My Hero Academia is a thrilling action anime series for many reasons, but on top of having an entertaining story and incredible fight scenes, the show is also the home for dozens of fantastic characters. Izuku Midoriya is the star of My Hero Academia, but the show isn’t afraid to shift the spotlight and give others their due. A character that’s been important from the start is Katsuki Bakugo.
Bakugo is a great foil for Midoriya and he’s been used to various capacities throughout the course of the series. As My Hero Academia prepares for season 5, here are 5 times that Katsuki Bakugo was an overrated Class 1-A student and 5 times that he was underrated.
10 Overrated: His Bad Boy Persona
Katsuki Bakugo is a character that definitely has an explosive personality and a temper that can get away from him at times. As a result, it’s easy to reduce Bakugo as someone who’s dimwitted and antisocial, but he actually is intelligent and his anger is hardly as defining as it should be.
For example, Bakugo is actually a genius and he takes studying very seriously. He has talents in other areas like cooking and music and can develop a strong battle plan as a result of his studiousness. He’s not as brash as he seems.
9 Underrated: His Fight Against Uraraka At The Sports Festival
My Hero Academia throws a lot of action at its audience and during its earlier seasons, there was certainly a running trend where numerous tournaments or competitive festivals consecutively took place. The stakes at the Sports Festival were much lower than other moments, but it’s still a fun time to see how much Class 1-A has learned and improved.
Bakugo’s fight against Uraraka is one of the more entertaining battles because Bakugo respects her enough not to hold back and truly give his all. He doesn’t treat her any differently and this actually says a lot about his character.
8 Overrated: Entrance Exams At U.A. High
The entrance exams mark a much simpler time during the lives of Bakugo and the rest of the heroes in My Hero Academia. At this point, the most important thing that they’re after is simply validation from the prestigious U.A. High.
They’ve all come a long way since then, but it made for some strong introductions to many of the characters. Bakugo stood out during this time due to his big personality, but his negligent behavior didn't get singled out enough. He tried to get Midoriya not to enroll at U.A. and take the exams and effectively crushed his dreams.
7 Underrated: Wins The Heart Of Children
Season 4 of My Hero Academia is by far the darkest season of the anime. Among all of the gloom, the season does find a few opportunities for levity, which ends up resonating even more due to their contrast to everything else.
Bakugo doesn’t get to play a big role in the fight against Overhaul, but he does have to fight against some children alongside Todoroki. This test involves winning over the hearts of these young heroes. This vague task could confound a lot of people, but Bakugo actually connects with the kids and shows empathy towards them.
6 Overrated: Failing The Provisional Hero Exam
Anime series like My Hero Academia can provide dozens of hours of entertainment, but they sometimes fall into predictable routines where it’s easy to forecast how big storylines will end. My Hero Academia is careful to try to defy expectations whenever possible and one such example of this is when Bakugo fails his provisional hero exam when so many others pass.
It’s a real blow to Bakugo, but in the end, it’s kind of overblown. It doesn’t set the hero back much in the long run and he’s eventually on level ground with his peers again.
5 Underrated: Making Use Of One For All
My Hero Academia has become such a successful property that the anime has seen two feature films at this point. The conclusion of the latest film, Heroes Rising, features one of the best fights from the entire series and it sees Bakugo and Midoriya working together like never before.
The biggest moment here is that Midoriya briefly transfers One For All over to Bakugo, who’s able to use it against the villain Nine. It remains with Midoriya afterward, but Bakugo’s ability to handle such a thing deserves more credit.
4 Overrated: Turning Down The League Of Villains
One of the more fascinating scenarios that Bakugo gets himself wrapped up in is how Shigaraki from the League of Villains attempts to take advantage of the hero’s rage and induct him into his evil society. Having Bakugo cross over to the other side and legitimately fight against his former friends would have made for an amazing arc, but My Hero Academia never fully commits.
Bakugo may be angry, but it’s clear from the start that he’s never going to become a villain and it deflates the storyline in a lot of ways.
3 Underrated: Helps Develop Midoriya’s Technique
Bakugo and company are incredibly fortunate that the resources of U.A. High allow many acclaimed professional heroes to devote time to these students and help them refine their skills. The teachers at U.A. High are paramount, but the students often understand each other even better than the faculty.
Bakugo resents Midoriya in many ways, but he watches him fight enough to understand how he works. Accordingly, he gives Midoriya some advice on what to do with his shoot style, which becomes instrumental in the development of Midoriya’s quirk.
2 Overrated: His Sportsmanship
Bakugo is known for having a very fiery personality, but even when things go his way he can find a reason to react poorly to the situation. It’s not surprising that Bakugo would be a sore loser, but the fact that he’s also a sore winner throws any sort of good sportsmanship that he exhibits out the window.
One of the worst examples of this is during Bakugo’s match against Todoroki during the Sports Festival. Bakugo wins, but his behavior is deplorable and he needs security to drag him away. In many ways, it’s an empty first place victory.
1 Underrated: Didn’t Reveal Midoriya And All Might’s Secret
There are often high stakes in play in My Hero Academia, but that level of tension can be conveyed in many different ways, whether it’s a villain attacking U.A. High or just the stress over keeping a secret. Midoriya shoulders a lot of anxiety over how All Might had selected him as his successor.
The two of them don’t want this information to get out, but Bakugo’s resourcefulness is able to put it all together. Bakugo could ruin Midoriya if he wants to, but the way in which he respects his secret says a lot about him.