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My Hero Academia's Midoriya (also known as Deku) is often compared to Bakugo when it comes to character development. There is no objectively correct answer in such a discussion since both characters have genuine advantages over one another. There will be plenty of My Hero Academia fans who prefer one over the other, which is fair.
These won't be the only reasons why some people might like one character over the other. Some valid reasons that aren't on this list include preferring one's voice actor over the other and thinking one character has a better design.
4 ways Bakugo is better than Midoriya in My Hero Academia
4) Rival characters tend to be more interesting
It's imperative for some anime fans to always root for the rival over the main protagonist. An excellent example that everybody should be familiar with is Vegeta and Goku.
Both characters are popular, but their popularity stems from entirely different reasons. Some fans prefer Vegeta's more brash and edgy personality over Goku's goodie two-shoe persona.
It's the same deal with Bakugo and Midoriya. In this case, Katsuki's personality is just bound to appeal to a different audience than Izuku's. He is violent, aggressive, and haughty to a fault. For some fans, that's a lot better than Deku desperately trying to be a good hero, especially since he can seem bland by comparison.
3) Deku's status as a crybaby in early My Hero Academia
Anime characters who tend to cry a lot can get on the nerves of many viewers. It's no different with Midoriya, who cried a bunch in the beginning and looked like a wimp to Bakugo several times then. Early impressions matter, and it's not surprising that some people find Midoriya's rival to be a lot cooler by comparison.
He doesn't cry as often in the modern arcs, but it's still used as a point of criticism against his character to this day.
2) He wasn't given several Quirks out of nowhere
One huge criticism towards Midoriya's character was that his One For All Quirk wasn't his sole ability anymore. He now had access to six other abilities, all of which are incredibly valuable in their own right. Compared to that, Katsuki Bakugo only has Explosion.
Comparing the two characters' Quirks in a vacuum shows that Midoriya clearly has the more overpowered abilities. Such blatant advantages by My Hero Academia standards can be a bit boring to some fans, especially since Katsuki makes a simple Quirk like Explosion work incredibly well. He doesn't need several Quirks to be one of the stronger fighters.
1) More character development
There' no to ways about it; Bakugo was very unlikeable at the start of the series. He wasn't presented in a great light back then, but several story arcs have done a lot to help him become more likable to his former haters. He was already one of the most popular characters in the entire series, so getting more screentime only served to make him even better than Midoriya over time.
Deku beat him in the first official popularity poll for both the US and Japan but lost to him (and occasionally Todoroki) in all the remaining ones.
4 ways Deku is better than Bakugo in My Hero Academia
4) Better interactions with other characters
Bakugo's more dominant personality often means that other characters around him don't get to look as good by comparison. Deku's more straightforward and friendly personality may sometimes lead to him being overshadowed, but it also allows other characters to flourish more.
A minor but vocal example would involve shippers. Some people like Uraraka and Toga, so they will be more likely to prefer Midoriya due to their crushes on him. Bakugo doesn't have a canon love interest by comparison, and his surly personality can make some people dislike him.
3) Nicer personality
As interesting as edgy characters are in anime, they aren't as fun to interact with in real life. In this sense, somebody like Midoriya is much more likable than Bakugo for some My Hero Academia fans. Some people still didn't like how the Bakugo told Midoriya to jump off the roof when he was Quirkless.
Such a quote was monumental in juxtaposing his later character development, but not every My Hero Academia fan has to like that. Anybody who hates bullies might not forgive him for the quote he states in the above video clip. Not to mention, he would still torment Deku in several scenes thereafter.
2) Heroic to the core
One of Deku's greatest assets in My Hero Academia is his unwavering heroism. That's not to say that Bakugo isn't heroic because he clearly is. It's just that Deku better personifies heroism to its core. Since he's the main protagonist of My Hero Academia, fans see him a lot more than Bakugo, which also partially helps play into this perception.
His goodie-two-shoes personality works. It might not be everybody's cup of tea, but there is something genuinely sweet about somebody who often tries to save others, even when they arguably don't deserve it.
1) Inspirational story
Regardless of what one thinks of Deku's current status as a character, there is no denying that he had a ton of growth at the beginning. He went from a Quirkless person with no chance of achieving his dream to inheriting an extremely overpowered Quirk.
Still, that Quirk didn't make him top-tier on its own. He still had to train and work hard to master it, which is inspirational in its own right. Deku wasn't born being idolized like Bakugo was, which made him more relatable to some viewers.
Note: This article reflects the writer's personal views.
