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Although positioned as a unique exploration of the superhero genre,My Hero Academiaquickly became a fan-favorite among shonen lovers due to its rather nuanced take on superheroics, deep character development, and a compelling narrative that would leave readers guessing exactly what happens next as Izuku Midoriya - a seemingly Quirkless boy - becomes the one to succeed the World’s Greatest Superhero. WhileMy Hero Academiahas officially ended andMy Hero Academia: Vigilanteshas begun showing events prior to Izuku’s story, fans might be wondering if there’s more to explore in the original series than meets the eye.
In fact, fans who feel as though Class 1-A got away scot-free from the horrors of All For One throughout the Final War might think whether they had enough character development to go around by the time the series ended. And interestingly enough, one specific character might have been a fitting villain to counter Izuku’s heroism.
Bakugo Got Off Easy
Deku Was Too Forgiving To His Childhood Tormentor
Let’s be honest -Deku let Bakugo off easy. Bakugo was lucky Deku was naturally forgiving towards almost everyone, a trait that was undoubtedly one of many others that impressed All Might enough to ask Deku to succeed him as the Symbol of Peace. Had this been any other Quirkless, Bakugo could have been met with social media cancellation, time at juvie, or an unfortunate aggressive retaliation.
Some say the praise towards Bakugo’s excellence made him get so used to succeeding that he’s never had the time to look into himself. So he never really got the chance to reflect on his insecurities and his relationship with growth and success, or no way of understanding Deku’s attempts to grow outside his Quirklessness. Should this justify Bakugo’s verbal and physical abuse towards Deku? Not necessarily. While Bakugo’s arc does involve eventually coming to terms with what he’s done and apologizing to Deku, he’s generally gone unpunished for what he’s done.
How Would Bakugo Work As A Hypothetical Villain?
Seeing A Villain Grow From Scratch
The angle of Bakugo becoming a villain inMy Hero Academia, no matter how implausible, does open up a lot of interesting avenues. Aside from such a role allowing Bakugo to put anyone he wanted into their place, this can be the story’s way of showing someone’s “descent” into villainy from scratch. Depending on how extreme the story goes, All For One’s tutelage could inspire Bakugo to indulge in wanton destruction, torment others, or outright murderous rampage. If Bakugo possesses too strong a character to corrupt, All For One could put him in a position where it seems there’s no other way but for him to fight his own comrades.
Such a visual image can form a striking contrast betweenShigaraki’s forced restraintand Bakugo’s potential for destruction - both possess equally-destructive Quirks, and Shigaraki can form a secondary rivalry with Bakugo while the latter is still a member of the League of Villains. This can also demonstrate Bakugo acknowledging his potential as a villain and perhaps embracing it before his moral compass inevitably forces its way back in.
A Much-Needed Gaze Into The Psyche Of Villains
Fans Could Have Gotten A Deeper Look Into The Lives Of Villains
My Hero Academiawon’t be a comics-inspired story if it didn’t feature moments of villains enacting their plans or revealing their dealings with each other - somethingthe Paranormal Liberation War Arcfulfills to give fans a much-needed look inside the relationships of its roster of villains. However, Hawks’s predictable betrayal as a double agent doesn’t make his relationship with the villains as impactful compared to, say, should a kidnapped Bakugo actually be turned to their side.
A hypothetical scenario involving Bakugo conflicted about his morals and his relationships with his new comrades in the League of Villains can give a much-needed “other” angle to villainy. Should Bakugo actually gain “friends” among his new companions, could genuine friendship turn them back from a life of crime when Bakugo decides to get back into the light?
Why Bakugo? He’s The Only One Strong Enough To Go To The Abyss And Back
Whileall members of Class 1-Adeserve a shot at being a Pro Hero, it’s no denying how Bakugo can contend with Izuku in terms of strength of character and conviction. In fact, other members of Class 1-A state how much Izuku and Bakugo inspire them to be better - perhaps Deku for pushing himself beyond his limits, and especially Bakugo for always setting himself a much higher standard.
It’s Bakugo’s strength of character that sets him apart from the rest of Class 1-A - not in terms of heroism, but a sheer desire to prove his strength. Some argue that Bakugo’s desire to be the strongest means he only needs to see someone defeat his version of “strongest” to turn him to evil - in this case why bother being good like All Might if someone like All For One could easily defeat him?
It’s also this desire to get stronger that instills him with one quality of a potentially-compelling villain: the strength to cling to evil in his desire to be the strongest, and the strength to go back to good when he realizes pure power isn’t enough to be the person he desires to be. Had this been any other character, All For One’s darkness will likely consume them easily.
Bakugo And Deku Will Get An Actual Shot At Duking It Out
Give The Leading Characters A Deserved Match-Up
Despite their hyped rivalry, theMy Hero Academialeads only ever get two “true” fights in the series: thecostumed fight in the Battle Trial Arcand their rematch in the Provisional Hero License Exam Arc, both of which weren’t “to the fullest.” Kacchan is formally let into the inner circle who knew about Deku’s relationship with One For All, rendering any chance of another fight moot.
Should Deku get aNarutomoment of having to retrieve Kacchan back from the clutches of darkness, they might have a much-deserved fight to go “all out.” It would be interesting to see how Deku and his evolved Quirk could face a villainous Bakugo taught to go all out with his offensive toolkit.
With A Conviction Strong Enough To Get Things Done
The Worthy Opponent To Face All For One
The reason Bakugo could never be a villain is often tied to his convictions. Bakugo’s straightforward nature - to stare at the face of a challenge with sheer confidence in his abilities - should never be taken as a sign of weakness. The deuteragonist’s conviction in getting things done precisely makes him the perfect “other half” to Deku’s kind and forgiving nature. Thankfully for the world ofMy Hero Academia, it’s Bakugo’s merciless conviction that saved it fromone of its biggest threats.
In fact, such is Bakugo’s gusto in the Final War that he overcomes literal death in his mission, enduring pain and literally only being moved by his blasts as he overwhelmed the devolving form of All For One. It’s also Bakugo who deals the killing blow that reduces All For One’s pitifully-hateful infantile form to dust - something only a man with a conviction such as his could accomplish. All For One’s all-consuming darkness would swallow Deku whole had the youngster been tasked to face him instead of Bakugo.
In The End A Different Brand Of Hero
His Conflicted Personality Is Often Misunderstood
People looking at Bakugo as someone who should have been a villain all along is precisely what makes the deuteragonist such a complex character. Oftentimes, the bully always manages to predictably fall from grace to become a villain, or the aggressive deuteragonist often has a heart of gold contrasting the cool protagonist’s nonchalant benevolence. As such, it can come as quite a surprise for Bakugo to become an unexpected subversion to the “loud and proud” deuteragonist: he is a bully that never becomes a villain, and his loudmouthed arrogance is a shell hiding sheer skill and an even stronger moral compass.
Despite his faults and inclination towards strength, Bakugo will never become a villain precisely because of his beliefs: only a hero can ever be naturally strong enough to defeat any evil. And any overwhelming evil is something Bakugo will always want to face. At the end of the day, misunderstanding Bakugo’s character is no fault of the viewer, as his character is meant to be misunderstood - even Bakugo couldn’t understand himself until close to the end of the series.
