Bakugo’s Journey: Understanding His Fate In My Hero Academia

It’s never easy to witness the death of our favorite characters. However, anime like Demon Slayer and My Hero Academia don’t hesitate to snatch some of the most beloved characters in the blink of an eye. It’s like, “Oh, this character is my favorite, and the next moment, all I get to see is the same character turning into dust.” One such fan-favorite character is Bakugo, Deku’s best friend in the series. At this point in the series, several fans fear and are confused about Bakugo’s fate. So, in this post, I talk about this crucial character’s destiny in detail. So, if you are gutted with Bakugo’s death sequence in the My Hero Academia anime, keep reading to know more.

Spoiler Warning: This article includes spoilers for the My Hero Academia manga by Kohei Horikoshi, especially the Final war act. Proceed with caution.

Deku’s Best Friend Bakugo: Only Wanted to Win in Life

When Bakugo was introduced in the beginning, most of us didn’t really like the character. He appeared to be a selfish and arrogant young boy. He would often be seen bullying Izuku Midoriya aka Deku, who was a quirkless and frail boy at that time. Bakugo never left any opportunity to ridicule Izuku and make others humiliate him as well. He was so overconfident that when Izuku cleared the U.A. High School entrance examination, Bakugo got angry since he wanted to be the only one to pass the exam.

Despite numerous negative personality traits, Katsuki Bakugo was a great fighter, be it physical or mental. His thirst for victory never let him give up, no matter how many failures came his way. His talent and intellect earned him a significant place in his class. Apart from these, the boy was an all-rounder who was good not only in studies but also in cooking and music. Obsessed with himself, Bakugo wanted to be a Pro Hero and fight evil.

As Bakugo was immensely powerful, he received praise from his batchmates and mentors alike, which is why he developed a superiority complex. That’s also one reason the boy couldn’t stand failure and always wanted to be at the top.

Bakugo’s Death: Does Shigaraki Kill Him in My Hero Academia?

Despite emerging as an antihero at the start of the series, Bakugo received a lot of love from the My Hero Academia fandom, all thanks to the creator Kohei Horikoshi, who brought this character from a negative to a positive role. Witnessing his attitude and overall personality, fans assumed that someday Bakugo would join hands with the villains, but thankfully, that never happened. The boy didn’t join the League of Villains for his selfish motives. He believed that, in the end, it’s always a hero who wins, and as we know, victory meant everything to him. After this decision, Bakugo is destined to become a thorn in the villain’s side.

And during the Final War saga, Shigaraki Tomura lands a heavy punch on Bakugo’s chest and shreds his heart instantly, marking an end to the story of this much-loved character.

Bakugo’s Death Is Undone in My Hero Academia

However, like Deku, Bakugo also plays the most crucial part in the MHA storyline, so it’s obvious he can’t die so soon. While fans cried witnessing this death sequence, the Pro Heroes ran toward Bakugo’s lifeless body to help him. We are not unfamiliar with the quirks of fourth-ranked Pro Hero Edgeshot, which allows him to change his size and shape as per his will. So, using his ability, Edgeshot quickly takes the shape of a thread, repairs Bakugo’s heart, and brings him back to life.

Bakugo then went on to fight All For One fiercely. His injuries didn’t hinder his performance, and he delivered one of the most spectacular fights in the entire series. After turning AFO into dust, Bakugo had to leave the battlefield because of his injuries. However, he did turn the tide of battle in the superheroes’ favor. We later saw Bakugo in the epilogue, where he, along with the other young heroes, made a special suit for his best friend, Deku, so he can become a superhero again in the My Hero Academia manga ending.

Bakugo’s death certainly would have been a loss from which no fan or the heroes could move on. However, it wouldn’t be unfair to say that this kind of plot armor sometimes gets too much for the audience to digest. His death in the series provided shock value, and everyone assumed that his death would be a turning point for Deku. However, the boy was quickly resurrected, and what could have been a dark spot on Deku’s heart turned into a glimmer of hope for All Might’s successor.