"Bakugo is the first male character to experience Sakura levels of misogyny" ~ My Hero Academia and Naruto fans clash over controversial claim

By Anupam Barua

Modified Aug 24, 2024 11:30 GMT

My Hero Academia fan in hot waters with Naruto fandom over controversial claims (Images via Studio Bones and Studio Pierrot)

The Naruto and My Hero Academia series feature some of the largest and most diverse casts of characters in Shonen. While many characters from Masashi Kishimoto's beloved series became fan favorites, even after the release of the Boruto series, Sakura ended up being disliked by a significant portion of the fanbase.

Nobara's recent return on Jujutsu Kaisen has sparked increased discussion around Bakugo's similar return from his "death," further intensifying the hate directed toward him. While many of his fans believe that this hate has no actual reasoning behind it and is similar to the Sakura hate, which is often attributed to the anime fandom's alleged misogyny, many other fans have strongly refuted this claim.

Disclaimer- This article contains minor spoilers for the My Hero Academia and Naruto series.

Naruto and My Hero Academia clash over which side character is hated the most

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The exact reason behind the Sakura hate has remained a mystery within the fandom for a long time, with some claiming that it only exists on social networking platforms. Many attribute it to her simply being a female character.

Bakugo occupies a similar position to Sakura, with a large portion of the My Hero Academia fandom disliking him. Many fans claim that this hate stems from Bakugo bullying Deku during their childhood.

However, other fans argue that these reasons are not valid as Bakugo has changed since their childhood. They believe that the current Bakugo hate is similar to the Naruto fandom's "Sakura hate," with no tangible reason behind it at all.

Fan reactions to the situation

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Many fans have come forward to express how Bakugo is one of the few characters and arguably the first male character in an anime to receive hate similar to Sakura, which stems from the anime fandom's alleged disdain for female characters instead of actual tangible reasons.

While Bakugo from My Hero Academia has received hate from a huge portion of the fanbase, many Naruto and My Hero Academia fans have mentioned that Bakugo couldn't experience hate similar to Sakura and Bakugo has actual points and qualities that can be disliked.

"We don't like bakugo because he is a bully and a mean spirited b***h and I also hate deku sometimes for enabling his behavior and going "ohhh kacchan🥺" all the damned time," one fan said.

"YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW BAD SAKURA SLANDER WAS," another fan said.

Many other Naruto fans also argue that the Bakugo hate isn’t severe enough to be compared to the Sakura hate, as Sakura was nearly more disliked than the actual villains of the series. A few My Hero Academia fans suggest that the Bakugo hate might not be solely due to his character but could be a byproduct of his large fanbase.

"Nah Sakura hate was so bad I never seen a damn character get more death threats then a damn villain of the series." One fan wrote.

"I feel like people don’t hate Bakugo, they just hate his fandom," another fan wrote.

Both of these characters have received significant amounts of hate from their respective series' fanbases since their debut. While the Sakura hate has been deemed very severe and continues to leave a mark in online discussions, the hate toward Bakugo has become incomprehensible to the overall My Hero Academia fanbase due to the varying reasons behind it.

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About the author

Anupam is an anime and manga writer at Sportskeeda. Currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Logistics & Transportation, Anupam has simultaneously gained professional experience of almost 2 years as a content writer, having worked previously for Otakukart and Sportslumo.

Being part of the anime fandom for over a decade, Anupam believes his greatest strength lies in theorycrafting around animanga series and predicting their plots. His personal experiences have guaranteed him detailed knowledge about the reputation, reception, and plot points of several anime, which he combines with extensive research to report on a topic. They have also taught him the significance of respecting and accurately reporting on community sentiments attached to a particular series, which has now become a non-negotiable part of his writing process.

Anupam’s favorite artist is video game designer Hideo Kojima, whose ability to nonchalantly embed deep messages in his games he deeply admires. When not debating fresh anime theories, Anupam can be found reading or playing combat games.

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Edited by Gayatri Chivukula