faintblueivy - Tumblr blog

faintblueivy · 1 month

Note

This is such a good meta on the complex relationship between Bakugo and Deku. There is...so much between them that it's impossible to wrap it up so easily. The things that Bakugou has done to Izuku will haunt both of them forever even after they move forward. The only reason this relationship half works is because Izuku barely has any negative feelings for Bakugou even after what was done to him. He's kind to a fault that kindness is what is keeping this barely functioning bond alive.

This is such a good way to show Bakugo's complexity is not an easy mess to handle but slowly we might unravel it as more chapters come out and he grows emotionally.

ok but like,,,,why does bakugou have to be friends with izuku?? like he should apologize for bein a lil shit but after that idk why they cant have a professional relationship??? i feel like everybody wants them to be friends again and act like bakugou HAS to like izuku n im jst not seeing it??

the thing is, Izuku and Bakugou had an absolutely terrible relationship. this was the whole reason they were grouped together in the second exam.

until recently, they couldn’t even be alone together without something bad happening. and a major point of conflict in their relationship is that many of their issues stem from each other.

Bakugou has a lot of self doubt and self confidence issues that stem from Izuku. since they were kids, he’s been scared. he’s scared because he thought Izuku, despite being quirkless and weak, might actually… be hiding something. some potential. despite the fact that there’s no way he could’ve, but the idea itself scared him.

he thought that Izuku looked down on him. Bakugou was always told how amazing he was, but here’s this quirkless, weak kid, trying to offer him help, as if he was weak, as if he needed it…. it seriously fucked with Bakugou’s self-confidence, and it fuled his inferiority complex.

he was always the strong one. always the talented one. always the amazing one.

and that’s why he began bullying Izuku. but no matter how hard he pushed or shoved or yelled, Izuku would always get right back up and follow him around.

and Izuku had absolutely no idea that Bakugou felt this way. he had no idea that Bakugou feared him, or thought Izuku was looking down on him. neither made an effort to talk it out. Bakugou never told Izuku about this, and Izuku didn’t know, and never bothered to ask why, exactly, his former friend decided to start bullying him.

yeah, Bakugou h as always been a little rough around the edges. but after that moment where Izuku offered his hand, Bakugou’s attitude became terrible towards him.

and Izuku. Izuku looks up to Bakugou a lot, because Bakugou never gives up. but Bakugou did hurt and bully and abuse him for years, and it’s caused a lot of problems in his own self confidence.

whenever he has to work with Bakugou, everything Izuku feels negative about in reference to himself bubbles back up, and he becomes nervous and insecure and frustrated. this is a far cry from the more confident Izuku who’s slowly maturing and growing in strength, in both mind and body, that we’ve seen more of as the series goes on.

all of these issues came about because they had complete fundamental misunderstandings of each other. neither bothered to sit down and talk, and this went on for a full 10+ years, and it was seriously detrimental to the both of them.

so i think that, when the characters say that they want Izuku and Bakugou to be friends, they mean more that they just want Izuku and Bakugou to have a better overall relationship. both characters would be much, much better off mentally and emotionally if they had a better relationship, especially since every bad thing in their relationship was a result of misunderstandings.

they could honestly have a good–maybe not a friendship, but a good relationship–if their history wasn’t so clouded with misunderstandings and the resulting conflict.

again, they don’t necessarily need to be friends, but so many of their personal issues come directly from their negative relationship. so much of their problems stem from the fact that they’ve misunderstood each other for over a decade, and have made no attempts to fix it, or sit down and clear the air.

and no one in their life ever tried to help them, either.

their homeroom teacher is still in that classroom, and yet he allowed this blatant bullying to occur, right in front of him. even the adults in their lives turned a blind eye to what was happening. no one ever stopped to think that this wasn’t right, this shouldn’t be happening, i need to stop this.

all of Bakugou’s friends and peers encouraged his horrible actions towards Izuku, and no one ever defended Izuku. no one ever tried to be the middle-man or tried to help.

no one bothered to think about what was wrong with this picture, or what they could do to fix it.

this is probably the first time in either character’s lives that someone actually intervened and stopped Bakugou from bullying or hurting Izuku.

UA is the first time they’ve ever been in neutral territory. and while their relationship there isn’t as bad as it was before, people who’ve never met them until now are able to see exactly what kind of relationship they had. people who aren’t picking sides, who can see both sides of the conflict, who can see exactly what this is doing to the both of them, and realize that it isn’t good.

please note: what Bakugou did to Izuku is horrible, and Izuku absolutely did not deserve it. Bakugou needs to apologize to Izuku for all those years of bulling and abuse.

but they both have issues that come from their horrible relationship, and they would be so much better off if they had just talked it through and fixed it. which means, Bakugou would be in a much healthier place mentally and emotionally, and given time, he’ll finally be able to own up to what he did apologize of his own accord.

and honestly, Bakugou is no where near ready to apologize for his actions, because he has so many issues that he needs to work through. he’s got an inferiority complex, superiority complex, guilt, and so many other conflicting emotions.

but now that they’re finally working through them, Bakugou is finally on that path to reevaluating his actions and apologizing for what he did. it’ll take a long, long time, probably the entire length of the manga because things like this don’t just happen over night, but it’s a start.

a start that would never have happened near the beginning of the series.

look at the staggering difference there.

in the first panel, Bakugou is telling Izuku that he’s so worthless that he should just die and do the world some good.

in the second, he’s telling Izuku that he’s All Might’s successor, he can’t be losing, not even to Bakugou. he needs to get stronger and live up to the legacy All Might has laid out before them.

he’s supporting Izuku in his own way, and it’s thanks to the fact that there are now people in these kid’s lives who are seeing how messed up their relationship is. their teachers, their mentors, and their friends; they’re seeing it, and they’re all trying to actively fix it, because they know that it’s not healthy for either Izuku or Bakugou.

from the Omake chapter [here]

Uraraka: It’s like… you’re intimidating him because you’re scared and you want him to go away from you.

Uraraka: Since you’re childhood friends, and you’re in the same class, you should start being friends again.

people are finally NOTICING how detrimental this relationship is for them.

people are finally noticing, and trying to take action, and trying to help them. having this kind of relationship is only holding them back from their full potential, and it’s only causing them problems and suffering.

there is literally nothing to be gained and everything to lose with the relationship they had before.

one of the major points in the series is that adult characters need to be more responsible in how they care for and mentor the children in their lives, especially in reference to their mental health. they’re all only kids, and many of the problems in Izuku and Bakugou’s lives comes from the lack of responsible adult guidance. the lack of someone older and wiser being there to steer them in the right direction.

clearly, no one, adult or otherwise, bothered to help Izuku or Bakugou before UA.

but since they’ve been going to UA, they’ve been introduced to good people; teachers and friends and fellow students who can see their relationship for what it is and who want to help because they care, and because it’s the right thing to do, and because it’s better for them.

they don’t have to be friends. but the relationship they had for most of their lives was horrible, and it affected them both badly. by repairing Izuku and Bakugou’s relationship, they’ll be able to live healthier, more fulfilling lives without that weight holding them down anymore. they’ll be able to move on, and be happier, and won’t have to spend anymore time and energy focusing on such a negative relationship anymore.

“Unlike before, the two of them have become like proper rivals.”

and now, since they had their talk… since they finally bared their feelings, they’ll finally be able to have to have an better overall relationship.

finally, they’ll be able to build each other up, instead of tearing each other down, intentionally or otherwise.

they’re two halves of the same coin in regards to heroism; protecting and winning, winning and protecting. they can accomplish more together by having a positive relationship than they would otherwise. together, they’d accomplish more than if they continued as they were, fragmented and conflicted.

they’ll both grow up to become incredible heroes, who both win and protect. and they’ll do it without wasting time on conflict with each other.

they don’t need to be friends. hell, it’ll be a long time before their relationship is totally healthy. but for both of them, for Izuku and Bakugou, repairing their relationship will be the first step in becoming happier and healthier individuals, and i believe that’s the reason why so many people want them to be friends again.

they don’t need to be friends. i’m not even sure that they could ever be friends, with their history. but in the long run, repairing their relationship and clearing up misunderstandings will be beneficial for the both of them, and they’ll truly become forces to be reckoned with.

related meta:

How Bakugou isn’t ready to apologize for what he did to Izuku, but the narrative is working towards that

A meta about how Kirishima’s friendship can help mend the relationship between Bakugou and Izuku

A meta about Bakugou’s emotional state after his first fight with Izuku

How Bakugou and Izuku help inspire the class without realizing that they do

How Izuku makes Bakugou, Uraraka, and Iida feel self-conscious of themselves, and yet pushes them to do better

Uraraka confronts Bakugou about his feelings of fear towards Izuku in the Omake

A meta about Bakugou and Izuku’s relationship throughout the series and how it was abusive

What Bakugou is looking for in his and Izuku’s fight

A meta about Bakugou’s development and how he’s starting to feel guilt about what his actions led to and may begin to regret what he did towards Izuku

A meta about Bakugou’s building guilt about what his actions caused

A meta about how Bakugou has feared Izuku and his potential for most of his life

Bakugou is giving Izuku his support in a round-about way after his and Izuku’s fight

A meta about why Bakugou has already been punished by the narrative over and over again for his actions towards Izuku, and why Aizawa punished Bakugou (and Izuku) by giving them chores

2K notes · View notes