“One is loved and one is considered toxic?”: My Hero Academia’s Parallel to One of the Most Iconic Anime Movies Would Make You See Deku and Bakugo Differently

In a bizarre turn of events, a simple tweet about My Hero Academia has turned the world upside down. Parallels are often used as a tool in media to facilitate a connection between separate but similar events.

Now, which iconic anime movie is the tweet comparing to the protagonist, Deku (Izuku Midoriya), and his rival, Bakugo? If you guessed A Silent Voice, we will be surprised, but you’re not wrong. Let’s dive into what this means and how it has created an uproar amongst anime fans.

Do Deku and Bakugo Mirror A Silent Voice’s Shoya and Shoko?

Deku helps Bakugo get up after falling into the river as kids. [Credit: Studio Bones]

After processing what the X user (@b_luckyy7) posted, the perspective has some fruit. The most obvious parallel is that Bakugo bullied Deku as a child after discovering that the latter shows no signs of a Quirk. On the other hand, Bakugo was considered a child prodigy for his Explosion Quirk. His ego was only fuelled by the constant praise around him, but as every classic bullying story goes, he has one insecurity: Deku. He was different and an easy target in his eyes.

He possessed something Bakugo was never taught: Kindness, and that threatened him. Bakugo’s ego had everything to gain by putting him down. Due to Bakugo’s popularity amongst My Hero Academia fans, it’s often undermined how much Deku suffered. While fans believe homophobia is why the duo are considered “toxic”, it’s important to remember that the bullying Deku faced was more violent in comparison.

Similarly, in A Silent Voice, Shoya bullies Shoko, a deaf student, during their childhood. His reason was similar to Bakugo’s. Shoko was simply different and he craved to be the class clown. He wanted to “entertain” the class in hopes of gaining status.

This backfires for both of them. The two have to face their former victims during their high school years. Shoya puts in more effort to ask for forgiveness during high school whereas Bakugo remains himself (for a while, that is). The former learns empathy a lot faster than the latter does. The main argument the replies in the original tweet have are that Bakugo never goes through repercussions or development. But is that a fact?

Bakugo’s Journey is More Complicated and Needs Media Literacy

Bakugo blames himself for All Might’s retirement. [Credit: Studio Bones]

It’s true that A Silent Voice’s Shoya put in an immense amount of effort to beg for Shoko’s forgiveness, going so far as learning sign language. However, at the end of the day, kids are kids and their journeys will be different. With My Hero Academia, the world is much darker and complicated. Bakugo’s journey has created a discussion about teenage mental health. The young boy has had expectations no child or teenager should face. However, in the world of heroes and villains, there is only room for success.

After being kidnapped by the League of Villains and All Might retires after giving everything to save Bakugo, he blames himself. His high school is full of failure and the hard-hitting reality of the hero industry. It’s the first time fans and even Deku have witnessed him pouring his heart out. We slowly see Bakugo become the person we know now: A real hero. His development is a lot slower, but it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.

Is It a Parallel or Just the Right Thing To Do?

Bakugo saves Deku from Shigaraki’s attack. [Credit: Studio Bones]

The original tweet compares the sacrifices made by Shoya and Bakugo as a “parallel”. However, is the right word here a “parallel”? Shoko’s attempt near the movie is a hard-hitting reality. Shoya saved her, but accidentally fell into the river. These are events that would realistically happen, not to say that tears weren’t shed after Shoko begged for forgiveness from his mother.

Bakugo, on the other hand, has developed enough courage and empathy to take a life-ending injury for Deku. My Hero Academia is set in fiction where Quirks exist and can be deadly. Both Bakugo and Shoya exhibited acts of empathy and sacrifice, but only one knew the real risk. Nevertheless, it can be argued that both of them have had development. Not every anime fan believes it, but maybe approaching Bakugo’s journey with empathy will change your perspective.

My Hero Academia and A Silent Voice are now available to watch on Crunchyroll.