Bakugo was always meant for One For All (and My Hero Academia chapter 403 proves it)

With the official release of My Hero Academia chapter 403 earlier this weekend, fans saw the beloved Katsuki Bakugo finally return to life after over a year of real-world time. As Bakugo seemingly prepares to enter the fight against Tomura Shigaraki and All For One, fans are excitedly discussing what role he could now play in this final arc for the series.

Interestingly, My Hero Academia chapter 403 has fans revisiting the second film for the franchise, entitled Heroes Rising, and a particular scene within. While the movie has yet to be officially recognized as fully canon by author and illustrator Kohei Horikoshi and the mainline series, many in the fandom do consider it to be canon.

This outlook also applies to a scene in the film in which Izuku “Deku” Midoriya “shares” the One For All Quirk with Bakugo, despite this not being possible given the mainline series’ rules. More importantly, however, fans are taking this scene and the timing of Bakugo’s return in My Hero Academia chapter 403 to assert that he was always meant to inherit All Might’s legacy (and likewise, One For All).

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My Hero Academia chapter 403 sets up Bakugo and Deku to become the new Symbols of Peace

As mentioned above, My Hero Academia chapter 403 and its showing of a young Deku and Bakugo traveling down All Might’s path isn’t the first reference to them inheriting his legacy. This would instead come from the aforementioned Heroes Rising film, which saw Bakugo and Deku share the power of One For All for a brief moment during the movie’s climax.

Considered to be a canon event by many fans, this is (in the eyes of the fandom) the first sign that both would inherit All Might’s legacy rather than just one. While it’s hard to say that Bakugo was always meant to inherit One For All, one can easily argue that he was always meant to inherit what the Quirk means and stands for.

My Hero Academia chapter 403 confirms this beyond a shadow of a doubt, thanks to both the issue’s opening and closing titles, as well as the aforementioned scene within the issue. It also brings Deku and Bakugo’s story full circle, going from childhood friends to high school rivals to partners who together will become the new Symbol of Peace to replace their idol.

It’s also worth emphasizing that the entire mainline series, in addition to the Heroes Rising film, has built the two up as sharing the burden of inheriting All Might’s legacy. Both of their developments have been intertwined since the start, with each constantly motivating the other to become a better hero and, in Bakugo’s case specifically, a better person

That being said, there is a fatal flaw to this argument which stems from the Heroes Rising film not officially being fully canon. While fans do consider it canon, this is nevertheless a severe blow to the assertions above. Although the argument is still strong without this inclusion, it does become noticeably weaker due to the symbolism behind Bakugo not just wielding One For All, but doing so because of and alongside Deku.

Nevertheless, My Hero Academia chapter 403 remains the anchor of this argument. The timing and execution of Bakugo’s return alone is enough to assert that he will inherit All Might’s legacy alongside Deku. The inclusion of the two on All Might’s self-imagined path within the issue, as well as the setup from earlier on in the series, cements it as Horikoshi’s intention.

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