Does Bakugo from Boku No Hero have BPD? (+5 Signs of issues)

This detailed article will explain if Bakugo has BPD. Furthermore, we will be looking at the various signs of mental health issues that Bakugo portrays in the manga series, My Hero Academia.

Does Bakugo from Boku No Hero have BPD?

No, Bakugo does not have BPD. While Katsuki Bakugo definitely portrays a number of signs and symptoms that match with Borderline Personality Disorder, he cannot be diagnosed with this particular PD according to the DSM.

Firstly, Bakugo does not portray all the main diagnostic criteria of Borderline Personality Disorder. Secondly, Bakugo is too young to be classified and diagnosed with this particular set of mental health criteria.

However, Bakugo shows a number of signs that he is suffering from some mental health disorder which has led fans and viewers of the series to assume various diagnoses for him. Some of the mental illnesses or disorders that Bakugo is theorized to have are:

• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Bakugo is a pretty confident and brash character on the outside. As a result of this, this theory of him suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder may be confusing for some.

Bakugo was fortunate enough to get his Quirk at a very young age, and was also praised for having such a powerful Quirk. At the same time, this placed a tremendous amount of pressure on him which could have led to a lot of anxiety.

• Depression: Some fans who have studied the character also feel that Bakugo may be suffering from depression. This is again because of the pressures that he faced as a child due to his powerful Quirk.

However, Bakugo does not portray many symptoms of depression all the time. But, the character certainly goes through various meltdowns in the series which has again led people to assume that he might be suffering from depression.

• Narcissistic Personality Disorder: This is one of the most popular theories when it comes to Bakugo. Bakugo is very arrogant and quite brash, and constantly bullies others like Izuku who has not yet developed his Quirk.

Most of his identity stems from his Quirk, which is Explosion, and he constantly points to this throughout the series. He also expects everyone to lavish attention on him, especially because he was so used to it as a child.

• Reactive Attachment Disorder: Another specific mental health disorder that Bakugo is said to be suffering from is Reactive Attachment Disorder. At the same time, many fans disagree with this theory since it is said that Bakugo actually had a happy childhood.

This theory mainly arose to the fact that Bakugo’s mother can be seen hitting him and blaming him for being kidnapped. This is mostly just his mother disciplining him when he was acting out of line.

• Intermittent Explosive Disorder: Bakugo’s high levels of anger and rage which he demonstrates on others can also be blamed on Intermittent Explosive Disorder. In many situations, Bakugo blows up inappropriately and unnecessarily.

However, Bakugo’s Quirk is Explosion which is actually fueled by his anger. Therefore, in order to be powerful for himself and others, he really needs to get angry. If he does not do so, he might actually experience frequent losses of consciousness.

• Autism: Another alternate diagnosis when it comes to Bakugo is Autism. The reason why many fans stick to this is because Bakugo rarely maintains eye contact while talking to others and is unable to maintain friendships properly.

Bakugo also hates being touched and hugged by others, and can be seen hesitating to get physically close to others. Furthermore, Bakugo finds it hard to process emotions the right way and easily gets angry for anything and everything.

Signs of Bakugo’s mental health issues

Bakugo is one of the strongest characters in the My Hero Academia series with his powerful explosion Quirk. In addition to being very strong, he also shows a number of signs of mental health and emotional struggles.

Bakugo has not exactly been clinically diagnosed when it comes to his mental health in the series. In order to understand his mental status better, the main signs of his struggles with mental health have been discussed in the following section.

He flies into rages all the time

One of the main signs that Bakugo suffers from some deep mental health issues is that he actually flies into rages all the time. Anger and rage actually seem to be the only forms of reaction that Bakugo knows and this becomes his go-to for everything.

This behavior of Bakugo is definitely not a healthy one since it destroys his relationships and toys with his career. At the same time, given Bakugo’s Explosion Quirk, this anger of his can be easily explained.

If Bakugo does not express his rage, his quirk might actually cause physical impairments in him, which may even lead to death. As he expresses his rage, he allows his body’s homeostasis to eventually self-regulate his emotions.

He feels superior to everyone

Another sign that Bakugo is definitely suffering from some mental health issues and emotional struggles is that he actually feels very superior to everyone else. This is mainly due to his self-esteem depending on his Explosion Quirk which is actually quite strong.

However, these feelings of superiority can be seen to be a façade that Bakugo is putting on as a response to his inferiority complex. This is again very covert and subtle and cannot be understood easily.

At the same time, upon a closer look, Bakugo’s entire identity and self-esteem stems from his Quirk. In taking this away from him, Bakugo is not left with anything else. As a result, he is always insecure about this superpower, leading him to compensate with narcissism.

He is prone to destruction

Bakugo can also be seen as very prone to destruction. While this can be again empathized with due to his Explosion Quirk, he actually seems to enjoy it. In fact, during fights, Bakugo’s body language and facial expressions change into an eerie smile.

This has actually led people to theorize that Bakugo might be going through manic phases when he is in the middle of a fight or when he is about to use his Quirk. At the same time, this can also be assumed to be a psychopathic trait.

He shows high levels of perfectionism

Another sign of mental health issues that Bakugo shows in the My Hero Academia series is his high levels of perfectionism. He expects everything and everyone to be perfect around him. But the most amount of pressure is actually placed on himself.

He also admits that he goes to sleep and wakes up at the exact same time every single day, including weekends. This perfectionism can again be seen as a cover-up for his insecurity about being over-dependent on his Quirk for his identity.

He puts a lot of pressure on himself

Bakugo definitely places a lot of pressure on himself and this brings more pain. The problem with Bakugo is that instead of really trying to improve on his Quirk and learn more about it, he decides to act condescending towards others.

This is basically a maladaptive behavior that Bakugo has learnt. This tendency to place an enormous amount of pressure on himself can also be mainly blamed on the high levels of praise that Bakugo received as a child, all due to his Explosion Quirk.

Conclusion

This detailed article has explained if Bakugo has BPD. Furthermore, we have looked at the various signs of mental health issues that Bakugo portrays in the manga series, My Hero Academia.

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