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The following contains minor manga spoilers for My Hero Academia.
InMy Hero Academia, one of the most foundational rivalries in the series is the one thatexists between Katsuki Bakugo and Izuku Midoriya. Despite being at odds most of the time, we are shown that the two depend on and inspire each other to strive for greater heights. In this way, Bakugo and Midoriya seemingly have a sort of dependence on one another: if one thrives, the other follows suit.
Given their relationship in the story,would Bakugo have been ableto become as successful in the hero profession if it hadn’t been for Deku being a thorn in his side along the way? Would he have been able to learn the lessons needed to elevate him into the upper ranks of pro heroes without him?
Bakugo’s Talent
Would His Strength Alone Carry Him Forward?
If, for some reason, Midoriya had never inherited One For All or had gone to UA, it’s possible that Bakugo could still have become a pro hero, but he would have had major difficulties. The main villains inMy Hero Academiawould still be going after All Might, and they might still have considered capturing Bakugo and turning him to the villains’ side.
In this alternate world, Bakugo wouldn’t have had an opportunity to learn from the defeats he suffered from Deku, and would have lost some of his edge to improve and surpass him constantly. It’s possible that in this scenario, Bakugo would have been more likely to be swayed to embrace villainy and abandon the path of the hero. Bakugo is often seen as having villainous qualities, even by his classmates. With his psychological hangups, it wouldn’t be too out there to see him following a Stain-style way of admiration for All Might at some point.
Bakugo’s Quirk and killer instincts on the battlefieldwould still likely exist in a world without Deku’s interference, making his ascension to being a pro-hero very attainable. However, as we see in the later chapters of the manga, Bakugo did not break through the top ranks of pro-heroes until Deku was there to inspire him. Although Bakugo is physically strong, throughout the series, he still misses key pieces that allow him to reach greater heroic heights on his own.
Midoriya is Important to Bakugo
What if Bakugo’s View of Deku Never Changed?
Early inMy Hero Academia, much of Bakugo’s confidence and self-worth come from how he views Deku. He relishes in putting Deku in his place as quirkless and useless because it confirms to him a natural order that Bakugo feels he deserves to be at the top of. Bakugo, at the beginning of the series, was complacent and likely would have remained so if Deku hadn’t defeated him and lit a fire under him to get better.
Only someone like Deku, who could accept Bakugo’s feelings without giving up on him, couldhelp Bakugo overcome these shortcomingsand achieve his pro-hero goal in a healthier light. If Bakugo had never seen Midoriya as anything more than hopeless and quirkless, his ideas about himself might never have changed. This overconfident attitude he had might have cost him later down the line without Deku, leading to a fatal mistake against the powerful villains who would be targeting UA to get at All Might.
“Shutup. I’ll win. That’s what it means to be a hero!” -Katsuki Bakugo
Story-wise, it’s also worth mentioning that Bakugo might have been killed had it not been for Midoriya selflessly throwing himself at the Sludge Villain. AlthoughAll Might would eventually show up to defeat the villain, it was only through the hero seeing Midoriya’s determination that he could push through his limits to save both of them. In the current iteration of the story, not only does Bakugo owe his development as a hero to Midoriya, but likely his life as well. That’s not to say that Bakugo is useless without Deku to help and inspire him; only the many times Deku has saved him have made him a critical factor in Bakugo’s success. If it wasn’t for Deku, Bakugo may not have triumphed as a pro-hero, or even have been able to become one at all.
My Hero Academia
Cast
In My Hero Academia, some humans have superpowers called quirks. Izuku Midoriya, nicknamed Deku, is not one of them. Deku has always idolized heroes like the number one hero, All Might, and since he was a child, he has always wanted to be a hero. However, his lack of a quirk has always held him back, but a chance encounter with All Might after discovering a classmate in danger sets Deku on the path to becoming a true hero. My Hero Academia centers around Deku and a class of heroes-in-training at UA. This school shapes young quirk users into future heroes through fake rescue missions, combat training, and other hero-tempering tasks. With young Deku inheriting the “One-For-All” quirk, he will learn what it means to be a true hero while facing off with dastardly supervillains.
