For ranged combat Sero already has a great handle on Tape, he just needs to take better advantage of opportunities to grab objects for use. The other way he could improve Tape’s ranged potential involves his physical mutation. It has been shown in the Forest Camp Training Arc that Sero can improve the speed at which he shoots tape, and this can be pushed even further. Obviously we don’t know the biology behind his dispenser-organs, but the way I imagine it is that Sero has small motor’s in his elbows which is what allows him to fire and retract his tape. If he were to momentarily increase the speed of these motors to their absolute limit, then it stands to reason that he could fire tape at incredibly high speeds, fast enough to even cut things considering he produces stronger than normal tape. This function would allow Hanta to attack defensively bulky targets and still deal damage, making him much more viable to handle protective abilities. Otherwise for range Sero just has to continue to improve the skills he already has.
Now we move onto improving Sero in close combat. Throughout the series Sero hasn’t fought at close range against enemies, instead staying back at striking with Tape to bind them, but this quirk does have melee potential. Mostly this potential is based around how Sero would use Tape, and it would mostly involve him using smaller bands of tape to redirect attacks, or to disrupt enemies by sticking them to things. His ability to extend and retract tape is essential for this as he could keep enemies within a certain range if need be, plus him being so close to them would make it harder for them to escape his tape. Combining this with his great mobility could allow Sero to basically throw himself at villains, using momentum to add some power into his hits. This new style of combat would make Cellophane a threat to those who would want to get in close to him thinking he’s weak because he is primarily a ranged attacker. Below is a list of super moves and there descriptions that I have created which revolve around this improved fighting style. The moves are:
Tape Shredder
Flynet Tape
Spiral Tape Bagworm
Tape Launcher
Collection Tape
Package Wrap
Box Tape
Multape Slinger
Masking Tape
Sticky Tape: Quick Wrap
This first grouping of super moves revolve around Sero’s improved ranged attacks, taking advantage of his environment and creating opportunities for him to do what he excels at: binding targets. Firstly is the purely offensive move Tape Shredder. With this, Sero increases the speed of his motors to maximum so that when he fires his tape it travels much faster than normal, quick enough to essentially act as a paper cut to enemies. He could even launch one long band or multiple smaller stripes that would shred the target. Although the cuts produced are thin they would be very painful, much like a paper cut. Secondly, Flynet Tape involves Sero firing multiple bands of tape in a crisscross pattern, angled with his arms to form a net shape, either to catch projectiles or trap enemies. Spiral Tape Bagworm is an interesting move as it requires enemies to be mid-air. Sero can force them to jump by firing tape at their feet, but once the target is airborne Hanta would fire tape as he rotates his arm, creating a winding stripe that encircles the enemy before wrapping them up. This is perhaps one of his more harder to use moves since it’s dependent on the situation and whether or not the target is in the ideal position. Fourth is Tape Launcher, and this requires Sero to attach an object to a small extension of tape before he fires the tape, launching the object as a projectile. This move can be used in succession since Sero can retract the tape and attached object before launching again and again. Finally is Collection Tape, whereby Hanta fires two stripes of sticky tape that collects debris and nearby objects, effectively turning the bands into whips that Sero can attack with. I’ve made three of these moves with offence in mind so that Sero has actual attack options instead of relying on allies to deal damage and wear down villains for him to capture.
This second set of super moves are designed around Sero being in closer range to opponents, particularly for dealing with fast close combat fighters. Package Wrap involves Hanta maneuvering around a target at speed in order to mummify them. His constant running around makes it hard for the target to pin him down as he continues to bind them. Especially useful against opponents with full body quirks that would be difficult to touch (i.e. someone who could secrete glue from their sweat glands, potentially covering their entire body in glue and making it hard to grab them). Next is Box Tape, whereby Sero covers his arms in tape to add protection for his punching. This would be used when Sero fights a sturdy enemy like Kirishima or Sato, who are pretty much like tanks, so that extra layer of thick tape would provide Sero with some extra protection. Thirdly is Multape Slinger, and with this Hanta uses multiple stripes of tape to launch himself forward at a faster rate than usual, best used when closing in on a target, with the added speed helping with attacks. For Masking Tape, Sero would fire a fast stripe of tape at a target’s head while close, designed to impede their vision or other senses. Finally is Sticky Tape: Quick Wrap, whereby Sero uses one band to block an attack at melee range, rushing in to wrap the target further. This last move is more designed as a counter attack, catching a target and then trapping them. Overall these moves are designed to give Sero an edge for melee combat, giving him several options to counter attack or disrupt his opponent.
To conclude, the improvements I’ve thought of for Sero are geared toward helping him stand more on his own. Despite his quirk being more geared for support, I’ve deliberately made several super moves aimed at offence so that if need be Sero can act solo against villains, not always needing to rely on allies to deal damage. There is a lot of room for improvement with this character as he could definitely pull away from his main role of capture and support, and I feel that Sero could stand more-so on his own as a well-rounded hero who could attack, defend, capture and rescue. Honestly, Cellophane could be a very versatile hero, his quirk just needs some creativity.