To say that the My Hero Academia series has reached a turning point would be a huge understatement.
In the latest chapter of the manga, Katsuki Bakugo meets his match while fighting against the All For One-controlled Shigaraki. Despite the help of Best Genius, Endeavor, UA’s Big Three, and several other heroes, they are forced to face the final Big Bad in an almost hopeless confrontation to buy a little more time before Deku arrives. Although he put up a good fight, he paid for his life decisions and is now among the first major casualties of the final arc.
Although not unheard of in shonen manga and certainly not the first defeat in the series, the death of a major character like Bakugo is a huge moment for My Hero Academia. While the previous deaths had weight, none of them felt as personal as members of the hotheaded Class 1-A. Fans watched him grow and learn from Chapter 1, from Deku’s principal antagonist and rival to arguably his closest friend. He got to see what it really meant to be a hero, and give up on his dreams so that others could pursue their dreams.
It’s a masterstroke to see his character arc go full circle in a way that easily tops the series. Or at least, it is for as long as Kohe Horikoshi and Shonen Jump have the courage to stick to the decision.
Image credit: Bones via Crunchyroll
Almost as soon as it was leaked that Bakugo had died, speculation started surrounding whether he could be brought back. After all, My Hero Academia has the doozy of a Deus Ex Machina in the form of Arie. With her quirks, she can bring any living thing back to its earlier state in life, and can even kick someone out of existence if they’re not careful. His quirks have already been used to address otherwise unsolvable problems, so he doesn’t have much of a stretch to reverse the problem.
There is also the possibility of foreshadowing Bakugo’s death by any number of other methods. It could be at the end that he was in a near-death state, or that some unknown way to bring him back is offered as the final arc of the story continues.
Given the popularity of the Bakugo, either of these methods would be expected. This would also be par for the course with every other shonen series where the major characters always have plot armor to protect them from permanent death.
And yet, it’s not hard to say that choosing the opposite — keeping Bakugo’s death permanent, and allowing its full impact to be felt by both the story’s characters and readers alike — would be the better choice.
Image credit: Bones via Crunchyroll
With everything the final arc has been built on, a major character loss like this feels like the final piece of the puzzle. The terrifying obstacles and insurmountable dangers mentioned over the years now feel real. The real threat of All For One, Shigaraki and the rest of the Paranormal Liberation front pose is tangible, and every other confrontation makes the main characters feel more exciting and impactful as a result.
And that’s something My Hero Academia — and many other shonen series for that matter — has been missing for a while. Newer series such as Jujutsu Kaisen and Demon Slayer, the majority of popular shnen series, treat death as a minor inconvenience. This can always be resolved, and a character’s story is never in danger of ending abruptly unless they suffer a sudden drop in popularity.
Which is a crying shame, because the actual consequences of the actions the characters take are crucial to making the story worthwhile. Knowing a character can and will remain dead, whether they are important to the story or popular with fans, is important to ensure that those same fans stay invested and feel the full weight of a character’s loss. , should they pay the final price.
Personally, I am hurt by Bakugo’s death. He was my favorite character for a long time, and his character arc felt like one of the best I’ve seen in any shonen series in a long time. Knowing that he might be gone from the series breaks my heart, and the series wouldn’t be the same without him.
But I also don’t want his death to be cheapened by a cop. As it stands, his loss will mean something to the series, and could help propel My Hero Academia toward being a great anime for years to come.
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