My Hero Academia has a huge roster of characters that fans everywhere love. Whether it's a villain like Dabi or a hero like Hawks, fans are treated to amazing stories and character development at every turn of this show. One relationship that has been the cornerstone of the entire anime is the rivalry of the brash Bakugo and the protagonist Deku.
Like many other great rivalries in shonen anime, this relationship has dozens of pivotal moments and memorable team-ups, however Bakugo and Deku have one of the most unique dynamics in My Hero Academia. This is what truly captivates viewers and readers alike, so let’s dive in and take a closer look at the evolution of this dynamic duos sometimes volatile relationship.
Classic Shonen Rivalry
Throughout most of the early show, fans see the classic interpretation of rivalry in shonen with Bakugo and Deku. The audience looks on as they see Bakugo bully Deku as children and the effects that those moments have later on once both join class 1-A.
As with most shonen protagonists, Bakugo and Deku train together, discover the intricacies of their powers, and clash over their differing ideals. These sorts of “classic” interactions between the two help set the stage for the true evolution of their relationship.
Working Together
The first major time the two work together is during the “Final Exams Arc” after the infamous villain Stain arc. Having the stakes noticeably raised after the violent and deadly altercations the students had with Stain, the teachers of UA decide to have the students compete against the teachers posing as villains for their final exam. Here we see Deku and Bakugo tasked with beating their shared hero, All Might.
While they start off disjointed and lacking in collaboration as always, it is actually Bakugo who comes up with a plan to work together and win against All Might. This is the first time we see the two truly use their powers to benefit one another and break through the ceiling of their previous power caps. This is where Deku begins to understand Bakugo and his needs a bit better, and Bakugo first recognizes Deku as a potential rival.
Bakugo As a Villain
Later on, the villains kidnap Bakugo due to his power and proneness for saying things like “I’ll kill them all.” Bakugo’s rough exterior and tendency to react violently in situations lead the villains to believe they can make a turncoat out of the young aspiring hero. Fans are led to believe this could be a real possibility and get to see Deku struggle with the idea of his childhood rival becoming an enemy. Despite this, Bakugo pushes back against the villains and the other 1-A heroes launch a rescue mission to get him back.
During this arc, Deku realizes that Bakugo needs his other friends like Kirishima to help bring him back. It can’t all be Deku pushing Bakugo towards his goals, much like in other anime where the rivals have exterior characters that project them forward towards their goals. A classic example is Goku and Vegeta. Despite their rivalry, Vegeta being with Bulma and having a son in Trunks pushes him farther forward towards his character development and goals than just his rivalry with Goku.
All Might’s Influence
Both young heroes look at the world’s number 1 hero for inspiration. When the two were young they both watched the news coverage of All Might saving over 100 people and had different motivations birthed from that event. While their end goals were the same, the two determined they needed different things to get to their goals. For Deku, he wanted to inspire others and be the hero that always has a smile on his face like All Might. For Bakugo, he pursued strength. He wanted to be as strong as All Might so that he could save others. However, as the story progresses both begin to realize that they each lack what the other has.
Their rivalry comes to head eventually with the two clashing one night on school grounds. During this fight, both argue about their clashing ideals and while it may seem like they’ll never see eye to eye, the audience actually realizes that the two are different sides of the same All Might inspired coin of heroism. As they fight, Bakugo confesses that he feels guilty for “ending All Might” because when he was kidnapped by the villains All Might was dealt a career ending blow by using up most of his remaining power to defeat All For One. In order to confront these emotions and “speak” about how he has felt, Bakugo and Deku fight to release their years worth of feelings towards one another. It’s a heart wrenching moment, but cathartic for both as well.
Once Bakugo wins the fight, All Might steps in to stop further violence and explains the quirk of One For All to Bakugo. Here All Might trusts Bakugo with the secret of One For All being passed on to Deku and confronts him about his current motivations. Repairing the feelings of guilt and inadequacy that Bakugo has felt, All Might declares that the two are now proper rivals.
Spoiler Warning for mild manga spoilers
Taking The Relationship a Step Further
Now, the anime hasn’t quite caught up with the manga just yet, but there are still a few pivotal moments to highlight the complete evolution of their relationship. There is a moment when Deku is using his newly learned quirk, Float, to fight Shigaraki. While this fight is dangerous and hard fought, Bakugo has a flashback to a conversation between himself and All Might. Here we see All Might and Bakugo speaking freely about the intentions behind Bakugo’s continued help in Deku’s training. He admits that he not only wants to help make him stronger to become a worthy successor to their hero, but he wants to keep him from getting killed. In this moment, we realize that Bakugo has come full circle and sees Deku as a true friend.
There is surely more to come in both the manga and the anime in terms of these two’s relationship, but for now this paints a decent picture of how far they’ve come. To say these two are just classic rivals doesn’t do the writing of this show justice. They embody so many emotions and unique characteristics that keeps their relationship fresh and fun to watch and read.