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class1akids · 4 years

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Why do you think the time travel theory is more plausible?

Just to say first, that I’m not at all a fan of this theory (I’ve seen way too many stories falling apart with badly executed time-travel), so I try to look at all the clues with VERY critical eyes. Still, as someone who discusses the possible endgame of Bakugou’s arc, I feel that there are more and more little narrative clues that point in this direction.

It’s pretty telling that Bakugou’s Origin chapter (unlike the other Origin chapters) ends with Deku in the centerpiece, using and augmenting Bakugou’s power.

I think that this was an early pointer that Horikoshi planned for Bakugou’s endgame to be some kind of power-sharing with Deku. And this was confirmed in Heroes Rising, which used the originally planned ending with Bakugou and Deku sharing OFA to defeat Nine (who was the Shigaraki-proxy of the movie).

The movie was announced in early 2019, so at least a couple of months before that, they had to already make the main decisions about it, having Horikoshi’s permission to use that ending, and for him to try to set up a new endgame that fits with the earlier clues. So keep this timing in mind:

The very Bakugou-esque silhouette appeared in the story for the first time in August 2018, so in time to set up the new ending.

The hair, the collar, the shape of the gauntlets - it’s uncanny.

This is not conclusive in itself of course, but like really quite on the nose repeated from different angles just to be sure.

But then, Horikoshi didn’t stop dropping clues with the shadow figures. A few chapters later, Bakugou starts to take interest in OFA and soon becomes a full member of Team OFA, tying Bakugou into this plot, rather than giving him his own separate arc.

He immediately displays a good understanding of the power and becomes one of the main drivers of the attempt to find out more about its history.

Horikoshi also gives us these little panelling hints - they are the equivalent of *wink* - when All Might’s dialogue is displayed over Katsuki’s head whenever the second and third users come up.

Ch: 202

and again in Ch: 257

The current arc kind of brought forward some things - like Bakugou’s sacrifice play and atonement - that could have been also endgame material consistent with his arc. He still - alone of the mains - has no villain counterpart, which suggests that he’s going to share with Deku the endgame boss. But at the same time, this arc is also giving us a sneak peek of Deku’s endgame power-levels and unless Bakugou gets some extraordinary power-up, it’s kind of hard to see them go side-by-side into the final fight. (The power-up is not impossible either - Bakugou being hit by the quirk activating tentacles could have triggered something inside him).

So with no clear endgame role and endgame villain, his hero name arc set to be revealed soon - it seems more and more likely that Bakugou’s arc will focus on his atonement (protecting Deku) and getting deeper into OFA’s nature. Interestingly, Bakugou alone sees it as a cursed power, which is a pretty unique view on it since both All Might and Deku have looked on it as a blessing up until now.

But in this arc, we have seen that OFA may be a power that is willing to break its users to fulfill its mission and Bakugou is set up now as someone who advocates for Deku’s interests even against the will of All Might (and OFA).

The seeds have been sewn for an investigation into No. 4... which will probably reveal something about the power itself.

All these little clues make me think that Bakugou is that No. 2. or if he isn’t yet, he will be.

The how is not very clear yet. It could be Eri’s quirk or one that hasn’t been introduced yet. It could be a power held within OFA itself (e.g. the power of No. 4), but it seems like it will involve probably time-travel shenanigans.

The why is also unclear for now. It could be that a maxed out OFA won’t be enough for a victory against the power AFO amassed. After all, it seems that the past holders’ quirk are more utility than destructive in nature.

And if we are talking of a top-notch quirk that Deku is intimately acquainted with - well...

But it could be a different reason. Maybe AFO gets hold of a time-travelling quirk himself and there is a threat that he’d change the past.

Or maybe time-travel becomes necessary to figure out a way of stopping quirk singularity destroying the world.

Or perhaps, Bakugou figures out why OFA is cursed and in order to save Deku from being consumed by it, he sets out to change the parameters of the quirk.

In any case, from the current narrative beats, it seems to me that Bak-u-go is very much on the cards as a possible ending - which would be incredible bitter-sweet.

It would allow Bakugou to lead the narrative in the uncovering of the origins of OFA and grow into the greatest hero in his own right in the past, to make a sacrifice without ending his life, to be Deku’s final ally in the endgame fight - standing with him inside OFA in the vestige plane, where I think the very last confrontation will take place. Like think about the visual of Deku being down and then vestige!Bakugou stepping out of the black mist of the last secret holder and helping Deku up and saying - no you don’t need to fight alone or something and BKDK + vestige!All Might charging in for a last time....

But all this, could be coming at the price of being permanently separated from his friends, unless they can travel him back into real time (assuming a closed-loop time travel, which then starts its own paradox) in which case, Bakugou could come back to the present too - but with Deku having his power through OFA, his aspirations as no. 1. are pretty doomed... And if he passed his quirk on in the past - would he still even have it? Quirkless Bakugou would be kind of a full circle ending, and we know Horikoshi loves his full circles.

So anyways, this is what I have for now...

#bnha meta #bnha speculation #bakugou katsuki #ofa #time travel theory #bak-u-go

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