Sorry if this seems random, but I'm just starting to get into Kiribaku, and I'm trying to understand the ship. I can see Kirishima caring about and supporting Bakugou, but is that really reciprocated like it needs to be for there to really be a relationship? Like, Bakugou seems to tolerate Kirishima's presence more than anything, not really enjoying it. What are your thoughts on this?
it depends, in large part, to how much you read into bakugou’s reactions to various situations and people. it’s taken as given that bakugou has never had real peers before entering ua (midoriya and their changing circumstances in relation to one another notwithstanding). so while we’ve seen bakugou with his cronies in the earlier chapters and flashbacks (the kid with the wings, the kid with the extendable fingers), ua is really the first opportunity he has to meet people he is able to recognize as equals. he has various responses to those people, initially— he feels inadequate compared to todoroki, he’s threatened by midoriya’s very existence, he responds with hostility to kaminari’s teasing and asui’s assessments. his default mode is to disregard others, or to respond to them with derision and anger. but this is just an initial matter. over time, his relationships with every single one of his classmates has changed considerably— not just in how he treats them, but in how they see him in turn. and i think that progression is exemplified by his relationship with kirishima.
to break things down a little more—
bakugou and kirishima end up together when the class is split up at usj. kirishima explicitly reaches an epiphany about bakugou here— he looks beneath the surface, and reads bakugou’s lack of concern for his classmates as confidence in their abilities. from there, he decides that he’s willing to go along with bakugou’s plan. and i think this is also where kirishima learns to read bakugou, or at least learns that how bakugou comes across and what’s actually motivating him might be quite different. this is important, because throughout the series kirishima is able to sympathize with or understand bakugou at points where other people don’t really bother to try.
during the sports festival, bakugou agrees to build a team with kirishima. this is pretty pivotal, because up until this point we’ve only ever seen bakugou react viscerally and negatively to the idea of help. of course, according to the rules of the game, he had to form a team. but kirishima is someone he knows, and who’s quirk he probably actually remembers. after usj, kirishima at least registers on bakugou’s radar. this might seem like the bare minimum of human decency, but remember that bakugou was surrounded by classmates whose names he barely knew. he knows kirishima’s name and respects his strength— a pretty pivotal distinction, coming from bakugou.
it’s made clear in the tournament portion of the sports festival that bakugou shows respect to others by giving his all when he faces them in battle. this is his side of his battle with uraraka, and why he reacts so violently when todoroki doesn’t use his full power against him. bakugou offers this same level of respect to kirishima, facing him with everything he has and developing a strategy unique to defeating him. so at this point, bakugou at the very least respect kirishima.
in between the sports festival and the training camp arc, there are a bunch of little moments that show bakugou and kirishima have kept up contact. kirishima invites bakugou along on class outings (even if bakugou doesn’t agree to go), and kirishima asks bakugou to tutor him, and deliberately asks in a way he knows bakugou won’t say no to.
this whole time, bakugou is simultaneously softening towards his classmates and building up a lot of resentment about himself and his own perceived lack of growth. he’s more natural when his classmates tease him, he and todoroki have a more amiable relationship, etc. but he’s festering with resentment and doubt this entire time, and i think that’s pivotal to reading his character.
during the training camp arc, kirisihima freaks out when he realizes bakugou is the villains’ target. he’d probably be similarly affronted if any of his other friends were threatened, given his backstory, but bakugou does seem to be someone particularly important to him. he takes his inability to protect bakugou as an indictment of his own character, to the point where he works with todoroki to engineer an illegal rescue operation.
the hideout raid/kamino ward arc is probably the defining bakushima moment in canon, up to this point, but it’s also the part of canon that best addresses your question. what does bakugou think of kirishima? he sees kirishima as an equal. as far as we know, he hasn’t given that distinction to anyone else, ever. midoriya knows bakugou won’t respond to him as an equal, and also dismisses putting yaoyorozu or iida in that role. he also doesn’t ask it of todoroki, who ostensibly has a good relationship with bakugou at this point. kirishima is explicitly called out, by the most observant character in the series (and also the character who has observed bakugou for his entire life), as the one person who has built an equal relationship with bakugou. a relationship that allows for challenges and teasing, but also camaraderie and mutual respect. this is like, pivotally important. we do not have on-the-page evidence of bakugou giving that level of respect and care to anyone else.
bakugou takes kirishima’s hand, and that’s a turning point in an arc that could have turned out very differently otherwise.
so now we know that bakugou respects kirishima and sees him as an equal. but does he like kirishima, or have any affection for him? magic 8 ball says “signs point to yes.” after kamino ward, bakugou sees kirishima looking upset, and deliberately tries to cheer him up. he pays kirishima back for the night vision goggles, and looks specifically put out when he sees kirishima’s sad/guilty expression. he doesn’t want kirishima to be unhappy because of what happened to him.
during the license exam arc, kirishima chases after bakugou (along with kaminari), and they both look specifically happy to be fighting side by side. their teamwork is old hat, by this point. they’re comfortable around each other and work well together, in various combinations of larger teams. this arc may have been the last time we’ve seen bakugou smile that triumphantly? and it’s with kirishima by his side, for what that’s worth. kirishima, kaminari and bakugou are all friends by this point, even if bakugou still isn’t particularly effusive.
and then, during the internship arc, which is specifically kirishima-focused, we see kirishima airing his own insecurities to a group of the 1a boys. (and bakugou is casually and comfortably among them! they’re in a dorm, if he was just tolerating their presence in class he could go up to his room and avoid spending any more time with them. but he doesn’t.) when kirishima voices these insecurities, bakugou gets angry not at him, but on his behalf. he tells kirishima how he views kirishima’s specific strength, and again expresses how much he respects kirishima. this is a big deal for bakugou, who has only ever reacted to others’ strength with challenge or insecurity, before. he admires kirishima’s strength without being threatened by it— not because kirishima isn’t strong enough to be a threat, but because their relationship has so many other layers and a level of comfort, at this point.
every time kirishima starts to feel weak and needs inspiration, in this arc, he thinks back to how bakugou built up his strength. it’s happened at least twice.
anyway, there’s probably a lot i’m forgetting, here. but the takeaway is that bakugou and kirishima’s relationship as equals and friends has been very deliberately built up and carefully tracked throughout the series. they both have important relationships outside of each other, but it’s clear that their development hinges on each other in many ways, too. bakugou has expressed care and concern over kirishima in ways he hasn’t for basically anyone else (other than all might). he cares about how kirishima views himself, because he has deigned to see kirishima as an equal. and that’s pretty significant.
because bakugou doesn’t respond typically to people, it can be hard to read his reactions for what they are. but the series is deliberate and careful about how bakugou categorizes people and what they mean to him. his own emotional language is consistent, if not particularly typical. so through that lense, kirishima’s importance to him is stated pretty clearly. even if he doesn’t show affection or care in the same way as other people, he still expresses those emotions. and kirishima has been set up as a character who knows how read bakugou’s reactions and expressions of emotion.
it’s easy enough, from there, to bridge the gaps and see bakugou’s feelings however you wish. but he definitely doesn’t just tolerate kirishima. it’s a relationship meant to specifically illustrate how differently bakugou is able to see and treat people now that he’s changed as much as he has.
