Katsuki Bakugō is dead. Or at least he’s in what should be an irrecoverable state. Despite this, it seems that the story has seen fit to let him live. Chapter 364 of My Hero Academia, “Why We Wield Power,” has offered a solution to Bakugō’s critical condition. However, there’s a debate as to whether this is the right choice narratively. Fake-out deaths are nothing new to shonen manga, but if they aren’t handled right, they can really bring the quality of the story into question.
Chapter 362, Light Fades to Rain,” Bakugō took a serious blow from Shigaraki that not only left a hole in his chest but also damaged his heart. In Chapter 363, “Those Who Defend, Those Who Violate,” Best Jeanist elaborated that he had no pulse and that his heart was ravaged. With that, Bakugō was presumed dead by the fandom for three weeks.
Was Edgeshot Able to Save Bakugō?
Chapter 364 reversed this certain death with the help of the Ninja Hero: Edgeshot. With his Ninpo: Thousand Sheet Pierce– Zenith, he resolved to use his own body to replace and restart Bakugō’s heart. Despite there being plenty of reasons, undoing Bakugō’s apparent death is the wrong choice, readers still believe he may make a comeback, while others chastise this writing decision as plot armor for Bakugō. Some even call Kohei Horikoshi cowardly for not committing to this death, or at least for not bothering to keep the charade going for more than five chapters. It all seems like a cheap way to inject pointless shock value.
Another big point of contention with Bakugō’s revival is Edgeshot’s involvement in it. For one thing, his ability to “replace what’s missing” comes off as a deus ex machina; there were no prior signs that he could do anything like this. Even if it were, his sacrifice isn’t nearly as impactful because the audience barely knows him as a character. Some readers even point out that a top-rated Hero has no business giving up his life for some random kid; this holds especially true for readers who don’t like Bakugō. In short, Edgeshot has no business sacrificing himself, and Bakugō has no business coming back.
Edgeshot wasn’t able to successfully replace Bakugō’s heart. He was either been clinically dead too long or lost too much blood to be able to get back up. Even if he was resurrected, it’s difficult to imagine him making a difference in the fight against Shigaraki. Edgeshot’s sacrifice was for nothing.
Is Bakugō Alive or Dead In My Hero Academia?
With all that said, there are also plenty of reasons to let Bakugō live. For one thing, Edgeshot was in the right for wanting to save him. The heroic act of sacrificing oneself for the sake of another is thematically appropriate, as is entrusting the future to the next generation. The Ninja Hero made a good decision both morally and narratively. Furthermore, Bakugō’s death wasn’t an actual death, just a catastrophic heart failure. If his heart didn’t start pumping blood and providing oxygen to the brain within 4-6 minutes, he would die. The fast pace of MHA’s story seemed to suggest that Edgeshot would manage to save the boy before his official expiration.
It also seemed as though Bakugō has what it takes to make a difference in the fight. Before he died, he was undergoing what appeared to be some form of Quirk Awakening; whatever it was, it managed to give even Shigaraki a good scare. It’s likely that if Bakugō comes back, his newfound abilities will turn the tide of the battle in the Heroes’ favor. It’s also important to remember that Bakugō. He’s placed first in every one of the manga’s popularity polls except the first. Looking at it like this, killing him off completely runs a major risk of alienating a sizable chunk of MHA’s Japanese readership.
However, as of Chapter 379, which released January 30, 2023, it is unknown whether Bakugō is alive or dead. Fake-out deaths are standard fare for shonen anime, especially those published in Shōnen Jump. Additionally, comic book heroes come back all the time through even weirder methods. This doesn’t make MHA right for employing it, but it shouldn’t be the deal-breaking story choice that turns away readers, either. As most have already said, the fact that this death only lasted a few chapters should make it largely inconsequential.
