My Hero Academia’s Clifford Chapin teases Bakugo’s growth in season 5

The fifth season premiere of My Hero Academia‘s English dub kicked off this weekend with a fun episode that saw Class 1-A back in action, fighting fake villains as a test to see what they’ve learned over the past four seasons. Reminding fans where each of Deku’s classmates stands, the season premiere prepares viewers for season 5’s upcoming competition between Class 1-A and Class 1-B, something the trailers for the new episodes have focused on heavily.

“All Hands on Deck! Class 1-A” reminded fans how much Class 1-A has grown, and how much work they still need to do. In particular, Bakugo’s willingness to work alongside his classmates rather than against them demonstrates a stark change from the character we saw two seasons ago, who could hardly be bothered with the notion of teamwork during the The Provisional Hero License Exam Arc.

We talked to Clifford Chapin, who voices Deku’s childhood friend and rival in the English dub. He teased the possibility of even more growth for Bakugo moving forward. Given how much development his character has already seen over the past four seasons, he’s excited to see what’s next:

"I almost feel like, of all the characters, Bakugo has gotten to have some of the most character growth. You know, obviously, [with] Deku, we have a marker of it because it’s marked by how much percentage of his power he can use every time he goes into battle. But you know, Bakugo’s changed a lot, and I’m really excited for season 5 to see how that continues. The fact that he can be around his fellow classmates and not immediately start screaming or losing his mind is saying a lot, and I’m just eager to see how he continues to improve and work alongside his fellow classmates.”"

And it looks like Bakugo is going to have the perfect opportunity to practice his collaboration skills when he and his classmates are tasked with taking on the students from Class 1-B.

Clifford Chapin on the rivalry between Class 1-A and Class 1-B

It’s no secret there’s a rivalry between Class 1-A and Class 1-B, something fans have witnessed during the Sports Festival Arc in season 2 and the U.A. School Festival Arc last season. “For as much as there’s a rivalry between Deku and Bakugo, there’s a rivalry between Class 1-A and Class 1-B,” Chapin said.

It’s true that there are similarities between the two rivalries, and just like Bakugo has vowed to become a better hero than Deku, Class 1-B has made it their goal to surpass 1-A. With the focus on Deku and his classmates, however, viewers don’t get to witness much of 1-B’s training. Like many fans, Chapin is excited to see how they’ve honed their Quirks during their time offscreen:

"Back in season 2, when the Class 1-B kids were introduced for the first time, we didn’t know very much about them — and the Class 1-A kids didn’t know anything about them. And so, while Class 1-A has been more in the spotlight, I’m excited to see what developments have happened with Class 1-B — what new things did they learn to do with their Quirks and how are they going to stick it to Class 1-A."

Fortunately, we won’t have long to wait until the anime answers that particular question. It seems the series will dive into the Joint Training Arc in the next few episodes, which will air on Funimation every Saturday. You can also watch the series on Hulu and Crunchyroll.

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