My Hero Academia boasts a huge cast of characters, both on the heroes' side and the villains' side, and shonen protagonist Izuku Midoriya has a lot of competition. At U.A., he has the likes of Shoto Todoroki, Katsuki Bakugo, Fumikage Tokoyami and Tenya Iida in his class, and these students are all vying for the top.
Already, these students have clashed in mock battles to see who's the best, and if given a chance, they would do it again. Shoto and Bakugo faced off in the finals of the U.A. sports festival, but what would happen if they fought again (for real this time) to see who's really the best hero around here?
Shoto Vs. Bakugo: Their First Fight At The Sports Festival
During the U.A. sports festival, both Shoto and Bakugo qualified for the top four in the single-elimination tournament, alongside Fumikage Tokoyami and Tenya Iida. Shoto defeated Tenya by plugging his Quirk's exhaust vents, and Bakugo bested Fumikage by overwhelming the Dark Shadow Quirk with the light of his explosions. So, that left only Shoto vs Bakugo, and Bakugo saw this as his big chance to prove himself the #1 student in the entire school. Everyone knew that Shoto was the ultimate challenge, and Bakugo now knows what Shoto was capable of, thanks to Shoto's fiery clash with Izuku.
Bakugo wanted to defeat the same power that had overwhelmed One For All in an earlier duel, but he was quickly disappointed. Shoto, who had been totally riled up during his fight with Izuku, became indecisive and distracted once again, using only his ice half to fight Bakugo. Because of this, Shoto began to fall behind bit by bit, even while Bakugo repeatedly urged Shoto to hurry and use his full power to make it a real fight. Shoto vaguely toyed with the idea, but he never did it. Instead, Bakugo ramped up his devastating Explosion Quirk to its limits and blasted Shoto out of the arena to claim victory. Bakugo was far from satisfied, however, and he was still angry about it when the bronze, silver and gold medals were being handed out.
How Shoto & Bakugo Have Grown
The U.A. sports festival was a thrilling moment in Season 2, and many of class 1-A's characters really showed what they could do, but they had some ground left to cover. The students accepted all kinds of internships, and while Izuku was training with Gran Torino, Shoto worked with his father Endeavor and Bakugo interned with Best Jeanist. After that, Shoto and Bakugo took part in the forest training camp, where Bakugo kept setting off explosions to get his body used to its repeated use to increase his endurance.
Meanwhile, Shoto was finally beginning to embrace his father's power, dunking his hands into boiling hot water to get used to switching from heat to cold on demand. Shoto used his fire half once again when he faced ninja-like students from Seijun Academy during the provisional hero license exam, blasting away his foes with unexpected power. By now, Shoto is rapidly getting used to his neglected fire half. Bakugo's progress wasn't as remarkable, but he has boosted his endurance somewhat and his resolve is stronger than ever.
What Would a Shoto Vs. Bakugo Rematch Look Like?
Bakugo may have been bitterly disappointed that Shoto didn't fight him seriously during their sports festival match, but in this imagined rematch, Shoto is going all out. As usual, Shoto will open up with his rapid ice attacks, forcing Bakugo to get moving and set off explosions to avoid getting trapped. Bakugo will try to blast his way through Shoto's icy defenses to take out Shoto up close, and Shoto will take him by surprise with his fire and negate Bakugo's explosions. Time isn't on Shoto's side, though, since Bakugo will keep sweating and fuel up his explosions. He needs an angle, and he's got one.
Shoto will keep Bakugo busy with alternating ice and fire, and Shoto can use all that chaos as cover to launch an ambush. Shoto will get up close and personal with Bakugo, and quickly use his Quirk to completely encase Bakugo's arms in thick ice. Bakugo can blast his way out of this with explosions, but that will cost him a few seconds. In that time, while Bakugo is focusing on the ice, Shoto will switch back to fire and strike Bakugo's head with all his might. The sheer power will blast Bakugo away, and before Bakugo can get a chance to recover, Shoto can encase him in ice once again, completely this time, and claim victory.
