@TLC:
So the super special secret backstory Bakugo has on why he is a ginormous douchenozzle and the reason behind his entire rotten attitude is…he just doesn't like to lose? But he liked All Might a lot when he was a kid!~ That totally justifies his becoming a rotten bully.
For a chapter titled Bakugo: The Origin, it sure was light on the origin part. Can we get the piece of backstory on whe he became an asshole? Did Deku bully him in preschool? Something that could possibly justify his character?
I see what the author is going for her but the execution falls flat. Him finally working with Deku is supposed to be this big moment but it falls flat on its face because the emotional thrust of it is that he hates Deku for no reason to the point that it makes him sick to work with him. And I'm supposed to root for this guy, for this team up? The chapter sure frames it that way. Oh poor Bakugo, look at how much he had to sacrifice, he had to NOT BE AN ASSHOLE TO THIS GUY. What a hero!
And before someone tells me that a good character doesn't have to be likable, I agree, the problem is that Bakugo is not interesting either. He's just this shallow shitheel that the manga keeps putting this emotional weight on without ever following through, at best he's very inconsistently written and at worst, he's just insufferable. Which is a shame because out of context I used to like his over the top antics before I read the whole series from the start and got the context of the character.
All Might was cool, can we get more of him beating the shit out of Bakugo please?
I'm sorry but you're missing a lot of the thrust. It's fine that you like to hold magnifying glasses to things (you have a rep for kind of going overkill with your analysis, which is fine, no harm no foul), but a lot of Bakugou's character is not super developed, a lot of his bullying and hate for Deku comes from the fact that 1. Baku has a superiority complex (the root of which, we don't know, so I agree, seeing that would be great, but even if we don't see it immediately, there's still room for it later on). From chapter one, he hated the fact that "Deku with no individuality/quirk" would even mention himself in the same breadth as Bakugou. From wanting to be a hero, to wanting enter Yuuei, everything about Deku seems to aggravate Bakugou. In the real world, there are people like that, I'm sure you're aware. We're not all mind readers, and not everyone has a reason, let alone a good reason, for being the way they are or doing the things they do. Some people are in fact assholes, caused by a multitude of factors, and were we to have received some simply wrapped present explaining Bakugou's actions, that'd be kind of weak.
Todoroki got a big chunk of solid development that helped carve a pretty damn good character arc thus far. Maybe Horikoshi is still thinking up stuff or waiting to give more background. Seeing the results of this team-up will be more important than the backstory that pre-empted it. If anything, it added some more intrigue as to why Bakugou is the way he is. If HORI does not deliver, then, yes, it will be a missed opportunity but I still have hope.
2. To say that the execution falls flat when the kid is literally crying because he has to admit he needs to rely on Deku…. you're too hung up on things not progressing the way you want to acknowledge how moving that is. Unless you're specifically referring to the origin story and not the chapter as a whole. This is the 2nd time Deku has come to Bakugou's rescue, and that was when Deku didn't have a quirk. To see how much he's improving is more than likely pretty tough for someone with all of the expectations that Bakugou is carrying: living up to his power, idolizing All Might (which is a really nice touch, and more salt in the wound, considering Deku and All Might's relationship), among some other things. I could definitely use a refresher for the series since it's been about a year of serialization, but giving the first two Japanese volumes to several of my students and recommending the series as a whole to many other students to read, has been a refresher of sorts. but those aspects of Bakugou's character are great. Along with the concern he showed for Uraraka during the tournament, and the battle he had against Todoroki.
Someone else may have addressed some of things, I didn't have the time to check the rest of the thread. Just had 2 cents to throw in.
