Katsuki Bakugo is a character in the manga and anime series, My Hero Academia. He is a student in Class 1-A at U.A. High School and is training to become a Pro Hero. Katsuki is the deuteragonist of the series.
Appearance
Katsuki's physical appearance can be described as having a slim and muscular build with fair skin tone. He stands at an average height and has sharp and bright red eyes that can capture anyone's attention. His hair is sandy blond, short, and spiky, with choppy bangs that hang over his eyebrows, giving him a sharp and edgy look.
During his school days, Katsuki wore the standard U.A. uniform, but he chooses to skip the red tie. He opts for a white collared shirt underneath his blazer, leaving the top buttons undone. However, after the Paranormal Liberation War, he wears his school uniform in a much neater fashion and includes the red tie that he previously neglected.
Katsuki's hero costume consists of a tight, black, sleeveless tank top with an orange "X" across the middle, forming a V-neck, emphasizing his toned body. He wears large grenade-like gauntlets that give him the ability to blast explosive attacks, a metallic neck brace with rectangular ends that have three holes on each side, and knee guards that protect him from harm. His belt carries grenades, adding to his arsenal of attacks. Additionally, he sports black, knee-high combat boots with orange soles and eyelets that enhance his mobility and agility. His mask is jagged and black, with a large, orange-rimmed flare shape protruding from each side, making him appear menacing and intimidating.
Stats
Katsuki's stats are as follows:
Power: 5/5
Speed: 4/5
Technique: 6/5
Intelligence: 3/5
Cooperativeness: 1/5
Personality Traits
Initially, Katsuki's personality is portrayed as crude, arrogant, short-tempered, and aggressive. He has a tendency to bully Quirkless Izuku Midoriya, and his behavior can be unheroic. Despite this, Katsuki's fierce character and competitive drive have earned him an important role among Class 1-A as an inspirational mood-maker. He is intelligent, perceptive, athletic, and highly skilled in fighting, possessing strategic planning and improvisation abilities.
Katsuki's personality is not particularly kind or open with those on his side or anyone else, but he can act less unfriendly and even show kindness to those who earn his respect. He places a high value on honesty and never lies, making him an excellent judge of character, and it's hard to deceive him. Due to the constant praise of his abilities and powerful Quirk, Katsuki has developed a superiority complex and a strong desire to be the first and best at everything he does. Winning is his top priority, and he can't stand it when he doesn't. Katsuki is fiercely competitive and will never settle for less than the number one spot while still valuing hard work and fair play.
Abilities
Katsuki is a powerful and skilled combatant who has proven himself to be one of the strongest students in Class 1-A. He has a natural fighting style of all-out offense, utilizing his Quirk's propulsive abilities to close the distance between him and his opponents before unleashing a barrage of close-range attacks that often start with a powerful right hook. Katsuki's Quirk, Explosion, is incredibly versatile and can be used for both mobility purposes and long-range attacks.
Throughout the series, Katsuki has demonstrated incredible feats of strength, agility, and durability. He has the physical strength to use his Grenade Bracers without suffering any recoil, and he can casually pick up and throw people of Izuku's size considerable distances with one arm. He is also incredibly fast, with fantastic reflexes and reaction times that allow him to evade attacks from even the strongest opponents.
Katsuki has an indomitable will to win and constantly strives to improve his technique and power. He is always looking to push himself beyond his limits and is willing to work tirelessly to achieve his goals. This drive and determination have earned him the respect and admiration of his classmates, as well as notable pro heroes like Shota Aizawa and All Might.
By the time of the Paranormal Liberation War, Katsuki's abilities had grown significantly. He can now fight side-by-side with world-class pros like Endeavor, Gran Torino, Best Jeanist, Mirko, and Edgeshot. His physical abilities have been further enhanced, and he has shown remarkable endurance, withstanding attacks from powerful villains like Nine and the Serpenters.
In addition to his physical abilities, Katsuki also possesses a keen intellect. He is able to quickly analyze and adapt to his opponents' strengths and weaknesses, making him a formidable opponent in any battle. Katsuki's overall abilities and proficiency have made him one of the most powerful and respected heroes in the series.
Quirk of Katsuki
Katsuki possesses a Quirk called Explosion, which allows him to secrete nitroglycerin-like sweat from the palms of his hands and ignite it on command to create powerful explosions. The strength of the explosions increases with the amount of sweat Katsuki produces. He can use his Quirk not only for attacking but also to propel himself through the air at high speeds, allowing him to fly towards his opponents without giving them time to react. Katsuki is also able to use the shockwave from an explosion as a shield to defend against incoming attacks.
Katsuki has a deep understanding of the applications of his Quirk, which was recognized by Best Jeanist, a top Pro Hero. As part of his training, Katsuki even submerged his hands in boiling water to expand his sweat glands and increase the scale of his attacks. He can continuously use his explosions for a prolonged period, enough to break through Eijiro's hardening Quirk and even negate Shoto's "Heaven-Piercing Ice Wall" for a short while before being overwhelmed.
In addition to his Quirk, Katsuki temporarily possessed the Quirk One For All, which was transferred to him by Izuku. This allowed him to stockpile an enormous amount of raw power, enhancing all of his physical abilities to a superhuman level, including strength, speed, agility, and durability. It also provided an exceptional strength boost to his given Quirk, Explosion. However, Katsuki lost One for All after his fight against Nine, and the Quirk remained in Izuku's body. Toshinori initially suspected that Izuku kept One For All because Katsuki lost consciousness prior to the transfer's completion, but later theorized that the Quirk kept itself inside of Izuku due to his willingness to protect others, even if it meant losing One For All.
Ultimate moves
Katsuki is a formidable fighter with a range of powerful moves that he uses in combat. One of his signature moves is Explosive Speed, which involves using explosions to propel himself forward at great speeds, both on the ground and in the air, giving him a pseudo-flight ability. He first used this move during the Quirk Apprehension Test and later won the Obstacle Race using it. Another move in his arsenal is the Stun Grenade, where he creates a sphere of light that explodes into a large-scale flash, blinding anyone in close proximity. He used this move to defeat Fumikage Tokoyami and also developed a variation called Point-Blank Stun Grenade, which he used to stun Setsuna during the Joint Training Battle.
Katsuki's most powerful move, however, is Howitzer Impact. This move involves him propelling himself in a circular motion, creating a tornado that builds up oxygen to fuel an incoming explosion, resulting in a blast comparable to a missile. He first used this move in the final match of the U.A. Sports Festival Finals.
Katsuki's AP Shot move involves firing concentrated blast beams through his outstretched hand using explosions. He can also use a rapid-fire version of this move called AP Shot: Auto-Cannon, which reduces the explosion power to avoid causing severe damage to human targets. His strongest version of this move is called AP Machine-Gun, where he fires larger, rapid-fire explosions. In addition to these moves, Katsuki has other techniques that he uses in combat, such as Explode-A-Pult, where he grabs an opponent with one arm and throws them using an explosion, and LandMine Blast, where he places his Grenadier Bracer on the ground to create a massive explosion that blows back any surrounding obstacles.
Finally, Katsuki's Cluster move involves him condensing his explosions to become stronger and faster, allowing him to unleash a flurry of bursts that can be used in various ways. He can use this move to propel himself forward at an even faster rate, known as Blasting Speed Turbo: Cluster, and also to empower his Howitzer Impact by creating larger explosions to propel himself with, as well as launching explosions in all directions, called Howitzer Impact: Cluster. Katsuki even used Cluster inadvertently to save Izuku from "Tomura."
Equipment
Katsuki's hero costume comes equipped with several specialized pieces of equipment that enhance his explosive quirk. One of these additions are the Grenadier Bracers, which are mounted on his arms and function as storage tanks for his nitroglycerin-like sweat. Once filled, he can activate the bracers to release a powerful blast that can demolish all parts of a building within its radius. Katsuki first used these during the Battle Trial.
In addition to the bracers, Katsuki's hero costume also features improvised grenades that are stored on his belt. These containers are designed to resemble hand grenades and can hold his sweat, which can then be used as regular grenades later on. During the Provisional Hero License Exam, Katsuki used these grenades in combination with Denki's quirk to create a powerful blast. Katsuki's knee pads are metallic attachments that are designed to be used as blunt weapons. Although they are meant to allow him to "kill with his knees," he has yet to display any such use for them.
Lastly, Katsuki's hero costume features the Suppressive Heavy Mobile Unit, the Strafe Panzer. This piece of equipment consists of retractable machine guns that can be extended from the back of his costume and mounted over his shoulders. Like the Grenadier Bracers, the machine guns use Katsuki's nitroglycerin-like sweat as ammunition, allowing him to unleash a barrage of explosive attacks on his enemies.
