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My Hero Academia's mangaka Kohei Horikoshi has often been the subject of criticism, both legitimate and illegitimate. Trying to sift through critiques is a nightmare, as the accuracy of the critique usually comes down to personal opinions.
One of the more common criticisms of My Hero Academia revolves around the protagonist bias the story tends to show towards Shoto Todoroki, Katsuki Bakugo, and Izuku Midoriya. Effectively, the three are treated by critics like the "golden trio" that can do no wrong and get the bulk of the screen time and character development.
Some have even decided to go as far as to critique how Izuku was sidelined in his own backstory, specifically the bullying side of things.
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Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers for My Hero Academia manga material that has yet to be animated and other anime spoilers. The opinions contained therein are exclusive to fans and the author.
Examining the claim that My Hero Academia's Deku was sidelined in his own backstory
Exhibit A: The Flashbacks
In terms of similar shonen anime such as Naruto, My Hero Academia focuses primarily on Deku's point of view. Sometimes the audience will get a chapter or episode focusing on other characters in Class 1-A and even an entire arc regarding the show's villains. But aside from Bakugo and Todoroki, Deku gets the most focus.
Some have commented on how Bakugo's point of view is emphasized heavily in Deku's backstory. The bullying that Bakugo put Deku through was completely uncalled for, with some stating that Bakugo never gets called out for what he did for a solid decade. Other critics have noted that the audience never got Izuku's side of the story.
In the first episode and plenty of flashbacks in My Hero Academia, Izuku is shown being withdrawn and depressed. Some have attributed this to his nervousness over being Quirkless and later having to keep the All for One Quirk a secret, but Bakugo's bullying isn't doing him any favors.
The counterpoint will detail why the audience has seen how all this affected Deku, even if it's not as explicitly spelled out as some people would've liked. Long story short, it's affected his entire personality.
Counterpoint A: Deku's personality change
Deku was hyperactive and an outgoing kid when he was young. Finding out he was Quirkless, plus the relentless bullying, affected his personality. He became withdrawn, timid, and prone to jumping whenever Bakugo addressed him directly. Bakugo even told Deku to kill himself in the first chapter, among other things.
Throughout My Hero Academia, it's clear that Deku was affected by the bullying. He was incredibly timid, practically friendless, and considered it lucky that he made friends with Tenya and Ochaco at UA. It took a while for Bakugo to get a taste of his own medicine in the form of Deku showing him up, standing up to him, and surpassing him in many ways.
This comes back around after the Paranormal Liberation War. In the aftermath of that devastating war, Deku is so depressed that he goes on his own to fight All for One and almost cripples himself by overusing One for All. This is due to overtaxing his newly acquired powers and his extreme lack of self-esteem and self-worth from the bullying and other traumatic experiences.
It took all of Class 1-A, Bakugo included, to get Deku back to some semblance of normalcy. It wasn't easy to restrain Deku, but everyone opening up to him about how he changed their lives (Bakugo included) helped Deku come back and get his head on straight.
Exhibit B: Bakugo's slow character development
As stated, Bakugo's development seemed to hinge on the bullying aspect he put Deku through. This is a major concern for some people, as it felt like the bullying aspect was only there for Bakugo's sake and not for Deku. Bakugo still treats Izuku like gum being scraped off his shoe following the entrance examinations.
Bakugo did begin to cool off following the USJ incident, where Nomu and Tomura invaded UA. He also began to understand Deku a bit more after finding out about One for All and began to begrudgingly respect his former victim. That being said, many people still couldn't take his attitude, ego, or arrogance.
Some even said he felt truly villainous, anticipating that he would align himself with the villains the first chance he got. This never happened, as Bakugo told them where to shove the offer when he was captured during the Forest Training Camp arc of My Hero Academia.
While Bakugo caught a lot of heat, it was counterbalanced by plenty of people practically bowing at his feet, even when his attitude was far too abrasive for the average My Hero Academia fan. It got concerning for a while, as some people didn't seem keen on criticizing Bakugo at all.
Counterpoint: Sasuke Uchiha and other anime rivals took longer
In a stunning display of maturity, Bakugo apologized for the bullying in My Hero Academia chapter 322. It's amazing that Deku didn't hold a grudge for a decade's worth of bullying when, in reality, that much bullying usually encourages self-harm or worse. Bakugo also started developing way earlier than some other rivals highlighted here.
A counterpoint to people frustrated by the slow pace of Bakugo's development should come in the form of similar rivals. One of them is Sasuke Uchiha from Naruto, who took the length of the entire 700-chapter series (with well over 700 episodes likewise) to recognize Naruto as a friend.
Dragon Ball rival Vegeta took most of Dragon Ball Z to go from villain to anti-hero, finally settling into a guardian role in Dragon Ball Super. Seto Kaiba in Yu-Gi-Oh! even went as far as to try to revive Yami Yugi's spirit to duel and beat him.
Compared to others, My Hero Academia's Bakugo gets the wind knocked out of his sails much earlier. He is a deconstruction of the snobby ace character who thinks he's God's gift to man, and ironically nobody calling him out earlier made that eventual downfall worse.
At UA, Bakugo finds himself facing off against people working just as hard as he is. Like him, Bakugo saw Todoroki facing harsh criticism from teachers like Aizawa and attending remedial hero coursework to get his Hero license after failing the provisional exam.
Bakugo also began redeeming himself after the fight he and Deku had, where he learned about One for All, recognizing Deku's skills and hard work. Bakugo likewise took a lethal blow for Deku during the Liberation War, which is a sign of growth considering where he started.
Exhibit C: Lack of societal critique
A major complaint among fans is the lack of critique that My Hero Academia seems to present towards society or the status quo. Because bad people exist, some have argued that the status quo in the series is already biased toward Quirks and against those who don't have them and that any change is met with force.
The examples usually put up are the Meta Liberation Army, who are effectively Quirk terrorists that see Quirks as natural, provided they can also do whatever they wish with their Quirks.
Likewise, some have stated that plenty of villains (Toga, Twice, Dabi, etc.) showcase how cruel and unfair the so-called superhuman society can be in flashbacks yet have none of it affect the overall story.
Some say that this is also shown in the case of Bakugo. He never received punishment for his decade of bullying or other things he says that would normally pose red flags. There's likewise his rapid rise in the Sports Festival and getting first place, which some felt was rewarding Bakugo's behavior, ignoring the fact that he lost out on his hero's license because of his attitude or that he had to be chained up.
That, however, is on the teachers, principals, and everyone else who refused to punish Bakugo for his behavior, and this is sadly true for real life and other anime. Moreover, as the next counterpoint will illustrate, Bakugo isn't seen as the pinnacle of excellence in the series, and the Hero Society does come crashing down.
Counterpoint: My Hero Academia is reflecting society
To put it plainly, there are multiple moments wherein the darker side of the superhuman society rears its ugly head.
There's an implied lack of opportunity for people who are Quirkless and the rise of huge villains like All for One who took advantage of those that slipped through the cracks, like Shigaraki and Dabi. Some people will always try to take advantage of whatever chaos they can spread: Overhaul and the Shie Hassaikai gang, for example, or Re-Destro.
Bakugo not receiving criticism for his behavior as a kid reflects how some societies deal with bullying. Some refuse to intervene even when adults are called, while others have zero-tolerance policies that hurt victims who fight back against bullying.
Likewise, there are plenty of supremacist beliefs (religious, political, and otherwise) that only want to be on top of the system or destroy said system to do whatever they like, including committing heinous acts without punishment. The Meta Liberation Army in the series and the anti-Quirk cult Humarise in the third My Hero Academia movie serve as examples of this.
Major examples reflecting society in My Hero Academia include the Liberation War's aftermath and all else that followed. After finding out Toya Todoroki turned into Dabi after Endeavor's abuse, many people began questioning heroes and whether or not they were good people at heart.
The revelations that Lady Nagant brought to light (i.e., heroes being assassins, heroes being "retired" if they caused problems, etc.) dismantled the Hero Public Safety Commission. This, combined with All for One's breakout from Tartarus, led to the collapse of the status quo.
In short, the superhuman society always had a dark side that only got darker with each revelation, which heavily reflects society. This is why Deku and others in Class 1-A are the heroes in My Hero Academia's final arc against All for One - they don't have awful intentions to become heroes, and all these revelations shake their faith in heroes, but they don't defend the status quo.
They just need to deal with All for One and his remaining devoted followers before any positive change can be made.
To conclude this examination of My Hero Academia's two protagonists, it's fair to say that there are plenty of things to critique about Bakugo's bullying of Deku. It's not entirely fair to state that the show or manga never really addresses how Deku is affected by it.
