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Regardless of when anyone gets introduced to the My Hero Academia series, every new fan seems to have one common question: "Why does Bakugo hate Deku?" The thing is, he didn't always hate Midoriya. This conflicted relationship is much more complicated than it might seem on the surface.
However, many My Hero Academia fans might be curious to see why Bakugo bullies Deku as often as he does. The main reason is related to an inferiority complex. Midoriya was Quirkless, yet he eventually got a Quirk from All Might, a person that Bakugo idolized. By comparison, Bakugo was born with a powerful Quirk but saw himself as being behind his old friend. Unsurprisingly, the two characters became rivals with one another.
On that note, this article will discuss why Bakugo's inferiority complex became the main reason for his hatred toward Deku.
Disclaimer: The following article contains spoilers from the My Hero Academia franchise.
Bakugo's inferiority complex is the main reason why he hated Deku in My Hero Academia
Bakugo revealed the reason why he hated Deku in Chapter 322 of the My Hero Academia manga. For context, everybody wanted Deku back in U.A., but Deku thought it would be too dangerous to return. Shockingly, Bakugo opened up with a heartfelt apology, stating:
"I always looked down on you. Just because you were Quirkless. You were always far away behind me, yet I felt that you were somehow miles ahead of me. I hated that. I didn't want to feel like that. And I didn't want to recognize that. It's why I grew so distant from you and always tried to beat you down. I opposed you and tried to show my superiority over you. But I always lost."
People who recently started reading the manga or watching the anime recently won't see this scene for a long time, but those curious enough to look up the reason for Bakugo hating Deku can see it in the above passage.
The early days when Bakugo hated Deku
It's worth mentioning that Bakugo didn't always hate Deku. In fact, the two used to be friends when they were very young. Their relationship started to worsen once it became clear that Midoriya was never going to have a Quirk. Bakugo felt that Deku should be beneath him, so he treated his old friend like garbage.
The above scene is one of the most popular examples of Midoriya getting bullied by Bakugo in My Hero Academia. Deku gets told to jump off the roof, which is something that reeks of hatred. It was a controversial moment that gave Kacchan much heat within the fandom.
While he has been the most popular character in the series, some fans don't like him for moments like what's shown in the above clip. In other incidents, he tried to dissuade Midoriya from becoming a hero, but Midoriya never gave up on his dream of becoming a pro hero.
The hatred Bakugo talked about in his apology refers to what My Hero Academia fans saw at the start of the series. Please note that his apology in Chapter 322 stated that he hated how Midoriya was Quirkless and still seemed passionate about being a hero. His physical flaw never put a stop to his dream, something Bakugo could never relate to.
This culminated in bickering between the two characters, including a fight that Bakugo wins during the Provisional Hero License Exam arc. Unlike their other confrontations in this series, this bout wasn't sanctioned by the school.
This fight stemmed from Bakugo wanting to talk to Deku about his Quirk. He told Midoriya how he found him weak due to the latter being Quirkless and would later wonder if All Might gave him his Quirk.
Both characters loved All Might, and Bakugo was curious to see why a Quirkless Midoriya got a powerful Quirk from All Might. Even though he defeated Deku, All Might showed up and explained why he chose Deku as his successor.
This battle was necessary in making the two characters closer to one another as it brought the much-awaited resolution in their conflicted relationship. Most importantly, this was when My Hero Academia fans saw a shift in the way Bakugo treated Midoriya.
The apology
Chapter 322 of the official My Hero Academia manga contains Kacchan's full apology, including him saying the following:
"...I'm sorry for everything I've done up until now."
The apology happened after he admitted why he hated Midoriya after all this time. Moreover, there was a touching scene where Bakugo held Deku in his arms. Midoriya eventually returned to the U.A., and his relationship with his rival seemed to be much better than it was before.
My Hero Academia fans see a great deal of character development through this apology, and all the fan theories of Bakugo having an inferiority complex were proven through it.
Bakugo sees Deku as a rival at present, but he doesn't hate him as much as he used to in the past.
