Deku's dear friend Katsuki Bakugo remains in dire straits in recent My Hero Academia chapters, with his very life hanging in the balance for a second time. Bakugo nearly died defending Deku from Tomura Shigaraki's wrath in the anime's sixth season and recovered, but he really might die this time -- and that would not be good for the story.
The last time MHA fans saw Bakugo, he was practically dead; Edgeshot took the controversial step of repairing the young hero's heart with his thread-like body. But even if Edgeshot's actions are contrived and convenient, Bakugo still deserves to live for an entirely different reason -- to make his redemption actually count for something.
MHA's Katsuki Bakugo Deserves Another Chance at Redemption
Katsuki Bakugo's current predicament came not too long after his well-received "I'm sorry" moment to Deku during the "Dark Deku" mini-arc. Bakugo was a popular but bully-ish antihero through most of My Hero Academia's story, and only recently did he finally own up to his terrible behavior and fix his relationship with Deku. This almost makes him a younger Endeavor, a rough hero who united the fandom and other characters against him only to become aware of his horrible mistakes. Since the young hero never tried to ruin anyone's family, Bakugo is easier to forgive than Endeavor -- but that won't happen if MHA's final arc kills him off first.
Despite his poor attitude and antihero behavior, Katsuki Bakugo is still a decent person deep down. He's just now starting to prove it, most of all with "I'm sorry" and his heroic efforts to shield Deku from harm in battle. Bakugo's redemption arc isn't complete; it's just beginning, and he needs a chance to become the good person he has promised to be. He won't be remembered too fondly if he was a jerk for 95% of the story and died not long after apologizing, and this character deserves a better legacy than that. Like Endeavor, Bakugo needs a post-antihero phase of his life to balance out his darker years, making him a mixed bag rather than a monster who said one nice thing before getting killed off.
My Hero Academia Needs the Old Katsuki Bakugo Back
In a way, Bakugo's redemption arc isn't just about transforming him and having him deliver on the promise to be better. It's actually about finding a return to his original and best self. Certain My Hero Academia flashbacks have shown Bakugo as an energetic and kind boy who channeled his enthusiasm in positive ways, only to start bullying Deku after the latter was diagnosed as Quirkless. Bakugo wasn't born bad -- he became bad after finding a reason to look down on his childhood friend. Bakugo's scorn for Quirkless Deku brought out the worst in him, but now that the two have made peace, the old Katsuki Bakugo can return.
Bakugo must not die in MHA's current war arc, because for everyone's sake, he needs to return to his old self and be the energetic but kind young man he was always capable of. This would redeem him on a more meta-level; through a concept art shown early in the manga, author Kohei Horikoshi revealed that he once intended for Bakugo to be a friendlier, more supportive person in a similar vein to Ochaco Uraraka.
Giving Bakugo another chance to live and fully redeem himself would bring back the old character in two different ways, proving that even if he was designed to be a jerk for narrative purposes, there was always hope for a nicer, more compassionate Kacchan after all.