Over the years, My Hero Academia has introduced us to quite a lot of powerful and brilliantly written Heroes, and one who stood above them all was All Might. Sadly, All Might’s era came to an end when he finally lost his powers while taking on All for One. After All Might, the Hero Society was weaker than ever before, but at the end of the Final War arc of My Hero Academia, a new era began, and another generation of Heroes officially took over.
In this generation, there are quite a lot of powerful Heroes who have achieved tremendous levels of strength, and among them are Izuku Midoriya, also known by the Hero Name of Deku, and Bakugo Katsuki. Together, these two form the strongest new hero duo of My Hero Academia that is poised to keep any villain at bay.
My Hero Academia Confirms Deku And Bakugo As No. 4 & 5 Heroes Respectively
At the end of My Hero Academia, a new era had officially begun, and in this era, All Might or Endeavor were no longer active as Pro Heroes. At the same time, Izuku Midoriya was revealed to have lost his Quirk while the others were recuperating. Following the 8-year time skip, at the end of the series, a new era had begun, and all the students that we once knew from U.A. Class 1-A had now become Pro Heroes, achieving great things in the process. In this era of peace, where villains no longer posed a threat as big as All for One, Heroes officially started dominating.
It was officially confirmed by Kohei Horikoshi in the extra one-shot, titled “More,” that Mirio Togata had claimed the position of Top 1 Hero in Japan, while Shoto Todoroki was behind him in the Number 2 spot. Bakugo was initially unveiled to be the Number 4 Hero but dropped down to Number 15 due to his bad attitude. However, things shifted drastically when Izuku Midoriya was given his hero armor at the end of Chapter 430, which was released on August 4, 2024. With Izuku having been given this powerful armor, he started shooting up the Hero Ranks immediately.
“The Number 4 Hero, Deku, rocketed up the Hero Charts with unprecedented hype! Feeling inspired, huh? The Great Explosive Murder God Dynamite is making an impressive leap to No. 5.” — Kohei Horikoshi confirms Deku and Bakugo’s Hero Rank in MHA Ultra Age Fan Book
It was previously stated that Deku was still in the Top 100 despite not having his Quirk, and following his acquisition of the Hero Armor, he started going up the Hero ranks rather quickly. In the My Hero Academia one-shot by Kohei Horikoshi focusing on Eri, which was officially released on May 1, 2025, along with The My Hero Ultra Age Fan Book, it was confirmed to us that Izuku Midoriya was now the Number 4 Hero, with Bakugo Katsuki rising to Number 5 alongside him. These two are finally competing with each other again, and at the same time, they also team up on various occasions to curb the threat of any villains. Together, they form the official strongest team-up in the entirety of My Hero Academia.
Why Deku and Bakugo Form The Deadliest Hero Duo
The reason why Deku and Bakugo form the strongest duo in My Hero Academia is simply down to the power they hold, as well as the relationship they share with one another. Izuku and Bakugo have been friends ever since they were kids, and this bond has only grown over the years, with Bakugo showing great character development and Izuku showing the same level of care to him that he always did. As far as their strength is concerned, both have leveled up greatly. Bakugo underwent a Quirk Reawakening in the Final War arc, where he even fought against All For One and was able to overwhelm him, despite having suffered a life-threatening injury just moments earlier. 8 years later, Bakugo is now in his prime and stands as one of the strongest Heroes to have ever existed.
“I feel cold, my body won’t even move. I’m about to hit the ground. I can’t even talk. He’s at death’s door. It’ll be okay. He’ll disappear soon. But no, my victory needs to be perfect!” — Bakugo shows his power by defeating All For One, My Hero Academia Chapter #410
Deku was weakened tremendously after losing the power of One For All. However, the Hero Armor he received 8 years after the conclusion of the Final War arc was officially confirmed to replicate the powers of One for All. The fact that he is currently the No. 4 Hero, above Bakugo, suggests that he possesses comparable strength. When taken into consideration with the fact that technology has come far over these 8 years, it implies that he is still worthy of being the Number 1 in Japan. Together, their power is unstoppable, and no matter which villain is up against them, they will come out victorious in the battle. If anything, Deku and Bakugo are likely stronger than ever before in My Hero Academia, and we can’t wait to catch a glimpse of them at their peaks.
Question: How does the armor that Deku received from Class A function?
Horikoshi: It tries to mimic various OFA abilities; for example, it has cable extensions that function like his ability, Black Whip. It also serves as a prototype where he can try to combine various abilities.
— Horikoshi confirms Deku’s new power
Next My Hero Academia Release Could Showcase Bakugo And Deku In Combat
As far as My Hero Academia’s anime series is concerned, it has an upcoming release lined up for August 3, 2026. This new release will adapt the one-shot chapter by Kohei Horikoshi focused on Eri and will be titled “I Am A Hero Too.” It will also showcase Izuku Midoriya’s new Hero ranking as well as new armor, alongside Bakugo Katsuki’s ascension to the position of No. 5 Hero. Other than this OVA, My Hero Academia is not receiving any more content from Kohei Horikoshi. That said, the conclusion of the series is very open-ended, and it is highly likely that Horikoshi will return to it someday.
It is also possible that Studio Bones is planning on expanding upon the ending by doing a movie with the help of Kohei Horikoshi. In the past, Horikoshi has worked together with Studio Bones to create some My Hero Academia movies, so this would not be out of the realm of possibilities. If that were to happen, we would finally get a proper look at the powers of Deku and Bakugo and potentially even see them work together against a greater threat. For now, no confirmation on any project exists, but it must be kept in mind that My Hero Academia still has some big secrets that were teased earlier this year. Jump Festa 2027, which is set to be held on December 19 and 20 later this year, is going to reveal a lot of new information about what’s planned next for the franchise.
All chapters of My Hero Academia by Kohei Horikoshi are available to read via Manga Plus and Viz Media.
