The Triangular Rivalry of My Hero Academia

 Introduction:

The concept of the Shonen rival is one of my favorite parts of the genre. Many of my favorite characters in Shonen manga are rivals, whether they be morally ambiguous antiheroes like Seto Kaiba, heroes turned bad like Sasuke, villains turned good like Vegeta, or friendly competitors with the main character like Caesar Zeppeli. 

But the idea of the Shonen rival isn’t exactly set in stone, and there aren’t clear rules for their inclusion in a story. Many of the best Shonen manga (such as One Piece, Dr. Stone, Soul Eater and most Parts in JoJos Bizarre Adventure) feature no such character at all. Furthermore, many manga feature characters that resemble generic rivals visually and personality-wise, but don’t act antagonist towards the main character at all in the narrative  (like Megumi Fushiguro in JuJutsu Kaisen, Killua Zoldyck in Hunter x Hunter, or Ray in The Promised Neverland). 

Most fans of the Shonen genre will agree that the trope really started with Vegeta in Dragon Ball, but even then, Vegeta’s character arc doesn’t follow many of the staples we’ve come to expect. For instance, it’s easy to forget that unlike so many other Shonen rivals, Vegeta actually gets his ass handed to him by almost every major arc villain.  

Sasuke Uchiha in Masahi Kishimoto’s Naruto really broke the mold to show us what a rival could be when they were pushed to their limit. Starting with the tail end of Part I, Sasuke becomes an outright villain, losing his sanity throughout Part II, and eventually breaking down completely when he kills his brother.

While I respect Kishimoto for this character arc, I’d be lying if I said it was my favorite. Perhaps the most interesting subversion of Shonen rival tropes (or, at least, my personal favorite subversion) is with Shoto Todoroki and Katsuki Bakugou in Kohei Horikoshi’s sensational My Hero Academia manga. Specifically, the unique, three-way relationship between main character Izuku Midoriya, his primary rival Bakugou, and their ancillary rival Todoroki. 

In this essay, I will analyze the trio’s overall dynamic, the individual two-person dynamics, and how they reconstruct some parts of the Shonen formula while deconstructing others. 

The Three-Way Dynamic:

In its earlier stages, the triang relationship between Bakugo, Deku and Todoroki was filled with hostility. 

Shonen conventions set up Bakugou and Midoriya as rivals. Visually-speaking, Bakugou is tall, intimidating and his entire design is filled with harsh angles and vibrant, angry colors, mainly his red eyes, yellow hair and orange outfit. Midoriya’s design is filled with softer, cooler shades of mint green, and his hair, facial shape and hero costume have softer angles to exude a sense of friendliness and ease. They have a connected backstory, opposing personalities, competitive mindsets and they share a mutually exclusive goal: they cannot both be the #1 Hero, so they have to fight for the title. 

The Battle Trial arc cements this. As is tradition for Shonen rivals to either be redeemed villains or to become villains, Bakugo is put on the “villains” side during the exercise, while Midoriya is out on the “heroes side.” But then, at the end of that arc, Bakugou is upstaged by both Midoriya and Todoroki. His fragile ego cracks completely, and in a rather sudden diversion from the trends that Horikoshi had been playing straight up to this point, Bakugou’s anger is now directed at both of his classmates in equal portions. 

Then, the Sports Festival arc has Todoroki ignoring Bakugou (which only infuriates him even more), but becoming Midoriya’s second rival. Still at a stage in the story where he can’t control his powers, Midoriya has to rely on his own wits to fight against two natural prodigies who hate him and each other. Again, this is a classic trope of the genre dating all the way back to DBZ: our main character has massive combative potential but is held back by circumstances, and must use their wits and strategy to match a physically-superior opponent. 

The rivalry between Todorki and Midoriya doesn’t last long, however. Midoriya is able to earn Todoroki’s respect during their match, and he becomes friends with him during the Stain Arc. This makes a lot of sense when we consider both of their mindsets. Todoroki was the instigator in this rivalry, but he never had any animosity towards Midoriya as a person, he only saw him as a stepping stone to displease his father. Likewise, Midoriya never saw Todoroki as a true enemy, but a classmate in need. When Midoriya helped Todoroki realize the futility of living to spite his father, their antagonism stopped. Their rivalry, intense as it might have been, was only a symbolic one: the battle between the apprentice of the #1 hero and the son of the #2 hero. (But I’ll talk about Enji and All Might later.)

It takes much, much longer for Midoriya to really earn Bakugou’s respect, because Bakugou didn’t view their rivalry as merely symbolic or superficial. No, Katsuki hated Midoriya down to his core because Midoriya’s very existence upset Bakugou’s fragile worldview. Midoriya was altruistic, optimistic and always trying to help people from a young age, even without a quirk. Katsuki’s logic is as simple as it is childish: heroes have quirks, Deku doesn’t have a quirk, Deku shouldn’t act like a hero. 

Bakugou only begins to acknowledge Midoriya’s strength (and with it, his own faulty worldview) after Bakugou is rescued, specifically during their rematch. The trauma of his kidnapping and the guilt he feels over All-Might’s retirement leads to a lot coming out. However, I wouldn’t say they really became friends until the weeks leading up to the War Arc. Bakugou is now more bark than bite, partially due to Kirishima’s influence, but partially due to acknowledging how much of a colossal douchebag he’d been up until this point. He’s beginning to lose his pride, and he feels guilty for how he treated Midoriya when they were kids, even apologizing to him after the timeskip and trying to let go of his self-hatred. While he’s never going to stop being full of energy and aggression, he doesn’t mean anything by it anymore. After realizing that both he and Todoroki suffered from much the same “lone wolf” problems, he no longer seems to view the young man as his superior, and thus feels more comfortable being around him. 

The Midoriya-Bakugou-Todoroki relationship hits something of an equilibrium right before the War Arc, where all three men are friendly rivals with one-another. Now, instead of two people contending for the spot of the #1 hero, there are three; this intensifies the competitive sides of their personality, but at the same time, their shared experiences and deepened understanding makes them all much friendlier with one-another. It’s quite telling that one of the most lore-heavy arcs concerning the Todoroki family (the Endeavor Agency arc) also has Bakugou and Midoriya present, because they are just such pivotal parts of Todoroki’s life now. 

That’s essentially an overview of their triangular dynamic, but now we have to understand each side of that triangle. 

Bakugou and Midoriya:

Like I said, if you had to point to one facet of the Midoriya-Todoroki-Bakugou triangle as the “real” rivalry, it would be this one. But even that is a disservice. 

Nonetheless, it is clear that Horikoshi was heavily inspired by Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto, specifically the main rivalry between Naruto and Sasuke (itself inspired by Goku and Vegeta from Dragon Ball), when constructing this relationship. 

Like Sasuke, Bakugou eventually redeems himself through this rivalry. Like Sasuke and Naruto, Midoriya and Bakugou have known each other since childhood. (Though, they were genuine friends once, whereas Sasuke and Naruto pretty much always hated each other.) However, unlike many other Shonen rivalries, this rivalry is just as much about Midoriya gaining confidence as it is Bakugou redeeming himself. Bakugou pushes and pushes Midoriya over and over again, and he got away with it for years because Midoriya’s self-worth was so shattered he was too scared to do anything. But as he got stronger and more confident, he pushed back, which challenged Bakugou’s worldview even more, so he pushed harder. Each young man constantly pushed the other to do more, to be more. 

One thing that’s interesting is how Horikoshi flips the script, portraying Sasuke’s traits in a protagonist and Naruto’s traits in a rival:

• Bakugo is a blonde, hot-blooded, reckless teenager who’s overconfident in his abilities 

• Whereas Midoriya is quiet, analytical, and doesn’t always know how to react in social situations

The difference, of course, is that unlike Naruto, Bakugou was never ostracized by society, but praised. His overconfidence is still a defense mechanism to hide his insecurities, like Naruto, but he genuinely believed at the beginning of the story that he was the best. It was only when confronted with actual evidence otherwise (in the form of Todoroki) that he realized how much he needed to grow.

Midoriya’s quietness isn’t born out of annoyance with his peers, like Sasuke, but crippling shyness. He wasn’t upheld on a pedestal like Sasuke was, he was bullied and excluded like Naruto. His analytical nature manifests not in soft-spoken internal monologues, but in detailed notebooks and long-winded rants about heroes. His inability to talk to his classmates in the first few arcs isn’t because he views them as inferior pests or annoyances, but because Midoriya has never actually had friends. 

Horikoshi essentially kept the same conflict between an outcast and a prodigy, but played with their circumstances to show how Midoriya could end up with a few of Sasuke’s traits and Bakugou could end up with a few of Naruto’s traits. 

In losing the quietness that defined Sasuke and embracing the over-the-top nature that protagonists usually have, Bakugou actually harkens back to Shonen’s original rival: Vegeta, a man prone to fits of rage and long rants about his power. I said earlier that much of what we consider to be “stock Shonen rivals” actually runs contrary to Vegeta’s character, but it’s interesting how Bakugou—the breakout character of MHA and one of the most well-known anime characters of the last decade—circled back to the source. 

One final thing that separates Bakugou from both Sasuke and Vegeta: Bakugou’s morality is crystal clear throughout My Hero Academia. Vegeta is a villain-turned hero, Sasuke is a hero-turned villain. Bakugou is a massive dick, but he’s also a hero. One of my favorite scenes in the whole series is when Shigaraki completely misreads the room and tries to offer Bakugou a chance at becoming a villain, just as All Might predicted, and Bakugou completely turns him down. Not only does this give some insight into how the UA staff views Bakugou (a ticking time bomb of evil waiting to go off), it gives opposing insight into how Bakugou views himself (an uncompromising hero trying his best to fight evil). 

Tellingly, what happens after My Hero Academia’s timeskip? One of the main characters runs away and becomes a darker, edgier antihero, but it’s not Bakugou or even Todoroki. No, it’s fucking Deku. And who’s the one who brings him back from it all? Bakugou. 

Because as much of an asshole as Bakugou is, he’s also learning and growing from his mistakes in the pursuit of becoming a better person. And damn, if that isn’t admirable. 

Midoriya and Todoroki:

Like I said above, the relationship between Midoriya and Todoroki was always a symbolic one. Todoroki was trying to beat Midoriya with just his ice alone. In his mind, the son of Endeavor beating the apprentice of All Might without fire would be an insult to his father, and it would display his dominance over his father. (Part of why Todoroki thought this was because he genuinely believed Midoriya was All Might’s illegitimate son, at least for a bit.)

Their relationship almost feels more an homage to Naruto. Not only did their relationship live and die within the Sports Festival Arc (an arc heavily inspired by the Chunin Exams), but their entire dynamic occurs after Midoriya has gained a bit of confidence in himself. Combined with Todoroki’s stoicism, annoyance towards his classmates and his background from a wealthy, influential family, it really feels like he’s Midoriya’s rival, not Bakugou. 

It’s a pattern that’s especially effective the more well-versed you are in Shonen, both past and present. Coming from a wealthy and affluent family is often a role reserved for the main rival / vitriolic best friend: Vegeta came from a ruling family, Sasuke from the Uchiha clan, Megumi from the Zeni’in clan, Killua from the Zoldyck family, and more. So it’s really interesting that Horikoshi decided to make Todoroki clash with his affluent father in the middle of a tournament arc. It makes the Sports Festival Arc feel almost like a Shonen microcosm contained within a larger Shonen narrative. 

The Sports Festival set a precedent for Midoriya and Todoroki. Anytime their relationship is front and center, Enji comes into the picture in some way: he’s the main focus of the Endeavor Internship Arc, and he appears in a pivotal role in the climax of the Stain Arc. 

It makes sense, in a twisted, ironic sort of way: Enji is the one who initially pitted them against each other as enemies, so it’s fitting that he’s a firsthand witness to their begrudging respect, and eventually a witness to their genuine friendship. In these arcs, Todoroki is becoming both a rival to the protagonist and a protagonist in his own right.  

Todoroki and Bakugou:

Both young men eventually develop a friendship with Midoriya: Todoroki redeems himself from being an abrasive, rude loner; and Bakugou redeems himself from being a hostile, volatile and childish bully. But those redemptions occur at different points in the story and at different rates, creating an interesting overlap of several arcs where Todorki is unambiguously Midoriya’s friend, but Bakugou is still Midoriya’s bitter enemy. Thus, much of their rivalry comes not only from the naturally competitive Bakugou being brushed off by the cold Todoroki, but from Todoroki siding with Bakugou’s childhood enemy. 

These young men have completely different personalities: Shoto is cold as ice, Katsuki is hot-headed and hot-blooded. They push each other just as much as they push Midoriya to new heights. 

As prodigies on a similar level of skill, they’re prone to much of the same successes, but also much of the same failures. It’s interesting to see how, despite their totally different personalities, they have the exact same problems. Both are blinded by rage and ambition to the point that it clouds their better judgement. Both are lone wolves who make enemies easily because they brush off everyone around them. 

Yes, these might be the First and Second-place winners of the Sports Festival, but they’re also the only two in their class who fail the Provisional Hero License Exam. I discussed this in my essay “Kirishima and Positive Masculinity,” but the main themes of My Hero are Ambition and Independence. While everyone in Class 1-A possesses both great ambitions and a desire to prove themselves on their own, Bakugo and Todoroki---as the two best students of the class---take those themes to destructive, toxic levels. 

___

Enji Todoroki, the #2 hero of the world (and, eventually, the #1 hero), was also a man crushed by both grand dreams and a desire to prove himself as the best. Enji is a shadow that looms over both Bakugou and Todoroki. 

Enji is, essentially, what Bakugou would be if he became a slave to his ambitions. They possess the same unhealthy mindset that people are only worth what they accomplish, so they strive towards grand accomplishments to suit their equally grand egos. When Enji is beaten by All Might, it shatters his worldview, making him cruel, bitter and abusive towards his children. When Bakugou is beaten by Midoriya, he acts in a similarly aggressive way. 

Todoroki knows this, and he recognizes the parallels between Bakugo and his father. Bakugou is more like his father than he ever was, and it stunts any chance he could have at a meaningful relationship with Bakugo. 

And the thing is Bakugou knows this. Another one of my favorite scenes is when Bakugou eavesdrops on the conversation between Todoroki and Midoriya about Todoroki getting his scar. Horikoshi isn’t the sort of writer to drop new characters or scenes that don’t belong. The point of this scene is to give Bakugou a “what-if” scenario, a picture into what his life will become if he continues on this path of anger. 

Eventually, Endeavor does his best to redeem himself and apologize to Shoto, but before that can happen in the narrative, Bakugou and Shoto must abandon their current paths in life. Bakugou has to abandon a toxic worldview that got him so far for so long, the mindset that he is special because he has power, and those without power are worthless. Finally, Todoroki has to let go of his anger and start living life for the sake of his own happiness, not for the sake of his father’s unhappiness. Only after both men do this can they become true rivals to each other, but also to Midoriya. 

Conclusion:

Like I said above, I truly do think that labeling the rivalry of My Hero Academia as being between Midoriya and Bakugo does the story a disservice. Todoroki plays a crucial part in both of their stories, and they each play crucial roles in his story. To separate his relationship from theirs oversimplifies their dynamic to the point of making it unrecognizable. 

Without Todoroki, Bakugo and Midoriya would not have shattered through their limits. Without Enji looming over them and exemplifying what he will become, Bakugou would never have broken out of his toxic mindset. Without failing alongside Todoroki, Bakugou might have never understood the importance of putting grudges aside to save others. 

Todoroki could have just been another gifted side character, a brief opposition to one or both of Midoriya and Bakugou. Instead, he was written as a gifted but flawed prodigy trying to find his place in the world by challenging both of them. Their story is one of bullying, abuse, trauma and overcoming the expectations that prior generations have laid out for us. These three young men make My Hero Academia into the Shonen masterpiece we know today. 

Thank you all for reading!