WARNING: The following contains spoilers for My Hero Academia Season 5, Episode 13, "Have a Merry Christmas!" now streaming on Crunchyroll, Funimation and Hulu.
In My Hero Academia, mastering the press is essential for building and maintaining a positive public image for Pro Heroes. Through interviews and public appearances, the public learns to recognize and place their trust in heroes, but when it comes to this facet of the hero profession, Deku and Bakugo have recently discovered that they share a common weakness as they continue to compete with each other at the U.A.
Despite wielding powerful Quirks that might make them top heroes one day, neither of Deku or Bakugo's abilities will mean much if they can't earn the public's faith in them. In Season 5, Episode 13, Deku and Bakugo both struggle during a mock press interview... for completely opposite reasons. While public speaking and handling the media is never an easy feat, Deku and Bakugo must overcome this shared weakness if they want to become Pro Heroes.
While Deku often acts like a talkative cheerleader, supporting and encouraging his classmates throughout the series, he's at a loss for words in front of a camera. This comes to the surface during Mt. Lady's visit with Class 1-A to give them a lesson in dealing with the media and maintaining a positive public image as heroes. When it's his turn to practice, Deku freezes up, breaks into a cold sweat and barely manages to stutter out a few simple words.
With a trembling body and tense smile, Deku's projected image is less than inspiring, failing to instill confidence in his watchful classmates and teachers. However, Deku does a 180 when asked about All Might -- ranting and mumbling incoherently about his Quirk and special moves. Even after finding his voice, Mt. Lady claims he's now talking too much and that he'll likely confuse and lose the viewer's attention. With two drastically different media responses, Deku will have to work on finding an ideal middle ground when dealing with the press in the future.
Bakugo, on the other hand, is well-known for his arrogant and loud-mouth personality, and this is no exception during interviews. During his and Todoroki's TV interview after their post-Provisional Hero license exam villain takedown, Bakugo has no filter, saying exactly what comes to his mind. He shouts and denies being friends with Todoroki, and even goes as far as telling the interviewer to get her eyes or brain "checked." His tactless behavior would have been off-putting to audiences, causing the producers to cut out all of his responses and only show Todoroki's. His friends in Class 1-A make fun of him for being edited out, while Todoroki apologizes for dominating their interview.
Aware of his temper and brutal honesty, his classmates worry that Bakugo is ruining the good reputation he earned after getting his provisional license. When Mt. Lady later offers pointers on building a positive hero image, Bakugo refuses to say a witty catchphrase that caters to his hero identity, insisting that he won't say "random stuff like that" and screams into the microphone for everyone to "shut up and follow [him]." After witnessing him in media practice, his teachers wonder if he should train to avoid the press altogether, as Aizawa did. However, Aizawa points out that if Bakugo wants to be a famous and respected top hero, he must learn to maintain his public image through tact and humility.
Speaking in front of the press can be difficult for even the most powerful of heroes. While strength and ability are needed to be a Pro Hero, Mt. Lady makes it clear that a positive reputation is essential for more than just celebrity status. As Deku and Bakugo continue to train together to master their Quirks, they will need to devote time to improving their public relations as well.
