Why Bakugo Should've Been the Main Character of My Hero Academia

Bakugo is arguably one of the most complex characters in the series and also one of the more disliked. He hasn't shown himself to be what a typical hero usually is. He's self-absorbed, arrogant, quick-tempered, and constantly insults or bullies those he deems weaker than him, with Midoriya being the prime target of his undue rage. So why do I believe he should've been the main character?

As much as I love Midoriya as the precious, little odd-ball that he is, I often find him lacking in terms of depth and development. He gets a lot of screen time which helps drive the narrative and progress the story, but not much happens in terms of his personal growth beyond his handling of One for All. Meanwhile, Bakugo gets hate for taking a female classmate seriously during the Sports Festival, gets targeted and kidnapped by villains shortly after that, and harbors guilt after his idol, All Might, is forced to retire because of injuries they sustained during his rescue. Not to mention, his mentor, Best Jeanist is missing! If you compare the two characters and their story arcs, it seems like Bakugo is on a wild ride of development while Midoriya is stuck on cruise control.

Horikoshi has definitely given us a gem with a character like Bakugo. Originally, he's not the one people would want to root for, but Horikoshi presents this explosive, hot head as well rounded and intriguing. It's not easy making a violent and verbally abrasive character likable and even admirable, but Horikoshi has done just that with Bakugo.

He's had so much growth that he is currently outshining the principle hero of the story. We've seen this happen before in a show that Horikoshi is heavily influenced by: Dragon Ball Z. Vegeta was originally written as a one and done character -- a villain meant to showcase the strength of the main character Goku. However, in the events on Planet Namek, Vegeta returns and from then on, he serves as the secondary protagonist who strives to become stronger than his rival, Goku. Toriyama initially held Vegeta in low regard, as the character was constantly falling short and never got to truly shine. However, he had some of the best redemption of any character in the series! By the time Dragon Ball Super graced us with its presence, Vegeta was a truly reformed hero as Toriyama came to like the character more over the years. Horikoshi has also said in an interview in 2015 that he thinks he likes Bakugo more than Midoriya, and it shows in his overall work with this character.

If Bakugo were the main character, I feel that the story would've been allowed a more complex narrative, and I don't mean that the story lacks in complexity, but the main character, Midoriya, is the very dull core of a world full of amazing and diverse heroes and villains. It's my strong belief that if Bakugo were the main character we could've explored more of his past and taken a look at how shallow praise can cause a person to develop a superiority complex. We could better examine the relationship between Midoriya and Bakugo if we were seeing things through the latter's eyes.

For the most part, it seems like the story will continue chugging along at a steady pace with Midoriya learning more about his new power, and with greater threats looming on the horizon, I can only hope that Midoriya will get some kind of character progression outside of learning how to use One for All. Until then, I will stand by my opinion that Bakugo would've made a better main protagonist.