My Hero Academia: Shigaraki had a bigger plan for Bakugo than anyone realized

The My Hero Academia fanbase has been revisiting some of the older chapters after reading some of the developments in the latest manga chapter. The series, which is inching closer to its conclusion, saw the antagonist's return in the most twisted manner possible.

However, fans have been pretty active on social media platforms like X, coming up with theories based on some of the most important characters. This is why fans have revisited older chapters, and they seem to have found a link between Bakugo Katsuki and Tomura Shigaraki. This is an interesting fan theory based on the individual characters' struggles and pain during the My Hero Academia series.

Disclaimer: This article contains massive spoilers from the My Hero Academia manga.

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My Hero Academia: Fan theory shows Shigaraki’s potential plan for Bakugo

The fan theory about a connection between Bakugo Katsuki and Tomura Shigaraki was proposed on X, and it’s clear that some fans enjoyed the connection between these two seemingly disconnected characters.

In chapter 418, Shigaraki and Deku have a conversation in the dreamscape. This was an important chapter since Deku, to a certain degree, achieved his goals. The outcome of his efforts can be seen in the latest chapter now that AFO has returned and taken over Shigaraki’s body.

In the dreamscape, the protagonist of the animanga series managed to destroy a considerable amount of hatred that Shigaraki had stored within him. Following this, an important line in the manga showed how Shigaraki felt. He said, “The villains need a hero of their own.”

He said this right after showing that he no longer harbored the hatred he once had. The internet seems to have connected this dialogue from one of the earlier chapters of the Hideout Raid arc.

A still from chapter 85 of the My Hero Academia manga series (Image via Bones)

This was when Bakugo Katsuki was kidnapped and was quite frustrated. In the panel above, we can see that Shigaraki was trying to sympathize with Bakugo’s feelings. He also tried to explain how he and his comrades weren’t small-time thugs and how they, too, had a reason to fight. Everyone in that organization had a story to tell, and all of their stories were based on how heroes and society pushed them into becoming the radical elements that they now are.

Shigaraki was under the assumption that Bakugo was being suffocated in a way similar to the way society allegedly suffocated Shigaraki. The sheer number of rules and his personal connection with the concept of heroes skewed his worldview.

Shigaraki was trying to make Bakugo understand where he was coming from. The dialogue, “the villains need a hero of their own,” from the penultimate chapter can be seen as Shigaraki wanting to be Bakugo’s hero.

Fans believe that Shigaraki was trying to reach out to Bakugo during the earlier parts of the series, hoping to be Bakugo’s hero and a champion of the villains’ cause. This is an interesting fan theory, and it will be interesting to see if the manga confirms this.

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Related Links:

My Hero Academia chapter 419 spoilers: AFO's role in Shigaraki's past is revealed as unexpected allies save Deku

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My Hero Academia chapter 419: Release date and time, what to expect, and more