My Hero Academia Examines Just How Much Deku Has Surpassed Bakugo

My Hero Academia‘s rivalry between Izuku Midoriya and Katsuki Bakugo has been one of the key plots of the entire series, and the latest chapter of the series pushes their divide even further by truly examining just how much Deku has surpassed his rival since the last time the two of them compared their abilities. Beginning as one of his fiercest enemies, Bakugo has since become one of Deku’s major allies since he’s one of the only people who knows about Deku and All Might’s One For All secret. But Bakugo hasn’t forgotten his desire to surpass Deku.

As Tomura Shigaraki awakens his complete power with All For One, Bakugo and Deku quickly head toward him in order to pull his attention away from the other heroes and civilians trying to make their escape. In the rush over, Bakugo begins to realize just how much stronger Deku has become during the last few arcs.

Chapter 275 sees Bakugo growing frustrated with not only the fact that this is his one real shot at redemption for his being involved in All Might’s retirement, but the fact that Deku is outgrowing him as well. Noting that Deku can now consistently use Full Cowling at 30 percent of his max power thanks to his time with Endeavor, and he continues to master his ability to use 45 percent during attacks in his training with All Might.

Frustrated at how much slower he seems to be growing in comparison, Bakugo realizes that he must grit his teeth and fully commit to training his own strength in order to keep up. He doesn’t want to be seen as someone following Deku, and instead pushes his quirk to make him fast enough to run along Deku’s side.

They have an interesting conversation too as not only did Deku not realize that Bakugo came along at first, but Bakugo also corrected Deku when he asked why Bakugo was “following him.” Telling Deku not to think of himself as a “main character,” Bakugo pushes himself harder. There’s no telling whether or not he’ll be able to keep up the more Deku grows but Bakugo is definitely watching.

The dynamic between them had changed considering following the Hero License Exam, but it seems another shift is coming the older and stronger they get. But what do you think of Bakugo’s assessment? Will he be able to keep up with Deku’s growth? How will he improve himself? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or you can even reach out to me directly about all things animated and other cool stuff @Valdezology on Twitter!