Adult Deku vs Bakugo Explained

My Hero Academia is a series that loves to utilize parallels in its storytelling. Every panel maintains relevance, questions asked in the beginning of the series will stay pertinent throughout, and you can gauge the development of a character by how their actions and reactions change when reapproaching a similar scenario. One of the most prominent of these recurrences, is Deku vs Bakugo meeting head on in a clash. While there are two official conflicts named in the series (Deku vs Bakugo 1 and 2), there are many key moments where they face each other head-on, even if not in an entirely physical battle. It could even be argued that the first time we actually see Deku and Bakugo face off is in the first scene of episode 1, when a scared Deku tries to prevent Bakugo from bullying someone else.

And as the series progressed, these clashes became more intense, as the two characters were forced to reckon with much more than their physical strength. This all culminates in what is their final “battle” during the dark hero arc, where Bakugo and Class 1-A confront Deku to bring him back home. Now, the series has ended, and Deku and Bakugo’s relationship isn’t as antagonistic as the beginning of the series, which begs the question, what would a clash between adult Deku and Bakugo look like?

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Deku vs Bakugo Part 3

Without One for All, How Does Deku Fare Against Bakugo?

Without their previous animosity, a head-on confrontation like their previous fights would be unlikely. However, in the event that they happen to face off, it is likely to be much different than their other battles. Without that anger, there is most likely only pride on the line.

In previous fights, Deku was not nearly as strong as he was when he last had One for All, versus Bakugo, who had his entire life to adapt to his quirk. But, by Deku vs Bakugo 2, it was clear that Deku was a much better match against Bakugo than the first time. If Deku progressed into adulthood retaining his quirk, he would likely deal with Bakugo much more easily.

But now, with his quirk being replaced by a supersuit, it isn’t quite clear what Deku’s power would actually look like. We do have some things to work off of though:

• All Might’s Suit in the final battle
• Comments about Deku’s new suit

How does All Might’s Suit stack up?

All Might’s suit is supposed to help him withstand All For One, and as we see in the events of the manga, it does last a pretty good amount of time versus arguably the most powerful quirk in the world. On top of its durability, it also has a wide range of quirks that mimic One for All and the students of Class 1-A. Altogether, a user who is confident and competent with quirks would be able to make the most of a suit like that. And luckily, that perfectly describes Deku.

Deku is one of the most knowledgeable people regarding hero quirks that we see in the series, and his adoration and determination would allow him to wield a suit like All Might’s with incredible proficiency. If his was anything like that, the question would just come down to whether Bakugo was close to All for One’s power level. That is a difficult question, and though Bakugo is responsible for finishing him off, it is unclear what a 1 for 1 would have actually looked like.

Another issue would be the cost. While it is said that Deku’s classmates saved up for years in order to help gift him this suit, it is also said that All Might used most of the money gained over his career in order to afford his suit. All Might’s was also built for this one-off battle. Deku’s would ideally be focused on long-term durability.

That being said, Bakugo supposedly contributed a lot, if not most, of the money for the suit, and if his competitive drive is anything to go off of, he would want the best for Deku, so that he could face the best.

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How Would Deku Make the Suit his Own

With Deku’s adoration of All Might often influencing his heroic decisions, it is likely that he would want to wield a suit similar to his when he finally received his own. But, with Deku’s own knowledge of heroes and willingness and desire to innovate even his own use of One for All, it is likely that he would have some interesting options when designing and wielding his own suit.

The difference between a suit and a static quirk, is that with a suit, feasibly it could be anything you wanted it to be. While the students and other quirk users have shown that you can develop your abilities, awaken them, and find new ways to combine and utilize them, there is possibly more that you can do when your quirk options are endless.

Deku likely has a world of quirks to pull from, and in a suit that he gets to continuously improve and redesign on the fly, it’s possible he’ll have a lot more tactical options to deal with Bakugo and what he has gained from a lifetime of watching him.

While Bakugo is powerful and extremely intelligent, with the emotions removed from the previous battles, it is likely that this fight would come down to who has more information and a better plan.

The Actual Final Battle

Deku and Bakugo Have A New Battlefield on Which to Compete

What would be a more likely evolution of the “battle” between Deku and Bakugo, would be how they fare as heroes. With the hero rankings still prevalent, and crime reduced but not depleted, the landscape is different but still familiar for these now-graduated and certified pro-heroes. No longer are their metrics tied to class performance, now they have to prove their heroics on a national and even world stage.

If you had to guess what the next iteration of their battle would be, it would be how Deku and Bakugo could maximize their heroism. Who can prevent the most trouble? Who can rescue the most people? Who is able to do their best to both save and win?

My Hero Academia is available to stream on Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime where available. You can also read the manga on VIZ’s Shonen Jump App.

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