My Hero Academia: 10 most defining moments of Bakugo’s character

Bakugo is one of the best developed characters in My Hero Academia(Image via Kohei Horikoshi/Shueisha, Viz Media, My Hero Academia)
Bakugo is one of the best developed characters in My Hero Academia(Image via Kohei Horikoshi/Shueisha, Viz Media, My Hero Academia)

The world of My Hero Academia has showed us that even the slightest event can have a significant impact on the future. A brief encounter with our idol can restore hope in our lives, and allowing people to assist us can be just what we need to let out the pain inside, among several other examples.

Katsuki Bakugo, Midoriya's former bully and current best friend, is one of the characters who is most aware of this fact. His journey has been packed with significant moments that have molded him into the young Hero we know today. The following are the ten moments in My Hero Academia that had the greatest impact on Bakugo.

Disclaimer: This list reflects the author’s point of view and does not follow an order. It contains spoilers.


His defeat against Deku and 9 moments that changed My Hero Academia’s Bakugo forever

1) Getting his Quirk

Bakugo was praised as a great Hero since he was a child (Image via Kohei Horikoshi/Shueisha, Viz Media, My Hero Academia)
Bakugo was praised as a great Hero since he was a child (Image via Kohei Horikoshi/Shueisha, Viz Media, My Hero Academia)

In My Hero Academia’s world every kid is excited for the day their Quirks manifest, as it will probably be one of the most important days of their lives. Bakugou was immediately praised for how powerful his Quirk was the second he was able to use it.

Bakugo was already a born leader with an ego significantly bigger than other children his age, but the constant praise his Quirk got inflated it even more. This was the first time Bakugo started to see himself above his peers, something that would play a big part in his development moving forward.


2) Deku offered to help him

Bakugo saw Deku as inferior to him (Image via Kohei Horikoshi/Shueisha, Viz Media, My Hero Academia)
Bakugo saw Deku as inferior to him (Image via Kohei Horikoshi/Shueisha, Viz Media, My Hero Academia)

Bakugo started seeing his best friend Izuku as a useless sidekick after the latter failed to develop a Quirk. He began acting meaner towards his friend, calling him demeaning nicknames and mocking him for his lack of strength.

However, the moment that changed their relationship forever was when Bakugo fell into a river, after walking carelessly on a piece of wood on top of it. The only one who offered him help was the weak Deku, which Katsuki mistook for Izuku looking down on him.

From that point on, Bakugo would try to prove to Deku that he was above him, driving him to commit horrible actions that would drive the plot of My Hero Academia.


3) Deku stood up to him

Bakugo enjoyed putting Deku in his place (Image via Kohei Horikoshi/Shueisha, Viz Media, My Hero Academia)
Bakugo enjoyed putting Deku in his place (Image via Kohei Horikoshi/Shueisha, Viz Media, My Hero Academia)

After obtaining his Quirk, Bakugo started to act more and more like a bully, attacking other children with weaker Quirks. On one such occasion, Deku decided to confront Bakugo and his cronies to stop them from hurting another child.

It is implied heavily, by Bakugo’s comments during this scene that Deku would become Bakugo’s main target from that point on. He hated the idea of Izuku thinking he was stronger than him, so he decided to give him constant reminders of his weakness since that fateful day.


4) Saved from the slime villain

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After attacking Deku for his attempt at entering U.A., Bakugo went out with his lackeys to pass the time. While outside, he was trapped by the slime villain that Deku and all Might encountered earlier that day.

None of the Heroes that came to rescue him could approach the young man since his explosions started a massive fire around him. The only person to attempt to save him was Deku, something Bakugo could not believe. After that day, Bakugo left Deku alone for a while, at least until they ended up in the same class at U.A.


5) Deku beat him during their first practice

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During their first Hero training exercise, Bakugo and Deku were pitted against each other. The explosive teenager wanted to use this opportunity to prove that Deku should not be allowed in U.A., which did not go as he had planned.

Deku and Uraraka won the exercise thanks to their team work and Deku’s strong will to prove Bakugo wrong. This was a wake up call for Katsuki, as he realized he was not the strongest member of his class just because of his powerful Quirk.


6) Taken by villains and saved by his friends

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After the disastrous Forest Training class 1-A partook in, Bakugo was taken by the League of Villains to try and convert him into one of them. He refused to even listen to them, something that caused great annoyance to Shigaraki.

After the League’s base was raided by Heroes, Bakugo was taken to another part of town by All For One. When things looked most dire, his friends were there to save him from the villain’s clutches, making him realize he was not alone.


7) Failed his provisional exam

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Bakugo was always scared that Deku would someday surpass him, something he had to confront during their First Provisional Exam. Bakugo refused to work with others, although Kirishima and Kaminari basically forced him to cooperate with them.

However, due to his poor disposition, he failed the exam while Deku passed with no issues. Bakugo began to realise that his approach to being a Hero was lacking something, namely the passion for saving others the way Deku does.


8) Learned the truth about One For All

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Bakugo was devastated after All Might lost his Quirk fighting All For One to save him and he failed his Provisional Exam. In this confused state, he asked Deku to fight him, an intense battle that ended after All Might arrived to talk with them.

He explained why Midoriya was chosen over Bakugo and reassured the young Hero nothing that happened was his fault. This was the first time Bakugo and Deku expressed their feelings out loud, letting the other know they respect and acknowledge each other.


9) Saved Deku from Shigaraki

The Paranormal Liberation Front war arc was one of the most gruesome and catastrophic occurrences inside My Hero Academia’s world. But it also gave us one of the most touching and defining moments of Bakugo’s character.

After Shigaraki was defeated by Endeavor, his body was taken over by AFO, who immediately retaliated against the Heroes with his tendrils. A significant amount of those weapons were directed at Deku, but in a moment of pure heroism, Bakugo took the blow for his friend, while remembering the time Izuku did this for him.


10) Apologized to Deku

After the war, Deku turned to a dangerous path of self-isolation. When his friends finally caught up to him, he tried to run away again, but he was too weak to achieve this. While Deku tried to prevent his friends from associating with him once more, Bakugo surprised everyone by finally speaking about his feelings.

He apologized to Deku for all the horrible things he did to him, explaining the fear and frustration seeing someone without a Quirk being a better Hero than him caused him.

Bakugo’s words were the only ones to make Deku come back with his friends and it is probable that neither them nor My Hero Academia fans will forget for as long as they live.

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Edited by Babylona Bora
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