Heroism - a Dialogue
Fighting while in pain, trying to spot the enemy's tells. You already went through this, didn't you? Hey, Izuku ... can I still catch up to you? - Katsuki BakugoI have long since wanted to paint this pair, perhaps because in their exchanges, I see myself talking to ... myself.
A book called "Give and Take" by Adam Grant illustrates the idea that "Givers" help others achieve success, which eventually leads them to their own success. "Takers" put their success above the needs of others. They achieve success as well, but it is not as long-lasting and life-changing as a consistent "Giver". Given these definitions, Izuku is a Giver, and Bakugo a Taker. Early on, this behavior responds accordingly. Izuku sees greater success than Bakugo -- gaining the trust of peers and mentors for his selfless behavior. But it is not as it seems, for the weight of our expectations changes us all.
"If the way you admired him was correct, then does that mean my admiration was wrong?" - Bakugo, during him and Izuku's fight after saving Bakugo from the League of Villains.
Bakugo is talking about All Might, but what neither of them understood then was nobody's admiration was correct. For Izuku, it was heroism at any cost -- self-sacrifice, as illustrated by his decision to take out the 0 point monster in the entry exam to UA. The weight of being the heir of One for All forced a knee to bend, a kind personality trait transformed into an ideal, and the Giver ... gave way. "Izuku" was slowly abandoned for "Deku", in much the same way that Bruce Wayne is the mask. Self-sacrifice does not ask for help from others.
And what of Bakugo's admiration? The Symbol of Peace is a symbol of Power. Heroism is a byproduct of sheer strength used for the right reason. For his entire childhood, Bakugo was lauded as strong. Pride became attached to that strength, and with pride came an immense fear of failure. Perfection was the final response. Bakugo's ambition to be the #1 becomes impure, fueled by an expectation followed by a self-hatred that burns incredibly hot, perhaps almost explosive. It's an isolating, spiraling desperation. Sheer strength does not ask for help from others.
"When my feeling of 'I have to beat you' is stronger than 'I have to save you' ... but the thing is, my mental image of 'victory' ... is you. ... I want to beat you, the incarnation of victory!" - Izuku, to himself during their fight after recovering Bakguo from the League of Villains.
Every time Izuku and Bakugo had an exchange, they chipped away at each other. For Izuku, it was an honest admission that his strength was, in part, for more fallible reasons than the raw pursuit of any heroic ideal. While this impurity was the fuel off which Bakugo's ideal feeds, it was the chink in Deku's armor.
In their pursuit of their ideals, I find parallels in their power and consequently, isolation. Bakugo, despite being surrounded by people that genuinely care for him, emotionally isolates because dependence on them is weakness he cannot afford. Izuku, in the same situation, physically isolates (in the vigilante arc) because dependence on them is a liability he cannot afford. Both put ideal above humanity, and for it they fracture again and again. Because an ideal is pure, it alone justifies itself. An ideal cannot break. But humanity is impure. Humanity does not exist alone. So humanity must break.
I am reminded of something Archer in Fate/Stay Night says:
If all you ever fight for are ideals, then all you will ever save are ideals."...but I mean it Izuku. I'm sorry for everything I did. Every action you take is in the right direction. But you can barely stand now." - Bakugo, when they bring Izuku back during the vigilante arc.
Bakugo was never filled with more self-conflict than when Deku acted. When Deku spoke, Bakugo grew angry. When Deku acted, Bakugo grew to doubt himself. Eventually Deku's righteousness caused Bakugo's self-image to shatter, which was the only way he could be rebuilt. I used "Deku" instead of "Izuku" on purpose in those last few sentences. On the other hand, Izuku latches on to Bakugo's words. He champions "Deku", an insult Bakugo gave him. Yet in this scene, Bakugo does not say "Deku." He says "Izuku", and he says "I'm sorry". "Izuku" because nobody can be a hero before they are a person. "I'm sorry" because Izuku's heroism was perversed by a need to prove Bakugo wrong. "I'm sorry" because it's the most difficult and authentic thing for a man cursed by pride to say. "I'm sorry" because Izuku is sorry as well.
We may not be anything like these two, but we all find fragments of ourselves in each character. Perhaps the paintings exist as a dialogue between the two. "Heavy is the Crown" as Deku acknowledging the isolation and crushing weight of self-expectation that were suffocating Bakugo. "Is This the Strength You Sought?" as Bakugo asking Deku if the Hero is worth the price of the man.