Katsuki Bakugo (爆豪 勝己 ばくごう かつき) is a stuck-up person. He is an aggressive guy who has a sharp tongue and loves to explode anything he doesn’t like. But he has hidden charms behind his offensive personality, too.
1. He is good at eating fish (He has a good table manner).
Anime series: Season 4 episode 64
The students in class 1-A were interviewed by a journalist Taneo Tokuda (特田 種男 とくだ たねお). When Taneo was taking photos of their daily life in dormitory, his camera caught Bakugo eating fish. His table manner for eating fish was perfect.
In Japan, you have many chances to eat fish so that eating fish neatly is one of important but difficult table manners. Even though he started eating messily right after he noticed the camera (I guess he was embarrassed!), we can tell he actually has a good manner. By the way, this episode is only for the Anime series and in not in the original manga.
2. He is good at cleaning up.
Anime series: Season 3 episode 61, Manga: Comic Vol.14 No.121 p55
Bakugo and Deku were under house arrest for a couple of days because they got into fight in school. Their teacher Shota Aizawa (相澤 消太 あいざわ しょうた) sensei told them to clean up their dormitory twice a day during the period. Well, I bet many people forget to clean up under couches when they vacuum the floor (Yes, It’s me.) But Bakugo doesn’t. We can see he was moving the couch to vacuum the floor carefully. He is a tidy person though he doesn’t look like it.
3. He is good at cooking.
Anime series: Season 3 episode 41, Manga: Comic Vol.9 No.73 p36
In the summer camp, all the students attended were supposed to cook their food by themselves. While cooking, Bakugo surprised Ochako Uraraka (麗日 お茶子 うららか おちゃこ) because he was so good at using knife.
Bakugo kun, You are so good at using knife! I didn’t expect it…!!
爆豪くん 包丁使うのウマ！ 意外やわ…！！
Source: Author Kohei Horikoshi 『My Hero Academia』Vol.9 published by SHUEISHA Inc. in 2016, No.73 p36
ばくごうくん ほうちょう つかうの うま！ いがいやわ…！！
Bakugo kun houchou tsukau no uma! Igai yawa…!!
Note: Ochako has a slight accent. If you are interested in about it, read this article, too↓
I guess Ochako couldn’t image him cooking at home (Me neither). I wonder what his best dish is.
4. He helps washing dishes.
Anime series: not yet aired, Manga: Comic Vol.26 No.249 p44,47
Like cooking, he doesn’t look he would do dishes either. However, he brought the dishes after dinner when he and Deku were invited Shoto’s house for dinner. Bakugo is much more house-maker type than he looks. For me, Endeavor doing dishes was surprising, too!
5. He doesn’t tell a lie.
Anime series: Season 3 episode 61, Manga: Comic Vol.14 No.121 p52
Bakugo has a terrible sharp tongue, but one thing for sure is that he is honest. When he got into a fight with Deku, Aizawa sensei asked which one started the fight to give them punishments. Bakugo answered it was him right away although he could have lied and put a blame on Deku. He never plays a dirty trick; all he wants is a complete win.
6. He doesn’t compliment others directly but does indirectly.
Anime series: Season 2 episode 22, Manga: Comic Vol.5 No.37 p32
You know Bakugo is not a type of person who compliments others. However, when he admires someone, he doesn’t lie about it.
At the sport festival, Bakugo took on Ochako Uraraka. He beat her in the end of game but struggled by Ochako’s persistent attacks though the match. After the match, his friend Denki Kaminari (上鳴 電気 かみなり でんき) blamed on him for attacking hard on a fragile girl. He didn’t say anything back to Denki but murmured,
What’s so fragile about her?
どこが か弱ェんだよ
Source: Author Kohei Horikoshi 『My Hero Academia』Vol.5 published by SHUEISHA Inc. in 2015, No.37 p32
どこが かよぇんだよ
Doko ga kayoen dayo
I think this was his way of admiring Ochako’s brave fight.
Here’s another story. I guess Bakugo really liked the dishes Shoto’s sister Fuyumi (冬美 ふゆみ) cooked; especially Sichuan-style Mapo Dofu when they were invited Shoto’s house for dinner. He mentioned it many times:
- He saw Shoto’s family having a little argument and said, “It ruins the taste of Sichuan-style Mapo Dofu!” (Anime series: not yet aired, Manga: Comic Vol.26 No.249 p47)
- When he was leaving, he asked Fuyumi to tell him the recipe of Mapo Dofu she cooked (Anime series: not yet aired, Manga: Comic Vol.26 No.250 p55)
- He found that Shoto couldn’t cut Chinese chive in piece nicely at the Nabe party in dormitory and said,
Your sister would cry!!
姉ちゃん 泣くぞ！！
Source: Author Kohei Horikoshi 『My Hero Academia』Vol.26 published by SHUEISHA Inc. in 2020, No.257 p166
ねえちゃん なくぞ！！
Nechan naku zo!!
He meant “Your sister was such a good cook, but you can’t even cut vegetable!?” It seems like he totally became a fan of Fuyumi’s cooking.
If you wonder what Nabe party is, here's an article written about Nabe ↓
7. He cares about little kids.
Anime series: Season 4 episode 79, Manga: Comic Vol.18 No.165 p132
Little kids? Injured people? Bakugo doesn’t care; he yells at anyone if he doesn’t like them. But here is a moment you can see that he actually does care about them.
Bakugo and Shoto had to take supplementary class because they failed the exam for temporary Hero’s license. One day, they had to take care of little kids in elementary school in the class and those kids were terribly wild and didn’t listen to grown-ups. Suddenly, one of them took Bakugo’s gauntlets and ran away. Bakugo noticed and shouted that he had taken them off and put them aside because they were dangerous. He prepared not to hurt little kids just in case. How sweet he is, isn’t he?
8. He is an excellent drummer.
Anime series: Season 4 episode 82, Manga: Comic Vol.19 No.171 p73
For the school festival, Class 1-A decided to play band and dance. Kyoka Jiro (耳郎 響香 じろう きょうか) looking for band members heard that Bakugo used to take music lessons when he was little. Hanta Sero (瀬呂 範太 せろ はんた) dared him to give it a try and he played the drums “perfect”. He is strong, good at cooking and playing the drums. Is there anything he cannot do?
9. He saves his classmate.
Anime series: not yet aired, Manga: Comic Vol.22 No.207 p107- No.208 p109
Talking about Kyoka Jiro, Bakugo saved her from the attack by Togaru Kamakiri (鎌切 突 かまきり とがる) in the joint training with Class 1-B. He used to get along with no one at all so that his action surprised the 1-B team. Yes, it is quite surprising, but I want you to see is here,
Right Author Kohei Horikoshi 『My Hero Academia』Vol.22 published by SHUEISHA Inc. in 2019, No.208 p109
Did you notice? First, he jumped in between Kyoka and Togaru, then he put his left foot on Kyoka’s body to keep the balance and prevented the attack. Right after that, he quickly moved his foot from her so that she wouldn’t fall forward. He doesn’t forget to care about his friend even in emergency. That’s just amazing.
10. He has a strong sense of responsibility.
Anime series: Season 3 episode 61, Manga: Comic Vol.14 No.120 p39 - No.121 p49
Strong people sometimes take it all on themselves. The battle in Kamino, in fact, made All Might retire from Hero activities. Bakugo assumed it was his fault because the incident started with The League of Villains kidnapping Bakugo.
Of course, it was not his fault and All Might’s retirement was meant to happen sometime soon since he passed One For All over to Deku. However, Bakugo didn’t know the fact,and, in addition, he thought the Kamino incident wouldn’t have happened if he had been stronger.
While his old friend who was a quirkless crybaby was amazingly getting stronger with a powerful quirk like All Might’s. (Bakugo noticed Deku’s quirk was something to do with All Might.), his weakness forced his admiring Hero to retire. He believed so and it drove himself into a wall.
But Bakugo never gives up. After he had a talk with All Might and Deku (He had a big fight with Deku before the talk tough), he went over the struggle and decided again to become No.1 Hero.
His strong sense of responsibility has made him strong but, sometimes it might work too much on him. However, his mind is even stronger to go over it.
11. He saved Deku.
Anime series: not yet aired, Manga: Comic Vol.29 No.285 p177-179
Who imagined Bakugo saving Deku in the beginning of story? He was the one who started calling “Deku” (It means a person who cannot do anything.) and he always looked down the quirkless friend. But, at the battle in the Jaku General Hospital (蛇腔総合病院 じゃくうそうごうびょういん), he sacrificed himself to protect Deku from Tomura Shigaraki (死柄木 弔 しがらき とむら). Deku was pushed aside by Bakugo so that Shigaraki’s tentacle-like things didn’t hit him but pierced Bakugo’s body instead.
At the moment, nothing was in Bakugo’s head and his body just moved without thinking. This is the line All Might said to Deku in the very beginning of story. He explained that top Heroes left legends from their school days and Many of them were like;
Their body just moved before they could think.
考えるより先に体が動いていた
Source: Author Kohei Horikoshi 『My Hero Academia』Vol.1 published by SHUEISHA Inc. in 2014, No.1 p58
かんがえるよりさきにからだがうごいていた
Kangaeru yori saki ni karada ga ugoite ita
As Deku was struggling to become a strong Hero, Bakugo was growing up to be one, too.
After the battle, he was unconscious in hospital for a while. When he woke up, he asked if other ones were ok, and the name he called first was Deku. It was so moving to me.