My Hero Academia‘s popularity has been over the charts since it first aired in 2016. Manga readers already had a little idea about how good the anime was. An anime based on an institution from where heroes graduate is unheard of. Fans have been praising the anime for everything. Some think it is one of the big three anime of the new generation.
Praise and applause generally make a person feel rewarded. But My Hero Academia creator, Kohei Horiskoshi, was surprised when fans applauded and loved a certain character from the show. The character was designed to be a villain and hated by the people. Instead, people left the creator in awe when that character was voted the most popular personality in My Hero Academia.
My Hero Academia‘s Most Popular Character
Bakugo Katsuki, a student of 1-A at UA High in My Hero Academia anime, has been voted as the show’s most popular character. This happened not once but several times. Bakugo Katsuki is a hot-headed person. Just like his personality, his quirk is named Explosion. He uses the nitroglycerin-like sweats from the palms of his hands to make explosions.
Bakugo Katsuki is the childhood friend of Izuku Midoriya. But most of the time, he was seen to bully Izuku Midoriya and make him feel inferior. Even though he is short-tempered, he is always ready to save his friends and jumps in front of any danger to save them. His motive was to not let his close ones suffer, as he believes his quirk is powerful and can be used to keep people safe. Bakugo Katsuki’s character development has made the fans love him even more. From an arrogant kid to one of the best upcoming heroes. No wonder he is the most popular character.
Kohei Horikoshi on Bakugo Katsuki’s Popularity
Bakugo Katsuki’s popularity came as a huge shock to Kohei Horikoshi. He designed him to be hated, putting negative characteristics in his character. Originally, he was intended to be a villain, but later it was changed. But still, he, being the most popular character in My Hero Academia, has left Kohei Horikoshi speechless.
In order to make him more hated, he makes a scene where Izuku Midoriya and Bakugo Katsuki have a fight. His aggression and arrogance would make people want to hate him, but nothing is ever planned. Bakugo Katsuki always came first. During an interview, Kohei Horiskoshi said, “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.”
My Hero Academia included scenes where Katsuki Bakugo is seen mocking his peers, especially Izuku Midoriya. It was an act to make the character give off negative vibes and be hated. But the fans were able to look beyond it and loved him. My Hero Academia creator said that calculations are fine till pen and paper are involved. But people’s hearts and minds are not pen and paper. It cannot be calculated, and that is where Kohei Horiskoshi lost.
It is amazing to see that a character designed to be hated becomes the most loved on popularity polls. My Hero Academia creator designed him to go down a certain path, but the fans went the other way around. They saw Bakugo Katsuki’s insecurity and personal issues. He wanted to be the best, but Izuku Midoriya was always one step ahead of him. Midoriya’s abilities made him feel inferior. Even though he became angry, he never stopped admiring his childhood friend.
Moreover, his actions speak louder than words. Fans think this is enough for him to be the best. Kohei Horikoshi’s failure to read minds ends up giving his fans one of the best characters of My Hero Academia.
Source: Anime News Network
