Why Izuku & Bakugo are Perfect Rivals | My Hero Academia

Izuku “Deku” Midoriya and Katsuki Bakugo are the 2 sides of the coin that is All Might. They are one of the most integral dynamics to My Hero Academia. But what makes them so special? And where do other series’ fall short? Join Ed as he explores the perfect rivalry between the Alpha Cinnamon Roll and Chronic Anger the Hedgehog.
Sorry in advance to Black Clover fans…
#MyHeroAcademia #bokunoheroacademia #IzukuMidoriya
Curmudgeon Media Twitter: / curmudgeonmedi1
Follow Tom on Twitter: / tomnel7
Check out our Instagram: / curmudgeonmedia
Come join our Discord: / discord
Music:
Free Synthwave Retro background Music - Wee Free Music • Free Synthwave Retro b...
One Cosmos - Wee Free Music • One Cosmos | Royalty F...
Parasail - Silent Partner • Parasail - Silent Part...
Ether - Silent Partner • Ether - Silent Partner...
Mystics of the Cosmos - Wee Free Music • Mystics of the Cosmos ...

[@gabevandenhoeven4546]

"I don't wanna throw accusations" *slowly turns this video into a Black Clover roast*

[@abcsoup8528]

that part about skipping to avoid the spoilers but instead being hit with mineta having ofa was so funny i cackled when i realised what u did😂😂

[@karoko87]

but there are no spoilers if you watched season 6

[@originalname5303]

@@karoko87 season 6 didnt exist when this was made

[@jennabunny7840]

The dynamic is so perfect, and I think more than anything this friendship rivalry where both have complexes and one admires the other or fears the other in reverse is so good. I haven't read up to where the manga is yet, but I've seen so many spoilers already that I'm prepared for this turn of events. I hope that their dynamic stays just as compelling in the final chapters of the story.

[@wesleywyndam-pryce5305]

.... bakugo is a relentless bully not midoryas friend.

[@Dystopa]

⁠@@wesleywyndam-pryce5305in the beginning, continue to read mha, bakugo stops being an outright bully and more of a not so willing ally to midoriya

[@natashafarrell4526]

Midoriya’s squad of cinnamon rolls and Bakugo’s band of blockheads❤

[@RedGyl]

I am dying. 15:45 killed me.

[@MrSplashMan0]

It caught me off guard 😂

[@KingNerdius]

The rejection of siding with the villains is what sold me on Bakugo. His differences from Izuku don’t make him worse, he’s equally worthy of becoming a hero. Both will fight with heart and soul to become a hero with each one lacking what the other has.

[@milesdavisahead]

When two people who appear to be opposite but are actually two sides of the same coin and can only succeed when they work together. Itachi Uchiha

[@wesleywyndam-pryce5305]

did he say that at some point? cause its not at all true of that series, I mean Sasuke fucks off the be a villian for most of it.

[@DuckGoesViral]

i do definitely see your point on mineta inheriting one for all but personally i can’t help but wonder how much better the story would be if tailman received this power

[@SaraSong-mw3zm]

One of my favorite battles in this whole show is Midoriya vs Bakugo is such a good fight and i love it so much. Like you can just feel the years of built up emotion +All Might retiring in that fight and its so good between the two characters

[@smugumin3448]

Part of what makes them so good is how they look up to all might, both learning from watching the number one hero but in different ways. One picks up on the mindset of him, whilst the other picks up on the results and physical actions of him. Deku learns to think like a hero, saving people no matter the cost, whilst bakugo first learns to "act like a hero", defeating the bad guys no matter what (of course theres more to it and he changes, but still)

[@azzifantasy204]

Gonna say your channel is underrated and I really love this video essay.

[@boomgirlbucko]

Looks like comments are not turned off

[@awesomesofar5963]

love your analysis, but i wouldn't say deku's growth is about him becoming more powerful. power doesn't really tell you anything about his character. i think his growth comes from him appreciating himself more, growing his self worth. and that's reflected in how he resolves to stop breaking his bones in battle, develops an identity for himself outside of allmight, and of course, standing up to bakugo. bakugo has a lot of worth for himself but none for others, while deku has a lot of worth for others but none for himself. that's where they really learn from each other, imo.

[@Kei-zx7nf]

AMAZING ANALYSIS! Oh my God. Immediately subscribed. You understand their characters and dynamics so well. The reason they're so much deeper is they represent THEMES, not just characters.

[@plagu._6470]

I think I skipped a few chapters after going to 15:45 😦

[@Mongolian_Lhagvasuren]

15:46

[@msk-qp6fn]

Bakugo developed and got better but goddamm I utterly despised him at the beginning. Still do whenever I think of what he did to Midoriya.

[@SW-rd6bg]

great video!! I've watched a bunch of them so far and I particularly love your analyses of MHA, in fact I used your Kirishima video as a reference and starting point for my essay on gender representation in anime (using MHA as my case study). Been slowly working through your essay library and you make such excellent points! You manage to word the thoughts I have myself brilliantly, can't wait for more!

[@CurmudgeonMedia]

thanks!!

[@joelgilmore3084]

‘Band of Blockheads’ I’m dead 😂😂😂

[@effortcivilengineersinteri3784]

3:37 that's the most cursed image ive seen

[@topaz_faye]

this video deserves so much more views, it's executed so well

[@rjmartinez4800]

Great vid also I enjoy how you look on the positives like a Ted talk

[@maloo538]

How come your channel is so underrated

[@timzyt63]

They might be my favourite rivalry from modern shonen anime

[@trinstonmichaels7062]

Yes this was exactly what I thought but didn't have the words for.

[@inxyx_writes]

this is so underrated omg it was such a good analysis but also so funny (i died at the mineta getting ofa) i'm gonna go watch more of your videos now!!

[@myles.a]

This is such a well made video that does incredible work at describing the perfection of this rivalry 💯💯💯

[@starscenical3]

Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky being your favorite Pokémon game is based

[@caseyviajar2464]

for those who watch or read black clover. spoilers yuno was not omnipotent in a way and he still has alot to learn he had a wind spirit and with elf blood heritage. he is still no match for rill who is the youngest captain and just a royal with rare magic. you could say painting magic far surpasses wind in general magic, seeing painting magic produces all elements and can make anything and make them move like making a god that can control lighting. but getting one of the 3 or 5 i forgot spirits in the world and being a descendant of a tribe known for their unlimited mana yeah thats a far stretch. in the manga yuno is stronger but Curmudgeon isn't on that part yet. yuno has alot to learn in order to pass his opponents.

[@mutiyangpilingbabae9207]

I agree with your analysis that is also what I see in MHA it is more interesting then Black clover

[@wesleywyndam-pryce5305]

wierd to show Sasuke first when talking about how rivals can be great and fun to write, since Sasuke was an editors decision that wasn't supposed to exist and the author hated him.

[@motionfist7431]

Kishimoto came up with Sasuke's backstory, powers, goals, his relationship with other characters and his dynamic with Naruto on his own. All the editor did was make a suggestion that Naruto should have a rival. Izuku having a super power was suggested to Horikoshi by his editor. In the proto type of MHA Izuku was originally going to be a quirkless hero. Horikoshi came up with what that superpower would be and how it would fit into the story. Do you have any evidence that Kishimoto hates Sasuke? Did he say that in an interview?

[@Linan066]

I think a few more people watched this one.

[@bunez69x]

Underrated

[@Rachel-lo6if]

The character who's probably been voted most likely to become a s*xual predator was given one for all?! That's surprising, even on a temporary basis. I gotta catch up with mha

[@nightpack86]

loved the video and i'm a huge fan of the series. however i feel the biggest thing that makes it work is that we gloss over most of the damage done. its honestly pretty shallow over all leaving behind important events that should have been important character development moments. i would say arguably the biggest being bakugo attempting to bait izuku into suicide. that is something that is simply tossed out no more than a 5 minutes after being said, and i believe its those moments that should have been used later in the story. seeing aizawa step in when bakugo attempted to attack izuku with more than mild annoyance at having to use his own quirk, the willingness to do serious damage to izuku in the 2v2. everyone in class 1-A is appalled by this for roughly 3 seconds then promptly forgets it happened. if anything id say the entire thing is rushed haphazardly

[@ChocolateMilkCultLeader]

Putting down Black Clovers duo for hot having tension that mha does is saying that the karasuno duo are inferior to the dynamic from Blue lock. They fulfill such different roles that it's not even a fair comparison

[@toadlord8594]

Yeah I am still not a fan of the Bakugou and Deku dynamic personally, and usually I’m a fan of good ol anime rivalry From Kaiba and Yugi, Goku and Vegeta, to even Naruto and Sasuke.

[@InvaderMedia420]

The way I see it there are three types of rivals. My favorite asta and Yuno is my favorite, my hero academia‘s rivalry of Izuku and Bakugo is second favorite and my least favorite is Naruto and Sasuke. the reason why simply I like the rivalry where it’s not too toxic and if Bakugo had never had any character development or had pulled that is Sasuke and became a villain, then he could eat shit for all I care, but because he didn’t pull a Sasuke he’s a good middle ground of a good rival. Of course this is just my subjective opinion.

[@denji3397]

Then You are just objectively wrong lmao. Yuno and asta are easily the worst rivals here. Only cuz of yuno. Asta is a much better character. Unlike in black clover and Naruto. In mha people are influenced by quirks. Their personalities change. Midoriya even says bakugo changed exactly when his quirk manifested. And just like bakugo everyone in his middle school were looking down on him. Bakugo was just unlucky as the video itself said when he came to UA ,people starting roasting him and he got a reality check. Killua and gon are not rivals but they are better than asta and yuno. Asta and yuno being "rivals" is just pathetic and boring You should word it as "friends".

[@InvaderMedia420]

@@denji3397 I believe stuff like this can’t be objectively all I know is I hate characters who are douche bags and if I remember correctly I said subjective I’m not saying objectively one rival is better than the other I’m saying what are you like in rivals? I like from the competition I don’t like big one being a douche bag and the other one not being a douche bag.

[@InvaderMedia420]

@@denji3397 also never watched hunter hunter so I wouldn’t know

[@austinwilkes5573]

I just want to say that I don't believe you understand the relationship between Asta and Yuno, which makes sense given you dropped the anime so early in its run. Asta and Yuno aren't your traditional shonen rivals, and thats by design. They are written as true on brothers, closer than blood. They are only "rivals" in a sense that they both want the same thing, but they use that rivalry to push each other further. It sounds lame to say, but they love and care for eachother as family, and their rivalry always shows this, which is why its not intense. Yuno isn't "sparing" Asta, he truly believes Asta is just as capable of being the Wizard King as he himself is

[@BoscoSal-ao]

The problem with the rivalry between deku and bakugou is the genre. If mha is a martial art or a sport manga, their rivalry makes sense but mha are about heroes where they are judge by their accomplishment( i.e beating villains & saving lives) not by how strong they are. The rivalry of deku and bakugou should be about who beats more villains than beating each other. Bakugou status as rival is questionable since he has few villain fights than deku. This made worse if you compare it with deku who fought stain, mascular, overhaul, gentle, lady nagant and shirigaki. The only reason why bakugou think he can surpass deku, is that most of deku fights is not made public in universe. If it we're known by the public, it easily make deku famous. A prime example is the huso arc, deku, shoto and iada taking credit in beating stain would not only make them the big three of A class but also overshadows bakugou winning the sport festival. Bakugou is not deku rival but his annoying sidekick.

[@meadowhare1083]

Their rivalry still makes sense, heroes need power and the will to fight which is what Bakugo takes from it whilst Deku takes the actual heroism and will to save. Also, the reason Bakugo doesn't have any villains to fight or villains to parallel is because his greatest enemy has always been himself. Think of it like this, Dekus fights are external, Bakugos is internal. Also, he does get his fair share of fighting in the final war arc.

[@BoscoSal-ao]

@@meadowhare1083 dude they are heroes, the reason why class A1 was famous is because they fought a group of villains without training. Imagine how famous deku if his fights were made public. A prime example is the husu arc, if made public would make deku, shoto and iada famous as the big three of class 1a. Bakugou enemy being himself is a good character development but pointless if you look at him as a hero. Deku prove himself as a great hero by fighting and winning against stain, mascular, overhaul, gentle, lady nagant, villains of dark hero arc and shirigaki/AFO.

[@meadowhare1083]

@@BoscoSal-ao Yes, but fighting is only one aspect of being a hero. Dekus hero journey has always been about proving his worth as a great hero, so of course he would get all the main villain fights in his story. Bakugo already has power and already knows how to fight, his journey is about learning to save people, to put others before himself. Both are equally as important to become a great hero. Fights aren't the mark of great character progression, they're just a bonus

[@BoscoSal-ao]

@@meadowhare1083 really? What did bakugou accomplish as a hero?

[@meadowhare1083]

@@BoscoSal-ao Saved deku who was a pivotal point of interest in the first war arc. Helped bring deku back to UA. Stood toe to toe with both shigaraki and All for one in the final war arc. And yeah, I think that's it.

[@user-fh1bl5ks5u]

A video of comparing deku and asta

[@franklinjonson7448]

I'm fucking sorry, ROAST POTATO?!?!? What country are you from?!? (WTF?!?!)

[@CurmudgeonMedia]

would you like me to apologize?

[@lucidfangirl1030]

Fr, we dont eat roast potatoes at christmas

[@malory6312]

MANGA SPOILER FOR 360 AND ONWARD!!!!!!!!!!! Deku went feral when Bakugou "died". Horikoshi has said Bakugou will be okay but to Deku and to us we do not know yet. I love how Bakugou is shown to be kid who wants his idol to autograph something of great value to him. And to anyone that reads this, please do not slander Bakugou no matter how you feel about him. I am just stating something; Bakugou is a kid who wants to do right by his idol and Deku is going feral because his frienemy looks to be close to death.

[@lenciklencik5892]

If you're intrested Bakugou get's saved by Edgeshot later on

[@alieenzz]

if you are rivals for more than 7 years, you are no longer rivals. you are gay.

[@Dragon-Catracho]

I still don't like there Relationship. To me it should've been TodoDeku and KiriBaku Bromance Rivalry better than bkdk Bromance Rivalry (Nothing Homo though)