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the thing is, Izuku and Bakugou had an absolutely terrible relationship. this was the whole reason they were grouped together in the second exam.
until recently, they couldn’t even be alone together without something bad happening. and a major point of conflict in their relationship is that many of their issues stem from each other.
Bakugou has a lot of self doubt and self confidence issues that stem from Izuku. since they were kids, he’s been scared. he’s scared because he thought Izuku, despite being quirkless and weak, might actually… be hiding something. some potential. despite the fact that there’s no way he could’ve, but the idea itself scared him.
he thought that Izuku looked down on him. Bakugou was always told how amazing he was, but here’s this quirkless, weak kid, trying to offer him help, as if he was weak, as if he needed it…. it seriously fucked with Bakugou’s self-confidence, and it fuled his inferiority complex.
he was always the strong one. always the talented one. always the amazing one.
and that’s why he began bullying Izuku. but no matter how hard he pushed or shoved or yelled, Izuku would always get right back up and follow him around.
and Izuku had absolutely no idea that Bakugou felt this way. he had no idea that Bakugou feared him, or thought Izuku was looking down on him. neither made an effort to talk it out. Bakugou never told Izuku about this, and Izuku didn’t know, and never bothered to ask why, exactly, his former friend decided to start bullying him.
yeah, Bakugou h as always been a little rough around the edges. but after that moment where Izuku offered his hand, Bakugou’s attitude became terrible towards him.
and Izuku. Izuku looks up to Bakugou a lot, because Bakugou never gives up. but Bakugou did hurt and bully and abuse him for years, and it’s caused a lot of problems in his own self confidence.
whenever he has to work with Bakugou, everything Izuku feels negative about in reference to himself bubbles back up, and he becomes nervous and insecure and frustrated. this is a far cry from the more confident Izuku who’s slowly maturing and growing in strength, in both mind and body, that we’ve seen more of as the series goes on.
all of these issues came about because they had complete fundamental misunderstandings of each other. neither bothered to sit down and talk, and this went on for a full 10+ years, and it was seriously detrimental to the both of them.
so i think that, when the characters say that they want Izuku and Bakugou to be friends, they mean more that they just want Izuku and Bakugou to have a better overall relationship. both characters would be much, much better off mentally and emotionally if they had a better relationship, especially since every bad thing in their relationship was a result of misunderstandings.
they could honestly have a good–maybe not a friendship, but a good relationship–if their history wasn’t so clouded with misunderstandings and the resulting conflict.
again, they don’t necessarily need to be friends, but so many of their personal issues come directly from their negative relationship. so much of their problems stem from the fact that they’ve misunderstood each other for over a decade, and have made no attempts to fix it, or sit down and clear the air.
and no one in their life ever tried to help them, either.
their homeroom teacher is still in that classroom, and yet he allowed this blatant bullying to occur, right in front of him. even the adults in their lives turned a blind eye to what was happening. no one ever stopped to think that this wasn’t right, this shouldn’t be happening, i need to stop this.
all of Bakugou’s friends and peers encouraged his horrible actions towards Izuku, and no one ever defended Izuku. no one ever tried to be the middle-man or tried to help.
no one bothered to think about what was wrong with this picture, or what they could do to fix it.
this is probably the first time in either character’s lives that someone actually intervened and stopped Bakugou from bullying or hurting Izuku.
UA is the first time they’ve ever been in neutral territory. and while their relationship there isn’t as bad as it was before, people who’ve never met them until now are able to see exactly what kind of relationship they had. people who aren’t picking sides, who can see both sides of the conflict, who can see exactly what this is doing to the both of them, and realize that it isn’t good.
please note: what Bakugou did to Izuku is horrible, and Izuku absolutely did not deserve it. Bakugou needs to apologize to Izuku for all those years of bulling and abuse.
but they both have issues that come from their horrible relationship, and they would be so much better off if they had just talked it through and fixed it. which means, Bakugou would be in a much healthier place mentally and emotionally, and given time, he’ll finally be able to own up to what he did apologize of his own accord.
and honestly, Bakugou is no where near ready to apologize for his actions, because he has so many issues that he needs to work through. he’s got an inferiority complex, superiority complex, guilt, and so many other conflicting emotions.
but now that they’re finally working through them, Bakugou is finally on that path to reevaluating his actions and apologizing for what he did. it’ll take a long, long time, probably the entire length of the manga because things like this don’t just happen over night, but it’s a start.
a start that would never have happened near the beginning of the series.
look at the staggering difference there.
in the first panel, Bakugou is telling Izuku that he’s so worthless that he should just die and do the world some good.
in the second, he’s telling Izuku that he’s All Might’s successor, he can’t be losing, not even to Bakugou. he needs to get stronger and live up to the legacy All Might has laid out before them.
he’s supporting Izuku in his own way, and it’s thanks to the fact that there are now people in these kid’s lives who are seeing how messed up their relationship is. their teachers, their mentors, and their friends; they’re seeing it, and they’re all trying to actively fix it, because they know that it’s not healthy for either Izuku or Bakugou.
Uraraka: It’s like… you’re intimidating him because you’re scared and you want him to go away from you.
Uraraka: Since you’re childhood friends, and you’re in the same class, you should start being friends again.
people are finally NOTICING how detrimental this relationship is for them.
people are finally noticing, and trying to take action, and trying to help them. having this kind of relationship is only holding them back from their full potential, and it’s only causing them problems and suffering.
there is literally nothing to be gained and everything to lose with the relationship they had before.
one of the major points in the series is that adult characters need to be more responsible in how they care for and mentor the children in their lives, especially in reference to their mental health. they’re all only kids, and many of the problems in Izuku and Bakugou’s lives comes from the lack of responsible adult guidance. the lack of someone older and wiser being there to steer them in the right direction.
clearly, no one, adult or otherwise, bothered to help Izuku or Bakugou before UA.
but since they’ve been going to UA, they’ve been introduced to good people; teachers and friends and fellow students who can see their relationship for what it is and who want to help because they care, and because it’s the right thing to do, and because it’s better for them.
they don’t have to be friends. but the relationship they had for most of their lives was horrible, and it affected them both badly. by repairing Izuku and Bakugou’s relationship, they’ll be able to live healthier, more fulfilling lives without that weight holding them down anymore. they’ll be able to move on, and be happier, and won’t have to spend anymore time and energy focusing on such a negative relationship anymore.
“Unlike before, the two of them have become like proper rivals.”
and now, since they had their talk… since they finally bared their feelings, they’ll finally be able to have to have an better overall relationship.
finally, they’ll be able to build each other up, instead of tearing each other down, intentionally or otherwise.
they’re two halves of the same coin in regards to heroism; protecting and winning, winning and protecting. they can accomplish more together by having a positive relationship than they would otherwise. together, they’d accomplish more than if they continued as they were, fragmented and conflicted.
they’ll both grow up to become incredible heroes, who both win and protect. and they’ll do it without wasting time on conflict with each other.
they don’t need to be friends. hell, it’ll be a long time before their relationship is totally healthy. but for both of them, for Izuku and Bakugou, repairing their relationship will be the first step in becoming happier and healthier individuals, and i believe that’s the reason why so many people want them to be friends again.
they don’t need to be friends. i’m not even sure that they could ever be friends, with their history. but in the long run, repairing their relationship and clearing up misunderstandings will be beneficial for the both of them, and they’ll truly become forces to be reckoned with.
there’s ten years of abuse and bullying from Bakugou to Izuku, and i can’t see it ever becoming a healthy relationship in the long run, even if they do resolve their issues. that’s a lot of history, over half of their lives, and a lot of bad blood.
i can see them maybe becoming tentative friends in the future, only after they’ve resolved their issues with each other and Bakugou has sincerely apologized for everything he did to Izuku. but most of their personal issues stem from a misunderstanding of each other.
Izuku’s self confidence was was severely beaten down by Bakugou, and Bakugou’s inferiority complex has been fueled for 10 years by his misunderstanding and fear of Izuku’s intentions.
i just can’t see those lingering feelings ever fully disappearing, and i imagine being in a relationship would only bring those feelings back to the surface.
they’ve never been very good at communicating with each other (it took 10 years before they tried talking, and only because Bakugou was going through an emotional breakdown from his guilt over All Might retiring), and were barely friends as kids, when their relationship was arguably at it’s best. (and even back then, most of what Bakugou did was insult Izuku and show him up for fun. tho it only turned hostile after the incident where Izuku tried to help him)
they can push each other into becoming better heroes and people. Izuku admires Bakugou’s determination and that inspires him, and Bakugou refuses to lose or be left behind by Izuku. Izuku can learn more about winning from Bakugou, and Bakugou can learn more about saving people from Izuku. they’ve finally talked and resolved some of their issues, and have become proper rivals.
but that doesn’t mean their relationship is completely fine now.
plus, neither character has ever particularly liked the other very much. Izuku does admire Bakugou, but he feels a deep sense of antipathy towards him for everything Bakugou’s done to him (which, considering everything, is a very understandable response). Izuku is willing to put aside differences and work with him for the greater good, however. Izuku likes to avoid conflict unless he feels it’s necessary.
Izuku might have some lingering feelings of friendship from back when they were very, very young, but i think they’d be nostalgic, fleeting, and confusing at best. Bakugou never told Izuku why he started bullying him until 10 years later, after all, and that must’ve really confused Izuku.
most of the time tho he actively tries to avoid Bakugou unless the situation forces otherwise.
Bakugou, on the other hand, has never once shown anything but disdain for Izuku. the nicest he ever was was when they were kids, when Bakugou thoughtlessly and harshly mocked Izuku. (which is something that kids who aren’t taught better often tend to do. as in, they tend to say mean and thoughtless things without thinking about how their words affect others. Bakugou never learned how his actions affect others until UA.)
their relationship is getting better, slowly but surely, but i just can’t see them ever having a healthy romantic relationship. i can see them barely having a healthy friendship, and only after certain conditions are made (talking out their issues more and a heartfelt apology from Bakugou).
you can’t just erase 10 years of emotional and physical abuse and conditioning.
Stressed, Depressed, and Story Obsessed 
