I honestly skimmed over this really really clever moment when I first read the manga, but the recent anime episode drew my attention to it. At first glance the first four panels seem like their purpose is to show that it’s late, that Deku and Bakugou are breaking the rules, and that the rest of the class is sound asleep. But that could have easily been achieved with just the bottom panel, when Deku explicitly states that they shouldn’t be outside at this time. Horikoshi didn’t need to draw their classmates sleeping, so why did he? That’s when I realized that the top four panels are showing the people (sans Deku) who went to rescue Bakugou from the League of Villains.
What’s the significance of this?
There is a clear juxtaposition here. Kirishima, Yaoyorozu, Todoroki, and Iida are all shown in their rooms, sleeping unbothered. The scene immediately cuts to Deku following Bakugou to Ground Beta. Bakugou then a.) shares that he knows how Deku received his quirk, b.) challenges him to a fight, and c.) confesses his feelings of guilt and inadequacy regarding All Might’s retirement.
Ground Beta is an important setting for this arc, because it is where Bakugou fought and lost to Deku, subsequently realizing that he is no longer the figurative big fish in a small pond. He brought Deku to a place of insecurity in order to express those insecurities, and there is a reason that he ended up communicating them to Deku and not anyone else. Even those who had a large role in his rescue.
This visual contrast between Deku (in action, following Bakugou) and the rest of the Bakugou Rescue Squad (inactive, asleep) emphasizes that it does have to be Deku that Bakugou vents his feelings to, at least in that moment. Deku (narrating) says as much:
“Because right now, the only person who can receive Kacchan’s feelings is me.”
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