In a recent interview with W Magazine, Golden Globe-nominated actor of Ryan Coogler’s Sinners fame, Michael B. Jordan, not only broke down his take on his now-iconic characters – twins Smoke and Stack – but took an opportunity to share his love of anime. When asked about the films that make him cry, Jordan pivoted and gave My Hero Academia’s Final Season a shoutout.
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“I had a really good cry watching the last season of the anime My Hero Academia,” said Jordan, “when Bakugo, a character from the first season, has this emotional moment where he finally gets recognized by one of his mentors and idols.” In an Instagram Reel with W Magazine, Jordan expanded, “[Bakugo] always felt [All Might] overlooked him throughout the entire show. And they did it in such a dramatic way and in an epic fashion, that I dropped some tears. It was beautiful.”
What Episode of My Hero Academia Season 8 Made Michael B. Jordan Cry?
Based on how Michael B. Jordan describes the scene between Bakugo and All Might, the episode which made the actor cry is My Hero Academia Season 8, Episode 3, "The Final Boss!!" The episode is currently tied with My Hero Academia Season 8, Episode 8, "Izuku Midoriya: Rising" as the highest rated episode on IMDb, carrying an impressive 9.8 score rates by 19,000~ users. In MHA Season 8, Episode 3, Bakugo rejoins the action and manages to save All Might's life from certain death during his battle with All For One.
On its own, this moment of selflessness from Bakugo if already plenty emotional. Bakugo has not onlly recently come back from the brink of death himself, but putting his own life at risk to save All Might highlights just how much he's grown since the first season. Where Bakugo began as a bitter, antagonistic rival to Deku, he enters My Hero Academia's final season as one of the anime's greatest heroes.
More importantly, after looking up to All Might all series, Bakugo finally gets acknowledged in a real, meaningful way by the person he idolizes more than anything. All Might transfers his armored arm to Bakugo, "Take my hand. It's no longer functional, but it can at least be a splint," and calls Bakugo, "Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight." He closes off, "I'm afraid this is all I can give you," as Bakugo clutches his newfound hand and flashes a sincere smile. In half a minute, All Might literally and symbolically heals Bakugo's pain and trauma.
For anyone who's watched all of My Hero Academia, it's not hard to understand why Season 8, Episode 3 would make a hardcore fan of the series like Michael B. Jordan cry. Bakugo has some of the absolute best character development in MHA, and the anime does an amazing job of showing All Might putting his trust in Bakugo – highlighting the scene with flashbacks of the two together, and scored to Yuki Hayashi's beautiful music. It certainly helps that Bakugo follows up that tender moment by fighting All For One himself in, to quote Michael B. Jordan, "epic fashion."
Bakugo is Likely Michael B. Jordan's Favorite My Hero Academia Character
Michael B. Jordan has never shied away from expressing his love of anime in interviews, even going so far as to reference Super Saiyan 2 Goku and Majin Vegeta's fight in Creed 3. Jordan clearly has a deep love and respect for the medium, and My Hero Academia must be one of his favorite anime considering how often he brings it up. What's especially notable, however, is Jordan's affinity for Bakugo specifically. Bakugo is a fan-favorite character for obvious reasons – he's a well-written rival for Deku, develops considerably over the course of the series, has an excellent design, and some of the coolest fights in My Hero Academia.
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Most importantly, Bakugo is front and center in some of the anime's most emotionally profound moments. In a video discussion with Vanity Fair from last Novemner, Jordan brought up Bakugo's Season 7 sacrifice as a standout moment in a discussion with actors Austin Butler (Feyd-Rautha in Dune: Part Two) and Paul Mescal (Paul McCartney in the upcoming movie tetralogy, The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event). Jordan specifically highlighted that Bakugo's death represented everything "he was throughout the entire show," and called it an epic moment of self-sacrifice.
In the video, Jordan mentioned how he relates to and connects with anime characters who are "the odd one out" and don't always belong – which is a good description of Deku in a lot of respects, but also does apply to Bakugo, especially deeper into My Hero Academia's story. Bakugo is one of the most dynamic anime characters of the modern age, not just in MHA, so it stands to reason why Michael B. Jordan would develop such an admiration for Dynamight and everything he goes through over the course of the anime.