The Critical Issue of People not Understanding Bakugou’s Sacrifice and why this Fandom is Doomed
The other day, I was reading an article all about “why Bakugou’s death [chp 362] adds no real point to the story” and was absolutely blown away by this take right here:
and although I am a certified BkDk shipper, I feel a strong need to defend and explain exactly why this Article and the majority of the fandom is dead wrong about Bakugou’s character and his place in the story. Take my words with a grain of salt, however, as of course my opinion isn’t gospel. This is just my analyzation of the story of MHA and my take on the character of Bakugou Katsuki.
Let’s start from the core of all this commotion— the hate around Bakugou’s character.
i. Bakugou Katsuki
We know him, we either love him or hate him, and we’re all aware of his importance to the story. Or…are we?
It’s been pretty obvious from the very first chapter that Bakugou was gonna be some sort of important figure in the overall story. From his introduction, to his body language, and even his speech— he was a shithead AND unavoidable.
His presence is obliviously the first obstacle to our protagonist, Izuku, as both a bully and a source of insecurity (both to Izuku and Himself)
Believe it or not, this immediately sets the bar for what we’re to expect from Bakugou throughout the entirety of the story. This is His character, and this is his story line.
Proving himself, and being a source of importance to Izuku. First as a bully, then a rival, and finally…
“The most important figure to Midoriya Izuku”— someone who matters so much to Izuku, he has to die.
And guys, I REALLY need to stress how much his death matters. BECAUSE THIS IS WHAT ITS ALL BEEN BUILDING TOWARDS. From the very first moment he was introduced, to his supposedly final words. Bakugou has always been intertwined with Izuku.
And THAT is where all the animosity and confusion lies.
ii. The red string of fate
Now, this is somewhat the part I get a bit preachy. Only because I view these two as having a connection SO powerful, it’s beyond any sort of friendship imaginable. However, if you view their relationship as more platonic, you’re 100% justified in thinking as such.
Like I mentioned earlier, Bakugou’s death has been the main point all along, because he matters so much to Izuku.
I have a very strong theory as to why people refuse to see it as such.
You see, not everybody likes to dig below the surface. Sometimes, the average viewer just wants to enjoy some sappy romance, or quick punches thrown back and forth, or even some quick and painless jokes to make you chuckle softly. Basically, people don’t like having to think while enjoying visual entertainment. I know this because rarely I actually pay attention to media I’m watching, too busy working on something else to use it as anything more than white-noise.
Bakugou and Izuku have a relationship that requires deeper thinking. It’s not like any other relationship in MHA, where you see two cute characters and harmlessly ship them together. They have history, and a dark one at that.
The average viewer ALSO rarely views the world as anything more than Black and White at first. Which is normal, we always assume a side before learning about all the nitty gritty details in a situation.
Bakugou has a character that isn’t Black or White. He’s the deuteragonist. Not quite the protagonist, and not quite the antagonist.
He’s a troubled kid, with a troubled past. And guess who has ALWAYS been with him through his darkest moments? Izuku.
People see this as something bad, when it’s the entire point of BOTH their character arks.
To Izuku, Bakugou is his symbol of Victory. To Bakugou, Izuku is a constant and possibly his symbol of hope. Their relationship is so complex, so deep, and filled with many, many layers. It’s vital to both of them, as we see most prominently through Izuku’s reaction to Bakugou’s death.
Their loses hurt. Because they’re so intertwined.
Like losing your other half, literally. Save to win, win to save.
Bakugou was more than just cannon fodder to get Izuku Angry. His death took a piece of Izuku away. His sense of self and his vision of Victory. There’s a reason we haven’t cut back to the Shigaraki vs Izuku battle. He’s not truly ready, not without his sense of victory with him.
But people can’t accept this. People instead take it an entirely different way.
iii. Once a bad guy, always a bad guy
This is my biggest problem with the MHA fandom. I don’t actually consider myself a part of it. I’m a little too embarrassed about my so called peers that believe they understand or appreciate the story. I mean, you’re allowed to dislike whoever you want or like whatever you want, but the hate around Bakugou makes no sense to me.
You guys… realize people can change, right? There is no such thing as a purely good/ evil character or person. We can try and pretend there are, but there aren’t.
There’s something called character growth, too. Not sure if you’ve heard about it, but Bakugou has gone through it a lot. So has Izuku. Because THAT’S WHAT THEIR RELAITONSHIP ABOUT. FUCK IT, THAT’S WHAT THE DAMN STORY IS ABOUT.
Izuku’s a quirkless kid who wants to be a hero? Fuck it! He gets a super powerful power and is said to become “the greatest hero ever”. Good for him!
Villains want change to the hero system because it’s not fit for everyone? They’re right! Let’s allow them a revolution and give the story more perspective and depth as more than just a hero story. Good for them!
Bakugou, god forbid, wants to reimagine himself as someone more than their past mistakes and turn a new leaf alongside his childhood friend/ most important figure? …Let’s make fun of his death instead.
I GENUINELY DONT UNDERSTAND. YES, SOMETIMES HE SAYS MEAN WORDS. WHAT ELSE?
MHA is so much more that the silly shipping, memes, or backlash it gets. Is it perfect? Of course not! Is it detailed and complex? Absolutely!
Yes, people are allowed to not like a character. I’m not trying to force anyone to love Bakugou. He’s certainly not my favorite, but I at least understand his importance. Yes, not everybody has to grasp the deeper meaning behind a story and simply enjoy it for being a cool anime with memorable character. The problem arises when there is literally NO critical thinking and everyone just agrees with what is at the surface level.
(let it also be known that I feel most of the hate stems from people watching the DAMN ANIME. No offense if you like it, but I can’t stand to watch it. It’s lazy, frankly kind of ugly, and butchers almost every character SO BADLY (*cough, Bakugou, *cough) people are apparently pretty adamant to be anime watchers only, so this could be another reason they dislike Bakugou, because the anime is GOD AWFUL. Again, no offense :))
uhhh, merry Christmas!! 💥🎄