#my bkdk journey

[kickbutts-singsongs]

I know no one asked, but I have exactly zero (0) people to talk about bkdk with irl so here you guys go

My BKDK Journey

Yes, this sounds stupid, but my god it’s been almost three years of an absolute rollercoaster of feelings and denials and tears and revelations…

and if you don’t mind, I’m gonna rant about it.

(not spoiler free)

_____

May 2021

To start off, i wasn’t always a bkdk shipper.

I shipped izu*cha at first (not saying it’s a bad ship btw; it’s actually quite cute. im just afraid people’ll be mad if I accidentally invade their tag lol), primarily because I assumed that would be the ship that became canon.

But also, my veryyyyy leasttttt favorite character… was Bakugou Katsuki.

When I tell you that I would’ve loved nothing more than to somehow spawn into the bnha universe and punch that brat in the face— AGHHHHHHHHHH

Now this wasn’t all his fault: A) I watched the dub first lol, and B) he reminded me of someone that i was not in a place to stand up to at the time, and his constant anger, yelling, and harsh treatment of Izuku—who i began to relate to—made me hateeee him.

There was a time when I literally said “if he died, I wouldn’t miss him.” <- this was later proven false lol

So, I was watching the anime dub with an absolute animosity for our resident deuteragonist, but on top of that…

I was watching it with a friend with a crunchyroll account who lived in another state that I was visiting and staying with for two weeks, so by the time i had to go back home, we’d only gotten up to the part where All Might was getting Inko’s permission to let Izuku stay at the UA dorms.

Anddddddd in my drive to consume more bnha once I got home, i somehow stumbled across an Instagram account that posted bnha sub episodes divided into parts,

but they only had season four and onwards.

Sooooo I never saw the second half of season three… more importantly,

I NEVER SAW DEKU VS KACCHAN 2!!!!!

(I will say that I had seen a couple photos/edits/etc, but I never knew what had been said, or why they fought)

_____

June 2021

At this point in time, I’d been exposed to a lot of the fandom. My fyp on both IG and Pinterest were filled to the brim with all things bnha (because this is what happens when one has a hyperfixation), so I saw a lot of stuff.

Especially fanart.

This is where I started learning about the different ships.

I saw a lot of the side character ships and thought they were adorable (kamijirou, todomomo, even kiribaku), but then I saw some with Izuku.

Izu*cha was a given for me. I didn’t think there was a single person that didn’t ship it. But then I started seeing fanart of ships like tododeku, shindeku, and bakudeku.

And my first reaction to finding out that people shipped my beautiful baby sunshine boi with the person who bullied him for years?????

HELLLLLLLLLLL NO

So with my (unknowingly) limited knowledge of their relationship, i was very much an anti (i never spoke out or anything, i just reallyyyy didn’t like the ship lol)

(And then, you know, I started to see all the bkdk hate online and kinda went “okay not touching that”)

But that began to change…

_____

August 2021

…after I saw a manga leak for the first time.

I was scrolling thru my feed and all of a sudden. BOOM!

I was like 😧

IS THAT IZUKU?????

And i looked in the comments and yes it was.

I checked out the page and found that they had an entire account of manga leaks and was so happy.

I quickly began to read from the very bottom of that account, and it started from right about where Izuku first began his vigilante arc (i had no idea how much was in between then and where I left off on the anime, but I was willing to read it lol)

And so I waited diligently for the leaks every week (a practice I have continued to uphold lol), until one day, i came across an untranslated series of panels from the latest chapter. I looked at it and it was of Katsuki and Izuku, facing each other in the rain (you know the one). I knew the leaks would be coming a day later, but I wanted to look through them anyways, so I did.

I didn’t understand a word they said, but the pictures and imagery of them as kids then middle schoolers then where they were now seemed so touching…

And then I came across a pair of kanji that I recognized.

I was like “wait WHAT???”

I zoomed in and went “that— isn’t that—? That’s part of Midoriya’s name, right???”

And then I was like “wait a second… omg that’s Izuku, isn’t it. That’s the freaking kanji for Izuku.”

And it was!!!!!

So inside I’m having a mini freakout cuz—

Bakugou just called him IZUKU

Fast forward to the next day, and I looked at the translated version, and found out that not only did he call him Izuku,

He

Freaking

APOLOGIZED

And I was like “huhhhhhhh”

What happened between now and the most recent anime episodes for this to occur???? For Bakugou to do a complete 180 and apologize????????

Well, I finally got my answers…

_____

November 2021

…when I started reading the manga.

I started from the beginning, cuz I wanted to see Horikoshi’s art style and the extra drawings and all the other stuff…

And when I tell you that Katsuki became a whole new character to me—

First, I read everything about early-on Bakugou— without hearing him yell in his dub voice—and realized “oh wow he really is just a kid with issues and a worldview that he’s now having to change.”

Then, I finally read what happened in that space between moving into the dorms and the beginning of season four (most importantly, DvK2).

Cried.

Then, oh then, I got up to where season five ended and the rest of the manga began.

. . .

Funny thing: back when I read the leaks to ch322, I remember thinking to myself, “huh. what did Bakugou mean by Shigaraki making swiss cheese outta him?”

😦

THE WAY I GASPED

AND THEN CRIED

OH MY FREAKING GOD

That was the moment where i truly ceased to hate Katsuki cuz holy character development batman

Then, of course, we see them in recovery

And then the vigilante arc and apology scene *sobs*

And then I was caught up.

(Btw I finished the entire manga up ‘til ch334 in just over a week. I read for nine days straight. During the school year. My emotions were all over the place goodness gracious I could barely concentrate.)

So that’s how I went from being a Bakugou hater to going “you know what he’s a complex character and he’s slowly becoming a better person” and realizing that he was now one of my fav characters and therefore cursed to die but I’ll talk about that later

Was I now a bakudeku shipper?

Hah nope.

_____

December 2021

I began my dive into the true essence of any fandom: fanfiction.

Over the course of winter break, I had started off with fics that had no romantic pairing (I just wanted to see my boi Izuku), but then somehow stumbled across Mastermind: Strategist for Hire and then read the entirety of the For Want of a Nail series (shoutout to Clouds btw ❤️) cuz I was like “ok whew no bkdk fics” which was my mindset at the time.

But somehow (I can’t even remember how I found it) I came across a bkdk fic. It was called For Want of Izuku’s Toe Joint by Talavin (okay now that I think about it there’s probably a simple explanation lol).

I don’t quite know what compelled me to start reading it, but I did.

And I really liked it.

But not in the “I’ve been converted” kinda way.

It was like an “I shouldn’t be enjoying this why am I enjoying this?” kinda feeling. Like my head says no but my heart says yeah.

A really really really really guilty pleasure.

So, from that day on, whenever I came across any form of bkdk media, I would simultaneously feel discomfort and yet an odd sense of satisfaction.

A snippet of my daily life:

Me: *comes across bkdk fanart on pinterest*

Me: eww

Also me: *stares at it for like five minutes straight*

Me: who even likes this?

Also me: *saves pin to my mha board*

Me: not my ship

Also me: *scrolls down to more like this*

Bless my heart I was in such denial.

_____

July 2022

Bit of a timeskip, but nothing of note really happened in those last six months so here we go.

We’ve gotten to the point in the manga where the final arc is underway and Bakugou is about to KICK SOME BUTT

He’s revealed his Panser Strafe support item and I’m gushing about it to my friend (she kinda fell out of the fandom but still tolerated my rants bless her)

Oh, side note: it was then that I also expressed my concern for Bakugou’s “alive” status

Evidence:

For reference, some of my favorite characters are:

Beth March (Little Women)

John Reese (Person of Interest)

Joss Carter (Person of Interest)

Leonard Snart (Arrowverse)

Logan Echolls (Veronica Mars)

Fantine (Les Mis)

Eponine (Les Mis)

Jean Valjean (Les Mis)

Simon (Lord of the Flies)

Piggy (Lord of the Flies)

Grace Stone (Manifest)

Bubaigawara Jin — Twice (BNHA)

Wanna guess which of these guys died?

Trick question! It’s all of them (:

Yeah so anyways those following chapters really made me excited and nervous cuz YEAH KICK HIS ASS BAKUGOU but also IZUKUUUUU WE NEED YOU

hah hah.

_____

August 2022

Utterly gobsmacked. Cried. Disbelief. Horrified. Confusion. Anger. Went through the five stages of grief and then some.

Sometimes I hate being right 🥲

But the good thing that came from this was that my positive view of Katsuki only grew after seeing his utter faith in Izuku (and his thoughts being on him in his final moments???? 🥺🥺🥺)

And it was at this point in time where I could admit to myself “you know what? i see it. i see the appeal. i wouldn’t mind this actually becoming canon.”

Did I think that it would actually become canon?? No.

_____

September 2022

I don’t know how I thought Izuku was gonna react to seeing Katsuki’s body on the ground, but GOOD LORD IT WASNT THAT

Even sweet little blind me realized “oh wow he like really feels intense stuff for Katsuki huh”

(But some things I missed—cuz I was still a bit wired for izu*cha—were shigarakis implications “yeah u looooove the present I got u” and the freaking HEART that blackwhip caused??? when Izuku reeled himself back in???? like how did i miss that i read that chapter like fifteen times??)

So this is all to say that I’ve missed any and all actual bkdk hints up until this point. I finally lifted my head out of the izu*cha fog when…

_____

July 2023

…Ochako and Toga had their chat about romance.

The first actual hint was when Ochako had told Toga “I’ll give you my blood for the rest of my life.”

Little blind me became a bit less blind that day, cuz I was like “um. ochako? that— that sounded kinda like a proposal. like. a marriage proposal. ochako??”

And then those chapters just kept getting better!!

Bebe Ochako’s determination???

The Spirited Away moment?????

“I’m envious of your smile”????????

“YOU REALLY THINK IM CUTE?” “THE CUTEST IN THE WHOLE WORLD” LIKE 😭😭😭😭😭

For the first time, I was looking at the manga without the assumption that izu*cha would be endgame. And it only got better after I…

_____

August 2023

…got Tumblr!!!

Everything was downhill from here folks.

In the best possible way.

I came across some analyses of what was going on with togachako, and consequently led me to some bakudeku analyses. I read them and my goodness they made so much sense.

Like not even just personality-wise!! Those metas brought in actual things Horikoshi said about wanting to go outside the norms of shounen (and about not liking the Naruto ending 💀), and compared bkdk to tropes in different works of fiction, and even discussed how bkdk made sense narratively. They properly convinced me of the ship.

And then for good measure, I reread the manga in its entirety thru a bkdk filter, and lo and behold things took on new meanings and my eyes were opened.

I totally and irrevocably shipped them! And I actually thought they had a chance at being canon!!

(And then I binged so much bkdk fanfiction omg you wouldn’t BELIEVE like I read the ones with the highest kudos first and then just picked the biggest collections I could find and read down the line

It was like being on drugs like each fic gave me more dopamine than the last I was so happy oh my god)

_____

October 2023

And then finally, the day came.

The answer to “is bakugou alive yet?” became a yes.

We screamed. We cried. We jumped for joy. We told bakugou antis to suck it. But most of all, our bkdk hearts soared to see our boys make eye contact with each other for the first time in over a year 🥹

And from that moment on, I truly began to believe that bkdk would indeed become canon.

_____

And so, this concludes my 42672288 page rant about how I came to be a bkdk shipper.

Thank you for reading, and before I go, I want to ask:

How did you guys get into bkdk?

Did you convert over from izu*cha? Or perhaps tododeku? Or maybe kiribaku? Or are you one of the few who have shipped them since the beginning??

In any case, I’m happy you’re here. And while it may have taken me a couple years, I’m happy that I’m here too :)

(and thank you @animelover32456)

[shobiolovechild]

their laundry and taxes

[spinji]

Genuinely what other interpretation could you give this other than Bakugou holding up and supporting Izuku's dream when it starts to waver and he stuggles to keep it together on his own. And that Katsuki is the only person who loves Izuku that much to be there for him on such an intimate level. His friends, his family, his teachers, they're all important to him but they are not the one and only Kacchan Bakugou.

I diagnose you both with terminal yaoi.

[lost-in-wond3rland]

Ima ask you to walk with me for a moment, okay?

—————————————

SO. Quarter Back Katsuki (like professional, NFL level) and water boy Izuku right?

But. BUT!

Season for Katsuki? Starting rough TM. They have two games left to the playoffs, and if they don’t win they’re out.

Cut to Katsuki staying late to practice, he walks into the locker room, and Izuku is fucking with the white board. Katsuki is (unsurprisingly-) PISSED. It’s do or die time, they have to win, or his season is over. Izuku, stammering and muttering as he does, is trying to explain the change in play. Katsuki yells at him to fuck off and be does. Katsuki takes his shower, looks at the board and ya know what? It’s not a bad play. But wtf does a little water boy know ANYWAY? He changes it back.

We make it to game day, they’re down by 1 touchdown and Katsuki feels himself being backed into a corner.

UNTILL! He looks over and catches Izuku. He (in his very Katsuki way) grabs a clipboard and stomps his way over to em.

“Write it down.”

“E-excuse me?!”

“The play from last night ya damn nerd. I ain’t gonna ask you again.”

And so, Izuku does. Katsuki looks it over, nods, and goes back over to the team with the clipboard.

And guess what? They run the play.

And they win.

Color Katsuki surprised, they live to see another game.

The stadium clears out, teams gone, and Katsuki finds himself in the locker room with one Izuku Midoriya who’s putting away bottles and things.

“Oi, nerd.”

Izuku starts, looking up at him.

“Nice play.” He says before stalking out of the locker room.

Next game comes, and it’s not much better. They’re tied, they’re best offensive player (prob Kiri or something idk-) is out, and they either make a touch down or get thrown into overtime exhausted. They’re lining up and Katsuki hears him.

“CALL A TIME OUT!!” Katsuki tries to ignore Izuku’s yells, but after eventually ends of calling it.

“The fuck do you want, you damn nerd!?”

“I have a play.”

“Excuse me?” (Coach Aizawa hi, nice to meet you-)

“What, you think cuz I used one play from you last time, im gonna do it again? Who’s to say it wasn’t a fluke?”

“Maybe it was. But you know without Kirishima, if you run the play you’re about to run, you’re going to lose this game.”

And Katsuki hates it, the fire and defiance that he finds in green eyes. Hates it as much as he kind of loves it.

“…give him a fucking clipboard.”

“Is this smart, Bakugou?”

“You got any better ideas old man?!”

“…”

“Give him the fucking clipboard. DUMB ASSES! Huddle up!”

(Guess who wins the game hehehe)

Cut to a season of Izuku and Katsuki becoming a WILD team, Izuku becoming a playmaker and officially moving on from water boy duties. He gets a headset and everything, working right along side Aizawa during the games.

And the tension grows.

“You know more than I’d expect, for a water boy.”

“I wasn’t always a water boy kaachan.”

“‘Tch. You’re really sticking with that name huh?”

“Depends.”

“On what.”

“Are you gonna stick with ‘Deku’ and ‘nerd’?”

“You can bet your ass I am.”

“Then I’m sticking with Kaachan!” He looks up at the blonde, smile blinding and playful.

AND THEN-

“You said you weren’t always a water boy.”

“I did.”

“What’s your story, Deku.”

“Win the next game, and I’ll tell you.”

And they do, making it to the Super Bowl.

The night before:

“You said you’d tell me.”

“I did…”

“…so? Come on nerd, don’t leave me hanging.”

“I played. In high school, and first two years of college. I was a pretty good running back, if I say so myself.”

Katsuki looks Izuku over, eyes trailing over his body. “Yeah, I can see it. Explains the build… always thought you were too fast and built for a water boy.” Izuku smiles at him, though it’s kind of sad. “What happened?”

“I was…stupid. That’s what happened.” He chuckles, though it’s self deprecating. “I was never the most…popular in school. Sophomore year of college, I started to get pretty popular on campus. Went to a few parties. One night, I was driving home and I… shouldn’t have been. Wrapped my car around a pole. Shattered my knee, broke my neck… was paralyzed for a little bit but thankfully that didn’t last. A lot of months of physical therapy later, and I could walk again. Started running even. But, I was never cleared to play again. If I suffered another neck injury well…the doctors said no amount of pt would bring me back again. So… that’s it. I haven’t played, and I haven’t drank, since.”

The realization slams into Katsuki, the look on Izuku’s face when Katsuki showed up at his apartment drunk, Izuku hysterically yelling at Katsuki about drinking and driving (spoiler: he didn’t drive, he called an Uber. Katsuki would never-). “Shit…”

Izuku just nods, offering a sad smile. “It’s not all bad…I like watching. And…this past season? Kaachan it’s… it’s meant everything to me,” he admits, eyes watering. “It feels like playing again, and…regardless of how it started, you gave this to me. You trusted me enough to let me do this and I…just. Thank you.”

Katsuki swallows the lump in his throat, heart aching for the man in front of him. “Honestly? I wouldn’t trust anyone else… Dek- Izuku. This season? Is as much yours as it is mine… you’re our playmaker, our morale. Shit, the entire mood of team hinges on you. Without you? We’re not a team.”

Izuku smiles, silent tears falling. “Thank you, Katsuki.”

And hearing his name, his real name, sends a shock through his system. Katsuki reaches out a hand, thumb catching falling falling tears. “Izuku, I-“ he starts to whisper.

Izuku grabs his wrist, and shakes his head. But there’s a spark in his eyes that soothes Katsuki’s nerves immediately. “Tell me tomorrow. Tell me tomorrow, after you win.”

Katsuki can’t help but match Izuku’s smile with his own. “After I win.” He says, like it’s an inevitable. And maybe it is.

(Ahem, cut to game day, sorry this brain rot is everywhere lol)

It’s a close game. A REALLY close game. The other team gets Katsuki with a hip tackle, and his knee is on fire from the fall.

“Kaachan, you can’t-“

“Oi,” he says, grabbing Izuku’s shoulder and forcing him to meet his eyes. “The doc cleared me, I’m wrapped, and Shoji isn’t gonna let anyone get close to me.”

“But-“

“Hey. I promised you a win didn’t I? You trust me?”

“More than anything.” Izuku says, without hesitation.

Katsuki smiles, dropping his head to place a chaste, barely there kiss on Izuku’s lips. “We got this nerd. You, and me.” He whispers, staring right into his eyes before heading back out onto the field.

(A few plays later and guesssss who has his first Super Bowl ring hehehe. In my head, it’s Katsuki rookie year. But he’s Katsuki so of course he’s the starting qb with something to prove all year. And boy did he PROVE)

“Katsuki! Katsuki! Now that you’ve won, and in your rookie year no less, what are you going to do?” Katsuki’s eyes go over the reports head and a smile splits his lips as he sees a cheering Izuku crying on the sidelines.

“What am I gonna do? I’m gonna go plan my fucking date-“ with those words, Katsuki weaves his way through the crowd, breaking out into a run and scooping Izuku up when he reaches him, placing a proper kiss on his lips this time.

(Alexa play the alchemy by Taylor Swift, specifically, “cheers chanted, cause they said tere was no chance. Trying to be the greatest in the league. Where's the trophy? He just comes running over to me-“ section)

The team cheers as they’re QB and Playmaker finally make it official.

“Damn problem children.” Aizawa sighs, sitting down on the bench, soaked in Gatorade.

“I think it’s sweet,” Hizashi smiles down at his husband. “Reminds me of another young couple I knew.”

Aizawa hums, brushing his lips gently with his husbands. “We weren’t so bad, were we?”

“Oboro and Nemuri were about ready to lock us in a room and leave us there had we not figured it out when we did.”

Aizawa laughs, soft and genuine. “Fair.” He stands, walking over to his QB and playmaker. “You coming back next season?”

“No shit old man.”

Aizawa nods, before raising an eyebrow at Izuku.

“M-me?”

“We need our playmaker, right?”

“Damn straight we do.”

————————

Anyway the end- LOL. Thanks for taking this journey with me, ‘twas a nice walk, have a great day 😅

[ilovereadingandstuff]

In Honor of Izuku Midoriya

The Greastest forgotten Hero

How will...

...The Story End?

Edit: I updated the drawing I made by fixing the hair and shading.

[firyfox]

Yeah ❤️

Happy pride y'all

[burquillos]

Serious question, and sorry if it's rude, but why dkbk and not bkdk? Katsuki has such a dominant personality it's odd to see him the bottom lol

Dominance/submissiveness is not equal to top/bottom

I've explained it before

Technically, I don't have to justify what I like to strangers

BUT I also like sharing stuff about what I love so instead of justifying it, here's a quick, somewhat related presentation on how Katsuki Bakugo's arc follows the heroine's journey:

5. and on a COMPLETELY unserious note, this is my favorite ship dynamic:

[hellohellowelcome]

ik it's just homophobia at work, but something that's always puzzled + bugged me is when fans can't apply the real-life complexities of romance, sexuality, and identity to fictional romance. I'll see a well-thought out analysis of how Ochako or Izuku are great examples of comphet, for example, and all of a sudden here comes a pack of dudebros shouting "MHA fans don't know how to read OCHAKO CANONICALLY LIKES MEN! IZUKU BLUSHES AROUND GIRLS! THEY ARE STRAIGHT!" from the rooftops....like.....okay? Should we clap? It's the same spirit that drives antis to rush to social media to say "bkdk and togachako are dead I prayed for times like these" instead of just enjoying their own ship 💀

It's "sexuality can be fluid and sometimes your understanding of the attraction you experience (or don't) changes over time and that's okay!" Unless, of course, you're talking about [insert character here who must be straight because it kinda seemed like it in these three panels from four years ago~] Like oh brother, give it a rest.

Again, there's nothing wrong w/ disagreeing with headcanons like these!! You might think, "well, I actually think Ochako's crush on Izuku is genuine and that they would make a cute couple!" That's great, love! Ship to your heart's content! My issue is when people act like any interpretations aside from heterosexuality are insane and the product of some inability to understand the source material. Especially when it doesn't affect your individual hcs or enjoyment of the series at all? And especially when most of these headcanons often come from actual queer fans seeing their experiences in these characters' journeys.

[marimeeko]

Adding my own here: Take it from a long time shipper, your ship doesn't have to be canon for you to enjoy it. But hatred sent Horikoshis way because he wrote an ending you didn't like, is never ok.

I say this as a heavy Bakudeku shipper and a togachako shipper; I do not mind if izuocha is the chosen ending. I may have my own opinion about its execution, but that is MINE and my responsibility to be respectful to Horikoshi.

Critique is one thing but outright flaming him isn't ok.

As we go into the last TWO chapters (holy shit that's surreal) please please keep your ship close but not so close that you lash out if it is not confirmed.

It's a manga, we are meant to be having fun here.

Regarding the new my hero academia chapter I know we are worried about the way the chapter ended with ochako and midoryiya I need everyone to take a deep breath and to please not jump to conclusions I understand if you have mixed feelings about the chapter it is normal to be worried about the possibility of your ship not becoming canon. I personally am not worried if you need to take a break from the manga do that no one will judge you for it. We honestly need to lower our expectations in case canon does not go the way you want it to. Remember no matter what happens we still have a lot of good canon bakudeku moments in the manga we have our fics and our fanart. No matter what happens we'll be okay. I have been in a lot of fandoms over the years when a ship of mine didn't became canon did I stop shipping them? No I still love them and will continue to do so no matter which way canon goes.

[smallmightsupremacy]

I don't post nearly enough about the fics that I write, so here is a masterlist of all of them if you'd like to check them out:

(Fair warning: most of these were written in 2023 so they will be a little canon divergent)

Take My Heart (You Have My Soul): 1.3k oneshot about my take on Katsuki's pov when he 'wakes up' during the final war

You're Holding Me (Like Water In Your Hands): 1.5k oneshot about Katsuki and Izuku reuniting on the battlefield once the war ends

Picking Up The Pieces: 22k multichap chat fic about Katsuki and Izuku's journey post final war arc

Snow Problem: 5k oneshot about Katsuki and Izuku goofing off in the snow. Very lighthearted stuff

We'll be okay, right?: 2k oneshot about Katsuki and Izuku reuniting in hospital after the war

We'll always find each other, won't we?: 8.9k (my current multichap wip). Katsuki and Izuku have a friendship fallout and reconnect years later at a convention. Will they be able to heal their friendship? Or will things stay frosty between them? Guess you'll have to read to find out!

Pre-Final War Arc BkDk: A two part series inspired by that memories episode. One fic from Izuku's perspective, another from Katsuki's.

[angstydisaster02]

An analysis about why Bakudeku is one of the most inspirational relationships. (Manga spoilers)

First part : my thoughts

Tbh, I really have this impression the manga is coming to an end very soon, which breaks my heart because I don’t know what I’ll do without my daily leaks. However, I trust Horikoshi about the rest of the story and I do think he’ll make an open ending about which “ship” is canon, even if we all know that the biggest and most developed relationship in the manga is bkdk.

It would be interesting to see the “after” of this war, the hospital beds, the tears because they lost people, the relief because it’s over and the final conversation beg the ending. Knowing Horikoshi until now, never made things randomly because everyone is thinking in advance, including the conversation between Izuku Midoriya and Katsuki Bakugo.

You can’t tell me the author of this manga who always did things with a smart brain will put aside such an important detail about the dynamic between his characters.

A part of me hopes we’ll have the bkdk talk at the hospital or somewhere else because there’s no way these two idiots keep living their lives as if nothing happened. I have high expectations due to the fanfics, but I’m pretty sure I’ll never be the same once the chapter with the bkdk talk comes.

Second part : the analysis feat manga panels

looking forward, it’s incredible how Izuku Midoriya and Katsuki’s relationship started in the worst way (I’m not including the childhood memories) and…Ended up being something like that.

I’m emotional when I think about everything they’ve been through, the many realizations about losing each other, the development of their relationship after an emotional scene such as Deku Vs Kacchan 2, the way they need to push each other’s up to be the best version of themselves in any situation.

It’s not a surprise if these two are mean to be canon (in a platonic or romantic to way, depends about your opinion !) and each little moment highlights this statement.

Think about it : they all learned one of few important things with the other’s presence by their side, on purpose or not. Their dynamic is something unique you can’t find in others shonen or mangas, because they have this specific bond, the one getting stronger though the years because their mistakes became a reason to improve and be a better person for this childhood friend they knew since the early days.

Izuku Midoriya needs Katsuki Bakugo like Katsuki Bakugo needs Izuku Midoriya.

You can’t take away this part of their soul, and even when people like AFO tried, they ended up paying the price by revealing how much they care about each other.

Don’t startd with the Heroees rising thing because I can write an entire novel about them, but this is another proof of how they’re made for each other. Their relationship improve though the years and it’s only the beginning, I can’t help but imagine how future bkdk will have an amazing relationship once they figured out everything and untold truths.

They’re each other’s pillars, holding the other up to do the best and watch from afar their other’s improvement.

That’s why the hospital conversation might be the peak of their relationship: the moment when they’ll both break their shield, welcoming the tears and listening how life is a fragile line on a thread.

None of them refuse to break this meaningful thread, because this is something they’ve built for years, and it’s their biggest strength (and biggest weakness like Shigaraki pulled out)

In conclusion: they’re driving me crazy and I have no regrets following their journey because it’s probably one of the best relationships I’ve seen (and I watched a lot of anime/manga, read a lot of books and they’re still superior !)

Thanks for reading my analysis because it’s one of my guilty pleasures when I’m passionate about something, especially my comfort ship ! Take care of yourself <3

[anjumstar]

anjum's bkdk recs 20

Ten more (complete) sfw bkdk fic recs. If you read any of these and enjoy them, lmk! And, more importantly, let the authors know with a comment! Plus, send me your recs, and maybe they’ll make the next list!

Legend

hyperlinked title by author | word count

Genre warning(s): where relevant Summary/review

💚🧡 = fave

Recs are under the cut, organized by word count, low to high.

61. notebook by delicate cherry, sobashouto (snowandfire) | 2.3k

romance, general A really short and sweet fic that’s kind of the moments just before bkdk start dating. The boys aren’t quite seeing eye-to-eye, Baku isn’t communicating exactly what he’s feeling, but that’s what makes it feel really in character. They’re not great at this, but they’re just starting to try.

62. Hey, I’m Fine by majjale | 3.2k 💚🧡

angst, romance Angst with a happy ending! I didn’t trust this author, though, haha, I really thought I was about to get staked through the heart. (I don’t always read tags…) Lovely characterization, especially for Deku. It’s tender and domestic meets pro hero life. Love that intersection, as it’s basically all I want for bkdk. Pro hero canonverse action with soft domesticity. Perfect.

63. Diversion Tactic by garbage_dono | 7.5k 💚🧡

romance A cute take on UA bkdk getting together! Feels grounded in canon with good characterization. And it’s somehow fresh in its initiating event, with following gay panic from our beloved Bakugou.

64. Not All Heroes Wear Capes by vulcanhighblood | 11k

romance, fake dating, get together Fake dating fic! Bakugou has the brilliant idea to fake date Deku to get paparazzi off Deku’s back. Maybe not brilliant, lol. The fic has good doses of Baku’s brand of immaturity, it feels age appropriate, and Deku surely has a backbone against Baku’s silly scheme.

65. half drunk, happy by froggenbie | 13.2k

warning: drunk (non-explicit) (bkdk not dkbk) sex romance, get together Bkdk are roommates after graduation, and they start having drunk hookups. Then they’re not so drunk. I knew the writing would be quality right at the beginning of this fic. Sometimes you just know. Bkdk have their horrible communication skills but natural chemistry and deep need for each other and it was a great take on a familiar story.

66. Go Get Your Man, Young Bakugou! by red_sneakers | 16.6k

comedy, romance This one is pretty silly. Not quite crack, because I can kind of believe it for these losers XD They need a bit of help and extra guidance to get together, but it’s nice to see the boys being stupid together while falling in love.

67. Voicemail by raeryn | 20.7k

angst warning: MCD If you wanna cry on the train like I did, read this one. I’ll go ahead and tell you, since it’s clear from early on—Deku is dead and Baku isn’t handling it well. The story is his long journey to reaching some level of closure with some help from his friends. Unhappy ending isn’t usually my fave genre, but idk, this one ends nicely, even if the sad doesn’t fully go away.

68. Walls I Didn’t Know I Had by Elisa Jaded | 21.5k

hurt/comfort, romance Post-war, Katsuki wakes up from his injuries to find that Deku isn’t in the shelter with everyone else. Turns out he’s somewhere else, in desperate need of Baku’s support. They find happiness again together, good balance of realistic angst to romance!

69. Healing Pains by lurethegalaxy | 23.2k

romance Pining Bakugou and oblivious Deku is such a delicious flavor. Bakugou having done some level of emotional work on himself—but still being constipated to heck and gone—while Deku just avoids avoids avoids feels so correct to me. I liked living in that take with a fic recent enough that it feels really grounded in what the directly post-war aftermath would have felt like.

70. The Night We Met by majjale | 37.3k

angst, adventure, romance Another painful one. Baku is immortal and Deku keeps dying. AU. Now, you know I hate AUs, (and I had the same issues here I always do, tbh…) but the prose is magnificent. I wish I’d been highlighting as I read. Even if I imagine these as OCs, it’s worth the read because of the writing quality. The brief, cryptic author’s notes add to it. If you’re okay with a pretty heavy dose of angst, please give it a go. (I linked the series, as there are 2 very short sequels)

more recs can be found here 💚🧡

[theophagie]

This is #problematic or whatever since I know that lots people hate "gay person is in love with their het friend" but. ⬆️'s evolution my beloved

Character A is in love with Character B, they anguish and want to pull away but they love them too much to do it, deep inside they may be bitter and jealous even though they don't want to face these negative feelings or they may not even think of themselves as worthy of B, but outwardly they do their best to support them (bonus points if B has a s/o)

Character B isn't in love with Character A, but they do love them, and because they can't conceive not having them in their life they get protective/possessive over them in ways they don't even understand or care to understand (bonus points if they go about it in manipulative or similar ways either accidentally or intentionally)

Underrated dynamic:

Character A: in love with B, directly or indirectly confesses but gets rejected, tries to move on but can't, goes through mental anguish on the daily

Character B: rejected A because they aren't sure how they feel but definitely doesn't want A to stop loving them, is lowkey-highkey possessive over them despite never being straightforward

[epickiya722]

My problem with bkdk is that I emotionally got disconnected from the ship because of how it was written. I know they are friends and see each other but other than that, what are they? They arent a hero duo, they arent competing against each other, they dont work together, Horikoshi says that Bkg isnt special to Izuku because its now Ochako, so bkdk dont even have a special bond apparently. They dont share a future together. Like... what am I supposed to feel for this ship? Again, I get that theyre friends but it is not enough for me to be invested in this.

No disrespect, truthfully, but we have opposing ideas. And what I'm about to say, you don't have to agree with. I don't ever expect that from anybody.

If there's one thing that 431 did keep consistent is that it is open-ended as 430 is.

With that said, I don't see how this chapter is telling us that Bakugou and Midoriya can't be a hero duo. I said it before, they don't need an agency to do that. Just because Midoriya isn't working at the same building don't mean they can't be heroes together. Miruko, a Hero who works alone and doesn't have an agency, has constantly been shown to partner with other Heroes, so how could that not work for BakuDeku?

Yes, Midoriya and Bakugou won't always be working in the field together. Because Midoriya chose to be a teacher, it makes him happy and he should do something that does make him happy.

That doesn't mean their special bond is gone. That doesn't mean Ochako is suddenly that special person to Izuku. I have my reasons to think that.

And while this chapter is weirdly written the more I think about it, the less this chapter does feel like an Izuku and Ochako chapter. I feel more like a self-acceptance chapter. It was just... not written well, I guess. Or something else! I'll talk about that later.

I said it before in a post long before we even got the full chapter, Izuku and Ochako mirror each other.

Here's the thing about MHA and being a SJ manga. If this chapter was really meant to be for Izuku and Ochako getting together, then how come whoever worked on this chapter didn't have them actually mention each other in their conversations before meeting up with each other?

Instead, the conversations they have with the others (Izuku with Katsuki and Eijiro, Ochako with Tsu) is about themselves. The conversations was about their (Izuku's/Ochako's) work lives. About how they're feeling.

I haven't actually seen if they even mentioned the other at all until the very end of the chapter.

I find it interesting that the part where Izuku is turning his head to look at Ochako, there's this phrase that says, from the translations I saw, "... a version of myself" or "... a me I haven't discovered..."

That sounds more like self-discovery than him realizing romantic feelings which is long over due, let's be real. Again, that mirroring I mentioned!

Who in the heck has a self-discovery journey and comes to the conclusion they need to be romantically involved with someone? If anything that's how relationships fall apart. You have to love yourself first. Accept who you are and change what is needed to be.

To me, that moment, was Izuku coming to the realization that he could be a better him. Katsuki states to him that he thinks Izuku should start thinking more highly of himself. Izuku doesn't do that much for himself. Neither does Ochako.

Both of their goals aligned with something revolving around other people.

Both wanted to be heroes, wanting to save and make people smile. Ochako had the goal to become a hero to have money to help her parents. Izuku wanted to be a hero like All Might. Which is him wanting to be like another person.

In previous chapters, we had Ochako reflecting on herself whenever Izuku came into the frame. She finds herself striving to be like him. This time around, it's Izuku's turn.

With the scene with Himiko and Ochako, Himiko pushes Ochako to be happy. But she never said to be happy with whoever you want. Just be happy with the way you want to live. That doesn't mean dating.

If this chapter was meant to be romantic for our main boy and girl, then why did it feel more like self-discovery? Why didn't this chapter cater more to developing a potential romance from the start of it? They have held hands before that looked more romantic (chapter 322, which is so funny to me that in the anime, they made it look less so) than that dap up.

Now why was this chapter framed to look like some "potential romance" between these two?

It just looks more like sneaky writing really to keep a crowd of people happy. That's the "something else" I mentioned earlier.

It's like "it looks like this, but really it's this".

So really, this chapter may look like it's set up for some romance for Izuku and Ochako, but instead it's set up for the two to accept themselves and what they want to do with their lives.

I know, I know. The whole "Ochako became Izuku's special person" part.

One, I don't find anything wrong with Izuku wanting to make that moment about Ochako because he hasn't spoken to her in a while anyways. At that moment, she became the person be wanted to talk to. They did become close friends during UA and who wouldn't want to make time for a friend?

Second, again bringing up back the mirror, what if this is Izuku seeing Ochako as him? Metaphorically, it's him wanting to talk to himself. Ochako is his mirror and he is hers. It's him finally coming to terms with wanting do something that doesn't involve him catering to other people. Same on Ochako's end. What if that's the case?

That's just my interpretation and again, I don't expect you or anyone else to see it the way I do.

The chapter didn't really make me feel disconnected from BakuDeku at all. I'm the same person whose favorite MHA ship right now is of two characters who don't interact on screen. So this chapter isn't stopping me any time soon.

Heck, this chapter even made me adore TsuChako more. That's been my ship since day one and even with the whole TogaChako rise, didn't stop me from seeing pink and green and crying at the thought of TsuChako.

It's so funny to me that in this very chapter that Izuku and Ochako literally made plans to see Katsuki and Tsuyu the following day. (Tsu and Ochako being at an agency together and Katsuki being Izuku's guest teacher.)

Now, if you feel disconnected from BakuDeku, that's fine. I'm not going to tell you to not feel disconnected or convince you otherwise. If you feel disconnected, maybe not look at anything related to the two. Don't talk about them anymore. Anything you have to, really.

I'm not going to tell you to feel how you choose to and again, this answer to the ask isn't me trying to convince you to change your mind.

[offtotheiceberg]

Chapter 431, what have u done? Part 4

Spoilers

4) I’m sorry for everything I’ve done up until now.

Okayyy let’s get started.

Katsuki x Izuku is one of the most popular ships in mha. Whether you like it, hate it, or reject shipping culture entirely, their relationship (however you see it) is one of the main pillars of the story. I will say that I like them together, I think they make sense and their history is compelling, and I love writing them, but pls don’t disregard everything I’m saying just because of that.

First of all, hot take, but bkdk would never EVER have been canon. Shonen (particularly popular shonen) doesn’t do queer couples, at least not obviously. Notice, that’s not what many fans are concerned about. I’m going to try and unpack it as best as I can.

Izuku attempting to save Katsuki from the sludge villain was the reason All Might gave him his power. You cannot spin this any other way. If Izuku hadn’t run into that fight, he would still be quirkless. One one end, I don’t think it mattered who was in that villain’s grasp - I think Izuku still would have gone if it was someone random from school, but on Katsuki’s end, it mattered that it was Deku. In some ways, they were both catalysts to the other’s Hero journey.

Second, Izuku progress and All Might’s downfall were two of the main influences that broke down Katsuki’s superiority complex (plus realising that he wasn’t the strongest in the class, and he too needed to be saved). This break down allowed to two of them to be “proper rivals” which is a direct quote from the manga. Win to save and save to win are two halves of All Might’s ideology, and that is NOT a coincidence. In many ways, they’re supposed to be foils that build each other up. Even if you hate it, you can’t deny that they’re significant influences on each other in their hero journey.

(tw here, brief discussion of suicide)

Now, the atonement. THIS is where the hypocrisy comes out to play. What Katsuki did to Izuku in middle school cannot and should not be taken lightly. Aside from the bullying, telling someone to kill themselves is not okay. But, and it’s a big but, YOU CAN AND SHOULD MAKE UP FOR YOUR MISTAKES. This is not systematic, malicious abuse, like we saw with Endeavour (who never gets to fully atone, rightfully so that is a different situation) these are the actions of a 14 year old kid. Katsuki was cruel to Izuku, I am not trying to deny that. HOWEVER, in real life, people are not held to the horrible shit they say when they’re 14. Come on, this is obvious. Atonement requires two things: an apology, and a change of behaviour. Katsuki does both of these things. However atonement in literature, or in “not real life” or whatever, is slightly different. It ALSO requires the relationship between those two characters to be affected in some way, and this relationship change is what clues us as the audience in to whether this atonement has been successful. Take Endeavour, for example the way we as the viewer see that he has not fully atoned is via Natsuo, the son who didn’t forgive, and Shoto’s hesitance to. We get taught this as writing students, I’m not pulling this out of my ass.

The bare minimum to fulfil the message that people can atone for their past mistakes is a resolution to Katsuki and Izuku’s relationship that fulfils the arcs set up for them. Just a reminder, these arcs are: twin stars, rivals, “win to save, save to win”, “I will surpass you” otherwise known as catching up to each other, and both of them wanting to be the best Heroes in the world.

The soundest, most logical way to finish these arcs is the two of them becoming a Hero Duo. The second most is them working together, which is what Katsuki offered Izuku in the last chapter. THIS IS NOT AN ADMISSION OF ROMANCE, FFS. It’s good character development!!! You can have Izuku working sith Katsuki AND have a satisfying Izuocha romance in the same universe, they are not mutually exclusive!!! I can’t believe I needed to say that???? Be an izuocha shipper and ACKNOWLEDGE THE FUCKING STORYLINE. Please don’t make this into a petty ‘them vs me’ narrative, there was already enough of that shit with the US election.

Them going their seperate ways might even have been a satisfying ending if it had been written better, but it wasn’t. There was no evidence of that for 430 chapters. Their growth, particularly Katsuki’s was irrevocably tied to the other. Again, some of the most nonsensical writing I’ve ever seen. What it implies, whether intended or not, is that atonement is a falsity and no matter what, Katsuki and Izuku’s relationship is forever scarred by what happened when they were kids, even though the final battles in the war have evidence to the contrary. This is NOT a positive message. For more analysis of Izuku’s decision to not be a Pro Hero, pls see part 1.

Come back for Part 5 (conclusion)

[gobvo]

Another thing I’d like to add…

Although I’m a bkdk & togachako enjoyer for life! I do see why this epilogue ends the way it does.

Holdon! Holdon! Hold on! Let me explain real quick.

We gotta look at the facts here, why did Izuku choose to go after Ochako? Well because ever since they entered UA, Ochako was one of the first people to believe in him. She didn’t just become one of his friends, she’s prolly one of his bestest friends as much as Bakubrat is.

Sure Deku and Bakugou have a whole lot of history together but for a good chunk of it, Bakugou spend his time trying to crush Midoriya and his dream.

Yes, yes, yes redemption, apologies happened but my interpretation is that at some point in those 10 ish years post mha, that Deku simply moved on. Not just moved on but moved goal posts, way beyond being the number one hero and all that nonsense. Think about it, with all the shit Midoriya has been through and seen in his journey to become a hero, all the rot and corruption in the hero industry. Would you guys still hold onto that dream? Idk about y’all but I wouldn’t.

Not saying he no longer loves or admires heroes. That he does but it seems like he’s content with not actively participating in that whole industry anymore. (Let’s not even talk about the physical and mental scars the whole class prolly still have to deal with a decade later)

Add to that his tumultuous relationship with his supposed childhood best friend and you got a recipe for a guy who’s disillusioned(subconsciously maybe)

Someone who’s perfectly content with settling for a “lesser” position in the grand scheme of things. A guy who’s gonna reevaluate his convictions and lower his expectations.

Despite not being a fan of izuocha (I don’t hate izuocha btw), it makes sense to me. Her and ida took the Bakugou’a spot when Deku needed someone to believe in him the most. Back when he didn’t have full control of his body or powers. Back when he was still insecure and was just bumbling around in a new school filled with people who had been born with privileges while he did have a massive streak of luck sure, he still had to work hard to see the benefits.

Now with all that said, I just don’t understand why in the last arcs of the manga, is the focus shifted towards his relationship with Bakugou?! Why make such a big deal out of it when you don’t plan to do anything with it? Sure it was nice to see the two boys mend their broken relationship, I was on board up until that point. But after that moment, why make it seem like they’re gonna live their renewed dream of being a hero duo/rivals or whatever??

Anyways, I’m glad I dropped mha because outside of shipping stuff, I was hoping there’d be an entire overhaul of hero society. There wasn’t. I was hoping to see the villains get their justice, not win but be forgiven. I still hate Endeavor, he does, did and never will deserve a redemption arc. Nothing was done about quirk discrimination, I could go on and on.

And now this.

Mha truly is this generation’s Naruto and I’m sad to see history repeat itself even if for the time being we didn’t get the classic, very boring nuclear family ending with 2.5 kids, a dog and a picket fence.

Sorry for the essay but I just needed to clear my thoughts on this.