After years of bullying protagonist Midoriya Izuku and making his life miserable, Bakugo Katsuki has only just begun to acknowledge Deku as a proper rival and treat him as such. Their relationship is one of My Hero Academia’s most complicated as they were formerly childhood friends turned fierce competitors, at least in Bakugo’s eyes.
Midoriya, however, continued to view Bakugo as a friend and ally, as well as someone he often admired. Here’s why Bakugo couldn’t stand Deku at all when they first entered UA, and how All Might’s two biggest fans eventually made up.
Bakugo Has Identified With His Strength Since Childhood
Like most other children in My Hero Academia's Hero society, Bakugo manifested a Quirk at a very young age. Even in its juvenile state, it was clear Explosion was already an extremely powerful Quirk. From his classmates to his teachers, everyone fawned over Bakugo, praising his Quirk and assuring him that he would someday be one of the strongest Pro Heroes. Unsurprisingly, the young Bakugo began to develop a superiority complex because of his Quirk, believing everyone else to be lesser -- especially Deku, who had yet to manifest one.
The darker side of Bakugo’s powerful Quirk manifesting was that most people tended to associate him with only strength. Not that he minded; Bakugo identified with that label. He was fiercely independent and the natural leader of whatever friend group he found himself a part of. Deku idolized Bakugo as much or even more than everyone else did, but he was also the only one who ever showed concern for his friend when Bakugo happened to falter. Bakugo was unused to the kind of attention Deku showed him and unsure what to make of it, leading him to erroneously conclude that Deku was somehow looking down on him.
Deku’s lack of a Quirk made him the last person Bakugo expected to receive sympathy from, and he resented him for showing it. Their friendship deteriorated quickly because of Bakugo’s insecurity, but Deku continued to admire Bakugo’s strength. Even though Bakugo relentlessly tormented him in an attempt to make Midoriya give up his dream of becoming a hero, he chose to stick even closer to his bully, learning everything he possibly could from Bakugo’s effortless brilliance.
Bakugo and Deku Are Finally Proper Rivals in My Hero Academia
The rivalry came to a head when both Deku and Bakugo enrolled in UA. Shortly before, Deku had yet again seen Bakugo in a moment of weakness when the then-Quirkless “extra” rushed out to rescue him from a Sludge villain. To add insult to injury, their first class supervised by All Might pitted them against each other, leading to Deku triumphing over Bakugo in front of their shared hero. Bakugo was forced to be on equal footing with the runt he had once dismissed as useless. For someone who had defined himself by his strength, it was a sudden humbling experience.
As valid as Bakugo’s feelings were, they didn’t excuse his terrible treatment of Deku over the years. The two finally bared their honest feelings over a fight after the Kamino Incident, and Bakugo chose to help his old friend train to master One For All as atonement. This didn’t mean he’d given up on his goal of surpassing Deku, but that they had finally reached a stage where they could be healthy rivals to each other. Since then, their relationship in My Hero Academia has continued to flourish.