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[cntr]

Bakugou is an awful person, but it's not bad writing to realize that even awful people are still people, aren't completely awful, and aren't going to be awful forever.

Like honestly it sounds like people just want Bakugou to be beaten up so they can have catharsis and don't want him to be treated as a real person because they don't think of bullies as real people.

 

[Veelk]

I mean, most people with Antisocial personality disorder also aren't killers or anything like that either

And you know this from what study?

The first thing you need to understand is how pathetically it's understood, and that's because we have no way of getting any subjects except from prison. Prisoners love interviews for studies because they don't have much else to do. But why would a CEO sociopath, for example, meet to talk about how he has the single most feared and hated disorder this side of pedophilia? There is literally no incentive for him or anyone like him to come out given the risk that information coming out.

As a result, we only know of ASPD at it's most severe and least adapted to society. "Functional" sociopaths may be ones who had the same mental problems and just coped with them, or people who solved those mental problems, or people who learned to disguise those problems. We don't know what kind of spectrum exists. Can sociopaths find empathy in a limited number of people or would they be categorized as not having ASPD if they can? Are all sociopaths capable of remorseless murder?

There is a massive gap of information regarding what ASPD can constitute, because our sample subjects are pathetically small outside one single environment. As a result, there's almost nothing we can definitively say about sociopaths. You're right that there are sociopaths that have successfully channeled their drive to dominate others into productive activities, but it's impossible to get a statistically significant sample size to tell how many.

Bakugou is an awful person, but it's not bad writing to realize that even awful people are still people, aren't completely awful, and aren't going to be awful forever.

Like honestly it sounds like people just want Bakugou to be beaten up so they can have catharsis and don't want him to be treated as a real person because they don't think of bullies as real people.

I mean, this isn't unusual or anything. Since we're talking psychology, I remember a study where they showed an infant or a toddler, one who couldn't even speak yet, a play. One puppet hurt another. That made the baby cry, signaling that even babies feel empathy towards others and don't want to see people hurt as a rule. However, then the puppet who hurt the first one was punished. THat made the baby smile.

So we enjoy seeing others hurt so long we can find some kind of reason why they 'deserve it'. My personal theory is that this is the ultimate source of othering.

 

[cntr]

To the person who said, the author was like Yoko Toro.

I meant that in terms of the "wearing goofy masks in public" thing, lol.

 

[TheFlow]

Bakugou is an awful person, but it's not bad writing to realize that even awful people are still people, aren't completely awful, and aren't going to be awful forever.

Like honestly it sounds like people just want Bakugou to be beaten up so they can have catharsis and don't want him to be treated as a real person because they don't think of bullies as real people.

Baku is still doing the same shit he was doing in chapter 1. He has just toned down some. Baku defense force here is "well he isn't that bad" like lol. He is in the number 1 hero school in the country, and failed to get his license, and almost failed the damn 1-A test with Deku. He has a lot to learn, and even after All might's talk he still doesn't show signs that he might clean up his act. He is the Draco Malfoy of MHA. He is a bully at heart, with no redeeming qualities other than being strong.


nothing wrong with people wanting Baku to get his ass kicked for being a dick to guy who has done nothing but tried to help/befriend him for years. Trust me an ass kicking is well deserved. It wouldn't even be bad writing for Deku to beat him. Just go "whoops I used too much power on that punch" and boom fight over.

edit: best way to describe Baku is "entitled". hell him complaining to all might about not being picked was enough already. like dude was told as a kid you had a great quirk. chill

 

[FlowersisBritish]

I meant that in terms of the "wearing goofy masks in public" thing, lol.

Man what a dissapointment. I was going to start spouting about a Drakengard MHA crossover and how you all think you want it until you realize half the cast of Drakengard would either molest or kill the cast of MHA. And then I was going to shout about how terrible Drankengard 2 is for like... an hour. And then I was going to play the Nier Automata demo......


Oh right MHA...

Spoiler

WHEN'S TOGA GONNA DO THE TOGA ALREADY!?

Best way to describe Baku is "entitled". hell him complaining to all might about not being picked was enough already. like dude was told as a kid you had a great quirk. chill

That is probably the best word to describe Baku I think. Guy fucking won a tournament and was whining about it to the point they had to restrain him.

 

[cntr]

Nobody's saying he's not a terrible person, we're saying that he's on the path to improving. He's not there yet, but he's heading that way. You know, like people do. He's not going to magically change overnight.

 

[TheFlow]

Nobody's saying he's not a terrible person, we're saying that he's on the path to improving. He's not there yet, but he's heading that way. You know, like people do. He's not going to magically change overnight.

are we still using that " he can't change overnight" line. that is the weakest excuse I have seen for defending Baku. look at all the stuff Baku has gone through, and how many chapters we are in. No excuse for that shit.

the only thing improving about Baku is his willingness to team up with people over fighting head on.

Man what a dissapointment. I was going to start spouting about a Drakengard MHA crossover and how you all think you want it until you realize half the cast of Drakengard would either molest or kill the cast of MHA. And then I was going to shout about how terrible Drankengard 2 is for like... an hour. And then I was going to play the Nier Automata demo......


Oh right MHA...

Spoiler

WHEN'S TOGA GONNA DO THE TOGA ALREADY!?

That is probably the best word to describe Baku I think. Guy fucking won a tournament and was whining about it to the point they had to restrain him.

no pleasing that fucker.


I think Shouta is going to put Deku in his place with a rematch.

 

[Veelk]

Nobody's saying he's not a terrible person, we're saying that he's on the path to improving. He's not there yet, but he's heading that way. You know, like people do. He's not going to magically change overnight.

I feel it's relevant to remember that the manga seems to want to depict more realistic human growth. Uraraka grew to like Deku subtlely, so it was a seamless transition to the point where she herself is surprised to discover she likes him romantically when he was just a friend for a long while.

Similarly, Todoroki still has issues with his dad, even though Deku gave him a pep talk and a leg to stand on against him. In comparison, one monologue from Naruto, and Gaara stopped being a crazed psychotic killer the next day.

edit: best way to describe Baku is "entitled". hell him complaining to all might about not being picked was enough already. like dude was told as a kid you had a great quirk. chill

Not quite. He does legitimately want to earn his way. That's why he gets upset when he's given a victory he doesn't feel he earned, like when he won against Todoroki.

 

[cntr]

edit: best way to describe Baku is "entitled". hell him complaining to all might about not being picked was enough already. like dude was told as a kid you had a great quirk. chill

Yeah, so isn't he like a shitton of real kids? Like you've heard of kids who were smart, but get totally crushed the first time they start failing, because they think too highly of themselves, right? That's Bakugou, and it'd be stupid to just write that off so people can get shallow catharsis.

 

[TheFlow]

I feel it's relevant to remember that the manga seems to want to depict more realistic human growth. Uraraka grew to like Deku subtlely, so it was a seamless transition to the point where she herself is surprised to discover she likes him romantically when he was just a friend for a long while.

Similarly, Todoroki still has issues with his dad, even though Deku gave him a pep talk and a leg to stand on against him. In comparison, one monologue from Naruto, and Gaara stopped being a crazed psychotic killer the next day.



Not quite. He does legitimately want to earn his way. That's why he gets upset when he's given a victory he doesn't feel he earned, like when he won against Todoroki.

but then he beats Deku going all out and is not satisfied and gets mad at all might for not picking him. He needs to make up his mind on some things.

an entitled person can still want to earn it while also thinking it should be theirs.

Baku is striving to be number 1 while deep down thinking it belongs to him.

Yeah, so isn't he like a shitton of real kids? Like you've heard of kids who were smart, but get totally crushed the first time they start failing, because they think too highly of themselves, right? That's Bakugou, and it'd be stupid to just write that off so people can get shallow catharsis.

Baku gets crushed regardless whether he wins or loses.

How is bad writing for Deku to win over Baku but not the other way around? both can have character growth with either outcome because the mangaka has set it up that way. We are all fans here so it is ok for some people here to become upset over this chapter. no need to defend it every time someone hates the idea of Baku winning.

 

[cntr]

Yeah, and he needs to grow up out of that. And no, that's not a defense for Bakugou, that's a literal description what he's about. What else do you want me to say?

And if you really think he hasn't changed at all, you need to reread.

 

[FlowersisBritish]

Yeah, so isn't he like a shitton of real kids? Like you've heard of kids who were smart, but get totally crushed the first time they start failing, because they think too highly of themselves, right? That's Bakugou, and it'd be stupid to just write that off so people can get shallow catharsis.

Again, not asking for catharsis. We just think not adressing Baku's past or his awful behavior is particularly good. it's actually super problematic if you think about it, kind of like "kids will be kids." If you want a real depiction of every shade of a relationship between two people who hate each other. Read Spirit Circle. It has one of my favorite moments of "I hate you" "I hate you too bud" and they decide to never speak to each other again. Like real people and unlike like Deku's borderline obsession.

Not quite. He does legitimately want to earn his way. That's why he gets upset when he's given a victory he doesn't feel he earned, like when he won against Todoroki.

That's kind of what we mean by entitled though. He doesn't want a victory he want's "his" victory and when he doesn't get it he throws a fit. That's kind of textbook entitlement.

 

[TheFlow]

Yeah, and he needs to grow up out of that. And no, that's not a defense for Bakugou, that's a literal description what he's about. What else do you want me to say?

And if you really think he hasn't changed at all, you need to reread.

re read the manga 3 times. I said he has toned down. still the same little shit. but I guess "change doesn't happen overnight"

Again, not asking for catharsis. We just think not adressing Baku's past or his awful behavior is particularly good. it's actually super problematic if you think about it, kind of like "kids will be kids." If you want a real depiction of every shade of a relationship between two people who [i[hate[/i] each other. Read Spirit Circle. It has one of my favorite moments of "I hate you" "I hate you too bud" and they decide to never speak to each other again. Like real people and unlike like Deku's borderline obsession.



That's kind of what we mean by entitled though. He doesn't want a victory he want's "his" victory and when he doesn't get it he throws a fit. That's kind of textbook entitlement.

nail on the head.


Like deku we get it you guys were friends for a couple years before he started kicking your ass everyday, but you gotta realize you can't save everyone bruh.

 

[cntr]

How is bad writing for Deku to win over Baku but not the other way around?

Because it screws up the manga's power system. 5% can't be that strong, and Deku can't already be at Bakugou-level skill. It's a terrible move in the long term.

Honestly it just sounds like you guys really hate Bakugou, and are trying as hard as you can to prove that he's irredeemable or whatever, to the point of ignoring huge parts of the story. I can't argue with blind rage like that. Which is pretty ironic, but hey.

 

[RainForce]

Well....yeah, it pretty much is. And so am I. I have no desire to see Bakugou punished for his dickishness, personally, only seeing him grow beyond it. He's progressing nicely as a characters whose slowly learning that his power doesn't give him the right to treat others like shit. I mean, in case you haven't noticed, he doesn't do any actual bullying anymore. He recognizes the strength of the people around him, to the point where he was the only one who took his fight with Uraraka seriously. And he repaid Kirishima his money when he rescued him, expressing gratitude. Subtle expressions like his fear of the villains that capture him and his guilt over being part of bringing All Might's time to an end humanize him and give him more and more dimensions.

And that's all fine and good, but my problem is it's too slow. These things didn't need to happen over the course of 100 chapters. Todoroki, who has a fraction of the focus, has gotten better development.

He's never going to stop being an asshole, I think. It's a core tenet of his personality. And the narrative has no issue with that. It's more interested in growing other personality aspects rather than reducing his attitude. As such, it recognizes the value of his ambition to win and be the best, something that Midoriya does indeed lack in.

But that ambition to be the best is a message that runs counter to most of what we've seen so far. It's not about being the best, it's about saving people. Bakugou's obsession with the former is what made him so bitter when he sees someone he sees as "lesser" being able to better accomplish the latter.

MHA seems to have a pretty consistent message most of the time, but whenever Bakugou enters the scene, it suddenly turns into a mixed message.

If you don't like that it doesn't look like Bakugou is going to suffer for his bullying or that he is going to be converted into a nicer person, then idk, it feels like this is just not the narrative your looking for. You directly tying your desire to see karmic justice, or atleast your moral sensibilities about what should happen to bullies, to how you gauge whether something is good writing. Not all works do that though, and I generally prefer works that don't.

I got no problem with it when it's a straight comedy or when the story has a far more cynical message or hell if even it's not something the creator doesn't want to focus on. Vegeta never really got any comeuppance for his earlier actions which included A LOT of killing of innocents even beyond the farmer. He didn't lose his dickishness either, and I still loved him as a character.

But despite the fantastical setting, MHA does try to be relatively grounded and relatable while also trying to address stuff like what you mentioned. It's just an endless fumbling of the concept as it seems Horikoshi is just super averse to breaking the status quo with this one particular relationship beyond very minimal increments every so often. And it's not like he's incapable of it either, as you can see in the fantastic yet subtle growth of Todoroki and his growing relationship with Deku. It just leads me to believe that Bakugou is a creator's pet that would fit better in a different story.

Okay? It's still shallow criticism.

It's very telling that you're dismissing the consequences as "nothing but hurt feelings", bringing up the middle school thing, interpreted the most recent chapter as "bullying pieces of shit", and thought the poll influenced the chapter. That all points to you wanting Bakugou to just be beaten up rather than interpreted as a complicated character with both admirable and terrible traits, who's slowly growing up out of those terrible traits.

I wasn't totally serious there. Horikoshi would likely always go in this direction regardless of how popular Bakugou is.

That being said, if you know how WSJ works, you would know (with a few exceptions like Oda), these works are not entirely in control of the authors and character popularity does absolutely play a factor in that. Off the top of my head, character popularity in Jojo and Medaka Box affected the plot. I doubt Bakugou's popularity contributed because it was always going in this direction, but you never know if it really did or will in the future.

As for the rest of what you're saying, the "bullying piece of shit" thing was, as Flowers said, a sort of normalizing of his behavior. With All Might propping him up and acknowledging he and Deku would help each other grow is just really gross to me when he shows no remorse nor any inclination to cool down even further in this particular scene.

And yeah, I won't lie, I'd love to see Bakugou beaten up. By being a dick and just overall more over the top than anyone else in the series, he comes off as a hate sink character, created so the audience would get satisfaction out of his pain. But the story didn't go that way, so it just comes off as incredibly jarring.

And I'd really wish you stopped it with this "shallow" business, I feel I've explained my position well enough without it being dismissed so off-handedly even if you disagree with it.

 

[cntr]

Saying that Bakugou's past and behavior is not being addressed says that you guys aren't reading the same manga I am. That's all I have to say about that.

 

[TheFlow]

Because it screws up the manga's power system. 5% can't be that strong, and Deku can't already be at Bakugou-level skill. It's a terrible move in the long term.

Honestly it just sounds like you guys really hate Bakugou, and are trying as hard as you can to prove that he's irredeemable or whatever, to the point of ignoring huge parts of the story. I can't argue with blind rage like that. Which is pretty ironic, but hey.[/QUOTE]

We had a chapter where Deku said he knew all of Baku's moves and then pulled off a take down with no powers. not that crazy.. None of the kids are actually trained in fighting. There is just no proof of it.

5 percent doesn't have to be a OHKO for him Deku to win lol.


so now we just blindly hate Baku and have blind rage? is this what happens when someone has a different opinion than you. How are we missing huge parts of the story for wanting Deku to win?

You are just coming off sensitive because people don't like Baku which is actually a normal thing.

 

[Veelk]

Again, not asking for catharsis. We just think not adressing Baku's past or his awful behavior is particularly good. it's actually super problematic if you think about it, kind of like "kids will be kids." If you want a real depiction of every shade of a relationship between two people who hate each other. Read Spirit Circle. It has one of my favorite moments of "I hate you" "I hate you too bud" and they decide to never speak to each other again. Like real people and unlike like Deku's borderline obsession.

Borderline nothing. But that's kind of the pitfall of being an all loving hero. In the first chapters of the book, Bakugou's two asshole bully friends were telling him that he was going way too far.

The problem here is Midoriya. He just honestly, truly doesn't care about Bakugou's past bullying and simply doesn't hold a grudge. As far as he's concerned, it's behind them. And everyone else from that time of his life is basically out of the picture. There's no one in the manga to demand retribution for Bakugou's shitty treatment at this time. Midoriya is the only one who can do it, and he's not interested.

So, Midoriya's the actual problem, if your really just want to see Bakugou punished for his behavior.

Personally, if it is going to happen, I feel the best way to do it is that have Uraraka at some point hear from Deku about how Bakugou treated him, and have her go slap his shit (in a non-comedic way) for messing with her friend/boyfriend that way.

That's kind of what we mean by entitled though. He doesn't want a victory he want's "his" victory and when he doesn't get it he throws a fit. That's kind of textbook entitlement.

Fair enough, but it's also not good to say "Here's your victory, be happy about it" when it's not instant gratification he wants or to fame or glory, but to succeed on his own terms. It's mostly his throwing a fit that's immature, but entitlement usually has connations that he feels he should get rewarded without having to work for it, and that's not Bakugou.

 

[TheFlow]

Borderline nothing. But that's kind of the pitfall of being an all loving hero. In the first chapters of the book, Bakugou's two asshole bully friends were telling him that he was going way too far.

The problem here is Midoriya. He just honestly, truly doesn't care about Bakugou's past bullying and simply doesn't hold a grudge. As far as he's concerned, it's behind them. And everyone else from that time of his life is basically out of the picture. There's no one in the manga to demand retribution for Bakugou's shitty treatment at this time. Midoriya is the only one who can do it, and he's not interested.

So, Midoriya's the actual problem, if your really just want to see Bakugou punished for his behavior.

Personally, if it is going to happen, I feel the best way to do it is that have Uraraka at some point hear from Deku about how Bakugou treated him, and have her go slap his shit (in a non-comedic way) for messing with her friend/boyfriend that way.



Fair enough, but it's also not good to say "Here's your victory, be happy about it" when it's not instant gratification he wants or to fame or glory, but to succeed on his own terms. It's mostly his throwing a fit that's immature, but entitlement usually has connations that he feels he should get rewarded without having to work for it, and that's not Bakugou.

bruh he felt entitled to a great fight and got upset when he won. which is weird because I guess he thought he should of lost? I mean it they both went all out.

Saying that Bakugou's past and behavior is not being addressed says that you guys aren't reading the same manga I am. That's all I have to say about that.

no one is saying it isn't being addressed. Are you reading everything we are saying. Everyone here is providing paragraphs for you but you keep focusing on a sentence.


You come off as an ass because every time someone here has a different opinion than you we get "Yah are reading a different manga" "go read the manga again" "that is a shallow reason" "we don't understand the story"

like it is laughable.

 

[cntr]

so now we just blindly hate Baku and have blind rage?

That's the only explanation I can think of, because like, this reading of the manga is so completely unlike what I actually read, that the only way it could've happened is if you guys hated Bakugou so much that you misinterpreted every scene involving him. I can't understand it.

 

[FlowersisBritish]

Because it screws up the manga's power system. 5% can't be that strong, and Deku can't already be at Bakugou-level skill. It's a terrible move in the long term.

Honestly it just sounds like you guys really hate Bakugou, and are trying as hard as you can to prove that he's irredeemable or whatever, to the point of ignoring huge parts of the story. I can't argue with blind rage like that. Which is pretty ironic, but hey.

Not saying he's irredeemable, but he hasn't really done anything actually redeemable. he hasn't saved a group of puppies or anything. For a character that gets so much focus in this series, he really hasn't done anything "heroic." Yeah, that can be a point of a series trying to show a wide different range of heroes, but not if they're trying to sell us on character growth and that this kid will become a better person. Also guy, you got to chill with your borderline personal attacks. We're not in a blind rage. We're having a discussion about Bakugou with you. You can disagree with us and we can disagree with you but don't try an invalidate our words. That's just rude and a total Baku thing to do. Don't be a Baku, man...

 

[RainForce]

Nobody's saying he's not a terrible person.

The story does. Him smiling with explosions behind him while the chapter ends with an optimistic message, him getting a hug from All Might while the chapter ends saying "two becomes three", him getting rescued with a smile and a happy "you motherfucker" hand grab from Kirishma, etc. This is not the framing of someone the narrative actively sees as a terrible person, it's the framing of someone the narrative wants to desperately make you believe is a badass that has people that care about him.

 

[AlphaDragoon]

so now we just blindly hate Baku and have blind rage? is this what happens when someone has a different opinion than you. How are we missing huge parts of the story for wanting Deku to win?

You are just coming off sensitive because people don't like Baku which is actually a normal thing.

Seriously. Bakugou is a POS who actually told someone to go kill themselves. He's the definition of a bully and I don't see how it's shocking in the least for anyone to dislike him.

I don't necessarily think Deku needed to beat him down for some kind of catharsis (especially since Deku himself doesn't really seem to need it) but Bakugou should absolutely have to face the music in some way for being an utter douchebag. He wants to be All Might and he's NOWHERE near him. And with the way he treats people, even if he saves all the citizens in the world or beats up all the villains he never will be.

 

[Veelk]

bruh he felt entitled to a great fight and got upset when he won. which is weird because I guess he thought he should of lost? I mean it they both went all out.

I was thinking about his fight with Todoroki.

But as far as this fight goes, he is just looking for answers as to why he's not succeeding. This fight was more than him wanting a victory over Deku, he was hoping that a win here would provide some kind of answer. And we knew he wasn't going to get it. I said as much when this fight started, he is still wrongheaded if he thinks he can just get his answers if he beats the crap out of enough people. He needs to start rescuing people, which All Might flat out said to his face.

The story does. Him smiling with explosions behind him while the chapter ends with an optimistic message, him getting a hug from All Might while the chapter ends saying "two becomes three", him getting rescued with a smile and a happy "you motherfucker" hand grab from Kirishma, etc. This is not the framing of someone the narrative actively sees as a terrible person, it's the framing of someone the narrative wants to desperately make you believe is a badass that has people that care about him.

Well...they do. Midoriya has a fixation on him because of his perception of heroism, while Kirishima is stupidly friendly to everyone. And I guess Kaminari finds him tolerable. I don't think anyone else in the class likes Bakugou, but as classmates and heroes, they are still more than willing to save him. So yeah, they care. I don't get a sense that they have much personal affection for him overall. I think most of them just find his tantrums ridiculous.

 

[convo]

Saying that Bakugou's past and behavior is not being addressed says that you guys aren't reading the same manga I am. That's all I have to say about that.

Little Bakugo getting praised and thinking it's because he's the best was a pretty clear way of showing how he got so conceited. Things are starting to break down a little and he needs some parental guidance from All might. He feels guilty about things and dealing with it all by himself is proving difficult showed by his decision to start a fight with deku to let out his emotions. All might is telling him right to his face what problems he has and it depends on whether Bakugo will cooperate. He already said he will keep it a secret so any slip up into super villainy would just not be in character.

 

[TheFlow]

Seriously. Bakugou is a POS who actually told someone to go kill themselves. He's the definition of a bully and I don't see how it's shocking in the least for anyone to dislike him.

I don't necessarily think Deku needed to beat him down for some kind of catharsis (especially since Deku himself doesn't really seem to need it) but Bakugou should absolutely have to face the music in some way for being an utter douchebag. He wants to be All Might and he's NOWHERE near him. And with the way he treats people, even if he saves all the citizens in the world or beats up all the villains he never will be.

Bruih that is what I am saying. Baku is written to be unlikeable. It is not wrong to want him to lose.

but CNTR thinks we have blind rage or something? most immature thing ever

I was thinking about his fight with Todoroki.

But as far as this fight goes, he is just looking for answers as to why he's not succeeding. This fight was more than him wanting a victory over Deku, he was hoping that a win here would provide some kind of answer. And we knew he wasn't going to get it. I said as much when this fight started, he is still wrongheaded if he thinks he can just get his answers if he beats the crap out of enough people. He needs to start rescuing people, which All Might flat out said to his face.

fair enough.

If Baku is going be an asshole at least get the job the done as a hero. That is what I took away from it at least. Endeavor might be terrible but at least he saves people, and does his job as hero.

 

[BassForever]

I feel like its a perfect storm of factors that lead to this reaction here

Last chapter when Neku started narrating people wrongly thought this was a sign that something bad happened as a result of Deku not realizing how much stronger he became.

Two weeks past giving the community extra time to speculate what Deku's narration hinted at and its implications on the series going forward

This weeks chapter started with a popularity poll Bakugo won when he's clearly not a popular character among thos community

Bakugo wins the fight a result I didn't see anyone here predict


I think that all adds up to people not taking a step back and looking at the bigger picture.

 

[TheFlow]

That's the only explanation I can think of, because like, this reading of the manga is so completely unlike what I actually read, that the only way it could've happened is if you guys hated Bakugou so much that you misinterpreted every scene involving him. I can't understand it.

nobody here has misinterpreted anything. we just don't like Baku as much as you. which as I said is fine.

nobody is going to feel strongly for characters like everyone else

I feel like its a perfect storm of factors that lead to this reaction here

Last chapter when Neku started narrating people wrongly thought this was a sign that something bad happened as a result of Deku not realizing how much stronger he became.

Two weeks past giving the community extra time to speculate what Deku's narration hinted at and its implications on the series going forward

This weeks chapter started with a popularity poll Bakugo won when he's clearly not a popular character among thos community

Bakugo wins the fight a result I didn't see anyone here predict


I think that all adds up to people not taking a step back and looking at the bigger picture.

yea this chapter was a blindside for me but I am relieved because I didn't want Baku to get seriously hurt.

Deku still has a long way to go. His quirk is still new to him

 

[RainForce]

He really isn't though? Kayaba is just murdering people because... reasons? Most actual mass murderers have some sort of actual goal, be it terrorism or deriving a sick sexual pleasure from the acts

It obviously wasn't perfect, but the lack of empathy really came off well with Kayaba, and lack of ambition isn't exactly unheard of for high-functioning sociopaths even when they do pull off stuff like that. The biggest difference here is scale of course, so I probably should have said serial killer rather than mass murderer, but obviously some suspension of disbelief is required here. And I'm sure the character would have gone to shit if Kawahara wrote him for more than a few scenes.

I haven't seen Sword Art Online because it sucks, but as someone who actually studied Antisocial Personality Disorder, 99% of media don't portray it accurately or in depth.

Ironically, one of the best depictions of it is Ozai from Avatar: The Last Airbender, but you have to really pay attention to his motives. Most people just think of him as a generic evil overlord, and maybe he kind of is, but it's uprising how psychologically authentic it felt, especially compared to Legend of Korra's book 2 villain.

I was a Psych major, so while it wasn't my focus I also studied ASPD. I've always found it fascinating. I of course find it fascinating in media as well even though they get it wrong so damn much.

Never checked out Avatar, but I'm curious about it now.

 

[cntr]

Yeah, sorry, I was being too much of a dick there. This conversation is frustrating, but that isn't an excuse.

 

[FlowersisBritish]

Borderline nothing. But that's kind of the pitfall of being an all loving hero. In the first chapters of the book, Bakugou's two asshole bully friends were telling him that he was going way too far.

The problem here is Midoriya. He just honestly, truly doesn't care about Bakugou's past bullying and simply doesn't hold a grudge. As far as he's concerned, it's behind them. And everyone else from that time of his life is basically out of the picture. There's no one in the manga to demand retribution for Bakugou's shitty treatment at this time. Midoriya is the only one who can do it, and he's not interested.

That's part of the reason I've sort of fallen out with Midoriya tbh. I wouldn't mind if he got over his past with Baku, but he also is so obssessed and so filled with reverence at this kid that saying Deku got "over it" is kind of like having your cake and eating it too (I know, a terrible expression, but it's not really very realistic human behavior). Like no joke, the only way it could ever make sense to me is if Deku was actually in love with Baku. That would reconcile both of those behaviors to me and maybe lead to a horrible abusive relationship.

 

[Veelk]

I was a Psych major, so while it wasn't my focus I also studied ASPD. I've always found it fascinating. I of course find it fascinating in media as well even though they get it wrong so damn much.

Never checked out Avatar, but I'm curious about it now.

Well, it's one of the best cartoons of all time, but I don't want to give the wrong impression. Ozai doesn't have a huge personal impact on the series. He's more like a Emperor Palpatine, mostly working in the background and only really directly involved at the very end of the series. It's just that the few scenes he has, his personality is depicted with a strong sense of realism about ASPD.

That's not to say that it doesn't have a major character of similar, but distinct ilk. If you're on the lookout for a good psychological character to unpack, it has one of the very best ever with Azula, his daughter, one of my favorite characters of all time.

So yeah, go watch it if you haven't already.

That's part of the reason I've sort of fallen out with Midoriya tbh. I wouldn't mind if he got over his past with Baku, but he also is so obssessed and so filled with reverence at this kid that saying Deku got "over it" is kind of like having your cake and eating it too (I know, a terrible expression, but it's not really very realistic human behavior). Like no joke, the only way it could ever make sense to me is if Deku was actually in love with Baku. That would reconcile both of those behaviors to me and maybe lead to a horrible abusive relationship.

It's just his hero obsession. Which can be rightfully called an obsession. The first chapter had him endangering his own life because he literally could not stand the thought of not being a hero, despite being quirkless. Even when he resigned himself to an ordinary life, he immediately defaulted to being a police officer. Midoriya would happily die to be a hero.

Meanwhile, Bakugou occupies the other space that is required to be a hero. Midoriya didn't ever care about power itself, but mostly his ability to protect people with it. And Bakugou personifies his ambition to be powerful and win more than anyone else. As a result, when his focus is on 'winning', he imitates Bakugou.

I do agree, ti's weird that the manga legitimizes this. It's usually depicted as a toxic thing to be obsessed with dominating others. And it's not like the manga ignores what the abuse of htis can lead to. That's what Endevour is. But usually, it's declared to be a completely bad thing, and the only true way of heroism is to be as altruistic as possible. It's strange, but it depicts personal ambition for one's own victory above others to be a positive feature, just one that can easily go wrong. It's not just Bakugou, but the teachers who remark that it's a good thing and praise this aspect about him, more than his quirk.

 

[convo]

Bruih that is what I am saying. Baku is written to be unlikeable. It is not wrong to want him to lose.

but CNTR thinks we have blind rage or something? most immature thing ever

Yeah but there are "fictional" characters,like counselors or good natured people, that exist that want to help young kids with a shitty attitude to turn into better adults.
Someone needs to hold out hope and if All Might said something like:" man this kid is shit better leave him to squander his potential and fail" that's just not a message a hero should have. Bakugo got problems and he's got people rooting against him and all but you would also be speaking badly about the effort All might is trying to put in as a guardian.

 

[FlowersisBritish]

I feel like its a perfect storm of factors that lead to this reaction here

Last chapter when Neku started narrating people wrongly thought this was a sign that something bad happened as a result of Deku not realizing how much stronger he became.

Two weeks past giving the community extra time to speculate what Deku's narration hinted at and its implications on the series going forward

This weeks chapter started with a popularity poll Bakugo won when he's clearly not a popular character among thos community

Bakugo wins the fight a result I didn't see anyone here predict


I think that all adds up to people not taking a step back and looking at the bigger picture.

I just got to take a moment and bitch about Deku's god damn dumb narrations. They are the most misleading things ever. Remember when everyone thought Idaa was going to become super evil or die or something but he ended up relatively fine? Deku is so god damn dramatic in his narration! I have read books with unreliable narrators that were more honest about events lol

Yeah but there are "fictional" characters,like counselors or good natured people, that exist that want to help young kids with a shitty attitude to turn into better adults.
Someone needs to hold out hope and if All Might said something like:" man this kid is shit better leave him to squander his potential and fail" that's just not a message a hero should have. Bakugo got problems and he's got people rooting against him and all but you would also be speaking badly about the effort All might is trying to put in as a guardian.

On the flip side though, it can be looked at as bullied kids being told to more or less "get over it. Bullies are people too." Which they are, obviously, but we also shouldn't just ignore their past behavior. One of the toughest things I think a kid can ever do is appolgize. And I think one can make a case that everyone's general acceptance of Baku's current behvior can be pretty harmful in teaching kids how to react when they see kids get bullied in their class.

 

[TheFlow]

lol yea deku narration is such bs.

Also I agree with what the other poster said.

You would think one of the heroes would be trying to mentor him or someone having counsel sessions with him. All might could of done better too.

 

[convo]

lol yea deku narration is such bs.

Also I agree with what the other poster said.

You would think one of the heroes would be trying to mentor him or someone having counsel sessions with him. All might could of done better too.

Oh All might has been failing in the child raising departement but now that he's got no powers he's got the time make up for it.

 

[FlowersisBritish]

Oh All might has been failing in the child raising departement but now that he's got no powers he's got the time make up for it.

I want All Might to try and play catch with Handjob out of guilt and for it to go terribly wrong because handy keeps destroy the ball.

 

[Poodlestrike]

I feel like its a perfect storm of factors that lead to this reaction here

Last chapter when Neku started narrating people wrongly thought this was a sign that something bad happened as a result of Deku not realizing how much stronger he became.

Two weeks past giving the community extra time to speculate what Deku's narration hinted at and its implications on the series going forward

This weeks chapter started with a popularity poll Bakugo won when he's clearly not a popular character among thos community

Bakugo wins the fight a result I didn't see anyone here predict


I think that all adds up to people not taking a step back and looking at the bigger picture.

I predicted it.

And frankly, I think CNTR is right. Y'all looking for a cathartic win over the bully character, which is understandable, but Horikoshi going in a different direction doesn't make it bad or unbelievable writing.

I do agree that in-universe they ought to look at actually putting Bakugou into therapy, but this is cape comics, so odds are pretty good that the therapist would be Villain Alliance or something.

 

[RainForce]

Well...they do. Midoriya has a fixation on him because of his perception of heroism, while Kirishima is stupidly friendly to everyone. And I guess Kaminari finds him tolerable. I don't think anyone else in the class likes Bakugou, but as classmates and heroes, they are still more than willing to save him. So yeah, they care. I don't get a sense that they have much personal affection for him overall. I think most of them just find his tantrums ridiculous.

I know, I originally wasn't even going to add those last few words in. Just ignore those. I still think the rest of it is a fair complaint.

 

[RainForce]

I predicted it.

And frankly, I think CNTR is right. Y'all looking for a cathartic win over the bully character, which is understandable, but Horikoshi going in a different direction doesn't make it bad or unbelievable writing.

I do agree that in-universe they ought to look at actually putting Bakugou into therapy, but this is cape comics, so odds are pretty good that the therapist would be Villain Alliance or something.

And that would be an awesome development!

 

[Trojita]

I predicted it.

And frankly, I think CNTR is right. Y'all looking for a cathartic win over the bully character, which is understandable, but Horikoshi going in a different direction doesn't make it bad or unbelievable writing.

I do agree that in-universe they ought to look at actually putting Bakugou into therapy, but this is cape comics, so odds are pretty good that the therapist would be Villain Alliance or something.

I'm not a fan of the coincidence of the popularity poll coming out with Baku winning and him winning that fight this week at the same time. This was the first time Deku decided to go all out on Baku at this request and I'm pretty sure the first time he's actually used OfA on him.

 

[FlowersisBritish]

I predicted it.

And frankly, I think CNTR is right. Y'all looking for a cathartic win over the bully character, which is understandable, but Horikoshi going in a different direction doesn't make it bad or unbelievable writing.

God danm it, we're not looking for catharsis! And I don't think anyone is saying it's bad writing (I'll call it problematic in some aspects, but that is not necessarily my definition of "bad writing"). I'm not upset Baku won, I barely care about that and I figured he'd win anyways (The authur's curve balls are kind of easy to see when you expect the swerve ahead of time (again, not "bad writing"). I just don't think it's healthy or realistic for characters to ignore what a piece of shit Bakugou used to be, especially when this bastion of character development hasn't really changed all that much besides not really being "active" about it.

I do agree that in-universe they ought to look at actually putting Bakugou into therapy, but this is cape comics, so odds are pretty good that the therapist would be Villain Alliance or something.

I think the real twist would be therapy works, Baku realizes his desire to be a hero was tied to unresolved anger issues or something, comes to terms, and decides he actually always wanted to be a carpet salesman.

 

[cntr]

I'm not a fan of the coincidence of the popularity poll coming out with Baku winning and him winning that fight this week at the same time.

But even if it's irritating, it's still just a coincidence.

 

[Trojita]

The popularity poll results literally makes no sense from reader engagement I've seen here in Japan.

Aizawa at 4 and All Might at 6? I like Aizawa, but what.

Jirou at 7, Ochako at 10 and Tsuyu at 9.

The frog girl that has a ridiculous fan following got only 309 votes.

The fuck happened here? Fujo votes and spoil votes?

 

[FlowersisBritish]

The popularity poll results literally makes no sense from reader engagement I've seen here in Japan.

Aizawa at 4 and All Might at 6? I like Aizawa, but what.

Jirou at 7, Ochako at 10 and Tsuyu at 9.

The frog girl that has a ridiculous fan following got only 309 votes.

The fuck happened here? Fujo votes and spoil votes?

I am actually super curious about reader statistics like gender, age, yada yada of this popularity poll. I bet there might be some neat data in it. Do they ever release those? Or are they under wraps?

 

[RainForce]

The popularity poll results literally makes no sense from reader engagement I've seen here in Japan.

Aizawa at 4 and All Might at 6? I like Aizawa, but what.

Jirou at 7, Ochako at 10 and Tsuyu at 9.

The frog girl that has a ridiculous fan following got only 309 votes.

The fuck happened here? Fujo votes and spoil votes?

Based on reader engagement you've seen in Japan, would Bakugou be number 1?

 

[cntr]

The popularity poll isn't that big of a deal, man. It's mostly characters who've gotten focus recently. Even Jirou's there because she shows up a lot in MHA Smash.

You have to send in a physical letter to the Jump offices to vote, right? And I'd guess there's less than 30,000 votes total, out of the few million people who read MHA.

 

[Trojita]

I am actually super curious about reader statistics like gender, age, yada yada of this popularity poll. I bet there might be some neat data in it. Do they ever release those? Or are they under wraps?

I'm not sure how they would get that except for self elected demographic submissions which might not be 100% accurate. A lot of people just pick up the weekly release at the super market.

Based on reader engagement you've seen in Japan, would Bakugou be number 1?

No. There just hasn't been that amount of number, outside of yaoi fans, that say they like Bakugou.

 

[FlowersisBritish]

The popularity poll isn't that big of a deal, man.

I know it isn't that big a deal to you, but I personally think statistics are actually a hell of a lot of fun. Like, is there an influx of femal readers? Or down flux of male readers? Are there more older kids reading this (they must with the videogame votes)? Was there a particularly big uptick of troll votes? So many questions to be had!

I'm not sure how they would get that except for self elected demographic submissions which might not be 100% accurate. A lot of people just pick up the weekly release at the super market.

I would assume they'd put questions like that in because that's pretty much surveying 101. Always ask for age and gender. Always. Doesn't mean everyone always answers them, but its usually the thing people use to manipulate and analyze data first.

 

[cntr]

afaik, MHA has a very broad demographic.

...and for what it's worth, I know plenty of people who like Bakugou and aren't "yaoi fans".