Bakugou, Amajiki and mental health issues
Iāve wanted to write about that subject for a while, but as we havenāt known Amajiki for that long, I thought it was a little early to talk about his character in details. But from what we saw in chapter 140, thereās enough material to really talk about anxiety, and even mental health issues in BNHA. More specifically, Iām gonna write about Amajiki and Bakugouās mental health, and anxiety issues. As theyāre characters and donāt have canon diagnosis apart from Bakugouās complexes, I wonāt dwell on the nature of their issues (even if itās probably GAD in Amajikiās case and a progressive rise for Bakugou), but more about how it appears, how it affects them and how itās treated in BNHA.
Bakugou knew from a young age he was very smart and capable. Due to that feeling not being tempered, he developed both a superiority and a inferiority complex, as he grew up building his identity comparing himself to others. As long as he was better than them, he could feel extremely superior; but when he realized others were also talented, he felt threatened, because his entire being was being questioned. This realization especially hit Bakugou when he entered UA; strong anxiety came when he saw he was far from being the only amazing one. It shattered his idealized image of himself, and he was left with nothing but pieces of himself he needed to bring back together.Ā The kind of confidence you build on the comparison with others is frail, because once others are better than you, you feel like your individual worth disappear. The first strong depiction of Bakugouās anxiety issues was made in their heroes vs villains exercise with All Might. Hori, and the anime too (thanks to Nobuhiko Okamoto) really did a great job conveying his panic attack after he realized his loss against Midoriya; his eyes clouded, his thoughts began to race, his inner voice became more high-pitched due to the stress, he froze and lost his awareness while beginning to hyperventilate.
All Might broke that state before it became worse, but Bakugou was still left in a kind of hazard state. After that, he listened quietly to what others were saying but all he could think of was his own failure. He was totally unable to take a step aside and look objectively at his mistakes to move forward. His worrying was completely excessive and he couldnāt focus on any other thing.
He stayed like that until he went back home, after Midoriya talked to him and triggered a reaction by provoking him, more or less deliberately. For someone as loud as Bakugou, his silence really meant a lot about how bad he felt. Look at his face, and his gaze. Hori has an incredible talent for depicting emotions on his charactersā faces, and Bakugou here looks drained, tired and at loss.
He even ended up crying, and only got back on track after venting his frustration and fears to Midoriya, his only process to cope with his pain and worries. Despite his behavior, Bakugou is an hard-worker perfectionist, and tends to overthink. His fight with Midoriya in chapter 119 just shown us that he was feeling overwhelmed by everything that was going on in his head. He couldāt help his thoughts, and as he kept things to himself, he eventually ended up with wrong assumptions because of his distorted perceptions. He particularly convinced himself Midoriya was looking down on him since the first time he tried to help him, and always thought so since their childhood. Thatāsā¦ quite a long time, isnāt it.
In the same way, he convinced himself he was guilty for All Mightās downfall, while nobody never said a thing to him and everyone was just glad he was safe.Ā
Midoriya noticed how Bakugou was feeling, and accepted to fight him because Bakugou still doesnāt really know how to convey his feelings apart from that. All these kids are aiming to be top heroes and are already doing really great, but theyāre still only 15 or 16. Theyāre still kids growing up and building up their identity, and they feel a lot of pressure they donāt always know how to deal with.
Itās also very difficult to talk about your concerns when youāre anxious, because you know you may sound like youāre overreacting. And itās exactly what happens to Bakugou; heās always overreacting. Overreaction is often, if not always, a comic trope in all media and representations because it creates a tension between what things really are and how differently characters perceive and react to them. I canāt help but think about Handa-kun, the prequel to Barakamon. I love this manga, but the prequel is especially cringe worthy. Handa, the very anxious main character, is deliberately kept in his toxic thoughts because his friend, Kawafuji, finds his reactions hilarious and lies to him so he can keep watching him makes wrong assumptions and getting worried over nothing. This is wrong; itās an abusive relationship. Thereās nothing funny about that. I keep disliking that character even in Barakamon, as heās always getting angry at Handa for not doing things his own way and acting independently.
In Bakugouās case, overreaction can be funny when itās harmless, like when he yells because he gets mad when his classmates lightly make fun of him. But it can become really scary, because thereās an actual reason as to why heās overreacting, and how itās handled by others, especially adults. To be honest I was horrified when he was given his medal during UA sports festival. Bakugou was so angered he ended up being tied up to a pole, muzzled and cuffed.
Thatās what you do to mentally ill people because they apparently have to be physically restrained so they wonāt cause harm, to themselves and others. Itās rarely really needed, and usually, itās just a process to humiliate, dehumanize and demonize people with mental health issues. Itās unfortunately popularized in representations when mentally ill people are represented as ācrazyā, while itās none other thing than violent and psychophobic. I was really frightened, because he obviously needed real care for his mental health, but was instead publicly humiliated as nobody tried to listen and seriously talk to him to explain the situation.Ā
And, as much as I hated this moment, I was pleased when Hori used it to point how something was wrong with that later on. It could have been just another comic trope, and he could have let it like that. But it became one of the reason Bakugou was kidnapped; because villains saw how heroes were restraining him, trying to conform him while ignoring his specific needs. Aizawa publicly apologized for not taking much care of Bakugouās mental health. It had real consequences. Later on, All Might actually put words on that; they noticed his mental health state, and now are doing something to adapt themselves to Bakugouās needs. Thereās nothing as important as to have a suitable environment when youāre a disabled person. The problem isnāt on your illness, may it be mental or physical. The problem is, society isnāt adapted, isnāt adapting to disabled people, is ignoring their specific needs and is reluctant to provide any kind of financial and social support. At least in BNHA, theyāre learning, and theyāre taking that into account to improve the situation by addressing the issue. And thatās great.
Bakugouās still far from being stable, but at least, heās being seriously taken care of. For a long time, I thought it wasnāt pure evilness but couldnāt understand why he was so violent towards others, in a way that was too serious to be only a comic trope. Once I realized we were dealing with complexes, real anxiety issues and behaviors caused by that, it made total sense. I was relieved to finally grasp his complexity. Iām really impatient to see his growth, and to see him success in coping with his mental health issues, especially by talking about it. I loved it when he gave advice to Midoriya; it meant so much for both of them. He could finally discern the reason behind Midoriya sudden growth, and understand what was that gap he felt between them. Inferiority complex coupled with anxiety makes you overthink every tiny detail, excessively worrying you about things that are, most of the time, not even real. Understanding whatās causing you anxiety is really important as it allows your mind to rest once you identified what was wrong. Bakugou has been feeling very anxious and threatened by Midoriya since their first day at UA, when he didnāt understand how he could suddenly display that much power. Since then, he kept asking himself tons of questions, overthinking and making wrong assumptions, never finding any answer, leading him to be particularly aggressive and unstable because he thought something was wrong with him and felt inferior the whole time. Now that Bakugou understood what was going on, he can probably feel more safe, grow and build a strong identity for himself, and hold proper conversations with people, even with Midoriya.
As to Amajiki, his anxiety is more obvious and relatable because he actually voices his concerns, and people around him are aware of his condition. In chap 140, we saw how Amajiki is suffering from anxiety since his childhood. His relationship with Mirio is actually wonderful because theyāve been on equal grounds since they met. Mirio could have abused Amajikiās trust and admiration, and created a toxic relationship, things that unfortunately happen a lot (as in Barakamon). But he didnāt, and even pointed out how Amajikiās perceptions were distorted to avoid him unnecessary worries. Having strong support from others that care about you, even just one person, is important, and even crucial so youāre not left alone with your parasite thoughts and endless worries. In those regards, Kirishima helped Bakugou by being very down-to-hearth with him and offering him a reassuring, neutral and positive perspective about himself that didnāt make him feel threatened.
Amajikiās relationship with Mirio greatly helped and encouraged him to move forward. In the end, he even became one of the big three in UA, because Amajiki IS talented and strong, heās not called Suneater for nothing. On that aspect, Amajiki reminds me of Yuuri Katsuki, from Yuri!! on Ice. Yuuri also suffers from anxiety issues, and even though heās one of the best skaters in the whole world, and even the best in Japan, he thinks nothing of himself and only considers heās a failure. While being one of the worldās best skater. Thatās how severe anxiety affects you, and how it affects Amajiki. He sees himself as nothing but a failure while being one of the best students in UA, and being held in very high regards by pros heroes.
Again, itās almost funny how Amajiki tries to become one with every wall he comes across each time heās feeling too anxious to deal with a situation. But it also emphasizes how social anxiety physically affects you and makes you want to disappear in a hole in some social situations, because youāre no longer able to handle it mentally and physically. Itās no wonder his costume has a huge hood so he can hide his face when he feels ashamed or uncomfortable.
Things are rarely meaningless in BNHA. And then, like Bakugou, itās treated later on as a real and serious issue. Amajiki almost gave up when faced with a really stressful situation, because his anxiety was clouding his ability to think rationally and keeping him to go on, therefore putting himself in danger. Itās because Mirio told him that everything was okay and reminded him just how strong Amajiki really is that he could assess the situation as it was and stop panicking. Amajiki is even finally ready to fight and demonstrate his true astonishing abilities. Because you can have mental illnesses and still have dreams and aspirations you can achieve.
BNHAās depiction of mental health issues is great so far, because itās taking it seriously; not as a comic trope, not as an inescapable trait of personality, but as an health issue that needs to be taken care of. We desperately need positive depictions of mental health issues so itās not treated as a joke anymore, but as a serious matter that affects people lives. Representation matters, and yeah, you can be someone perfectly decent, and even incredible while having mental health issues. It doesnāt affect your personal value. In the end, you can even become a hero.
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