Katsuki Bakugo

Katsuki Bakugo, also known as Kacchan (かっちゃん) by his childhood friends, is the deuteragonist of My Hero Academia. He is a student training to become a Pro Hero at U.A. High School.

Appearance
Katsuki is a young man of average height, with ash blond, spiky hair and sharp red eyes. At school, he wears the standard U.A. uniform save for the customary red tie. Underneath his blazer, he wears a white button-up shirt with the first couple buttons undone. Despite wearing a belt along with the uniform's green pants, Katsuki does not pull them up all the way, giving his pants a baggy appearance.

His Hero Costume is composed of a fitted black sleeveless V-neck tank top with an orange X with the top half borders his shirt collar. His costume also has a seemingly metallic neck brace fashioned and used as a collar with three holes in both sides. His sleeves reach from within his large grenade-like gauntlets to his biceps. His belt, which also carries grenades, holds up his baggy pants with knee guards. Underneath those guards are black, knee-high combat boots with orange soles and eyelets. He occasionally wears his hero mask that has large, flare-shaped cloth.

Personality
Katsuki is a very crude, violent, arrogant, and aggressive person. Having an attitude reminiscent of a teenage delinquent, Katsuki tends to come off as very anti-heroic, if not downright villainous. This problematic behavior goes all the way back to his early childhood days when he was known to bully a young, Quirkless Izuku Midoriya. However, after being accepted into U.A. High and experiencing several personal defeats, one of them even coming from Izuku, Katsuki has gradually changed into a less antagonistic person, albeit still retaining a lot of his unpleasant traits. Likely, he always tends to show off and abuse people. In his youth, he was shown to be very cruel towards those he thought of as beneath him, as he even suggests that Izuku should "Swan dive off the roof" to have a chance at a quirk in his next life while being uncaring towards his feelings.

Brutal and bloodthirsty, Katsuki smiles eerily when finding himself in the middle of a battle. His personality reflects his fighting style: mercilessly assaulting the opponent and having no regard for nearby objects, merely destroying them with his power. Despite this, he's quite talented in fighting, using his Quirk in various ways besides attacking. He's also very intelligent, being capable of strategic planning and holding some of the highest grades in his class, to the point that some even consider him a natural genius.

While not the most mentally stable hero-in-training, nor having the image of one, Katsuki knows who his enemies and allies are. Cold to his allies, though not to the extent of friendly fire, but colder and brutal to his enemies. He's also very rude and foul-mouthed, which makes him unpopular with most of his U.A. classmates. As the series progresses, his outbursts become less aggressive, usually becoming more comical, as he mostly gets angry at even small things like teasing. With that in mind, Katsuki seems to mature slowly but is still quite aloof and solitary, showing disinterest in hanging out with his fellow classmates.

Katsuki's aggression is reflected in how he uses his Quirk. He tends to completely disregard the notion that Quirks shouldn't be used in public, and will activate his Quirk for a number of reasons, such as to intimidate someone, to punctuate a point, out of frustration, or even if he just feels like showing off. When in combat, he will often set off smaller explosions in his hands and sometimes will detonate even larger ones, when he's not even attacking, which highlight his aggression, particularly in combat. He thinks little of the laws regarding Quirk usage and even berated Izuku for not using his own Quirk against Shigaraki in public. Ironically, it is this behavior that hinders his progress as a hero, which typically causes him to fall behind the progress of the rest of his class, as well as being the primary cause of him failing the Hero License Exam.

Despite being a Hero in training, Katsuki is very anti-social. He cares very little for the feelings of others and prefers to spend time alone rather than interact with his classmates. Best Jeanist calls Katsuki out on this, pointing out how people will never acknowledge him as a hero so long as he doesn't care what people think of him. Katsuki also seems to hate little children, as he was angry over how his Remedial Training involved watching over children and trying to earn their trust. As the series progresses Katsuki learn to become more social with others and (reluctantly) help his class with the Cultural Festival.

As pointed out by All Might, Izuku, and Shigaraki, Katsuki loves to win above all else and cannot stand it when he loses. As when he loses in his fight with Izuku, Katsuki took his loss so badly he didn't even speak for the rest of the day and primarily sulked over the loss. Shota Aizawa even called him out on this, telling him to stop sulking over his loss and get over it. He's also somewhat of a sore loser, as he regularly complains or is angry over not getting first in any competition. His desire to win above all is what he believes a hero should be; one who never loses. However, Katsuki does at least value hard work and fair play, as he was furious over Shoto not using his full strength against him in the finals and refused to take his first place medal citing he didn't earn it (though it may also be due to how Shoto used his full power against Izuku and not him). Because of his obsession to win, Katsuki values winning and fighting Villains more than saving people, which was the primary cause for him failing the License Exam. All Might himself pointed out that his obsession with winning is what is holding him back from being a proper hero.

Due to the constant praise of his abilities and his powerful Quirk, Katsuki has a superiority complex and wants to be first and the best at everything. He doesn't like when people look down on him as if they were superior; thus, it diminishes his already short fuse. Despite his extreme arrogance, he also thinks of people such as Izuku Midoriya as an obstacle on his path to becoming the greatest hero and thought of him as nothing more than "a pebble on the side of the road". Because of his complex, he's shown to be very anti-social; he seems not to care for much people as he doesn't remember his classmates' Quirks or names despite being in U.A. for some time due to thinking of others as beneath him. However, he is often seen talking to Eijiro Kirishima in class, suggesting that he may see the latter as a friend, and due to him being the only person not to constantly judge or criticize him. Katsuki does at least remember the names of people who give him a challenge or whose ability he respects, such as Ochaco Uraraka and went as far as to defend her when his classmates referred to her as a fragile girl.

Katsuki is also immensely prideful, as he hates the idea of others helping him and having to rely on others to assist him in battle. Because of his pride, Katsuki refuses to work together with others, claiming he can do whatever he's assigned on his own. His pride has cost him on numerous occasions: he lost the Battle Trial due to his lack of cooperation with Tenya and he was effortlessly defeated by All Might at the First Term Final Exam and failed the Hero License Exam because of his aggressive behavior. His pride is so intense that when pitted together with Izuku against All Might, he outright refused his partner's help, saying that he'd rather lose, but when the situation became critical, Katsuki was able to (reluctantly) put his pride aside temporarily so that he could cooperate with Izuku. Whenever his pride is damaged, Katsuki has a habit of crying as seen after his loss at the hands of Izuku and being forced to work alongside him. Katsuki is not against repaying those who help him, such as when he gave Eijiro the money for his broken night vision goggles when he came to his rescue. Still, due to his childhood experiences, Katsuki has difficulty doing the same thing towards Izuku.

While his inspiration for becoming a hero was the same as Izuku's, the Symbol of Peace, All Might, their beliefs differ: Katsuki feels a hero should never stop fighting or give up, regardless of the threat they face, and that always winning is the mark of a true hero. Furthermore, because of his arrogant and conceited behavior, various heroes, civilians, and even villains have commented on his villain-like behavior. However, Katsuki is unwavering in becoming a hero, having outright refused Tomura Shigaraki's offer to join the League of Villains.

In spite of his cruel and selfish behavior, Katsuki is not unable to show a more vulnerable side. As he is capable of crying in front of others, as he was teary eyes after losing the Battle Trial and again when he was forced to comply working together with Izuku during the End of Exams. After revealing how he blames himself over All Mights retirement, he cried uncontrollably while trying to vent his frustration over the ordeal. Also, despite his stubbornness in his refusal to admit when he's afraid, he is capable of showing genuine fear. As he was scared during his capture by the Sludge Villain and again when Shigaraki gave him a murderous glare.

Quirk and Abilities
Explosion (爆破): Katsuki's Quirk allows him to sweat nitroglycerin from his palms and detonate it at will to create explosions. The more Katsuki sweats, the stronger his explosions become. As stated by Best Jeanist, Katsuki has a strong grasp on the applications of his Quirk. Katsuki usually uses small, powerful explosions from his hands to not only blast his opponents but to propel himself and navigate through the air as well. He can keep up his explosions long enough to negate Shoto's Giant Ice Wall and even break through Eijiro's hardening Quirk. The blasts are powerful enough to send Katsuki flying at his opponents without much time for them to react, and he can use them swiftly enough to evade incoming attacks, even in the air. His most powerful explosion so far (without the need of the Grenadier Bracers) was used to completely destroy Ochaco's meteor shower, and blow her away with the resulting shock wave rocking the entire Sports Festival stadium. Non-enhanced explosions of similar strength were used against All Might during the practical exam. These explosions, especially when used repeatedly in rapid succession, were actually shown to have a negative impact on Katsuki's arms.

Katsuki suffers somewhat from the impact of his explosions due to recoil but the overall effect is minimal given his physical prowess. He is able to set off constant explosions around him without feeling any negative repercussions even after many powerful blasts. However, overuse can result in Katsuki hurting his arms from the recoil of powerful explosions. This is shown in the practical exam when All Might notices the damage Katsuki is inflicting on himself and decides to knock him out to prevent him from permanently damaging his arms.

Another drawback of Katsuki's Quirk is that he is unable to use his explosions in areas filled with flammable gas as his explosions would ignite the gas and spread it further. Additionally, because his Quirk relies on his hands sweating, it is more difficult for his Quirk to work in colder climates. Without sweat from his palms, he cannot use his Quirk to its fullest potential.

Moves

 * Blast Rush Turbo (ターボ): Katsuki throws his hands back and uses explosions to propel himself. He uses this both on the ground to increase his speed and through the air to achieve a pseudo form of flight. He first used this technique on the ground during the Quirk Apprehension Test. The first time he used it to fly was during the Obstacle Race.
 * Stun Grenade: Katsuki starts by creating a sphere of light between his hands that explodes into a large scale flash. Similar to the effect of an actual stun grenade, the flash of light blinds anyone close by. He first used this technique to defeat Fumikage Tokoyami.
 * Howitzer Impact: Katsuki takes to the air and uses explosions to propel himself in a circular motion to create a tornado. This tornado builds up oxygen to fuel the incoming explosion. After colliding with the ground, Katsuki releases the powerful aforementioned explosion. Present Mic compared the effectiveness of the technique to that of an actual missile. Katsuki first used Howitzer Impact in the final match of the U.A. Sports Festival Finals.
 * AP Shot: Katsuki's special move. Katsuki stretches out one of his hands and uses his other hand to form a circle on the palm of his outstretched hand. Katsuki then fires an explosion through the circle, which creates a concentrated blast beam. By focusing his the path of his explosions into a single point instead of around his whole palm, Katsuki creates a concentrated blast with reduced area of impact, but with enough power to successfully pierce even solid concrete.
 * AP Shot: Auto-Cannon: A rapid-fire version of his AP Shot Technique. The explosion power is reduced in order to avoid dealing severe damage to human targets.

Overall Abilities: Katsuki has shown to be one of the strongest students on Class 1-A. He was able to defeat Fumikage Tokoyami and Shoto Todoroki during the Sports Festival, who are considered to be the two other strongest students in Class 1-A (although they had disadvantages respectively in their fights against Katsuki, despite these limitations, they still proved to be strong). Many notable Pro Heroes such as Shota Aizawa and All Might have praised Katsuki's prowess; even the League of Villains have taken notice of Katsuki's strength and went as far as kidnapping him even if it meant losing members of the Vanguard Action Squad, as his potential membership would have far exceeded the risk. He was able to defeat Izuku during their second fight when the latter was using 8% of One For All despite being fairly injured from the fight.

Enhanced Strength: Katsuki possesses an above average physical strength, as he was able to fight on par with Izuku even when the latter is using his Quirk. He was also able to pressure and overpower Shoto Todoroki, a powerful combatant, during their battle. He is able to use his Grenade Bracers without any recoil due to his strength, whereas Izuku nearly dislocated his arm just from using one.

Keen Intellect: Despite looking like he'd just be a punk with no brains, Katsuki has proven to be very smart and strategic, as he was able to figure out Kurogiri's Quirk weakness and Fumikage's weakness in a short period of time. During the Cavalry Battle of the Sports festival, he formed a strategy of using the quirks of his team to get the headbands of Neito Monoma and was successful in obtaining them. Additionally, he quickly assessed which of the attacking villains in USJ was the most dangerous threat in the long term. Even Pro Heroes (such as All Might) have mentioned several times his great potential and battle-sense. Shota Aizawa stated that in battle Katsuki shines his brightest. Further proving his intellect is that Katsuki had the 3rd highest score in the midterms from 1-A, being even higher than Izuku's, who scored the 4th highest. Katsuki was also able to piece together the truth of Izuku's quirk after being kidnapped by the League of Villains and seeing All For One steal quirks which coincided with Izuku's words of getting a quirk which he correctly deduced came from All Might, with whom he noticed Izuku had a connection to.

Musical Talent: As shown during the U.A. Cultural Festival Arc, Katsuki is highly skilled at playing a drum kit, having gone through classes in the past.

Equipment
Grenadier Bracers (籠手): An adjustment added to Katsuki's hero costume that stores his nitroglycerin-like sweat. Once filled he can pull the grenade pin in order to release a large blast, as shown when he fought Izuku in All Might's Heroes vs. Villains test. It has enough explosive power to destroy all parts of the building within its blast radius. This equipment was first used during the Battle Trial.

Improvised Grenades: Around the belt of his Hero costume, are several containers made to look like hand grenades. These can store Katsuki's nitroglycerin-like sweat, and be used as regular grenades at a later time. These were first used in a practical way during the Provisional license exam by Denki.

Knee Pads: These are very blunt metallic attachments to Katsuki's knees. They are designed so he can "kill with his knees", but he has not displayed such use for them as of yet.

Battles
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Battle Trial Arc

 * Katsuki Bakugo vs. Izuku Midoriya: Lose

Unforeseen Simulation Joint Arc

 * Katsuki Bakugo & Eijiro Kirishima vs. Villains: Won
 * Toshinori Yagi, Izuku Midoriya, Katsuki Bakugo, Shoto Todoroki & Eijiro Kirishima vs. League of Villains: Won

U.A. Sports Festival Arc

 * Team Bakugo vs. Team Monoma: Won
 * Ochaco Uraraka vs. Katsuki Bakugo: Won
 * Eijiro Kirishima vs. Katsuki Bakugo: Won
 * Fumikage Tokoyami vs. Katsuki Bakugo: Won
 * Katsuki Bakugo vs. Shoto Todoroki: Won

Final Exams Arc

 * Izuku Midoriya & Katsuki Bakugo vs. Toshinori Yagi: Won (Escaped)

Forest Training Camp Arc

 * Katsuki Bakugo & Shoto Todoroki vs. Moonfish: Interrupted

Hero License Exam Arc

 * Denki Kaminari, Katsuki Bakugo & Eijiro Kirishima vs. Seiji Shishikura: Won

Internship Arc

 * Katsuki Bakugo vs. Izuku Midoriya 2: Won}}

Trivia

 * Originally, Katsuki was supposed to be a natural born genius, a very kind and gentle character who spoke without thinking and unintentionally insulted others. The author, however, found this original draft to be boring and decided to make him an unpleasant character instead.
 * Katsuki's name is composed of "爆" (baku) from "爆破" (bakuha) and "勝" (ka(tsu)) from "勝つ" (katsu).
 * Katsuki likes spicy food and mountain climbing.
 * Katsuki's academic data at U.A. is as follows:
 * Ranked No. 17 in Class 1-A.
 * Ranked 1st during the U.A. Entrance Exam.
 * Ranked 3rd during the Quirk Apprehension Test.
 * Ranked 3rd in Class 1-A's Grades.
 * Winner of The U.A. Sports Festival First-Year Stage.
 * Katsuki's rankings in the Popularity Polls are as follows:
 * Katsuki ranked 3rd in the First Popularity Poll.
 * Katsuki ranked 1st in the Second Popularity Poll.
 * Katsuki ranked 1st in the Third Popularity Poll.
 * With his birthday taking place in April 20, Katsuki is the oldest student in Class 1-A, as everyone was 15 when they started U.A.'s school year in early April.
 * In the beginning of his time at U.A., Katsuki was known for being attacked by Sludge Villain and was often made fun of for this but this slowly changed after he won the sports festival in his first year.

Quotes

 * (To Izuku Midoriya) "From here on, I..! From here on..! Y'hear me?! I'm gonna... beat you all! Enjoy your win. It'll never happen again! Dammit!"
 * (To All Might) "Needless to say... I'll be a hero that surpasses even you!"
 * (To Shoto Todoroki) "You'll regret making a fool of me! I'll freaking kill you! I'm taking the first to end all firsts! There's no point in winning against some half-assed punk! No point if I can't do better than Deku! So if you're not trying to win, get the hell outta my face! Why're you even here, you bastard?!"
 * (To Izuku Midoriya) "Stop talking. I will win. That's... what heroes do."
 * (To the League of Villains) "Can't stand morons like you who can't get to the damned point! Basically you're saying, 'we wanna cause trouble, be our pal!' What a joke! I've always admired All Might's triumphs. No matter what any of you jerks say... Nothing's ever gonna change that!"

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