My Hero Academia: Bakugo’s Atonement and His New Role

Ever since Shigaraki has acquired the All for One, he has been coming after One for All. To achieve what he wants, he has unleashed a devastating attack of villains, leaving the heroes shocked. The attack has been out of the blue, and it seems that the heroes are perplexed. Gran Torino, Endeavor, Ryuku, and Eraser Head, have fought a hard and long battle to stop Tomura Shigaraki from getting to Deku. But their efforts might be futile as Deku can’t stay put as others put their life on the line; that’s not in his nature.

Deku fights alongside Heroes in the gruesome battle to stop Tomura and his team of villains that have wreaked havoc in Japan. As the heroes’ struggle to defeat Tomura, Deku manifests a new Quirk known as the Float, which once used to be the Quirk of Nana Shimura. As Deku begins to attack Shigaraki, Bakugo seems envious, but the truth about his shock and worry is explained in a flashback.

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Bakugo had been one of Deku’s rivals in the race to become the number one hero, but now it appears that he is taking a new role. As the fight with Shigaraki continues, Deku has had enough as he uses the Float and Blackwhip Quirks to stop him from causing any more Chaos. As he is about to attack Shigaraki with full force, Bakugo yells at him to hold on for now, which is quite odd for him since he never shows any concerns for anyone. But Deku is adamant as he tells him that no one else can stop Shigaraki and keep him off the ground except him.

It might seem like Deku is calling out Bakugo, but he is not that type of person. He appears to have excellent control over the situation, and he is able to use his Quirks well because of all the training he has done. Bakugo has a flashback at this point as he remembers the Deku’s Blackwhip training sessions along with Sero and Asui. Uraraka was also there to help him learn to control his body in midair. At that point, the midair control practice seemed odd, but All Might had anticipated the manifestation of the Float Quirk, and he expected Deku to use it without creating a scene. 

Bakugo had come to the training on his own accord while other young heroes had been called to help Deku in his practice. They don’t have much in common, so All Might calls out Bakugo for his involvement in Deku’s training. Until this point, All Might is also ignorant about some of the mysteries of the One for All Quirk. The lack of information on the Quirk that All Might had used for so long worries Bakugo.

Bakugo had never believed Deku was his equal as they grew up together. Bakugo had an extraordinary Quirk from a young age while Deku was born Quirk less. He always looked down on Deku and thought of him as unworthy of attention or respect. He even bullied him when they were young, but it was the resilience of Deku that he still was able to hang around and never gave up on his dreams. For him, Deku was a constant reminder of weakness, but when Deku got One for All and made it his own, he was able to change everything. Now Bakugo had to acknowledge Deku as his rival. So, helping Deku with his training is sort of like atonement for Bakugo, who had always mistreated him. He knows that Deku will take care of everyone around him and will not let anyone harm his loved ones, but the only person he won’t protect is himself. So, Bakugo, aware of his nature, wants to stand by him to ensure that he is fine and nothing terrible ever happens to him. 

 Bakugo is also one of the few people who know the secret of One for All. He understands that if the truth is revealed, Deku will be in danger. So, he ensures that nobody gets to know the truth behind the mysterious Quirk. He is acting like a protector for his classmate as he atones for the wrongs that he has done. Furthermore, he is becoming the voice of sanity for Deku, who often ends up hurting himself in his passion for protecting others. 

Deku is growing much faster than Bakugo, and even though he is trying to keep up, Bakugo knows that it doesn’t seem likely that he will be able to progress in the same way as his friend. So, he has accepted the role of a protector and is helping Deku become the number one hero, which once used to be his own dream. He always wanted to surpass All Might, but unfortunately, Deku was chosen as the successor and not him. With One for All Quirk, Deku can progress much faster, and no one can keep up with his exponential growth. His role as a protector is the need of the hour as the heroes face Shigaraki, who seems impossible to defeat. 

As every young hero is finally finding their inner callings, Bakugo, too, seems to have found a higher purpose. His interest in One for All might reveal some secrets that could involve him. It is great to see him humbling himself since he always lacked the emotional maturity to acknowledge the strengths of his adversaries. With more humility, he will be able to fight better and use his powers much more efficiently. Maybe then he really might somehow surpass All Might and achieve his dream.