If Izuku Were A Girl, Bakudeku Would Be Universally Shipped

If Izuku Were a Girl, Bakudeku Would Be Universally Shipped

Alright, let’s break this down. If Izuku Midoriya had been born a girl, the entire conversation about Bakugo and Izuku’s relationship would be completely different. The ship wars? The debates over whether it’s platonic or romantic? They wouldn’t even exist. Instead, Bakudeku would be praised as one of the greatest slow-burn rival-to-lovers stories in anime history.

Why? Because fandom—and honestly, media in general—has a massive double standard when it comes to male friendships versus male-female dynamics. If two male characters have intense emotional ties, it’s almost always framed as “just friendship,” even when the relationship is filled with deep emotions, personal growth, and the kind of tension that would make any heterosexual pairing an obvious romance. But when a male and female character have that same dynamic? It’s immediately viewed as romantic, or at the very least, something that could become romantic.

Now, let’s apply that logic to Bakugo and Izuku.

The Classic Rival-to-Lovers Trope

Rivals-to-lovers is one of the most beloved tropes in fiction. People love the idea of two characters who start off on opposite sides, clashing and challenging each other, only to grow in ways that make them understand one another. It’s a dynamic full of passion, tension, and deep emotional shifts.

Bakugo and Izuku fit this trope perfectly. They have history. They have misunderstandings. They have emotional wounds tied to each other. And most importantly, they push each other to grow in ways no one else can.

If Izuku were a girl, their dynamic would be seen as peak shonen romance. You’d have the stubborn, fiery rival (Bakugo) and the determined, compassionate protagonist (Izuku). Fans would swoon over the idea of “childhood friends turned rivals turned lovers.” The same way shonen anime often teases romance between a male protagonist and his female rival, people would fully expect Bakugo and Fem!Izuku to end up together.

Instead of people saying, “Bakugo hates Izuku too much for it to be romantic,” the conversation would flip. People would say, “His anger comes from deep-rooted feelings he doesn’t understand,” or “He pushes her away because he actually cares too much.” You know, exactly the way people talk about every male tsundere love interest in anime history.

The “I Push You Away Because I Care” Trope

Speaking of tsunderes—Bakugo is one. He’s emotionally stunted, struggles with vulnerability, and lashes out instead of expressing his feelings properly. But that’s part of why his relationship with Izuku is so compelling.

If Izuku were a girl, the narrative of “I’m cruel to you because I don’t know how to deal with my feelings” would be obvious. It’s the same thing we see in dozens of other anime relationships. If we swapped Izuku for a female protagonist, Bakugo’s behavior would be framed as frustration at his own feelings—because he sees this girl, someone he once thought was weak, surpassing his expectations and making him feel things he doesn’t want to confront.

People would romanticize the idea of Bakugo slowly realizing that his anger isn’t just about rivalry—it’s about admiration, about the fear of losing the person who has always been by his side, even when he didn’t deserve it.

The Moments That Would Be Seen as Romantic

Now let’s talk about specific moments in My Hero Academia that would hit completely differently if Izuku were a girl.

1. The “Stay Out of My Way” Scene

• Right at the start of the series, Bakugo tells Izuku to stay out of his way, acting like he doesn’t care. But the moment Izuku does get stronger, Bakugo reacts with frustration, jealousy, and confusion. If Izuku were a girl, this would immediately be framed as the classic tsundere doesn’t know how to handle his crush getting stronger than him trope.

2. The Training Camp Rescue

• When Bakugo gets kidnapped, Izuku loses it. She throws herself into danger without hesitation. In anime with male-female dynamics, this is always romanticized—the idea of someone willing to risk everything to save the person they care about. If Fem!Izuku had done this for Bakugo, shippers would be screaming about how much she loves him.

3. The Rematch at Ground Beta

• This is the moment that solidifies their relationship as something deeper than just rivalry. Bakugo finally opens up, revealing his guilt, his frustration, his fear that he wasn’t strong enough to prevent All Might’s fall. He chooses to be vulnerable with Izuku, something he doesn’t do with anyone else. If Izuku were a girl, people would instantly call this a love confession in disguise—Bakugo breaking down his walls for the one person who has always truly understood him.

4. The “You’re the Best” Moment

• When Bakugo acknowledges Izuku’s strength and says, “You’re the best,” it’s already a huge deal in canon. But if Izuku were a girl? People would be calling it one of the most romantic moments in shonen anime. A rival who once belittled the protagonist finally admitting that she’s incredible? That’s classic love interest energy.

The Double Standard in Fandom

We’ve seen this pattern before. Other anime have had rivalries where, because one character was a girl, the tension was immediately read as romantic. Look at Sasuke and Naruto—people often compare them to Bakugo and Izuku, but because both are male, the default reading is “brotherhood.” Now imagine if Naruto had been a girl. People would have demanded that ship be canon.

Even in My Hero Academia itself, we see this with ships like IzuOcha—because Ochako is a girl, every moment of concern or admiration she shows for Izuku is interpreted as romance. But when Izuku shows the same concern for Bakugo, suddenly it’s just friendship? The logic doesn’t hold.

So Why Isn’t Bakudeku Universally Shipped?

Because they’re both male. That’s it. That’s the reason.

If the exact same story played out, line for line, but Izuku were a girl, there wouldn’t be debates. People wouldn’t be arguing about whether their relationship is platonic or romantic. It would obviously be romantic-coded. Bakudeku would be the top ship in the fandom, no contest.

Instead, because it’s two guys, there’s resistance. People are more comfortable interpreting their bond as “brotherly” because that fits the traditional mold of shonen anime. But in reality? Their story, their dynamic, their growth together—it all fits the framework of a deep, complex, and undeniably compelling love story.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, it all comes down to the way people perceive relationships in fiction. Male-female tension? Always a potential romance. Male-male tension? Almost always downplayed as friendship. If Izuku had been a girl, Bakudeku wouldn’t just be a ship—it would be the ship.

And honestly? That just proves how strong their dynamic actually is. Because even without the gender swap, people still see it. They still feel the connection, the emotion, the weight of their story. And that’s what makes it real.