My Hero Academia has the perfect chance to explain the series’ most controversial death now that Katsuki Bakugo has finally been revived. Luckily, mangaka Kohei Horikoshi has a successful track record of justifying unpopular developments in unexpectedly pleasing ways, giving fans hope that he will continue on this intriguing course.
At the end of My Hero Academia chapter #403, Bakugo suddenly appears at the eleventh hour, just when All Might is about to be killed by All For One, while Deku is stuck fighting against Shigaraki.
This is the first time that fans have seen Bakugo after the Pro Hero Edgeshot decided to use his power to resurrect him, replacing Bakugo’s heart at the cost of his own life in chapter #362, after the young hero fell while unsuccessfully trying to stop Shigaraki.
Most fans were understandably disappointed by Bakugo’s death because he is an incredibly popular character, but it was the fact that a random hero like Edgeshot, who had no prior attachments to Bakugo, would ostensibly sacrifice his life to save him that turned out to be the most controversial development. Many believed that a better-suited Pro Hero to do this would be someone like Best Jeanist, who had been Bakugo’s mentor at one time. Since Edgeshot’s procedure appears to have been a success with the appearance of Bakugo, My Hero Academia is finally set to justify Edgeshot’s involvement.
Fans have reason to hope because of the series’ track record. For example, many fans were unhappy when, after showing other battles with ostensibly bigger stakes like Deku versus Shigaraki and Shoto versus Dabi, the focus returned to Toga and Uraraka’s fight, which they believed would ruin the overall pacing of the story. Luckily, this wouldn’t be the case since Toga used Twice’s blood to create an endless army of her deceased friend became one of the largest problems during the final war. Thus, Edgeshot’s sacrifice could have a much deeper meaning: perhaps by being inside Bakugo’s body he can trigger an awakening of his Quirk, or maybe Horikoshi will simply justify it with one of the incredibly emotional sequences he got his fans used to.
While the fact that Edgeshot saved Bakugo may have been disappointing for some fans at first, the young hero’s epic return reminds everyone that the author knows what he is doing. The final war has been incredibly hard and challenging for Horikoshi, who has to depict several battlefields at once, all with high-stakes fights and characters that fans want to see more of. Bakugo‘s death and following resurrection have been put on the shelf for some time, but now My Hero Academia can show its fans that they have been too quick in their judgment and that everything happened for a reason.