In my previous blog post, I began a deeper investigation into the psychology of the character Katsuki Bakugou from the manga/anime My Hero Academia and why this contributes to his overwhelming popularity, despite him not being the main character nor the most lovable character. Bakugou, as one can see throughout the series, suffers from what is known as an inferiority complex, a psychological term describing a person that feels a strong sense of inadequacy. Discovered in the 1920s by the psychotherapist Alfred Adler, this condition can result in thoughts of helplessness and inefficiency that constantly bombard a person throughout his or her daily life, and the audience can see this internal struggle on full display in the aftermath of Bakugou’s kidnapping. During a training camp exercise, a group of villains attack Bakugou and his classmates with the purpose of recruiting him to their side. They manage to take him, but their plan only halfway succeeds. Bakugou adamantly refuses the villains offer to help with their evil plans, saying he wants to win like All Might, the number one hero in Japan, a teacher at his school, and Bakugou’s inspiration in becoming a hero himself. In his rescue attempt, however, Bakugou watches as his hero sacrifices his power to save him while he’s unable to do anything to help. On top of this, Bakugou was one of two students in his class to fail the provisional hero license exam, held almost immediately after his kidnapping, leaving him behind to watch his classmates improve their skills without him. As his feelings of inadequacy grow more and more, he finally snaps and challenges Izuku Midoriya, the main character, to a fight, one that would be held without any teachers’ surveillance so he can see which aspiring hero would win in a real battle. This confrontation is a way for Bakugou to prove himself, as well as to try to stop the feelings of inadequacy. Kohei Horikoshi, the author of My Hero Academia, explains in an interview, “In the beginning, I decided that as a character, he [Bakugou] thinks that Deku [Midoriya’s superhero name] is above him, so he tries to act intimidating and superior to overtake him.” However, this battle is also a way for Bakugou to let out his pent up emotions. Throughout this battle, Bakugou reveals how he constantly thinks of his kidnapping and how he blames himself for the loss of All Might’s power, who hears this guilt ridden confession as he arrives to break up the fight. Convinced everything is his fault because of his weaknesses, Bakugou tells All Might that he forced the number one hero to an early retirement since he “isn’t good enough.” All Might tries to assure the young hero it isn’t his fault, and he also tries to convince the homeroom teacher to go easy on Bakugou, as he explains in chapter 121 of the manga, “his inferiority complex erupted. Without realizing it, we neglected to care for his mental health.” I doubt many of us can say we have caused the fall of a great superhero, but all of us can say we have felt inadequate or regret. Horikoshi’s writing of Bakugou allows us as an audience to relate to those feelings and watch as he strives to overcome these thoughts about himself, inspiring us to do the same. This is another reason why Bakugou is so well loved by the audience; he inspires us.
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