How Does Bakugo Change In My Hero Academia Book 4?

After the sports festival arc, Bakugo's dynamic with Deku shifts significantly. Is his growth just about heroics, or does his anger show some vulnerability fans debate?
2026-08-04 04:54:06
133
Share
ABO Personality Quiz
Take a quick quiz to find out whether you‘re Alpha, Beta, or Omega.
Scent
Personality
Ideal Love Pattern
Secret Desire
Your Dark Side
Start Test

7 Answers

JesseJay
JesseJay
Story Finder Pharmacist
His fighting gets smarter, not just stronger. The development of the AP Shot and Stun Grenade moves are physical manifestations of mental adaptation. He's innovating, thinking about weaknesses in his own style (like the recoil and wide-area effect of his explosions) and creating techniques to overcome them. This shows a level of self-awareness and critical thinking about his own abilities that he lacked before.

Previously, he just assumed more power was the answer. Now, he's engineering specific solutions. That's a huge leap for someone so instinct-driven. It proves that beneath the rage is a sharp, analytical mind that's finally being applied to self-improvement beyond simple power-leveling.
2026-08-05 15:54:13
4
RioHarris
RioHarris
Detail Spotter Engineer
I just love how his communication style gets… slightly less terrible? Only slightly. He still can't ask for anything nicely. But he starts to demonstrate things. During training, he'll blast a target and yell 'like that, you idiots!' instead of just insulting everyone. He's teaching, in his own abrasive way. He's contributing to the group's strength, not just his own. That's a massive leap for someone who saw his classmates as obstacles or sidekicks at best. He's beginning to subconsciously acknowledge their value as a team, even if his words are still 100% incendiary.
2026-08-05 20:58:13
9
PaxCase
PaxCase
Contributor Data Analyst
Book 4 Bakugo is a pressure cooker waiting to explode, but the contents have changed. Initially, it was just pure ego and ambition. Now, it's ego, ambition, guilt, shame, and a desperate need to prove he's not a failure. That's a more volatile mix. You see it in his quieter moments—the staring off into space, the intense focus in training that borders on self-harm. He's not just angry at the world; he's angry at himself. That internalization is the key change. The outbursts are now symptoms of a deeper conflict, not just the conflict itself.
2026-08-06 15:36:15
9
AbbyGreen
AbbyGreen
Spoiler Watcher Engineer
He grapples with the concept of 'worth.' All his life, his worth was tied to being the strongest, having the best quirk. Midoriya, the quirkless kid, shatters that. Then, his actions contribute to All Might's end, making him feel 'unworthy' in a new, terrible way. His arc in Book 4 is the beginning of a long, painful search for a new source of worth. Is it in saving people? In winning? In atonement? He doesn't know. But the old, simple metric of 'power = worth' is broken, and he's adrift. All his subsequent actions are him trying to build a new one.
2026-08-07 22:17:10
7
ReeseJoy
ReeseJoy
Detail Spotter Assistant
The biggest shift is relational. His dynamic with Kirishima solidifies into something resembling a real friendship. Kirishima just… doesn't back down from him, and Bakugo, weirdly, respects that. He doesn't admit it, but he listens to Kirishima's input during the license exam retrial. With Deku, it's a colder, more complex rivalry. The blind hatred curdles into a focused, almost obsessive need to understand and surpass him. He starts analyzing Deku's moves, which is something the old Bakugo would have considered beneath him. He's starting to see Midoriya as a rival, not just a pebble in his path.
2026-08-09 02:22:25
8
View All Answers
Scan code to download App

Related Books

Related Questions

What character development does Bakugo get in My Hero Academia vol 14?

13 Answers2026-08-04 16:14:45
His development is painfully slow, which is why it feels real. Volume 14 isn't where he becomes a good teammate. It's where he starts to understand he needs to be one. The remedial classes are a massive blow to his pride. He's literally separated from the main group because he failed a core aspect of heroism. For someone who defines himself by winning, being labeled a 'failure' in a public test is a unique kind of hell. He doesn't accept it gracefully, but he does accept the re-training. That tiny concession—showing up and participating—is a massive step for him.

How does Midoriya grow as a hero in My Hero Academia vol 4?

12 Answers2026-08-04 01:17:17
The most underrated part of his growth is how he handles Bakugo’s rage. In earlier volumes, he’d just cower or apologize. Here, during their confrontation before the tournament, he stands his ground. Not physically, but he doesn’t back down from his goal. He acknowledges Bakugo’s strength but doesn’t accept his narrative that Midoriya is worthless. He’s internalizing All Might’s belief in him, just a little bit. It’s the first seedling of the rivalry becoming two-way. He’s starting to see himself as someone worthy of being on the same field, which is a massive psychological shift for someone with a decade of bullying in his past.

How does Bakugo develop in My Hero Academia manga vol 8?

10 Answers2026-08-04 19:04:10
It's interesting to compare his development to Todoroki's in the Sports Festival. Todoroki has a breakthrough and starts healing. Bakugo has a breakdown and starts festering. Both are powerful, but Bakugo's path is darker and more internal. Volume 8 is the start of his festering period. He wins the exam but feels like a loser, and that poison sits inside him until the kidnapping forces it out. His development isn't linear progress; it's a painful incubation.

How does Bakugo’s character develop in My Hero Academia vol 7?

11 Answers2026-08-04 10:49:14
It's the end of his innocence, in a weird way. Before, school was a competition with clear rules. The villain attack shatters that illusion. This is the real world, where bad guys don't play fair and your strength can be turned against you. Bakugo's cocky, schoolyard confidence is brutally dismantled. His development is the painful process of building a new, more resilient, and more cynical form of confidence that can survive in the actual hero world. Volume 7 is the bridge between the naive, arrogant student and the hardened, professional hero he will need to become.

How does My Hero Academia book 7 develop Deku and Bakugo?

12 Answers2026-08-04 15:50:19
Deku’s notebook brain fails him in this volume. His usual modus operandi—analyze, plan, execute—goes out the window when Bakugo is in danger. He acts on pure, untempered instinct. That’s a character reveal. It shows what’s at his absolute core, beneath the fanboy and the analyst: a heart that cannot stand to see someone suffer, especially someone he’s emotionally tied to, however badly. That instinct is his greatest strength and his most glaring weakness. The volume doesn’t judge it as purely one or the other; it presents it as a complicating, dangerous fact of who he is.

How does Bakugo’s rivalry with Deku evolve in My Hero Academia book 3?

11 Answers2026-08-04 06:23:08
Honestly, I find Bakugo's side of the rivalry more compelling in book 3. Deku is still largely reactive, trying to prove himself. But Bakugo is having a full-blown existential crisis. His evolution is messy, ugly, and brilliantly written. He doesn't have a heartwarming realization. He doubles down, but his doubling down has a new, sharp focus. He's analyzing Deku, obsessed with his every move. This is where the 'I will win' mantra starts to specifically mean 'I will win against YOU, Deku.' It becomes personal in a way it wasn't before. The entire class is his competition, but Deku is his benchmark, his white whale. That singular focus is the evolution—the rivalry becomes the central organizing principle of his hero training, for better or (mostly) worse.
Explore and read good novels for free
Free access to a vast number of good novels on GoodNovel app. Download the books you like and read anywhere & anytime.
Read books for free on the app
SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP
DMCA.com Protection Status