The final chapter of the TV anime series " My Hero Academia ," based on the manga by Kohei Horikoshi that was serialized in "Weekly Shonen Jump" (Shueisha), is currently airing on Yomiuri TV and Nippon TV every Saturday at 5:30 PM. Episode 162, "Last Boss!!," aired on October 18th, and the Katsuki Bakugo saw Bakugo Katsuki, who had been defeated by Tomura Shigaraki and suffered cardiac arrest in the previous season's seventh season, revive and save All Might from a difficult situation, creating a buzz. We spoke to voice actor Nobuhiko Okamoto , who has played Katsuki Bakugo since the first season of the TV anime began airing in 2016, about his thoughts on the "final season" and what it was like behind the scenes during the recording.
◇ "A very gory scene" from the previous series
In the "FINAL SEASON," the story of the hero and villain that has been told over the course of about nine years finally reaches its climax. Okamoto says he has "mixed feelings" about having reached this point.
"Looking back, I have a strong impression that it all went by so quickly. When the anime began in 2016, the producer said, 'I want this to be content that will continue for 10 years,' and I thought, '10 years?!' But it seems like that much time has already passed. I feel that it's because I've worked so hard on the series and the characters that it feels like just a moment. As a 'My Hero Academia' fan, I'm quite sad that it's the FINAL, and while I feel like 'I don't want it to end,' I also have complicated feelings like 'I want to see it through to the end.' I think all of us actors have these kinds of contradictory emotions."
In the previous series, season 7, a shocking turn of events occurred in which Bakugo was defeated by Shigaraki and his heart stopped.
"Bakugo's pride is constantly being torn to shreds. All Might called him his 'hardened self-esteem', but that is constantly being destroyed. In season 7, he finally gains confidence by fighting together with everyone, but in the end it's not enough, he can't reach it and is defeated by Shigaraki, and I thought that was a very shocking and painful development while I was acting."
Although Bakugo is defeated by Shigaraki, there is a scene that shows a glimpse of his awakening before that. Bakugo, completely wounded, has a memorable monologue: "Hey, Izuku, I wonder if I can still catch up to you?" Okamoto describes the scene as "a very gruesome scene."
"Bakugo thought he was above Izuku, but somewhere along the way he felt they were on the same level. I thought it was quite impressive that such a person, when confronted by Shigaraki once again, was able to express in a monologue that Izuku had actually already gotten ahead of him."
◇Resurrected Bakugo I wanted to scream, but...
In episode 162, "Last Boss!!," Bakugo uses Edge Shot, his "quirk" that allows him to stretch his body into thin, stretchy paper limbs, to stay alive and save All Might, who is in a desperate situation during his battle with All For One. Bakugo, now revived, goes on to fight All For One. What were Okamoto's thoughts as he approached the recording?
"The recording was difficult. The acting after I stood up was extremely difficult, and personally I wanted to scream quite a bit. I wanted to act like I was fully recovered. However, with blood pooling in my lungs, my body in tatters, and my tendons and bones barely holding on with Edge Shot, the direction said that it should be difficult for me to even speak, and I thought, 'That's certainly true.' I regretted trying to lie too much. So, rather than shouting energetically like before, I think my voice sounds more like I'm fighting desperately and choked up."
It's also striking that the monologue in season 7, which was "I wonder if I can catch up," has changed to "Now, I feel like I can overtake him."
"'I feel like I can overtake you' isn't a lively expression, it's more like something that slips out unintentionally in the middle of a fight. I wanted to convey a bit of strength, but when your body is in tatters, there are bound to be some parts that you just can't fully express."
With Bakugou's revival, the battles shifted to Deku vs. Shigaraki and Bakugou vs. All For One, with Deku and Bakugou each facing their strongest foes. Okamoto commented on this development, "I thought Horikoshi-sensei was an absolute genius!"
"I had always wondered if Deku and Bakugo would fight together. So I thought it would be one against two, but I was surprised when it became two against two. But it made sense, and if you think of Shigaraki as a hardworking person born from among the enemy (villains), I think his circumstances are somewhat similar to Deku's. I think it's incredibly emotional to see these two, who could have been completely different depending on whether they met All Might or All For One, fight at the end. Bakugo felt that he had ended All Might as the No. 1 hero, but he was able to rescue All Might before he was cut in half. I think it was quite cathartic."
Despite being completely injured, Bakugo challenges All For One as if to get revenge for his past defeats. We once again asked Okamoto about Bakugo's appeal.
"From the very beginning, Bakugo has been saying strong words like 'Damn you!' and 'Die!' and I think there must be a meaning behind it. By saying those things to others, it feels like he's raising the bar for himself, or that he's constantly fighting. Like a stoic person with a bad way of speaking. Everyone in Class A is stoic, but I imagine Deku and Bakugo as being especially insanely stoic. I think the reason for that is probably because All Might is like that. I think it's because they're the two who have inherited All Might's teachings, will, and direction."
