Like My Hero Academy The franchise boasts a huge variety of characters, which just means that not everyone is equally popular, but it’s surprising to learn that one character consistently tops the popularity polls. actually designed by author Kohei Horikoshi to be a villain.
In a classroom filled with students with unique strengths, personalities, and journeys, some of them are sure to stand out above others. In addition, fans can be influenced by what information is revealed or how much screen time and attention each character receives. One might expect that the author of a series knows how their fans will react to a character, but it turns out that Kohei Horikoshi has completely missed the mark regarding Bakugo, as stated in an interview for SDCC 2018.
Horikoshi never expected Bakugo to become so popular
One character whose popularity surprised Horikoshi was Katsuki Bakugo, UA High School’s firebomb hero. According to Horikoshi, “Bakugo was a bit of a surprise. I thought people would hate him, but it’s actually the opposite.” Sure enough, in the character popularity polls that are periodically conducted for My Hero Academia, Bakugo comes out on top. Instead, Horikoshi expects the audience to hate Bakugo, as he often mocks and bullies Deku. He has assumed that people will not be able to see beyond his actions, criticizing Bakugo for his attitude and behavior, as he is often more negative and seems more aggressive than his peers. mine. However, even though Horikoshi went as far as to include a scene in which Deku and Bakugo are fighting, its consequences seem to be the opposite of what he expected.
Bakugo has always been a bully, and he ends up going to school with Deku. So I got into a fight with them pretty early on, but through that fight you can see what Bakugo is, that he’s just a hot-tempered kid.
Thankfully, fans were able to empathize and relate to Bakugo despite everything he’s done. They understood that his bullying and teasing was never out of anger or hatred, but from weakness. Bakugo is short-tempered, a trait that seems to be inspired and reflected in his design and heroic abilities. But even behind this theme lies a deeper meaning. Although others may see him as arrogant or overconfident, he also struggles with personal problems and insecurities. He may act as though he is superior to his peers, but Bakugo has always secretly admired Deku’s strength and tenacity, even feeling threatened by his will at times. .
Bakugo’s actions speak louder than his words
Furthermore, despite everything he says, Bakugo’s arrogance is almost always at its best. In fact, he was never one to abandon his friends or abandon someone he could save. He fought relentlessly because he truly believed in his own strength, and sometimes ran ahead of others because he didn’t want to be a burden to them or put them in needless danger. And while fans fell in love with Bakugo from the start, his character development and maturation is also impressive. A particularly memorable moment will be the reveal of Bakugo’s new hero’s name, through which he reasserts his identity.
It’s easy to assume that creators can decide and predict which characters will be liked or disliked. After all, they have complete control over the thoughts, actions, and duration of these characters. However, what the creator has no control over is the reaction of the fans. Even if a message is meant to be read, the audience can instead perceive and accept a different meaning as truth. At the end of the day, empathy and personal experience can never be calculated or taken for granted. This is the truth Horikoshi learned when he discovered that Bakugo, instead of being seen as the bad guy, has become My Hero Academymost famous character.
Source: Anime News Network.
