While the manga world of the superhit series My Hero Academia from Mangaka Kohei Horikoshi sensei is a masterpiece in itself, fans can’t help but fall in love with its anime universe even more. Besides the characters being brought to life with utmost perfection, what makes the anime series all the better are the voice actors who perfectly deliver up to everyone’s expectations.
In fact, as most anime fans would agree, none could do a better job voicing the fan-favorite characters than the voice actors currently employed. This stands especially true when it comes to Okamoto Nobuhiko, the actor who lent his “middle schooler type” voice to the very character that Horikoshi sensei likes “more than” even Deku, i.e. Bakugo, as the mangaka himself expressed.
Kohei Horikoshi Feels Bakugo Has the Perfect Voice Actor
Though all of the other voice actors for My Hero Academia do splendid jobs, Okamoto Nobuhiko seems to take it to a whole other level, as many fans would agree. Not only does his voice fit perfectly with Katsuki Bakugo’s, but it even holds those childlike features that one would imagine the character to have.
As it turns out, Horikoshi sensei perfectly agrees with this. According to the translated transcript of The Real Horikoshi Pre-Anime Interview shared on the r/BokuNoHeroAcademia forum on Reddit, the mangaka firmly believes that his favorite character from the series has found the perfect voice actor in the form of Nobuhiko.
“Ah, if it’s Katsuki, then his voice really captures the feeling the character. Like I said before, Katsuki is like Tetsuo from Akira, giving off characteristics of an antagonist, so he’s really like a child, like a little kid…And Okamoto san’s voice (even though me saying this won’t sound good to Okamoto san) is like a child, the very naughty type.”
Adding to this were further praises from the mangaka about how the childlike qualities in Nobuhiko’s voice go immaculately hand-in-hand with Bakugo’s character.
“The way he speaks also gives off a very middle schooler type feeling,” Horikoshi laughed. “Okamoto san really brings out Katsuki’s characteristics, so this character belongs to Okamoto san and nobody else. Really fitting.”
Needless to say, this claim is as true as it can be, because perhaps no character’s voice seems as impeccable in the anime series as Bakugo’s. But while we are on this topic, did you know that Horikoshi sensei actually likes Bakugo a lot, maybe even more than Izuku Midoriya? Because, if you didn’t, prepare to be surprised!
Okay, but Did You Know Kohei Horikoshi Likes Bakugo More Than Deku?
Although it may seem unbelievable, it is only true. Yes, Izuku Midoriya is the most popular character in the saga, being its protagonist and all. But the character that truly catches Horikoshi sensei’s fancy the most is none other than Bakugo. And the mangaka didn’t express this just once, but twice in two different interviews.
First off, in a 2015 interview subbed and shared by @Color_Division on X, Horikoshi sensei was seen fondly gushing on and on about Bakugo. Admitting that he was, indeed, one of his favorites, he even said:
“Actually, because of the way he is, I guess, he’s one of my favorites. So much so, I might like him more than Deku.”
Then there’s the interview shared on the forum on Reddit, which further featured him cozily talking about Bakugo. Claiming he is “somebody that I can relax to draw,” Horikoshi sensei said:
“His way of fighting is also jumping and flying around, and when he actually fights he hollers and shouts. I’m really happy when I draw characters like that. […] Personally, I like him.”
After reading all of this, fans must have already realized just how close Bakugo is to Horikoshi sensei’s heart. And, well, it’s only understandable, because every MHA fan knows just how lovable of a character Bakugo is, deep down.
My Hero Academia manga can be read on Manga PLUS and the anime can be streamed on Crunchyroll.
