The Twin Stars of BNHA’s Narrative: Katsuki and Izuku
There is a certain elegance to the way Horikoshi executes the plot-line of Boku no Hero Academia that is both thought provoking and impressive, putting the quality of its literary devices on par with several other great stories in its genre. The execution of said devices often ranges from being blatantly obvious to ridiculously subtle, and this is no exception for the strained and controversial relationship of Katsuki Bakugou and Izuku Midoriya.
I will admit that upon reading the series the first time, I came to the embarrassingly inaccurate conclusion that their interactions would never become extremely significant to the plot. However, this is not the only misjudgment their relationship has faced: it is often glossed over as irrelevant, unessential, and my all time favorite, “poorly written.” It’s disheartening because it is one of the most thematically rich and symbolically profound relationships in the narrative and it seems as if the fandom has subjected itself to only looking at their interactions through a romantic lens (even though they are tremendously important when analyzed from a platonic point of view). This makes it almost impossible for people to analyze their relationship without negative or positive bias.
But putting that context aside—or dare I say, erasing it altogether—if their bond is reduced to their refined and essential components, Bakugou and Midoriya are two dynamic and independent characters who are very similar and very different in several ways. The traits and features they highlight within each other are extremely important to the main themes of Boku no Hero Academia, and they can also symbolize certain elements the series emphasizes so greatly.
Before we begin, I would like to preface this by saying that this is not a ship meta. I firmly believe that BNHA is not a romantic show and I seriously doubt that romance will ever be extremely vital to the plot, despite ships being the fandom’s main point of focus. Because of this, I wanted to create a meta that could be enjoyed by those who wish for these characters to develop but without the romantic bias that some meta writers tend to take on their relationship, which can be understandably undesirable and sometimes a bit off-putting. Therefore, we will be interpreting their interactions in a platonic light, but shippers are definitely welcome to read this as well if you take interest in their canon development and dynamics.
This analysis will focus on the relationship of Bakugou and Midoriya from a narrative and thematic standpoint. We will discuss how it is a subplot of its own and how these interactions add another layer of depth to their characters and the story itself. That being said, if you dislike the relationship that Bakugou and Midoriya canonically have, believe that it is poorly written, or if you are searching for something to change your mind on these two opinions, this post is not for you. It is not my job to convince others and change stances that they have already solidified. I am only here to analyze their relationship and its importance to the plot from a narrative and thematic standpoint. You can choose to accept or reject these explanations, it’s up to you.
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