Katsuki Bakugo didn’t just stumble into being a fan favorite in My Hero Academia—he earned it, through fire, fury, and the kind of raw, unpolished humanity that makes a character unforgettable. For years, he’s dominated popularity polls, cementing himself as one of the series’ most complex and beloved figures. But his journey wasn’t easy to embrace at first. In Season 1, Bakugo was abrasive, arrogant, and at times downright cruel—so much so that many viewers wondered how he could ever be forgiven.

And yet, that cruelty was the very foundation of his redemption. Bakugo’s story would never have hit with such force if he hadn’t started from a place of darkness. His aggression, his insults, his bullying—they were born not just of superiority, but of insecurity, jealousy, and a deep, gnawing hatred of himself whenever he felt threatened by Izuku Midoriya, the boy he once dismissed as “Deku.”

Everyone carries the potential for cruelty. Bakugo simply wore his more openly than most, and that ugliness made his eventual growth all the more powerful. His venomous words, while painful and unforgivable on the surface, became stepping stones in a much larger arc: the transformation of a bitter, angry boy into a hero who could finally stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the very person he once scorned. Without that darkness, his light wouldn’t have shone nearly as bright.

Part of Bakugo’s Growth Is Rooted in the Mangaka’s Own Regret

Kohei Horikoshi Once Admitted He Made Bakugo Too Vile at First

When Bakugo first exploded onto the pages of My Hero Academia, he was never meant to be the character fans know today. In early drafts, his personality was drastically different—more straightforward, less cruel. But Kohei Horikoshi, the creator of the series, made a fateful choice: to cast Bakugo not just as a rival, but as a near-antagonist. He dialed his cruelty up to eleven, crafting a boy so vicious, so venomous, that he often felt more hostile than the actual villains lurking in the shadows.

It was a decision Horikoshi quickly began to regret. Readers recoiled at just how monstrous Bakugo seemed, and even Horikoshi himself admitted that he had gone too far. But regret, in this case, became the seed of redemption. If Bakugo had been made this vile, then the only way forward was to make him earn his humanity. That meant consequences—real ones.

And so, Bakugo’s arc unfolded through suffering. He was kidnapped by the League of Villains, carrying the heavy guilt of being linked to All Might’s loss of power. He failed his Provisional Licensing Exam, a humiliation his pride could barely withstand. He endured some of the harshest injuries in the series—pushed to the brink of death itself. Time and again, Horikoshi wrote Bakugo into loss, pain, and consequence.

It often feels like Bakugo “loses” more than anyone else in the story. But through those losses, he sheds the skin of the boy who once spat venom at his childhood friend. In Horikoshi’s eyes, Bakugo needed to be broken down to rise again—not as a monster, but as a hero who had paid for his sins. His redemption wasn’t handed to him. It was carved from his own suffering, one scar at a time.

Bakugo Needed to Be Awful So He Could Truly Grow

His Cruelty Was Horrifying, but It Had Purpose

Bakugo’s early behavior in My Hero Academia was nothing short of jarring. His bullying, his venom, the way he lashed out at Deku—it was enough to make many fans recoil. And yet, that ugliness wasn’t just shock value. It was the foundation of his growth. Bakugo had to start from a place of cruelty so that his eventual redemption would mean something.

His entire identity rested on one unshakable belief: that he was the best. Born with an explosive Quirk that outshone his peers, brimming with raw talent, Bakugo grew up praised as a prodigy. Few could touch him in strength or skill—even older kids. But standing in his shadow was Deku, a boy who had none of Bakugo’s natural gifts, yet carried something Bakugo never could: kindness, resilience, and a heart that refused to give up.

That quiet strength gnawed at Bakugo. To feel inferior was intolerable to him, and in his immaturity, the only way he knew to cope was to tear Deku down. Like many bullies, his cruelty was less about his victim and more about his own insecurity. To Bakugo, Deku wasn’t just a childhood friend—he was a constant reminder of his own inadequacy. And so, Bakugo lashed out in the only way he knew how.

But time has a way of breaking down walls. Real failure—not imagined slights—finally forced Bakugo to reflect. The defeats he endured, the weight of consequences he carried, and the harsh mirror of All Might’s words began to strip away his defenses. Eventually, he recognized that his anger had never truly been about Deku. It had always been about himself.

That realization became his turning point. For the first time, Bakugo faced his own reflection and apologized—not just to Deku, but to the boy he had once been. The bully who spat venom was gone, replaced by someone who had bled, lost, and grown enough to own his mistakes.

If Bakugo had never been that awful, his evolution would have rung hollow. His cruelty was horrifying, yes—but it carved the path toward one of the most powerful redemption arcs in modern shonen.

Bakugo’s Redemption Is Made More Poignant in the End

From Jealousy to Genuine Growth

Bakugo’s cruelty was never easy to watch—but it was necessary. Without those bitter beginnings, his redemption would not carry the same weight. When fans look back at the explosive, arrogant bully from Season 1 and compare him to the boy who humbly bows his head in Season 7, the difference is staggering. His apology, his willingness to admit fault, hits harder precisely because Bakugo has always been the last person to offer humility.

That moment where he stands before Deku, not with clenched fists but with an open heart, is one of the most unforgettable turns in My Hero Academia. Bakugo, who was defined by anger and volatility, finds a quietness that is more powerful than any explosion. For the first time, he addresses Deku not as “Deku” the rival, but as Izuku—the boy he once tormented, the friend he can finally acknowledge.

Jealousy was always Bakugo’s shadow. From childhood, Deku’s persistence—and later, his sudden rise at U.A.—were like salt in wounds Bakugo didn’t know how to heal. The envy festered, transforming into cruelty, until Bakugo himself could no longer deny it. What makes his growth so resonant is that he doesn’t excuse himself. He doesn’t diminish the pain he caused. Instead, he owns it. He accepts that his hatred was never about Deku at all—it was about his own fear of not being enough.

And that is what makes his redemption so moving. It’s not about erasing his past—it’s about confronting it. Bakugo doesn’t undo the harm, but he shows that even someone who once embodied cruelty can learn, can change, and can reach for something better. His apology remains one of the most shocking, heartfelt, and poignant moments in the entire series—proof that the boy who once embodied raw explosion has finally discovered the strength in quiet honesty.

Bakugo Is Just a Character in My Hero Academia

But His Story Leaves a Lasting Mark

At the end of the day, Bakugo is just a character. Fans may rage at his cruelty or celebrate his redemption, but he exists within the boundaries of a story. He can’t be held to the full weight of real-world morality, because he isn’t real. What he can do, however, is serve as a mirror—for Horikoshi’s choices as a creator, and for the audience’s own emotions as they wrestle with him.

There’s no denying that Bakugo’s bullying went too far. Horikoshi himself has admitted as much, reflecting on the severity of the insults and the discomfort they caused. But within the framework of the story, Bakugo has already faced his reckoning. He has apologized, he has admitted his faults, and—most importantly—Deku has forgiven him. Whether that apology satisfies every viewer is subjective, but what matters is the growth he represents.

Bakugo’s journey reminds us that the past cannot be undone, but it can be acknowledged. Change doesn’t come from erasing mistakes, but from choosing better paths afterward. In that sense, his story becomes less about cruelty and more about redemption—about a boy who was once consumed by envy and anger, and who found the strength to confront himself.

What makes his arc so striking is that his flaws—the sharp tongue, the rage, the self-loathing—are exactly what make his eventual change feel so powerful. His anger was part of his design, his cruelty part of his narrative role, but the Bakugo we see by the end is not the same boy we met at the start. He has grown, he has faltered, and he has fought his way toward something better.

And in that growth, Bakugo stands apart. Even in a story with a wide cast of heroes, his arc feels the most alive. Deku may have been destined for greatness, but Bakugo earned his transformation through pain, self-awareness, and hard-won humility. That is why, even with his sins, Bakugo remains one of the most compelling characters in My Hero Academia—proof that sometimes the most flawed beginnings make for the most unforgettable journeys.

Katsuki Bakugo’s journey in My Hero Academia is proof that even the harshest beginnings can bloom into powerful redemption arcs. His growth doesn’t erase his past, but it transforms it into something meaningful—a reminder that no hero is perfect, but even the most flawed can rise to become unforgettable.

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