Todoroki is when parents push their own unfulfilled dreams onto a kid

Bakugou is when adults push the “gifted kid syndrome” onto a kid

Deku is when adults push a kid to give up because they simply don’t believe in him without even giving a chance

My theory is so many of y’all hate Bakugou because you see too much self resemblance in him. While people with stories like Todoroki and Deku do exist, it’s less common for our generation compared to Bakugou’s story+

Also Todoroki and Deku’s backstory types are always looked at with sympathy. People feel bad for them.

As opposed to Bakugou’s backstory where people will be like “well it’s his own fault his pride for that high” or “well he at least got one good thing thing out of it: praise” +

You guys feel sympathy for Todoroki and deku bc you see their childhoods as riddled with nothing but hardship, and Bakugou’s childhood as great and full of praise and kindness. When that’s not the actual case.+

You’re neglecting how throughout his childhood Bakugou has always been praised for his quirk, but not once his hardwork. Only once he got to UA have his skills been recognized aside from his quirk. +

Gifted kid syndrome leads to people creating high expectations of themself that leads to blaming oneself if they do not accomplish these expectations. This can result down two routes… +

The first route is people get so frustrated that they get dejected from the frustration of not meeting their own high standards. This is the one everyone talks about and everyone knows so well and easily sympathizes with. But Bakugou goes the other route. +

The other route is when you start to not give a shit what anyone else says, praise or not. Why? You grew up ur whole life being told ur amazing only to grow older & not live up to these high standards you’ve set yourself.

This is where Bakugou went w/ his gifted kid syndrome. +

Y’all demonize this and see Bakugou as too prideful to listen to what others have to say. That isn’t it.

He just feels no satisfaction unless he himself feels he’s met the expectations he has set himself bc what does it matter if others say he’s good?+

He’s been in told he’s amazing his whole life. He’s been told his quirk is amazing his whole life. He’s been told he’s brilliant his whole life.

But who actually acknowledges the hours&hours of hard work he puts in? Only him.

So why would he give a fuck about external praise? +

What is the point of praise, if you yourself don’t feel worthy of it?

It’s not that Bakugou is too prideful to listen to what others have to say; it’s that he doesn’t want it bc he doesn’t feel deserving of it.+

Bakugou presents the gifted kid syndrome in a way that’s different than what most people do. And y’all don’t like him because of that.

He drives himself into the ground with his high expectations and working so extremely hard to meet those expectations.+

Bakugou’s frustrations present as anger, rather than sadness like Todoroki and Deku’s and that’s why y’all don’t like him. Because y’all refuse to acknowledge anger isn’t automatically equal to bad. Anger isn’t automatically a bad emotion.+

Bakugou is a complex character with an unfortunate backstory.

But rather than come out of that backstory with sadness and slowly working towards their own dream like others do, he came out of that with anger, spite, and a fire to achieve beyond what others can imagine.

Y’all don’t like Bakugou because he

1. Reflects too much of your inner self that you don’t wanna see
2. Shows you what could’ve been you and that scares you
And/or
3. You don’t wanna sympathize w/ someone that doesn’t fit the ‘sad soft boy that gradually gets stronger’ trope

Last tweet in thread but:

Please note, I’m not saying you have to like Bakugou. I can acknowledge a lot of reasons why someone wouldn’t like Bakugou that are valid. But a lot of the hate he gets is unwarranted and due to mischaracterizations people create for him themselves.