...What Do You Mean These Are Different Characters?

Katsuki Bakugo: A Semi-Comprehensive Character Analysis (and Why I Will Never Consider Him a Hero)

I’ve written on Bakugo before, hurriedly (within about 24 hours) and messily, but he’s a character that I feel so strongly about that I need to give this another go. Before we begin I have a few disclaimers that I’d like everyone to keep in mind:

1. You’re always allowed to like fictional characters, for any reason. Deconstructing why a character’s behavior is problematic is in no way a personal attack on those who like them in spite of (or even because of) those actions. Is Bakugo your fave? Awesome! I’m glad you’re enjoying him in the series. Feel free to read this if you’re interested in differing opinions, but to be honest this is probably more geared towards those who already don’t like him. “Don’t like, don’t read” remains a staple of fandom for a reason, so please stick to it. 

2. I’ll be writing this up through Chapter 190, hence “semi” comprehensive. Maybe I’ll do a part two once the series is finished. I’m not sure yet. Also, keep in mind that every translation is slightly different. The one I used can be found here. 

3. I’ve already decided that I won’t be responding to any comments on this post. Not because I don’t enjoy a good debate (boy do I ever), but I’ve got a lot of important Real Life writing to do and really can’t afford to get distracted. That is, any more distracted than I’ve already been with this meta and to be frank, charged conversations about this character is not what I’m looking for right now. I wanted to say my piece and now I have. But feel free to chat among yourselves—respectfully!

4. This meta is long. I mean it’s really long. You think you know how long it is? You’re wrong. It’s longer. This is my magnum opus of metas and honestly I have no regrets. Just keep length in mind if you think, “Oh, I’ll give this a quick read through!” You won’t. That’s not possible. And I’m so very sorry.  

Okay, that’s the boring stuff out of the way. Let’s dive in.

There’s something to be said for the argument that the most important part of a story is its beginning. The start of a tale either grabs us or leaves us cold. It sets up all our expectations and, whether the author is consciously aware of it or not, has a strong impact on the ending. Stories don’t exist without their beginnings (for obvious reasons) and it’s worth giving them some extra attention. Boku No Hero Academia starts with this:

We don’t know these people yet, but it’s easy enough to figure out their role in this tale; who’s the hero and who’s the villain. We learn a lot in just five panels. Bakugo has been beating up on another, weaker kid and he’s “already made him cry.” This is significant because it sets up Bakugo’s empathy—or lack thereof. His first victim is not Izuku, the “friend” who we later learn infuriates and at times even intimidates Bakugo. As horrible as it is, we can explain some of his violence towards Izuku, though we certainly can’t justify it. But this is different. Bakugo appears to be beating on a random kid simply because he can. Because he enjoys it. Though we’re only in the first panel, the crux of Bakugo’s characterization is laid out for us to see. It emphasizes my primary argument and the reason why I don’t think he can ever be a hero, no matter how much Horikoshi wants us to root for him.

Bakugo lacks empathy for other people. 

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Some Tips for writing internal conflict

Wanting Two Things at Once Imagine your character really wants to chase after something big, like a dream school, a major opportunity, or maybe even moving to a new city. But at the same time, they’re terrified of leaving behind everything they’ve ever known. Or maybe they’re in a relationship that’s holding them back, but they can’t bring themselves to let go. Show them getting pulled in two directions, torn between their ambition and their fear of losing the people or places that ground them.

Right vs. Wrong Sometimes, your character will know deep down what the right choice is, but it’s the most difficult one to make. Like, maybe they see someone getting bullied and know they should stand up, but doing so could make them a target. Or maybe they have to decide between helping a friend and doing something that could ruin their own future. These moral dilemmas create intense internal conflict because it forces them to question who they are and what they stand for.

Doubting Themselves We all have moments where we wonder if we’re enough, smart enough, strong enough, brave enough. Let your character wrestle with that same doubt. Maybe they’re the kid who has always been told they’re special, but now they’re in a place where everyone is just as good, and they start to wonder if they even belong. Or maybe they’ve been through something tough, and they’re not sure if they can bounce back. These moments of insecurity make your character feel human, like they’re trying to figure it all out, just like everyone else.

Dreams vs. Fears Show your character dreaming big but getting frozen by their own fears. It’s like wanting to ask someone out but being terrified of rejection, or wanting to move away for college but being scared to leave home. Let them imagine all the things that could go wrong , that moment when fear makes them doubt if they should even try. But also show their desire burning just as strong, making it impossible to ignore. That’s the heart of internal conflict: they’re stuck between wanting something so bad and being afraid of what it’ll cost to go after it.

Beliefs Being Challenged As your character grows, the world will start challenging their beliefs. Maybe they grew up in a family that drilled certain values into them, and now they’re meeting people who see things differently. Or maybe they’re experiencing something new, and it’s changing their perspective. It’s like when you think you have everything figured out, and then life throws something at you that makes you go, "Wait, maybe I’ve been wrong this whole time." This kind of internal conflict is powerful because it forces the character to question who they’ve always been.

Keeping Secrets If your character is hiding something, like a mistake they made, feelings they’re afraid to admit, or a truth they don’t want to face, that secret becomes a huge part of their internal conflict. The fear of being found out or of dealing with the consequences can create a constant pressure in their mind. Maybe they’re scared they’ll lose their friends if the truth comes out, or maybe they’re dealing with guilt they can’t shake. The tension comes from their battle to keep it hidden while knowing they can’t keep it locked away forever.

Pressure from Everyone Your character might feel like they’re trapped between what they want for themselves and what everyone else wants from them. It could be pressure from parents, who have their whole future planned out, or pressure from friends to fit in or follow the crowd. Maybe your character wants to be true to themselves, but they’re scared of disappointing people or standing out too much. This kind of internal conflict is super relatable because, at some point, everyone feels like they’re stuck between living for themselves and living for others.

Fear of Failing Sometimes the biggest obstacle isn’t the external challenge but the internal fear of failure. Your character might have big dreams, but they’re paralyzed by the thought of messing up. Whether it’s competing in a sport, performing on stage, or just trying something new, the fear of not being good enough can be overwhelming. Maybe they’re afraid that if they fail, everyone will see them differently, or worse, that they’ll see themselves differently. The internal conflict comes from their desire to succeed battling against their crippling fear of failure.

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How a typical scenario with Bakugo and Class 1A would go in cannon

Note: I thought this scenario was kinda funny in my head because judging by how everyone acts with each and around Bakugo, something like this would happen in the main series. If Bakugo is going to constantly have toddler like tantrums and get physical with someone(Ex. Blowing up the dorm and a card game after getting a tie in a match with Deku/ Attacking Deku immediately after he congratulates Bakugo for getting his provisional license/ Throwing his sharp headgear at Deku causing him to bleed), then he would definitely do this. Anyway feel free to add your introspection. Normally Bakugo would have a hissy fit over something that is either petty, stupid or outrageous to fuel his inferiority complex so let’s say that he got mad for getting the second highest score on a test.

How this scene would play out is that class 1A would get their results of a test they took. Bakugo would get pissed because that he got the second highest score meanwhile Momo Yaoyorozu got the first highest. While Momo keeps her pride to herself, Bakugo would make a baseless claim the she is making fun of him. So Bakugo would proceed to attack Momo out of jealousy.

- Momo would be in a lot of pain from taking an explosion to the face

- Jiro, Kaminari, Mina, Sero, Tsuyu and Ida would get pissed and try to intervene but it probably won’t amount to anything

- Deku would probably try to intervene but Bakugo find an excuse to fight him

- Uraraka would direct her attention to Deku if he got attacked by Bakugo; ignoring Momo’s condition

- Mineta would make another perverted comment

- Todoroki wouldn’t do anything in this scenario(Good luck Todomomo fans)

- Sato and Tokoyami would just comment on how Bakugo’s attitude is ridiculous and not do anything else

- Kirishima would probably stand up against Bakugo while at the same time convince the others that his actions are reasonable

- Aoyama, Hagakure, Ojiro, Shouji and Koda would keep to themselves and not intervene

- Aizawa would harshly punish all of Class 1A and give Bakugo a light punishment

In layman’s terms, All hell would break loose.

wtf?

It always irked me how differently Horikoshi writes female and male friendships. Tsuyu and Kirishima have the same panel time in Ch 431.

But in the Tsuyu-Ochako conversation, we learn nothing about Tsuyu (other than the little tag that says she's 34th ranked). The conversation is fully about Ochako. Tsu is the "support bot" who is fully invested in the conventionally prettier heroine's love life.

Kirishima on the other hand gets to talk about himself, about his new agency, his side-kick time at Fat Gum's, he gets banter with Bakugou - there is much more give-and-take than in the girls' conversation.

I used to like Tsuyu at the start, but becoming friends with Uraraka basically killed her character.