This article contains spoilers for My Hero Academia

The immensely popular anime and manga series My Hero Academia is packed full of characters who are easy to love, not only on the hero side, but also with the villains too. However, anyone who has been keeping up with the series over the last few years will know that there is one student in particular who seems to always climb to the very top of the popularity polls, and this is something that took Kohei Horikoshi, the author of My Hero Academia, by complete surprise when he found out.

It's not uncommon to hear manga authors admit that while they initially had a few characters in mind that they assumed would become most popular among fans, the spotlight would eventually end up going to someone else who they originally deemed to be a lot more unlikable in comparison. This seems to have also been the case with My Hero Academia, so with that being said, it's time to see why the series' author was so taken aback by this particular character becoming a fan favorite, while also taking a look at what makes him so popular in the first place.

Horikoshi Couldn't Beleive Bakugo's Popularity

The Hot-Headed Bully Drew Fans In From The Moment He First Appeared On Screen

Bakugo was number 1 in most character popularity polls
Horikoshi was very taken aback that fans liked him so much
The author initially thought he would be heavily disliked

Back in 2018, Horikoshi attended the San Diego Comic-Con event where he was able to spill a few details on My Hero Academia, which hadn't yet ended at that point in time. Considering he had made it no secret that he is a massive fan of American comic books, most of Horikoshi's comments while at Comic-Con were based around the amazing cosplays and figurines that he was able to gawk at while walking around the venue, but when he was asked about his own characters, there was one question in particular which took him by surprise.

After Horikoshi was asked by a fan whether there were any individuals in his story who became a lot more popular than he initially expected, he didn't waste any time before admitting that it would have to be Bakugo. In fact, Horikoshi even goes on to state that he believed everyone would actually hate Bakugo, considering he's originally presented as a vicious bully who only cares about benefiting himself while dragging down others in the process.

"Bakugo has been a bit of a surprise. I assumed everyone would hate him, but it's been the opposite. In the character questionnaires we do, Bakugo comes in #1 most popular" - Kohei Horikoshi

The moment the author realized this was when he noticed that Bakugo was consistently appearing in the number one spot on the majority of the character popularity polls not long after he was first introduced in the story. Clearly, the hot-headed hero turned out to be a lot more beloved than Horikoshi could have ever expected, but why exactly has this fiery student amassed such a huge fan base?

What Makes Bakugo The Most Popular Character?

Despite Having Unlikable Qualities, There's A Lot More To Bakugo Than Meets The Eye

When Horikoshi was asked to dig a little deeper into why he believes that Bakugo has reached such staggering levels of popularity, he provides a pretty revealing answer. The author points to a specific fight scene that takes place very early on in the story where Deku and Bakugo duke it out in the middle of a street. According to the author, this brutal fight enabled Bakugo to show a more human side of his character, which is only really exposed on a few rare occasions throughout the story. However, this was only the beginning of Bakugo's long and arduous character arc, where he began to shed his bully persona to become someone a lot more likable.

"Bakugo has always been the bully, and he ends up going to school with Deku. So I had them in a big fight pretty early on, but through that fight you were able to see Bakugo's humanity, that he was just a short-tempered kid" - Kohei Horikoshi

During the Joint Training arc, for example, Bakugo finally started to prioritize the safety of others over himself by helping out Jiro and the rest of his team in order to keep them safe during combat. By the time the Final War comes around, he is willing to admit that he's actually always looked up to Deku, but decides to bully him due to believing that he should be inherently superior to someone who doesn't even possess a Quirk. As a hero who learned to control his anger and negative emotions to become a better person, many fans have related to Bakugo's personal journey, but there is another pretty obvious reason why so many people have been drawn to him.

Quirks in My Hero Academia can get a little complicated and complex, but that certainly doesn't apply to Bakugo's ability. Explosion, as the name implies, allows Bakugo to shoot out giant blasts from the palms of his hands to incinerate anyone who gets in his way, or to shoot himself across the environment at blistering speeds by firing it behind him. It's a real feast for the eyes to see this Quirk in action, especially in the anime, where the sleek animation and vibrant colors help to bring the character and his unique ability to life.

Is Anyone In My Hero Academia As Popular As Bakugo?

Two Other Familiar Students Have Been Hot On His Trail

The main trio have all remained very popular
One other student received a lot of attention during a particular story arc

Though Deku may have been at the number one spot in the first popularity poll, Bakugo would steal that position in the second one, and would hold onto it for the rest of the series. From this data, we can assume that Bakugo is by and large the most well-known and beloved character in the series, but there are two other students who have come very close to overtaking him, one of whom being the protagonist himself. Though some fans took issue with Deku's wimpy personality and tendency to cry his eyes out, as the story has gone on, the plucky protagonist has learned what it means to be a true hero, and his bravery and courage to enact justice in a world full of villains has made him a leading character that many people would eventually warm up to.

Another student who slowly crept his way up the popularity polls was Shoto Todoroki, and to be honest, it's not hard to see why. Not only does Todoroki have a very distinct and striking design, he also has one of the most interesting Quirks in the series, which allows him to wield both fire and ice at the same time. Todoroki also has a compelling and emotional character arc which begins from the moment he appears on screen, with the young boy learning to overcome his traumatic past to become his own hero, while also mending the fractured relationship he has with his family.

While the data suggests that these three are among the most popular characters in the series, one other student surprisingly gained a sudden boost in attention during a particular story arc, and that's Kirishima. Kirishima became a central focus during the raid on Overhaul's base, with his willingness to push his Quirk to the limit in order to defeat Rappa being one of the most epic showcases of power in the story, resulting in many fans getting behind him during that particular saga.

Source: AnimeNewsNetwk

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Release Date: 2016 - 2025-00-00
Network: TBS, MBS, Nippon TV
Directors: Shouji Ikeno, Tsuyoshi Tobita, Ikuro Sato, Takudai Kakuchi, Masashi Abe, Tetsuya Miyanishi, Kazuma Komatsu, Yoshifumi Sasahara, Masayuki Otsuki, Daisuke Tsukushi, Takayuki Yamamoto, Yohei Fukui, Takuro Tsukada, Masatoyo Takada, Naomi Nakayama, Sayaka Morikawa, Takanori Yano