“My Best Friend’s a fucking nerd and an idiot. God he pisses me off.”
A look into Katsuki Bakugou’s friendship with Izuku Midoriya
** A counterpart to this post **
Preface - This is my headcanon, to pair with the post regarding Izuku’s Point of View on his friendship with Katsuki. This is Katsuki’s point of view, as I see it. This is not the “be all, end all answer”. I do not excuse or condone Katsuki’s actions in any way.
I’m merely responding to the overwhelming amount of requests I’ve had to write this.
This not a spoiler free post.
Now let’s talk about Katsuki, because before I can even talk about his relationship with Izuku, I need to talk about Katsuki as a person so that this all makes a little more sense.
Katsuki’s personality has been shaped around his quirk, his use of his quirk, and how the praise he’s received because of it. From the very beginning Katsuki was praised for his quirk.
“An amazing quirk for an amazing hero” it was said which lead Katsuki to conclude that he, was in fact, just as amazing as his quirk and that made him better than everyone else in fact. You could even go so far as to say that it lead him to believe that one’s quirk determined their self worth and since his was always being praised that must mean he was pretty freaking amazing.
So it also lead him to hold higher standards of what was and wasn’t acceptable. Having a quirk was normal, acceptable and having a strong one made the person all the more amazing - therefore Izuku not having one must mean he’s worthless, right?
The child is four. Count the years, four when he came to this conclusion. He hardly understands the world, let alone what truly does and doesn’t make someone amazing and/or worthless.
And the thing is though, it’s logical to conclude that before the introduction of quirks in their lives, Katsuki was a completely different person. Since Izuku makes it very known that “after his quirk manifested, he started to change” (to quote the dub, episode 7)
Even in the Manga, Izuku explains the the reader that Katsuki wasn’t ever a bad person. He was just really full of confidence (A+ parenting Bakuparents for raising a kid with high self esteem.) and believe he could succeed at most anything. Izuku makes sure to point out that it wasn’t until after his quirk manifested that Katsuki started being a jerk - and again I would like to point out that the praise from his peers and adults in his life became even more prevalent after Katsuki’s quirk.
Therefore, this is why I can see a four year old Katsuki with the equation ->
“Quirk = Good / Strong Quirk = Amazing/ Strongest quirk = Best”
and of all the people around him at the time, Katsuki had the strongest quirk - therefore “I’m the Best.”
So when it’s said that Izuku has no quirk, where does he even fall in that scale of “Good and Bad”. Well if having a quirk is good - because basically every one else does - that means not having one is bad right?
It’s a stark comparison between Katsuki’s reaction to getting a quirk and Izuku’s reaction to not having one. Katsuki just had all of his dreams confirmed by those around him.
‘You want to be a hero, kid? Well with a quirk like that it should be easy.’
Where as Izuku had his dreams crushed.
‘Don’t have a quirk? Suck to be him.’
But I think it’s important to note that in the manga (not the anime) no one is trying to console Izuku about the concept of being quirkless. It’s just ‘that sucks’ and that’s it. Katsuki doesn’t witness any kind of positive action towards his friend being in such a situation, only giving him backing that having a quirk = good and no quirk = bad.
Therefore he comes up with the conclusion as seen above.
“Deku, He’s not awesome at all.”
So let’s talk about Katsuki at the beginning of the series.
Prideful, arrogant, conceited.
He really doesn’t give a shit about anyone, even going so far as to address the rest of his classmates as ‘extras’.
He just doesn’t give a shit. Their quirks pale in comparison to his own, so why should he even care?
But that’s what makes Izuku special.
In the midst of this chaotic introduction to the characters of the series, it is pointed out that Izuku wants to attend the same school as Katsuki and instead of laughing it off like he just laughed off the concept of anyone else in his entire class becoming a hero, he freezes.
Izuku doesn’t bring it up. Izuku doesn’t speak. Izuku doesn’t mention the topic - the teacher does, and in that moment Katsuki’s boasting and egotistical rantings stop - even if just for a moment.
Screw the rest of the class, but Izuku matters.
Now, I know how Katsuki was introduced the readers and in quite frankly it was intentionally done in a way that made him appear as a complete and utter asshole - this is Izuku’s story - not Katsuki’s but that doesn’t change the fact that as we learn more about their relationship, looking back on things changes once the reader has obtained additional information.
So knowing what we know about their relationship’s past now, I think it’s important to note that, even while the rest of Izuku’s classmates proceed to mock Izuku and his school choice, that “the bully” Katsuki Bakugou does not laugh at Izuku’s ambitions.
But Instead he proceeds to question Izuku as to what someone, quirkless as himself, is even capable of.
If anything he’s more furious that Izuku is still willing to try the exam, despite knowing his own limitations. Further more, if you go with Funimation’s translation of this scene (seen here about the 8 to 9 minute mark) Katsuki says to Izuku “You’d never be able to hang with the best of the best, You’d die in the exam.”
And it was that choice of words that I couldn’t find myself looking past. Of course at first glance, it’s just Katsuki being a typical shonen rival-esque asshole, but once the reader is made aware of the fact that they have known each other practically their entire lives and before quirks, it changes things - I mean at least for me it did.
Katsuki knows full well what Izuku is capable of and knows full well that Izuku Midoriya is a walking accident / Klutz.
He hasn’t been able to do the simplest things since they were young, so what’s changed now? If Izuku takes that entrance exam, it’s going to kill him and Katsuki knows it. Izuku is Mr. “Trip-over-his-own-two-feet”, how the hell is he supposed to fight villains?
I honestly believe that if Izuku could have kept up with Katsuki in their youth, he wouldn’t have given a shit if Izuku wanted to be a hero - quirk or no quirk - but he couldn’t so Katsuki does.
He’s always been a “I can do it, why can’t you?” Kind of person.
So of course this applies to Izuku. Of course this applies to the only one that actually matters in his life.
Katsuki doesn’t give a shit about the other kids in his neighborhood or his class. Izuku is literally the only person he pays attention to as a child and prior to U.A.
Izuku is the only one that gets truthful, honest reactions out of him.
When Katsuki is flashing back during their first fight, this is what we get.
Katsuki wanting to know why Izuku can’t understand. Why Izuku is such a loser. He’s competing with Izuku. He could care less about the other kids because they are irrelevant. Izuku is the only one that matters.
It matters to Katsuki that he does well, and his scale to reflect himself against is Izuku and no one else.
(At least at this point in time. )
But even this point in time, it’s important to note that Katsuki is always questioning why Izuku can’t do the things he can do, despite knowing Izuku’s limitations. It’s almost as if he wants Izuku to be able to stand on the same level as him. As if he took Izuku being quirkless as a personal insult.
It’s almost as if in Katsuki’s mind, Izuku didn’t get a bad draw of the gene pool, but it was a personal failure to manifest a quirk - as if that was something Izuku had control over.
And then Izuku gets a quirk - years after anyone has ever manifested one, and against everything they have been taught about quirks while growing up. Katsuki is blown away.
His entire world just got flipped upside down. Quirks aren’t supposed to manifest past age four, and yet Izuku has one. How long has that been a thing? Has Izuku been lying to him this entire time? Has Izuku been the one making fun of him this entire time? If he had a quirk why in the hell did he take all that bullshit from the rest of their class?
Why would Izuku hide such a thing? There’s nothing to gain from that, right?
He doesn’t mock Izuku for having a quirk now, or again even attempt to crush his ambitions - no instead he’s demanding answers.
His friend has been lying to him for ten years, and about something important. So honestly, when I look at it from that perspective I can understand why Katsuki is so furious. Izuku has been faking his weakness this entire time. He’s been playing at being the failure when in actuality he could have been standing at Katsuki’s side for the last ten years.
But not just Katsuki’s friend, but his best friend, because remember - even at this point - Izuku is the only one he’s ever gave a shit about.
Even after entering U.A., Katsuki checks on Deku to know how well he’s doing.
That’s what matters to him in this test. Not how well he did but how well Izuku did against him. He knows he’s amazing. He knows he’s going to succeed. Is Izuku finally able to keep up now that they both got into this school?
See I’m well aware that this post cannot be done without talking about a certain scene in Katsuki’s past.
We all know it’s unavoidable so let’s just talk about it.
Katsuki told Izuku to commit suicide. There’s no nice way to put it, because it’s not a nice thing. However, it happened and there isn’t an excuse for his actions.
However on the flip side of this, it’s important to know that in the Japanese culture, it isn’t handled in the same sense as it is in western cultures.
Suicide is seen as a way to preserve honor to one’s family or even sometimes seen as the morally responsible thing to do. So while a western audience sees this scene has absolutely appalling, please consider that this wasn’t written for a western culture.
If you’d like to learn more about suicide in Japan, please see these links:
{ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_in_Japan}
{https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/minority-report/201406/asian-honor-and-suicide}
But back to the topic at hand, Izuku and Katsuki’s relationship. As I stated above, Katsuki has been questioning Izuku to prove what he’s capable of, if he wants to be a hero so badly and honestly I see this scene as Katsuki’s final breaking point with Izuku. He’s fed up. The idiot doesn’t understand that he’s going to get himself killed chasing these stupid dreams, so if he wants to die so bad he might as well just go do it.
Is it right? Is it just? Is it acceptable? No. It’s not.
But pigeonholing Katsuki into this moment of the manga, isn’t either.
Katsuki was presented in a way in the beginning of the manga to get the reader to emphasis more with Izuku than Katsuki - because again this isn’t Katsuki’s story - it’s Izuku’s.
But Katsuki’s attitude towards Izuku changed quickly after that. He was attacked by a sludge villain. He almost died. No one was willing to help him, because the surrounding heroes did not have the appropriate quirks and they essentially left him to die until someone who could do something arrived.
So when all hope was lost and Katsuki was sure he was going to die, here comes Izuku to save the day. Izuku of all people in the world, the one he just had his completely break down with, comes running to save his life - even when the heroes they idolized wouldn’t.
You wanted to know what Izuku was capable of Katsuki? You wanted to know what he could do? Well here it is. Even terrified out of his mind, he can run to save someone who matters.
And even after screaming at Izuku for trying to save him, Katsuki still acknowledged Izuku for what he was capable of after the sludge villain incident.
Because he, as explained by Izuku, never tormented Izuku again. So whatever “bullying” was going on ceased completely after that.
Katsuki’s “bullying” was completely over and done with by the time they entered U.A.
And it’s once they enter U.A. that were start to see the change and really get to know the characters they are and why they are so tied together.
And the thing about it is, everybody knows it. They take no measures to hide that they’ve known each other for an exceptionally long amount of time, and as I mentioned in my post about Izuku, neither of them ever attempts to deny that they were / are friends with each other.
Even if they did want to make some kind of attempt to hide that they’ve known each other so long, the fact would still ring obvious in the way that they address each other.
It is so important, so utterly important - down right vital even - that Izuku calls Katsuki “Kacchan”.
How one addresses those around them within Japanese culture is affected by their position in their life and/ or how close they consider themselves to be to that person.
That’s why everyone except Deku calls Katsuki ‘Bakugou’. It is proper manners to address someone whom you’ve just met / aren’t overly close with by their last name instead of their first. It goes the same way for Izuku - no one - calls him anything but Midoriya excluded Uraraka and Katsuki.
I’m assuming you’ve probably noticed this trend in other anime as well.
However the trick is, by adding ‘chan’ onto the end of Katsuki’s name shows admiration when spoken from one young boy to another.
http://maki.typepad.com/justhungry/2009/08/when-to-use-chan-or-san-and-other-ways-to-address-people-in-japan-.html
http://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/5362/address-someone-by-their-first-name-or-their-last-name
But “-chan” is normally added onto the end of a girl’s name / a young boy’s name - but this time Izuku should have started addressing him as “Katsuki” / “Katsuki-kun” or something of the like but he hasn’t.
He’s been calling him Kacchan for 10 years.
And Katsuki hasn’t stopped him.
Even when Katsuki is aggressively talking to him at the beginning of the series, Izuku still calls him ‘Kacchan’, and Katsuki doesn’t bat an eye.
He just carries on with what he’s trying to say and continues to allow Izuku to address him in such an informal manner. If Katsuki truly hated Izuku to his core, he wouldn’t allow him to call him anything but Bakugou.
Even when they enter U.A. they continue to address each other as they always have and Katsuki doesn’t blink - doesn’t get embarrassed - doesn’t tell him to knock it off - doesn’t even try to ‘play it cool’ in front of the new kids.
Izuku’s always called him Kacchan and probably always will. It’s just normal to Katsuki at this point.
Even when faced with mortal danger, he’s still not batting an eye at the concept of being called “Kacchan”, he just instantly knows who was the one behind the report of his endangerment.
And the thing to note about Katsuki being in danger again, Is that some how one way or another, Izuku is almost always involved. Katsuki’s not stupid - he’s 3rd in his class - and he’s watched this entire time Izuku get stronger and stronger but he’s also watched the price of that strength.
He’s watched Izuku break his bones and scar his body. He’s watched Izuku completely wreck himself all in the name of his ‘dream’ to become a hero, and that’s why I personally believe that Katsuki told Izuku to stay back during the whole kidnapping incident because he was positive, that if he didn’t - If Izuku reached them and ended up with him - Izuku would have gotten himself killed in the name of protecting his friend.
I see no malice in this. I see no grudge. In that moment, none of that mattered. Katsuki was in danger, and Izuku was going to save him. Being quirkless didn’t stop him from almost getting his ass killed, so what were broken arms going to do? That certainly wasn’t going to be enough to get his thick skulled best friend to stop. Izuku is a bleeding heart and Katsuki knows it.
If Izuku had managed to get to Katsuki, no amount of pain would have stopped him from throwing his life away. Katsuki’s not dumb. He’s watched Izuku for years upon years and he’s seen him in the USJ, he’s seen him in the Sports Festival, he’s heard about his run in with Shigaraki. There is already a laundry list of things that should have stopped Izuku from even wanting to become a hero, but Izuku Midoriya is just as bull headed as Katsuki is and even more so when it comes to Katsuki.
Katsuki’s fear has been brought up twice now in the manga. Once during the Final Exam against All Might
and again after the boys’ 2nd and most recent fight.
And I feel like this is taken the wrong way sometimes. I personally feel that what this means more is that fear is more along the lines of Izuku’s willingness to go past the point of no return and that willingness is what is going to get him killed.
Izuku has wrecked himself in the name of becoming a hero and Katsuki has been stuck on the side lines with nothing else to do but watch. He’s frustrated. He’s fed up. Izuku has been chasing a dream that could destroy him for years, and nothing deters him - even pain, even death.
So you tell me, how would you feel watching someone you’ve known for your whole life destroy themselves? How does it feel to watch someone who’s always been at your side keep coming back to something that will hurt them?
As Katsuki said, no matter how much he shoved Izuku away - he kept coming back.
Izuku has always been there, but Izuku always been the single source of honest concern when it comes to Katsuki.
He was there when they were four
and he was there when they were sixteen.
He’s always the one who comes running. He’s always the one who will give his everything in the name of Katsuki’s well being. He’s always there showing Katsuki concern and showering him with uplifting words. He’s there expressing his admiration no matter how horrible Katsuki is to him.
What will possibly get him to stop? Surely, if we fight that would be enough? But it never is.
Izuku is also the one person we’ve seen Katsuki cry in front of. Katsuki is normally the character within Shonen that is the ‘tough guy’ that doesn’t show emotions. He’s supposed to be seen as a thug but yet in front of Izuku we’ve seen him cry twice and recently confess his fears too.
This is some heavy level stuff, and it’s not the kind of thing that someone just takes to anyone. Katsuki didn’t take this to just anyone, either. He took it to someone he’s known his whole life. He took it to someone he grew up with. Someone who’s known him his whole life. He took to someone who’s known him over a decade. Someone who knows him better than anyone else there. He took it to Izuku. He took it to his best friend.
Katsuki doesn’t know how to express himself through weakness. Katsuki doesn’t know how to handle feeling helpless.
Katsuki was raised to believe that he could handle anything by himself and when he finds out time and time again - he can’t - he breaks.
So of all the people in the world to break down in front of, he chooses Izuku.
The first tears were brought on by Izuku catching him off guard during their first fight. These tears were brought on my Katsuki needing to find a way to rid himself of these frustrations and feelings in a safe environment. He knows Izuku isn’t going any where. He tried for years to get Izuku to stop following him, but Izuku had proven his loyalty time and time again.
And now he knows Izuku can finally stand at his level. Izuku can finally keep up with him. Izuku can finally hold his own after all these years.
Katsuki was raised in a very freely psychical environment.
His mother is the kind of person to merely smack her child over the back of the head without thinking about it, and she holds the same explosive temper as her son. Katsuki learned it from some where to what was appropriate and what wasn’t. So I can see how taking a fight to Izuku to express his emotions wasn’t that far of a stretch. Even Izuku noted that it was a meaningless fight meant for nothing more than Katsuki to get his anger out.
And off all the people in the world, the friends he’d made at U.A. and the trusted members of the faculty, he chose Izuku.
Katsuki’s definition of Izuku has changed completely from when they were children. He’s no longer quirkless and Katsuki is starting to understand that his original idea of quirkless = bad, and strong quirk = best is not always the case. He’s had real world experience. He’s felt helpless. He’s failed. He’s danced with death and it’s all changed him.
Instead of bragging about his victory, or berating Izuku for losing to him, instead he’s almost scolding him.
He has All Might’s power. He shouldn’t be losing any more. He should be able to beat Katsuki in a fight, and he almost wants him to and all this is said before All Might even shows up.
He goes further once the situation is explained to him to tel Izuku that he not just shouldn’t be losing but he can’t.
No panic attacks. No moping. No self induced pity. This isn’t about Katsuki, it’s about Izuku and he is starting to understand that. He’s understanding that Izuku’s loyalties to him have been proven once again and even through something like this Izuku hasn’t been lying to him.
Because the thing is, Izuku is very important to Katsuki. He always has been and that’s why Izuku is a touchy subject.
He would get beyond frustrated when the quirkless idiot would talk about dreams that would get him killed.
He spent his time watching Izuku’s progress and gauging how well he was doing, and he always had to know what Izuku was thinking. It’s made clear in their last scuffle that Katsuki believed Izuku held him in disdain.
He demands an explanation from Izuku when he first sees his quirk, and expresses the frustration of believing that this entire time Izuku has been playing him and that he actually hates Katsuki. It was literally driving him crazy to think about Izuku hating him. To think that Izuku was lying to him. To think that Izuku was hiding something from him.
Because Damn, ‘I’ve known you for over a decade. Why the hell are you hiding shit from me?’
But after having the situation cleared, Katsuki was the one who took the first step forward. He owned up to his actions for starting the fight when Aizawa asked who threw the first punch.
Instead of turning the situation on it’s head and blaming it on Izuku like he would have at the beginning of the series.
And further more, Katsuki was the one who proclaimed that things between them would be different from now on.
They’ve had a rough road, and there’s been a lot of miscommunication going on but Katsuki’s ready to repair the friendship now that he understands the full weight of the situation. He’s grown up enough to look past his own ego and move forward. It’s not going to be fast, but I know it’s going to happen.
I just can’t look past how important these boys are to each other.
I firmly believe that Katsuki too, considers Izuku is best friend. His best friend who is a complete idiot and doesn’t understand the concept of self preservation. His best friend who just pisses him off.
It’ll be different now. Katsuki said so himself.
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