Warning: spoilers ahead for My Hero Academia chapter 359!
Katsuki Bakugo is at a major turning point in his overall journey as a hero, with huge changes to come as My Hero Academia heads for its long-awaited final stretch.
Since his introduction, Bakugo’s character has changed in more ways than one. He was initially introduced as a bully who tormented his former childhood acquaintance Izuku Midoriya for years when they were growing up; a pastime he resumed when they were both accepted into U.A. High. Readers later learned, however, that Bakugo perpetually put Midoriya down because he actually feared him and felt that Midoriya threatened his own accomplishments – even before Midoriya actually acquired All Might’s One For All quirk and became Deku. This fear was also one of the main driving forces behind why Bakugo refused help from anyone else and always worked alone, even though being a hero requires collaboration. However, Bakugo later apologized to Deku for his years of bullying, and even began working as a team player.
Although Bakugo has accepted the fact that Deku is All Might’s true successor, he still hasn’t let go of his dream that he will eventually become the number-one hero. And by the end of chapter 359, Bakugo is at a place where he will either get one step closer to that dream or be forced to take two steps back. After unveiling his all-out new gear getup known as Suppressive Heavy Mobile Unit: Strafe Panzer, he unleashes his most powerful blast of energy – Howitzer Impact: Cluster – against the Tomura Shigaraki/All For One hybrid. But it turns out that Bakugo’s best isn’t enough. Not only does Bakugo fail to defeat his opponent, but Shigaraki even breaks Bakugo’s arm. Bakugo’s outlook is so bleak after these major setbacks that the young hero can’t help but comment on their gap in power despite giving it his all.
My Hero Academia has two obvious choices for Bakugo going forward. It can have Bakugo either experience the stereotypical shonen awakening that allows him to overcome his opponent despite the odds, or allow him to grow further by forcing him to rely on other heroes. Although Bakugo fans would undoubtedly prefer the former option, the latter is by far the best choice in terms of his character. Besides the cliche a power-up would be, Bakugo’s failure to win on his own against Shigaraki/All For One would add to his tragic persona as a hero who still isn’t as great as Deku. If Bakugo is able to accept both this realization and some additional help from others regardless of his failure, he will have grown considerably as not only a hero but as a person.
Luckily, My Hero Academia has already avoided pandering to overused formulas, so it’s possible that Katsuki Bakugo could very well not undergo an awakening in the next chapter despite being perfectly set up for one. The young hero has already grown so much already, and failure would help him grow even more. It would be a shame therefore if he doesn’t fail, not just for his character, but for My Hero Academia as a whole.