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Although Kohei Horikoshi’sMy Hero Academiais considered one of the greatest anime and manga of all time, it still had some flaws that became a topic of contention among the fans. One of the biggest flaws of the series was that the protagonist, Izuku Midoriya, had to share his spotlight with his rival, Katsuki Bakugo.
WhenMy Hero Academiastarted, Izuku had a decent fanbase as a main character, but as the story progressed, Bakugo’s character development attracted a lot of viewers. Thus, Horikoshi decided to make Bakugo even more important to the story and allowed him to grow even further.
He eventually came on par with Izuku in terms of fan following, which led to others criticizing Izuku as a main character. However, fans fail to realize that they themselves are responsible for Horikoshi sidelining Izuku for Bakugo. If fans had not connected with Bakugo so much, he would have been the same bully that was portrayed at the beginning ofMy Hero Academia.
Fans Reaction to Bakugo’s Character Was a Shock to Kohei Horikoshi
During the San Diego Comic-Con, theMy Hero Academiamanga creator was interviewed byAnime News Networkregarding the series and its massive growth all over the world. While talking about the characters of the series, Horikoshi confessed to the fact that he never thought that Bakugo would become a fan-favorite character.
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Horikoshi stated:
Bakugo has been a bit of a surprise. I assumed everyone would hate him, but it’s been the opposite. In the character questionnaires we do, Bakugo comes in #1 most popular.
The mangaka created him as an anti-hero character and assumed that everyone would hate him for his behavior towards Izuku, the weak protagonist who had no quirks. However, whenMy Hero Academiastarted getting appreciated, Horikoshi saw a rise in the popularity of Bakugo as an individual character.
He even pointed out thatBakugo has always been the most popular characterin almost every questionnaire he has done regardingMy Hero Academiaand its characters.
The Reason Behind Bakugo’s Popularity According to Kohei Horikoshi
While talking about Bakugo’s evergrowing popularity,Kohei Horikoshirevealed the main reason behind it according to him. The manga creator pointed out that fans connected with the anti-hero because they saw the humanity within him rather than his aggressive attitude.
Bakugo has always been the bully, and he ends up going to school with Deku. So I had them in a big fight pretty early on, but through that fight you were able to see Bakugo’s humanity, that he was just a short-tempered kid.
If the fans had perceived him as Horikoshi intended, there is a chance that the mangaka would have continued with his bullying nature rather than giving him a growth arc to prove himself.
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Thus, Izuku would have the spotlight all for himself and he would have proved his importance as a main character ofMy Hero Academia, instead ofgetting overshadowed by Bakugo’ssteady growth in the story.
My Hero Academiais available to watch on Crunchyroll.
Tarun Kohli
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2959
Tarun Kohli is the Senior Anime Writer at FandomWire, with over 2,900 published articles. He currently specializes in critiquing One Piece and other Shonen anime. A passionate fan of the genre, his love for thoughtful analysis reflects his genuine appreciation for the art of anime. His deep understanding of anime culture has earned recognition from industry figures such as Adi Shankar and the creators of Blood of Zeus.
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