WARNING: The following contains spoilers for My Hero Academia Chapter 318, "Reckless" by Kohei Horikoshi, Caleb Cook and John Hunt, available now in English from Viz Media.
Class 1-A’s Katsuki Bakugo is one of My Hero Academia’s most popular characters. Despite being absent from the manga for over 20 chapters, his large fanbase is still going strong, and they’re finally rewarded when Bakugo rockets back into action in Chapter #318 of the manga.
Before Bakugo showed up, Deku’s one-man crusade against evil was still ongoing. Despite concerns from All Might, Endeavor and even the previous One For All holders about working himself too hard, he continued to shoulder his burden alone. This campaign has left him constantly exhausted, but he's still able to complete his hero work without any issues... Until now.
Naturally, Deku’s winning streak had to end at some point and he finally meets his match in the escapee villain, Dictator. Using his Quirk, Despot, which allows him to control others against their will, the villain swarms the bone-tired Deku with regular civilians. The attack not only overwhelms Deku but prevents him from attacking carelessly for fear of harming the civilians.
Focusing entirely on Deku prevents Dictator from noticing his surroundings, costing him the fight. Then, Bakugo pops out of nowhere and flies right above Dictator. Firing his trademark Armor Piercing Shot from mid-air, he scores a hit right on Dictator’s exposed head. The impact knocks the villain out instantly, freeing all those under his control and saving Deku in the process.
The chapter ends on a cliffhanger, meaning Bakugo and Deku haven’t interacted yet but the duo sure have a lot of catching up to do. The last time they were together, Bakugo risked his life to protect Deku from a potentially mortal injury: When Shigaraki fired his Forced Quirk Activation blades at Deku, Bakugo pushed him aside and was stabbed by them instead.
Deku and Bakugo’s relationship has improved so much since the beginning of My Hero Academia. Though they finally worked their way up to becoming proper rivals, their relationship has always been tenuous at best. Saving Deku was very unexpected of Bakugo, and that selfless act is sure to majorly alter their current dynamic.
Bakugo showing up also means the rest of Class 1-A is probably not too far behind. After saving Deku, Bakugo shares their location with some unnamed allies, most likely some of his classmates he’s in the field with. Deku has been on his own for quite some time so the friendly faces will definitely be welcome. His classmates' presence might also be the push he needs to finally get some well-needed rest.
Deku will be more likely to trust them to pick up his slack since he’s trained with them for almost a year. And if he tries to continue on his lonely path anyway, Class 1-A will probably be able to talk him out of it. They’re his friends, after all.
