Katsuki Bakugo

Katsuki is a tall, slim, muscular young man with spiky sandy‑blond hair and sharp red eyes often fixed in anger.

At Aldera Junior High, he wore a black gakuran with yellow buttons and brown loafers. At U.A., he skipped the red tie, left some shirt buttons undone, and wore loose pants. After the Paranormal Liberation War, he started wearing the uniform neatly, including the tie.

His hero costume: a black sleeveless tank top with an orange “X”, neck brace, black sleeves with orange tips, green‑and‑orange grenade belt, baggy pants with green garters, metallic knee guards, black combat boots with orange soles, and a jagged black mask with orange‑rimmed flares.

During his internship with Best Jeanist, his hair was styled in a side part. He lost the mask and Grenadier Bracers, swapping baggy pants for blue jeans.

In winter, he wears a high‑collar jacket with the orange “X” to support his Quirk. For Mission: Humarise, he got a stealth suit — neoprene black with orange “X”, soles and gloves; metal kneepads; neck brace with two holes per side; Grenadier Bracers shaped like flashbang grenades; silver “WHA” shoulder plates.

After the Paranormal Liberation War, Katsuki has scars near his left shoulder and lower stomach. By the Final War, he favours the winter costume with a segmented neck brace and grenades. His Strafe Panzer (six‑barreled and shoulder‑pad cannons) is destroyed in battle. He suffers a crushed right arm, facial scars, and a heart‑rupture scar healed by Edgeshot. All Might’s gear splints his arm.

Post‑battle, he adds a long black sleeve to support his damaged arm and later rehabilitates it.

Eight years later, Katsuki is taller and more muscular. His costume keeps the core design: the orange “X” extends over shoulders and ends in a “Y” on the back; straps are orange; Grenadier Bracers streamlined (like smoke grenades); he wears two red braids like lit fuses. He occasionally wears his mask without the flares.

Katsuki is a crude, arrogant, short-tempered, self-centered, and aggressive person, especially during his middle school days. Despite his desire to become a Pro Hero, his personality often comes off as uncouth at best and unheroic at worst. This problematic behavior goes all the way back to his early childhood days, where he gained an inflated ego as a result of being praised excessively for his powerful Explosion Quirk, leading him to bully a young, Quirkless, Izuku Midoriya. He was extremely arrogant and condescending to those around him, often bragging of his Explosion's power, and even boasting that he would take on his entire class. He frequently showed hostility towards Izuku, mainly because of his former Quirkless status, and would constantly put down his dream of becoming a Hero due to him lacking a Quirk, and also gave him the insulting nickname "Deku" (meaning useless and unable to achieve anything). He even threatened Izuku not to apply to U.A. High School and became angry when both of them passed the Entrance Exam, wanting to be the only person from his middle school to make it there; showing that he has no qualms over hurting other people to get what he wants and is, by his own admission, a perfectionist. He further demonstrated himself to be cruel and merciless, obsessed with showing off his power by harming Villains even if they are immobilized.

However, after being accepted into U.A. and experiencing several personal defeats, one of them even coming from Izuku, Katsuki has gradually changed into a less antagonistic person, albeit still retaining a lot of his unpleasant traits. While often portrayed negatively, Katsuki's fierce character and competitive drive have actually granted him an important role among Class 1-A, as a sort of inspirational mood-maker.

Determined and thirsty for victory, Katsuki smiles eerily when in the middle of a battle. He is incredibly focused on achieving his own authentic victories and has learned to never underestimate his opponents. Katsuki is not only very athletic and talented at fighting, but also very intelligent and extremely perceptive, capable of strategic planning and improvisation. Moreover, Katsuki's grades are among the highest of his class and he already knew how to read perfectly by the age of four, evidence that he treats studying seriously. Katsuki also possesses surprising talent in other areas, such as cooking and music, even though he doesn't show a particular interest in them. Overall, he is considered a natural-born genius with the potential to be one of the best Pro Heroes around.

While a rather volatile hero-in-training who reacts and snaps more than thinking, Katsuki is smart enough to discern who his enemies and allies are. He is not particularly nice or open with people who are on his side, or anyone else for that matter, but will act less unfriendly and sometimes even kind to those that manage to earn his respect. Because of his attitude and vulgar language, Katsuki's U.A. classmates often react negatively to him, although they have come to appreciate his skills and warm up to his personality. Katsuki matures slowly through his time at U.A., coming to befriend some of his classmates and willingly engaging in social interaction with them, though remaining solitary for the most part.

Like he does with Izuku, Katsuki has a habit of bestowing insulting nicknames upon others, such as calling Tenya Ida "Four Eyes" because of his glasses, Denki Kaminari "Dunce-Face" because of how his Electrification Quirk dulls his thinking, Shoto Todoroki "Half and Half" or "Icy-Hot" because of his dual Quirk and appearance, and so on. He also refers to people he doesn't know as "extras", treating them as little more than fodder or stepping stones to his victory until he faces them head-on. Despite this, he can address others properly when it matters, such as when he's serious or in the heat of battle.

Katsuki tends to disregard the notion that Quirks shouldn't be used in public and will activate his Quirk for a number of reasons, such as to intimidate someone, to punctuate a point, out of frustration, or even if he just feels like showing off. Namely, he repeatedly used it to bully and intimidate Izuku growing up, and revelled in the fear the Quirkless boy showed him. Overall, Katsuki doesn't seem to care very much about what others think of him, barely containing himself from violent behavior (although he avoids other typical delinquent practices like underage smoking). Katsuki values honesty highly and never lies to the point his brash candor is seen by some as rude and insensitive. He is never afraid of speaking his mind and will notice when people are not being truthful to him. This shows that, despite his anti-social habits, Katsuki is an excellent judge of character, making it hard to deceive him.

Due to the constant praise of his abilities and powerful Quirk, Katsuki has developed a superiority complex, and because of that, he desires to be the first and best at everything. As pointed out by many people, Katsuki loves to win above all else and cannot stand it when he doesn't, leading him to lose his already short temper or, less often, sulk. He is fiercely competitive and will never settle for less than the number one spot, having a compulsive need to always strive for victory and also prove people who doubt him wrong. However, Katsuki also values hard work and fair play, to the point of refusing to acknowledge a winning result if he feels that his victory was not earned by actual merit. Along with that, he detests being pitied or looked down on by others, and will hold contempt towards those that don't take him seriously, while recognizing the effort of those that manage to put up a challenge against him, like, for example, Ochaco Uraraka and Eijiro Kirishima. However, this does not apply to Izuku due to his long-held belief that he should be inferior to him, with Izuku's success instead making him angry and feeling inferior, which he perceived as Izuku mocking him. His ultimate goal is to be the number one hero and hates any indication that he isn't strong enough, or anyone that can rival him, such as Shoto.

Because of his Quirk and talents, Katsuki is very confident and brave to where he is willing to go against anyone who challenges him. He never backs down from a fight and will go out when facing such a powerful opponent. From taking on several villains at the Unforeseen Simulation Joint, Katsuki knows when dealing with someone that is out of his league, as he let All Might face off against Nomu. During the First Term Final Exam, Katsuki wasn't afraid to go up against All Might, even though he knew he had a low chance of taking him down head on.

Katsuki is immensely prideful and prefers to act alone, as he hates the idea of being protected or having to rely on other people to assist him (which he takes as him being weak, causing him in turn to lash out) unless, in the latter's case, he is recognized as the unquestionable leading figure within a team. At the start of his time at U.A., Katsuki's cooperativeness was nothing short of atrocious, often ignoring his partners' ideas and suggestions for his own very direct approaches. His teamwork skills gradually improves, even if Katsuki keeps coming off as condescending through his usual tone. However, it's clear he now acknowledges their importance, protecting them from harm while expecting them to do the same for him in return. As a leader, Katsuki is a merciless perfectionist, and will only become satisfied with complete, indisputable victories.

Katsuki often has difficulty accepting his mistakes and learning from his shortcomings, and will fiercely deny them whenever they are pointed out by others, regardless of who does it. That doesn't mean, however, that Katsuki doesn't listen to advice, having come to realize his faults and how to somewhat improve on them thanks to the words and actions of other people like All Might and Best Jeanist, but he will never outright admit due to his pride. He prefers to self-reflect in silence and solitude, becoming a bit more brooding during those periods. Katsuki's unchecked pride and aggression has cost him victories on numerous occasions, like the Battle Trial or the Provisional Hero License Exam, and it tends to worsen whenever Izuku is involved. Both characters share a sensitive history with each other, with Katsuki, in particular, being unable to completely overcome his issues with Izuku, although this has not stopped them from working together many times.

Katsuki has a more vulnerable side, having been led to tears due to damaged pride a few times. After the Battle Trial, Katsuki admitted that when he saw Shoto Todoroki's power and Izuku's ability to outsmart him, he couldn't beat him head on and called out how Momo Yaoyorozu was right about how reckless he was during his fight with Izuku. Katsuki has also shown moments of fear and guilt, the latter due to viewing himself and his own weakness as the cause of All Might losing his remaining power and retiring as a hero. Still, due to years of misunderstandings, tension, and pride, Katsuki has difficulty doing the same thing towards Izuku.

By the time of the Remedial Course, Katsuki had started to mature a little to the point that he was able to advise a kid who acted similarly to him, stating that if he continued to look down on others, he would not realize his own mistakes. Despite this growth, he has certain personality traits that he doesn't immediately get over, like joining the Class 1-A band during the U.A. School Festival under the pretense of "beating the other classes through music", or calling his classmates in the Joint Training Battle "underlings". While far less smug than he used to be, his high opinion of himself has remained intact and he can still be partial to boasting whenever he does well or exceeds someone, especially Izuku.

Katsuki also has an honorable side to him. Though he insisted that Izuku was unhelpful in trying to save him from the Sludge Villain, he did stop bullying him for the ten months afterward, only resuming after they both got into U.A. out of anger for "ruining (his) perfect backstory". While he didn't believe about Izuku's Quirk belonging to someone else as well as falsely assuming that Izuku had been hiding it from him the entire time, when he learned of All For One and his Quirk, he started to believe Izuku's words and pieced it together after seeing All Might's true form, confronting the former about his assumption. After All Might confirmed his deduction, Katsuki vowed to keep One For All a secret, being one of the initial few people to know about the true power of the Quirk. Furthermore, when Katsuki realized the true reasons he bullied Izuku, he was remorseful enough to attempt to atone for it by helping him master One For All.

While his inspiration for becoming a hero was the same as Izuku's, the Symbol of Peace, All Might, their beliefs differ: Katsuki feels a hero should never stop fighting or give up, regardless of the threat they face, and that always winning is the mark of a true hero. Furthermore, various heroes, civilians, and even villains have commented on his arrogance and conceit. However, Katsuki is unwavering in his aspirations of heroism, having outright refused Tomura Shigaraki's proposal for him to join the League of Villains because he views the villains as people who lose and not win like heroes.

It is later revealed that Katsuki decided to help Izuku train One For All to atone for his actions of not helping. During Katsuki's discussion with All Might about his connections to Izuku, Katsuki admitted that he bullied Izuku as an outlet for his own insecurities and how he couldn't understand why Izuku would put others before himself. In truth, Katsuki really cares for Izuku despite how he acts, and wishes for him to continue improving his strength and Quirks, unlike before where he ridiculed Izuku's efforts and told him how he wouldn't amount to anything. His caring and protective side is further proven when he heard that Tomura was targeting One For All, immediately realizing that the villain leader would be going after Izuku and made attempts to keep Tomura away from him.

After Izuku left U.A. in order to face All For One alone, as well as to protect his friends and family from danger, Katsuki, along with his classmates, departed from the school in order to bring him back. Following a battle to get Izuku to come to his senses, Katsuki genuinely apologizes to the former for his actions and even calls Izuku by his first name, displaying his regret over trying to usurp Izuku's strengths by putting him down and for bullying him in the past. This proves that Katsuki is repentant over his own faults, with him finally being able to face his feelings and the past in order to atone for how he was. Despite this, upon returning to U.A., he makes it clear that his goal of becoming the strongest hero hasn't changed and that Izuku along with the rest of his classmates are still his rivals.

Following the Final War, Katsuki accepts his injuries and shows his willingness to go ahead with rehabilitation, not wishing to have his broken right arm amputated and limit his Quirk. However, Katsuki becomes truly shocked and saddened upon learning that Izuku has been rendered Quirkless after his final battle against Tomura, recalling how he once bullied Izuku and his growth during their time at U.A. High School. This news was enough to reduce Katsuki to tears, with him confessing that he thought he would be competing with Izuku for the rest of their lives, demonstrating how he has come to truly support Izuku from all the years of conflict between them.

Eight years later, Katsuki has graduated from U.A. High, becoming a notoriously strong Pro Hero. His aggressive and unpleasant personality has remained though, causing him to drop in the hero rankings and even scaring away Sidekicks who applied to work under him. His former teacher Shota Aizawa grumbles that despite his best efforts, he ultimately failed to get Katsuki to watch his mouth in public, with him shouting at and grabbing a civilian who was recording him on duty. Even so, Katsuki's bond with Izuku has remained intact, to the point where he led a funding for Mei Hatsume and Melissa Shield to create a mechanized suit for Izuku, which all of Class A contributed to. With their efforts allowing Izuku to become a hero again, Katsuki is the one to offer his hand to him as they all leap into action together.

While his high temper is still present, Katsuki has also become more humble in his own way, saying that he would be happy to take on any sidekicks if they genuinely wanted to surpass him, while subtly trying to invite Izuku to his agency. He also tells Izuku to think more highly of himself, saying that he will overlook things if he doesn't, and that giving everyone special treatment means that no one is truly special to him, words that later prompt Izuku to reconnect with Ochaco. Izuku's return to heroism is also implied to have boosted Katsuki's focus, allowing him to regain his momentum in the hero rankings back into the Top 5.

Overall Abilities: Katsuki is one of the strongest in Class 1‑A: 3rd in Quirk Apprehension Test, 1st in U.A. Entrance Exam (most villain points) and Sports Festival. He uses Explosion for mobility — closing distance, propelling mid‑air, blinding foes, launching blasts; recoil boosts movement.

At U.S.J., he immobilized Kurogiri alone. At the Sports Festival, he beat Tokoyami and Todoroki. Pros (Aizawa, All Might) praise his potential; the League of Villains tried to kidnap him.

Katsuki matches Izuku at 5 % One For All but struggles at 8 %. In the Joint Training Battle, he fought well despite cold‑weakened Quirk, repelled foes overpowering comrades. Setting aside pride, his camaraderie helps beat strong foes.

Driven to surpass All Might and stay ahead of Izuku, Katsuki constantly improves — earning classmates’ faith.

By the Paranormal Liberation War, he defeated Trigger‑enhanced Serpenters and matched Izuku at 30 % One For All. He fights alongside pros (Endeavor, Gran Torino). After Tomura’s near‑fatal attack, Katsuki underwent Awakening: Quirk grew stronger/faster, enabling Cluster. Post‑war, he trained it and caught up to rogue Izuku using Fa Jin.

After Izuku’s return, wearing Winter Costume, Katsuki produces more sweat, condenses nitroglycerin, fires multiple explosions for Cluster.

In the Final War, he fought with Top 5 Pros and U.A. elites against enhanced Tomura. Tomura fatally injured him (burst heart), but Edgeshot repaired it. Nitroglycerin in sweat jumpstarted his heart; he shot sweat beads through his body, using explosion pain to time blasts — creating thrice‑size explosions (like fireworks).

His abilities improved drastically: he startled Tomura and fended off prime All For One (via reversed Quirk‑Destroying Drug), discreetly exploding sweat beads from long distances to disrupt retaliation.

Enhanced Strength: Katsuki possesses a high-caliber physical strength, confirmed by his ability to use his Grenade Bracers without sustaining effects from recoil, whereas Izuku nearly dislocated his arm trying to do so. He's also strong enough to casually pick up and throw people of Izuku's size considerable distance with one arm. Bakugo, in his match with Todoroki and when he used Howitzer Impact, proved to have enough strength to break a section of his ice with a smack, though the explosions enhanced this. His physical power is even enough to draw blood from Izuku at 5% of One For All with a kick. During the course of his internship with the Endeavor Agency, his overall strength has greatly improved, enabling him to withstand a condensed explosion, which creates bigger shockwave blasts upon release. His strength contributes to the evacuation of the Jaku Hospital Raid during the Paranormal Liberation War, as he was able to carry an old lady, and three kids while also doing his Explosive Turbo at the same time. His dedication to improving his Quirk enables Katsuki to withstand increasingly greater explosions, especially during the Final War, when Katsuki was able to inflict so much damage on Tomura by unleashing his Howitzer Impact: Cluster, which caused the entire U.A. Flying Fortress to rock and reverberate from the inside and the surface. After his near death experience at Tomura's hand, he demonstrated his other ability to not only increase the volume of his explosions, but also enhance his muscles to handle further explosions that were able to keep up with All For One's ultimate attack.
Enhanced Reflexes: Perhaps Katsuki's greatest physical trait is his fantastic reflexes and reaction time. Initially, his reflexes are on human levels, but decently sharp. He's shown on several occasions overwhelming his foes with his speed or completely evading all their attacks while striking back such as in his battles with Ochaco, Cider House, and Izuku (even when the latter was at 5% of One For All). Once Izuku began utilizing 8% of his true power, Katsuki was quickly pushed back and nearly unable to keep up at all. His superb reflexes even allow him to evade a jet of carbonated water strong enough to cleave a streetlamp in two. Evading such high-speed water attacks is an impressive feat on Katsuki's part, as jets of water can cut through metal when travelling at 760 m/s (1700 mph), which is over twice the speed of sound. His reflexes have been refined during the Joint Training Battle, as he was able to not only save Kyoka Jiro from an attack, but at the same time take out Togaru Kamakiri, one of Class 1-B's most agile opponents. During his internship at the Endeavor Agency, following through Endeavor's advice, his reflexes have become sharper, giving him split-second decision-making skills, enabling him to not only obliterate attacks from a Trigger-induced Ending, but also save Natsuo from being hit by a speeding car. By the time of the Paranormal Liberation War, Katsuki was able to react quick enough to save Izuku from getting attacked by Tomura's Rivet Stabs, at the cost of getting impaled in the process. Nonetheless, his reflexes continue to improve up to the Final War. Katsuki's reflexes have become even sharper than before when he was facing death and pushed to the brink as he reacted to Tomura's swift counterattacks, which even caught the super-powered villain off guard. During his final battle with All For One, Katsuki's reflexes have greatly been enhanced to the point he could react to All For One's lighting fast speed and keep his eyes on the target.

Enhanced Durability: Katsuki is shown to possess above average endurance and durability. He's tough enough to withstand the blowback of his explosions regularly with only moderate pain. He blocked an 8% kick from Izuku without his arm breaking as well, though received a major scratch because of it. He was even proven to withstand attacks from All Might (while restraining himself), Nine, and the Serpenters, but not without large amounts of pain. As the Paranormal Liberation War was occurring, Katsuki's durability has been refined and toughened, enabling the boy to withstand against multiple stab wounds from Tomura's Rivet Stabs. As Katsuki continues to improve on his Quirk, he also improved his Cluster technique, increasing his durability to withstand even more bigger explosions. The results of his improvements was shown during the Final War when Katsuki's durability has given the boy the ability to create enormous explosions from his Cluster and decimated his opponents. Despite being nearly overpowered by Tomura's raw strength, his durability still managed to keep Katsuki alive long enough even after being fatally wounded by Tomura, and after being resuscitated back to life by Edgeshot, still able to keep up with All For One.
Enhanced Stamina: Katsuki has conditioned himself to fight on for long periods of time even when heavily injured. When inflicted with sword wounds by the Serpenters' (before and after becoming Trigger-enhanced) Sword Kill Quirks, Katsuki continued to fight on par with them, and only collapsed from his injuries after defeating the twin duo. During the Paranormal Liberation War, Katsuki suffered stab wounds from a 75% augmented Tomura Shigaraki's Rivet Stab Quirk but could still hold his own against several Near High-End Nomu with aid from other heroes. Katsuki continues to increase his stamina to the point where he was able to keep up with Izuku in his Faux 100% state. By the time of the Final War, Katsuki still keeps on fighting, showing a more longevity of his stamina, even when his arm was crushed and after being fatally injured by Tomura when his heart was ruptured. His stamina was able to let Katsuki keep fighting against the younger All For One, despite his critical injuries, and even when he was about to pass out, Katsuki still remained steadfast to stand his ground until his victory was secured.
Indomitable Will: Katsuki's willpower is one of his greatest traits, following through his notion of an absolute flawless victory no matter what. His willpower may even rival that of Izuku's in terms of determination and his strong hothead tendencies shows some display of that trait. Katsuki has displayed fearless drive to fight the villains and win no matter how strong his opponents may be such as Tomura, All For One, or Nine. Even when he was being grievously injured before being fatally injured by Tomura, his willpower was so immense that his fighting spirit made an All For One-possessed Tomura have sudden flashbacks of the Second User of One For All: Kudo. Even All For One acknowledged that Katsuki's aura is comparable to Kudo's, as if Kudo's willpower had transcended across time and space into Katsuki to finish the fight long ago. Because of Katsuki sharing the same stubbornness as Kudo during their final battle, All For One mistook Katsuki to be Kudo in blind rage. In his final battle against All For One, even when faced with complete exhaustion, and several life-threatening injuries, recently having his heart repaired, and vomiting out blood, Katsuki stubbornly held his ground, refusing to settle for anything less than a complete victory over the Demon Lord.

Keen Intellect: Katsuki has proven to be fairly intelligent and strategic, but his short temper and overinflated ego often gets the best of him, causing him to overlook crucial details and make several blunders. While Katsuki may not always employ preemptive strategies or think before acting, he possesses a unique ability to adapt in battle. He demonstrated this when he identified Fumikage's weakness to light during the U.A. Sports Festival, and when he noticed Shoto's Quirk losing potency due to overuse. His knack for anticipating worst-case scenarios further highlights his intuition. Even when fighting the weaker villains during the Unforeseen Simulation Joint, Katsuki quickly assessed which of the attacking villains were the most dangerous threat in the long term, and eventually figured out a way to incapacitate Kurogiri, one of the invasion's leaders. Katsuki also identified that Kurogiri's neck armor as weak point and bound the mist villain's body to hinder his escape, effectively trapping the League of Villains in the U.S.J. until Nomu intervened. When being warned of a monster attack by Katsuma Shimano, Katsuki was able to deduce that it was merely an illusion cast by Mahoro Shimano because it lacked a shadow. On the first day of the Remedial Exam, Katsuki realized that one of Masegaki Primary School students was secretly acting as the mastermind behind the children's misconduct, and soon identifies the perpetrating student towards the end of the day.

Even outside of battle, Katsuki is incredibly perceptive, having deducted the truth about One For All by just piecing together comments and interactions surrounding Izuku, All Might, and even All For One. Katsuki can seemingly detect when people are lying to him by just reading into their behaviors and expressions, such as discerning Yo Shindo's congenial facade. During his final battle with All For One, Katsuki realized he would never be able to overpower him directly, so he opted to defeat him instead with some cunning and timed explosions.

Leadership Skills: Katsuki has always been criticized for his lack of cooperativeness, usually as a result of his overwhelming ego that prevents him from following the lead of others. However, thanks to Katsuki's very own determination, perfectionism, and noteworthy intelligence, he is a capable leader should others decide to follow him instead. During round four of the Joint Training Battle, Setsuna Tokage admitted that even if her team had attacked him all at once, they stood no chance of victory. In the end, despite Class 1-B's exceptional teamwork and Setsuna's strategic planning, they failed to capture a single member of Class 1-A, mostly thanks to Katsuki's efforts, adaptability, and superior skills. More impressively, Katsuki's judicious forethought, allowed his team to secure victory in less than 5 minutes. Though he may not realize it, Katsuki is one of the main motivators of Class 1-A alongside Izuku, thanks to his power and indomitable drive to win.[12]
Cooking Skills: Katsuki is surprisingly adept in culinary practice, being able to cut vegetables very quickly and with ease, as well as spotting how Shoto hadn't cut chives properly and scolding him for it.
Musical Talent: Katsuki is highly skilled at playing the drums, having gone through classes in the past.
Technical Skills: Katsuki possesses some degree of technical skill. He pinpointed the location of the Humarise base by combining the two digital world maps of Trigger Bombs and narrowing it down to a location that wasn't specified by Humarise, as well as finding the Trigger Bomb control system.
Survival Skills: Thanks to his hiking hobby, Katsuki has shown to be adept at surviving in the wilderness, be it a snowy mountain or a deserted island. He is able to organize space for a campsite, having knowledge of the resources required to camp outside, and was even able to build a shelter with only limited supplies from his environment.

Explosion (爆ばく破は Bakuha?): Katsuki's Quirk allows him to secrete nitroglycerin-like sweat from the palms of his hands and ignite it on command, allowing him to create strong explosions. The more Katsuki sweats, the stronger his explosions become. If Katsuki overuses this power, his forearms will start to ache.

Katsuki has a strong grasp on the applications of his Quirk, something that was acknowledged by Best Jeanist, a top Pro Hero; not only can Katsuki use the explosions for attacking, he can also use them to propel himself and navigate through the air at high speeds, allowing him to fly at his opponents without giving them time to react, as well as evade incoming attacks, even while in the air. The shockwave from an explosion can even be used as a shield.

Katsuki can keep up his explosions continuously, long enough to break through Eijiro's hardening Quirk and negate Shoto's "Heaven-Piercing Ice Wall" for a short while before being overwhelmed. As part of his training, Katsuki submerged his hands into boiling water to expand his sweat glands, then created chain explosions toward the sky to increase the scale of his attacks.

After his near-death experience by Tomura's hand, his Quirk underwent an Awakening. This allowed his Explosions to be stronger and more condensed, allowing Katsuki to reach higher speeds. He was later able to achieve a level of Explosion power allowing him to create ginormous explosions that are strong enough to contest against All For One.

Enhanced Speed: Initially, Katsuki's speed relied on constant shockwave explosions of his palms, which gives him semi-flight capabilities, but he was fast enough to keep up with some of the fastest students in U.A. such as Tenya Ida, Shoto, and Izuku. Thanks to his technique of utilizing the back-blast and shockwave of his Quirk, Katsuki was fast enough to catch up to Tenya during the Kamino Incident. Katsuki has been constantly improving his speed to the point where he can catch up to some of the top Heroes such as Endeavor, and save Natsuo Todoroki from certain death from a speeding car. By the time of the Paranormal Liberation war, Katsuki's speed has improved drastically over the span of a few months, enabling him to keep up with Izuku at 30% of One For All Full Cowling. After his Quirk Awakening, his explosions have condensed, enabling Katsuki to now have stronger explosions, which would later be essential to his Cluster technique. With his new Cluster, Katsuki was so fast that he can keep up with Izuku in his Fa Jin with the aid of his classmates to catch him. By the time of the Final War, Katsuki's speed has increased even more, enabling him to not only fight Tomura on even grounds, but also fast enough that Tomura couldn't keep up for a moment. After being resuscitated back to life, he demonstrated another increase in his speed, to the point he was able to catch up to All For One, who was performing at his own near peak level of speed.

One For All (ワン・フォー・オール Wan Fō Ōru?): Transferred to him by Izuku, One For All allowed Katsuki to stockpile an enormous amount of raw power, allowing him to significantly enhance all of his physical abilities to a superhuman level. This resulted in unbelievable levels of strength, speed, agility, and durability. It also provided an exceptional strength boost to his given Quirk, Explosion.

At the end of his and Izuku's fight against Nine, Katsuki lost One For All and the Quirk remained in Izuku's body. Toshinori initially suspected that Izuku kept One For All because Katsuki lost consciousness prior to the transfer's completion, but later theorized that the Quirk kept itself inside of Izuku due to his willingness to protect others, even if it meant losing One For All.

Explosive Speed (爆ばく速そくターボ Bakusoku Tābo?): Katsuki throws his hands back and uses explosions to propel himself. He uses this both on the ground to increase his speed and through the air to achieve a pseudo form of flight. He first used this technique on the ground during the Quirk Apprehension Test. The first time he used it to fly was during the Obstacle Race.
Stun Grenade (閃光弾スタン グレネード Sutan Gurenēdo?): Katsuki starts by creating a sphere of light between his hands that explodes into a large scale flash. Similar to the effect of an actual stun grenade, the flash of light blinds anyone close by. He first used this technique to defeat Fumikage Tokoyami.
Point-Blank Stun Grenade (ゼロ距きょ離り閃光弾スタングレネード Zero Kyori Sutan Gurenēdo?): A variation where Katsuki fires off his Stun Grenade at point-blank range of the opponent to immediately stun and immobilize them with little lasting damage.[30] This variation was first used against Setsuna in the fourth round of the Joint Training Battle.

Howitzer Impact (榴弾砲着弾ハウザー インパクト Hauzā Inpakuto?): This move is one of the Katsuki's strongest techniques, which involves Katsuki taking to the air, and then using explosions to propel himself in a circular motion to create a tornado. This tornado builds up oxygen to fuel the incoming explosion. After colliding with the target, Katsuki releases the powerful aforementioned explosion. Present Mic compared the effectiveness of the technique to that of an actual missile. Katsuki first used Howitzer Impact in the final match of the U.A. Sports Festival Finals. He has also shown that he can release the fueled explosion in midair, without having to make contact with the target.
AP Shot (徹甲弾A・P・ショット Ē-Pī Shotto?): Katsuki stretches out one of his hands and uses his other hand to form a circle on the palm of his outstretched hand. Katsuki then fires an explosion through the circle, which creates a concentrated blast beam. By focusing the path of his explosions into a single point instead of around his whole palm, Katsuki creates a concentrated blast with reduced area of impact, but with enough power to successfully pierce solid concrete.
AP Shot: Auto-Cannon (徹甲弾A・P・ショット機関銃オートカノン Ē-Pī Shotto Ōtokanon?): A rapid-fire version of his AP Shot Technique. The explosion power is reduced in order to avoid dealing severe damage to human targets. This variation was first used against Seiji Shishikura in the first stage of the Provisional Hero License Exam.
AP Machine-Gun (徹甲機銃A・P・マシンガン Ē-Pī Mashingan?): A stronger version of his AP Shot: Auto-Cannon where Katsuki fires larger, rapid-fire explosions. This technique was first used against Tomura in the Paranormal Liberation War Arc.

Explode-A-Pult (爆破式エクスカタパルト Ekusu Kataparuto?): While in mid-air, Katsuki grabs an opponent with one of his arms, then propels himself in a spinning motion by firing explosions with his free arm. Once he gains enough momentum, Katsuki forcefully throws his opponent with the aid of another explosion. He first used this technique against Togaru Kamakiri in the fourth round of the Joint Training Battle. Katsuki would later use a reversed version of the attack with Izuku in the Final War. Instead of launching the other person, Katsuki instead allows himself to be launched towards the intended target. When combined with both Izuku's Gearshift in Second Gear, and his Explosive Speed: Cluster technique, it allows Katsuki to travel vast distances in the blink of an eye.
Land Mine Blast (爆ばく風ふう地じ雷らい Bakufū Jirai?): Katsuki places his Grenadier Bracer on the ground and lets of a massive explosion into the ground, blowing back any obstacles surrounding him. This technique was first used to dissipate Mahoro Shimano's Hologram.

Cluster (クラスター Kurasutā?): Katsuki condenses his explosions to become stronger and faster, allowing him to unleash a flurry of bursts that can be used in a variety of ways. He first uses this, inadvertently, to save Izuku from "Tomura".
Explosive Speed: Cluster (爆ばく速そくターボ クラスター Bakusoku Tābo Kurasutā?): Katsuki employs the Cluster technique to propel himself forward in a similar fashion to his Explosive Speed, but at a much faster rate, allowing him to catch up with extremely fast targets.
Howitzer Impact: Cluster (ハウザーインパクト クラスター Hauzā Inpakuto Kurasutā?): Katsuki employs the Cluster technique and the Strafe Panzer support item to empower his Howitzer Impact by creating larger explosions to propel himself with, as well as launching explosions in all directions. Being an enhanced version of "Howitzer Impact," this is the most powerful move in Katsuki's arsenal.
Full Cowl - 100% (フルカウル 100%パーセント Furu Kauru 100 Pāsento?): Katsuki activates One For All to its fullest extent throughout Full Cowl, granting him a tremendous boost in speed and strength. Katsuki's first and only use of this technique was against Nine to defend Nabu Island. The power increase caused orange energy to trail out of Katsuki's eyes and his pupils and irises to distort. His hair also became spikier, and his entire body glowed a yellowish hue with orange electricity crackling around it. When fused with Explosion, Katsuki's original Quirk became so powerful that standard blasts from it could create enormous craters. The temperature of the explosions also increased to where it could melt through solid rock at point-blank range.

Detroit Smash (デトロイトスマッシュ Detoroito Sumasshu?): Katsuki performs an uppercut in order to create an increase in air pressure. Katsuki's only use of this Ultimate Move was against Nine during the villain's assault on Nabu Island. Performed during the temporary transfer of One For All between him and Izuku, this move was used to dissipate Nine's enormous and destructive tornado. Using his left arm, while Izuku used his right, they both punched toward the sky, where a powerful rush of air blew up the tornado.

Grenadier Bracers (籠こ手て Kote?): A pair of arm mounted storage tanks added to Katsuki's hero costume that stores his nitroglycerin-like sweat. Once filled, he can pull the grenade pin in order to release a large focused blast, as shown when he fought Izuku in All Might's Heroes vs. Villains test. It has enough explosive power to destroy all parts of the building within its blast radius. This equipment was first used during the Battle Trial.

Improvised Grenades: Around the belt of his Hero costume are several containers made to look like hand grenades. These can store Katsuki's nitroglycerin-like sweat and may be used as regular grenades at a later time. These were first used during the Provisional Hero License Exam by Denki.

Knee Pads: These are very blunt metallic attachments to Katsuki's knees. They are designed so that he can "kill with his knees," but he has not yet displayed any such use for them.

Suppressive Heavy Mobile Unit: Strafe Panzer (面めん制せい圧あつ重じゅう装そう機き動どう ストレイフパンツァー Men Seiatsu Jūsō Kidō Sutoreifu Pantsā?): A number of retractable machine guns that can extend from the back of his hero costume and mount over his shoulders. Like his Grenadier Bracers, they use his nitroglycerin-like sweat as ammunition.

Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight (大だい•爆ばく•殺さっ•神しんダイナマイト Daibakusasshin Dainamaito?): After All Might's Armored All Might suit was destroyed by All For One during their battle, he gave its non-functional remains to Dynamight to use as a splint for his injured arm.

Originally, Katsuki was a very kind and gentle character who spoke without thinking and unintentionally insulted others. Kohei Horikoshi, however, found this original draft to be boring and decided, while still keeping him a natural born genius, to make him an unpleasant character instead.
In later concepts, Katsuki would adopt the hero name "Ground Zero" at some point. In the series proper, Katsuki's hero name is Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight.
Katsuki's surname contains the kanji for "bomb" (爆 baku?) and "powerful" (豪 gō?), and his first name contains "to win" (勝 katsu?) and "self" (己 ki?).
The first kanji used to write Katsuki's surname is also the first kanji that's used in the word "explosion" (爆破 bakuha?).
According to Katsuki's Volume 1 profile:
His favorite food is anything spicy.
His favorite activity is mountain climbing.
Katsuki's known academic data at U.A. is as follows:
Student No. 17 in Class 1-A.
Ranked 1st during the U.A. Entrance Exam.
Ranked 3rd during the Quirk Apprehension Test.
His fifty-meter dash record is 4.13 seconds. His previous record was 5.58 in middle school.
His softball throw record is 709.6 meters, updated from 705.2 meters during the Quirk Training Camp. His previous record was 67 meters in middle school.
Ranked third in Class 1-A's mid-term grades.
Winner of The U.A. Sports Festival First-Year Stage.
Katsuki received a total of 3,556 nominations from Pro Heroes for his U.A. Sports Festival performance, making him the 2nd most nominated student of Class 1-A despite winning the competition.
Since he failed the Provisional Hero License Exam, he scored below 50.
Katsuki's old, Quirkless 50-Meter Dash record is the same as Tsuyu Asui's current, Quirk-using record (5.58 seconds).
Katsuki's rankings in the Popularity Polls are as follows:
Katsuki ranked 3rd in the first Popularity Poll.
Katsuki ranked 1st in the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and Global Popularity Polls.
Katsuki ranked first in every voting region in the Global Popularity Poll except Europe, where he placed second.
Katsuki ranked 5th in the first US Popularity Poll.
Katsuki ranked 1st in the second, fourth and fifth US Popularity Polls.
With his birthday taking place on April 20, Katsuki is the oldest student in Class 1-A, as everyone was fifteen when they started U.A.'s school year in early April. This would make him sixteen around the U.A Sports Festival and seventeen somewhere along the Final War, as its associated events delayed the start of the second year for his class.
Katsuki became popular following the Sludge Villain Incident when he was in middle school, though he doesn't look back on the incident very fondly.
Katsuki and Ochaco share the same costume designer.
Katsuki shares his Japanese and English voice actors with other characters:
Katsuki's voice actor in the VOMIC, Yū'ichirō Umehara, also voices Sidero.
As a child, Katsuki is voiced by Kate Oxley in English, who also voices Fuyumi Todoroki.
Katsuki does not sleep with his blanket.[40]
According to his mother, Katsuki has always disliked when it rains.
Despite his aggressive demeanor, Katsuki is popular among senior citizens as a Pro Hero.
According to Katsuki's Ultra Analysis page:
Whenever Katsuki's parents text him, he always replies with brief, crude phrases like "Shut up" or "Yeah, I know".
Katsuki's personality describes him as an "abusive egotist".
Excluding permanent One For All users, Katsuki has used the most Ultimate Moves out of any character in the series, with 13.
Katsuki overall shares many parallels with Endeavor:
Both possess ignition-based Quirks, such as Explosion for Katsuki and Hellflame for Endeavor.
Both aim to be the number one hero.
Both have a rivalry with a One For All user, such as Katsuki to Izuku and Endeavor to All Might.
Both are known for their hot tempers and aggressive attitude.
Both were known for their lack of cooperative skills, having improved them throughout the story.
Both acted abusively toward a major character, such as Katsuki to Izuku and Endeavor to Shoto.
Both express their remorse after understanding All Might's words, with them both taking steps to becoming better people.
Both also lose the ability to use their right arm after the Final War, with Katsuki's being broken by Tomura and rendered immobile (though he managed to rehabilitate it while at U.A.), and Endeavor losing his right arm to All For One in combat.