KiriBaku

KiriBaku is the slash ship between Katsuki Bakugou and Eijiro Kirishima from the My Hero Academia fandom.

Beginning/End Credits
My Hero Academia- Opening 1 | The Day: Eijiro appears with his hardening quirk activated. Katsuki appears immediately after him with the usage of his explosions.

My Hero Academia- Opening 2 | Peace Sign: Eijiro is shown straddle-stretching. He looks up with a challenging grin after a few reps. The frame then pans over to Katsuki, who is doing squats with a matching grin. The directions and backgrounds of the scenes imply they were together.

In My Hero Academia- Ending 2 | Datte Atashi no Hero: The “Fantasy AU” ending. Katsuki appears as he rides in on a large red dragon. The color of the dragon, and teamwork portrayed briefly between the two led to speculation that Eijiro may be Katsuki’s dragon. (A bonus chapter of School Briefs confirmed this.)

In My Hero Academia- Ending 3 | Update: A brief sketch of Eijiro and Katsuki is shown, taken from the first section of the U.A Sports Festival.

In My Hero Academia- Opening 4 | Polaris: A flurry of past events fly by. Two scenes from Kamino are shown; when Eijiro called out to Katsuki, and when Katsuki took his hand.

In My Hero Academia- Opening 4 | Starmaker: A handful of romaji are shown grasped by students. Eijiro and Katsuki humorously hold the same one. In the end photo of 1-A with their instruments, Eijiro’s gaze is directed at Katsuki.

Quirk Apprehension Test Arc
Early on, the scores from the entrance exam are shown, letting us see that Katsuki and Eijiro scored 1st and 2nd place(s) respectively. Katsuki scored 77 villain points from defeating robotic rivals, while Eijiro scored 74 points, only 39 of which from the robots as opposed to Katsuki. Their equivalence, which becomes a large role in their relationship but starts here. An extra tidbit are their highlighted names, thanks to their high scores, their names were shown in red (Katsuki’s) and orange (Eijiro’s), their “trademarked” colors. The quirk apprehension tests are held the first day of school.

The first (quirk) test is throwing a ball with the usage of one’s quirk. Katsuki’s explosive throw measured a recorded distance of 705.2 meters, which visibly awes Eijiro. He loses any and all shreds of nervousness upon viewing this feat.

Battle Trial Arc
''“Sensei, please put a stop to this! That Bakugou kid’s gone mental, at this rate he’ll kill him!”''

- Eijiro Kirishima to Toshinori Yagi

The boys still don’t interact (directly) in this arc, but however, Eijiro begins to build a first, meaningful thought on Katsuki after seeing his behavior towards Izuku. He comments plentifully on just about every move Katsuki makes, although this is mainly for the worse.

The first comment he makes is after the fight begins, as he sees Katsuki leap out to attack Izuku and Ochako in what he dubs a surprise attack. He states that it “isn’t manly at all.”

He soon becomes confused on why Katsuki is so unjustifiably angry and aggressive. Questioning no one in particular, he states "Geez…what was Bakugou saying? Can't tell with the cameras in a fixed position and no sound.." with a concerned expression.

Towards the end of the fight, Katsuki begins to use his howitzer, rendering Izuku almost immobile. He yells to All Might that Bakugou is mental, and pleads for him to end the fight, worrying that Katsuki will go far as to literally kill Izuku.

As the fight tides over, Eijiro is left with an obvious disdain for Katsuki’s unsportsmanlike, or rather, “unmanly” nature.

USJ Arc
“Well if you’re talking about flashy and strong, it’s gotta be Todoroki and Bakugou!”

- Eijiro Kirishima to Class 1-A

Eijiro and Katsuki finally share their first major interactions in this arc, starting on the bus ride to the USJ. The class discusses each other’s strengths in brief conversation; Eijiro deprecates his quirk, upset that it’s dull in his eyes, but then moves to compliment the quirks of Katsuki and Shoto, saying they’re “flashy and strong”. He makes sure to lock eyes with Katsuki as he says this, smiling admiringly. Katsuki then huffs, and turns away in what almost appears to have been a flustered manner.

The class quickly finds themselves under attack by the LoV for the first time upon arriving at the USJ. Katsuki and Eijiro prove to be an exceptional team from the beginning as they jump to attack Kurogiri side-by-side, landing powerful, unpracticed blows. As the smoke from Katsuki’s explosion dissipates, the two can be seen grinning next to one another.

Unfortunately, Kurogiri manages to warp the students through the building. Katsuki and Eijiro are warped to the Collapse Zone together, where they’re greeted by a mass wave of (low-tier) villains. With their shared power, it takes them no time at all to fight their way to safety. Upon deciding that their work was complete in that area, they begin to argue about their next task: Eijiro wants to find and help out their classmates, while Katsuki wants to attack Kurogiri.

In the moment they argue, a chameleon-like villain takes the opportunity to jump at them, but Katsuki manages to stop him one handedly. Eijiro praises his reaction time before noting how calm he is. Katsuki then explains that he knows their classmates don’t need their help, and are capable of taking care of themselves. Eijiro interprets this as him “believing in their buddies”, and says he’ll follow Katsuki wherever he wants to go. Katsuki grins at this before they set off.

They’re later shown having (temporarily) defeated Kurogiri. Katsuki keeps him pinned down, while Eijiro stands protectively near him. Kurogiri attempts to move, but Katsuki catches him and yells, “You try anything funny, and I’ll blow your ass to pieces!!” Eijiro jokes, “Ohhh, that doesn’t sound very heroic!”

At the end of the fight, they lock eyes and run off to knock down more villains. They stand next to each other during the fight cleanup.

U.A Sports Festival Arc
After the announcement of the Sports Festival, a sizable crowd of students gather outside the 1-A classroom, generally to psyche them out. In but a few, ever-blunt words, Katsuki manages to rile up the crowd before attempting to leave the classroom. Eijiro stops him before he can exit, however, and asks him what he plans to do about the angry crowd. Katsuki acknowledges this, and tells him that none of it matters “as long as you rise to the top”. As he finally leaves, Eijiro puts a fist to his heart, a tear of pure emotion in his eye. He yells “That’s so simple and manly!” This moment was humorously enhanced in the anime.

As they enter the festival stadium, Eijiro whispers to Katsuki that he’s nervous that so many people are going to watch him fight, then asks if Katsuki is. Grinning, Katsuki responds that it was just making him more excited.

During the choosing period of the Cavalry Battle, Eijiro runs up to Katsuki and requests to team with him. Katsuki acknowledges him as “Shitty Hair", before Eijiro tells him that Katsuki needs someone who can handle him in order to succeed, and he can do just that, which is why he’d be such a good choice for him. He further tempts him by saying he’ll help him “take down” Izuku. Katsuki sneers delightedly at this, and accepts. Eijiro ends up in the position closest to Katsuki, the front.

After falling for Neito’s taunts, Katsuki calls upon Eijiro above all others to help him forward on his attack. Eijiro tries to calm him, but to no avail. Later, Katsuki excitedly smacks Eijiro, yelling that they’re gonna get an “indisputable first place”. Eijiro grows excited in turn at his spirit. However, they end up in 2nd after failing to obtain the 1,000,000 point headband. Their other team members accept their score as good enough, but Eijiro gives them a look and says “Are you sure that’s how he feels?” in referral to Katsuki.

After his win against Tetsutetsu, Eijiro headed up to the stands to see Katsuki before their upcoming fight. He tells him he wants a good fight with him, to which Katsuki replies “I’ll kill you.” Eijiro simply laughs this off, and praises Katsuki once again.

Their fight centers around hard, quirk-powered blows and the way that they both can counter each other off so completely. Eijiro is quick to bring Katsuki on the defensive with a barrage of hardened punches, which Izuku states is rare to do. Katsuki finds him to be a rare opponent on which he struggles against, and grins at this. He notes Eijiro’s durability and persistence, and surmises that he was pushing his quirk beyond his limits, and would eventually collapse. He achieves this with a final large explosion, and taunts Eijiro as he falls. Katsuki appeared to enjoy their fight more than most, having found a “worthy opponent” in Eijiro.

Vs. Hero Killer Arc
As Katsuki argues with Midnight over his ridiculous “hero names” (King Explosion Murder/Lord Explosion Murder), Eijiro jokingly calls out that he should be “Blasty McSplode”. (A/N: In the Russian dub, he says 'Explosive Tsundere')

Katsuki’s hair ends up stuck in the way Best Jeanist had styled it after his work study. Once Eijiro sees it, he falls into a fit of laughter. This showcases how far their relationship has come, Eijiro can (playfully) tease Katsuki without fear.

Final Exams Arc
After seeing Momo kindly offer to tutor their classmates, Eijiro jokes to Katsuki about his and hers difference in morals. Katsuki is annoyed by this, and yells that he’ll tutor Eijiro until he’s dead. Eijiro eagerly accepts this “offer”. It is important to note how he chose Katsuki over Momo and her study group, which contained several of his friends.

It’s not too long later that Katsuki is genuinely triggered, and storms out of the classroom. Eijiro looks worriedly at the door before saying that it’d been a while since he’d seen Katsuki lash out, implying that he is notably calmer in his presence.

Surprisingly, Katsuki ended up keeping his “offer” after all, ending up at a library, and then a diner with Eijiro for their study session. He can be seen bonking Eijiro with a newspaper, and is notably dressed up compared to his usual style of dress.

Tooru suggests a class shopping trip. Knowing that Katsuki is not one for gatherings, Eijiro questions him if he will attend, but Katsuki says no. (A/N: a strip of BNHA Smash confirms that they did end up hanging out in the end; Katsuki simply went shopping on his own, and ran into Eijiro.)

Forest Training Camp Arc
(A/N: This “pool” episode was not originally featured in the manga, it was a great fanservice by Studio Bones. It appeared to have been a way to visibly strengthen the relationship between Eijiro and Katsuki so the later events would have more effect on viewers.)

The students of 1-A gathered to use the school pool as a hangout spot. Eijiro arrives late with Katsuki on his side, and explains to their classmates that it took a bit to convince Katsuki to come with him. He holds an arm in front of Katsuki’s chest as he says this.

Before the race between Izuku, Katsuki, and Shoto begins, Eijiro can be heard cheering, “Go, Bakugou!” as he pumps an arm, similar to the way Ochako cheered for Izuku.

Eraserhead kicks the kids out the moment the three jump into the pool, as their time had ran out. Katsuki and Eijiro can be seen as they walk home together under a sunset, a typically romantic trope. They lightly chat about heroics, and Katsuki brings up his everlasting desire to become stronger, and even defeat All Might. Eijiro is momentarily stunned by his words, but then gives him a large smile, filled with admiration as they continue to walk. Katsuki is not seen carrying his bag, perhaps an implication that Eijiro held it for him.

As Eraserhead shares the details about the training camp the students would be attending, Eijiro can be seen leaning his entire body onto Katsuki. Interesting enough, Katsuki makes no move to push him off, or even to complain.

Katsuki effortlessly takes down one of Pixie-Bob’s “Earth Beasts”. Eijiro is quick to tell him he’s amazing, to which Katsuki disagrees with. Eijiro looks concerned at this. Later, during the quirk reassessments, Eijiro cheers “Do it, Bakugou!” when his turn arrives.

The group of students who’d failed their final exams (Denki, Eijiro, Hanta, Mina, Neito, Rikidou) were kept for extra studies by Eraserhead and Vlad King during the camp, and were locked in during the LoV attack in order to protect them. Eijiro became unsettled, and even aggressive after hearing that the villains were after “Kacchan”, and made several desperate attempts to escape, although failed every time. Eijiro later finds that the villains succeeded in taking Katsuki, he was heartbroken at this loss, and for not being able to even fight for him.

After the events of the training camp, the students head to visit their injured classmates at the hospital. Their visit is primarily shown in Izuku’s room. The majority of the students seem to be in good, or at least okay spirits, all except for a select few, including Eijiro. He proposes that the class rescues Katsuki on their own terms (with the help of Momo’s tracking device, but Tenya interrupts him, calling his idea, and anyone contemplating it idiotic. Eijiro is angered by this, and yells back, “We know that! But I couldn’t do anything. After I heard that my friend was being targeted. I couldn’t do anything! I didn’t do anything! If I don’t do anything now, I won’t be a hero or a man anymore!” After some murmuring about this passes, everyone except for Eijiro leaves the room. He then explains his plan to Izuku.

Hideout Raid Arc
At nightfall, Eijiro gathers with Izuku, Momo, Shoto and Tenya outside of the hospital to begin their rescue mission. They ride a train to the location of the tracker, Kamino Ward. In the middle of the trip, Shoto tells the others it’s not too late to turn back if they’ve changed their minds, but Eijiro responds that he wouldn’t have even suggested the idea if he wasn’t certain he wanted to. He continues to speak, saying that Katsuki would likely go with them once they found him, as he’s not one to let villains have their way.

To hide their identities as U.A students, the group buy “disguises” at a convenience store near the ward. Eijiro’s disguise is notable as it represents bonds, most definitely referring to his bond with Katsuki, being that it is the center of this arc.

Upon arrival at the Ward, Momo offers to make a set of night-vision scopes to help them see through the darkness. Eijiro points out that he had already bought a pair, specifically for the mission. Izuku points out that they’re rather expensive, leaving a question behind: Fellas, is it gay to spend (about) $500 on your bro?

The group finally finds Katsuki in the midst of chaos, holding his own against a barrage of villains. They notice that All Might is holding back his strength as not to accidentally harm him. They realize that they need to get Katsuki out quickly if All Might is going to win. Izuku quickly devises a plan, although risky, as it requires the cooperation of Katsuki, chances of which are really slim. He then addresses Eijiro to be the key to their success since he had built a rapport, a bond with Katsuki from the beginning, and if he was the one to call out to Katsuki, Katsuki would answer.

Eijiro extends his hand as he calls out to Katsuki. Katsuki sets off a giant explosion and soars into the air and locks hands with him. As the group makes their grande escape, Eijiro grins widely that Katsuki is back. They continue to stand close together upon landing, unmoving from each other’s sides.

After All Might finishes his fight, the group decides it's time to get a move on. Eijiro makes an attempt to grab Katsuki’s hand, but is shoved away, although not harshly. Eijiro takes no offense to this, and simply shrugs it off.

Provisional Hero License Exam Arc
In the days following the aftermath of the events at Kamino Prefecture, the students who partook in the raid are scolded harshly by Eraserhead. Post-lecture, Katsuki spots Eijiro with a downcast expression, which upsets him in turn. He proceeds to force Denki into his ”Whey Mode” as distraction for the others while he hands Eijiro a bunch of his own money, saying that it was to make up for what he spent on the night vision goggles that helped his rescue. As he leaves, he tells Eijiro to go back to being his ‘normal dumb self’. Eijiro gives him a small, grateful smile as he watches him walk away.

The revelation of the dorms reveals Katsuki and Eijiro’s rooms to not only be on the same floor, but right next to each other. This was almost definitely purposeful, on the teacher’s part.

During the “Room King/Queen Competition”, Eijiro is rather tired and uninterested through the whole event, likely because of Katsuki’s absence, which is later questioned. Eijiro is quick to answer that he's asleep in his room, and adds that he’s tired enough to sleep as well. (A/N: The two were canonically tired from decorating their rooms together. This was revealed in a light novel.)

During the Provisional Hero License Exams, Katsuki immediately splits from the group (Class 1-A teamed in order for the best shot at passing). Eijiro yells, “Wait up! Idiot..” before chasing after him. (Denki later joins them so he doesn’t feel left out.)

The trio soon encounter a Shiketsu student, Seiji Shishikura, who has a deep grudge against U.A for outshining his school. He grows angry by Katsuki’s attitude, attempts to quirk him into a “meatball”, but Eijiro shoves him out of the way to take the hit in his place. Katsuki yells, “Kirishima!” and runs to go check on him. He grows angry in turn and attempts to “avenge” Eijiro, but is captured. It is Denki who saves them.

Later, during the rescuing portion of the exam, Katsuki cusses out several of the “rescuees”. Eijiro fearlessly scolds him, a thing done hardly by adults, and even less by fellow peers.

When the exam scores are given, Eijiro is excited to see his name on the “passed” list, and then looks for Katsuki’s, and is surprised to not see it. Katsuki then angrily asks to look at Eijiro’s result sheet.

Shie Hassaikai Raid Arc
During his fight against the blade villain, Eijiro thinks back to the strategies and advice he had previously been given by All Might, and more importantly, Katsuki. He flashes back to a day at the dorms, where he sat amongst a group of his classmates as he mouthed about his strengths, or rather, his lack of them. Strangely enough, it is Katsuki who moved to comfort him after appearing rather offended by the things Eijiro is saying about himself. He reminds him of a moment they'd shared at the Sports Festival months ago, when Eijiro had played the role of “his unbreakable horse”, and gives a connection between All Might's final fight and Eijiro’s greatest asset with the line, “Just being able to keep standing through anything makes you crazy strong.” The line stuck with, and inspired Eijiro to become Unbreakable and defeat his enemy in hardly a blow.

The next day, Katsuki finds himself amusingly jealous upon learning of this epic fight and debut of Eijiro’s.

Katsuki was quick to deduce something was up after Eijiro learned the news about Overhaul, perhaps implying he noticed a change in his behavior. During a rock-climbing exercise, he yells for Eijiro to “spill the beans”, although ever-respectful, Eijiro refuses.

(A/N: While the drop in content [post Shie Hassaikai] may be disturbing, it is due to the point of their relationship having been made prominent and clear. There is not as much need to build things that already stand.)

Remedial Course Arc
Upon arriving at the remedial courses, Katsuki comes across Seiji, the boy who “meatball’d” Eijiro back at the provisional license exam. He yells at him in spite of that previous event.

One of the children the remedial course group was assigned to looked, and even acted like a “lovechild” between Eijiro and Katsuki. (Dark blonde hair, shark-teeth, red eyes, passionate yet rude, etc.) It is unknown if this was purposeful or not.

During the “Ultimate Move” practice, Eijiro calls upon Katsuki, Izuku, and Rikidou to “beat him to their heart’s content” as to further strengthen his Hardening. Izuku and Rikidou refuse for separate reasons, but Katsuki takes him up with the following exchange:

Katsuki: “Kirishima! Let me shoot you with my Howitzer!”

Eijiro: “Sounds good!”

U.A School Festival Arc
Eijiro, knowing Katsuki’s typical behavior, was a little worried about Katsuki playing drums for the concert, although he quickly agreed to it. Later, during the dance practice, Eijiro states that Katsuki’s words (A/N: “Kill ‘em with sound!” speech) hadn’t just stirred the band team’s hearts, but his as well.

At the absolute start of the concert, Katsuki yells “Let’s go, dammit!!” Eijiro leans down from his spot above the stage, and shouts for him to make the opening showy.

After the concert, and after the beauty pageant, the students start deciding what to do next. Eijiro suggests to Katsuki that they go try out the obstacle course. They can later be seen as they run it together; Katsuki wears a genuine grin of enjoyment. (A/N: This scene was changed from the manga, Eijiro originally watched Katsuki run with a wowed look on his face.)

Pro Hero Arc
Katsuki and Eijiro can be sitting rather close together on the common room sofa before the Pussycat’s visit. They can later be seen looking at one another worriedly during Endeavor’s fight against the speaking Nomu.

Two Heroes (Movie 1)

 * They’re first seen partaking in a timed trial. Shoto beats Katsuki’s time, and angers him. He then tries to run over and attack Shoto, but Eijiro wraps himself around him to calm/restrain him.
 * The two simply relax in their room before Eijiro attempts to convince Katsuki to attend the banquet with him. He finally manages to convince him by showing him the matching suits he bought them to wear.
 * Eijiro does the impossible and is the one to lead Katsuki to the banquet, rather than the other way around. He “accidentally” manages to get them lost on the 80th floor, which just so happens to be a beautiful atrium.
 * They encounter a duo of villains, Katsuki heads to yell at them, but Eijiro holds him by his chest and shoulder to restrain him.
 * The villain’s attack Eijiro, but fail thanks to the sudden appearance of Shoto. Katsuki rushes over to see if he’s alright.
 * A villain runs to attack Katsuki, who doesn’t realize this. Eijiro shoves him out of the way while yelling “BAKUGOU!!” The villain flings Eijiro across two ice pillars, and he smashes against the wall of the building.
 * Katsuki sees this and his eyes grow wide with concern as he yells out, “KIRISHIMA!!!”
 * After Katsuki and Shoto finish a fight together, they run to where Eijiro is. Katsuki says “Kirishima!”, before said boy yells that he’s stuck. Katsuki gives him a slightly concerned look before closing his eyes and saying, “Are you dumb? Just release your quirk!”
 * Shoto says he’s glad that Kirishima’s not hurt, and Eijiro responds, “Yeah, you guys too!” and looks at Katsuki, who turns around and whispers “Thanks.”
 * Eijiro then smiles and blushes, saying, “That’s so unlike you! Don’t worry about it!” To “protect his reputation”, Katsuki yells, “I WASN’T WORRIED!”
 * After All Might and Deku defeat Wolfram, everyone is cheering, and Katsuki looks at them with a small smile on his face. Off-screen, Eijiro yells, “That was awesome, Bakugou!”
 * During the end credits, there’s a scene told in photographs of All Might hosting a BBQ party with all of Class 1-A at I Island. Eijiro can be seen walking over to a grumpy Katsuki with food for both of them.

Heroes Rising (Movie 2)

 * Ochako asks if anyone will patrol with her, but Katsuki refuses. Eijiro teases him by saying, “Yeah, obviously you’re real busy, Bakugou!” Katsuki fires back, questioning how his “dumb quirk” will help find anything, which mildly upsets Eijiro.
 * Minoru teases Katsuki about how he’s doing nothing but “patrolling”. Katsuki grows angry and yells that he needs to patrol in case of a sudden attacker. Before he can get too out of hand, Eijiro refutes by saying, “Aw, come on, Bakugou! You know there aren’t any villains on this island.”
 * Before heading out, Eijiro salutes Katsuki and says that “nightwatch is all his”. He angrily asks just why and Eijiro tells him it’s because he sat around all day. Katsuki doesn’t argue, and simply takes this logic.
 * Katsuki and Eijiro team up to fight the red tape(??) villains together. Eijiro almost gets captured, but Katsuki breaks him out in time. He then gets captured, but manages to explode himself to safety.
 * Katsuki watches Eijiro speak from a balcony at the end.

BNHA: Team Up Missions (Manga Spin-Off)
In chapter 9 of “Team Up Missions”, titled “That’s Totally Overdoing the Illusion”, Katsuki and Eijiro are finally called off on a mission together, alongside Shoto, and eventually Camie. They were called to perform a stage play at a theme park (Future World) in hopes to boost the park’s dropping popularity, although like always, things soon go awry.


 * Upon entering Future World, Eijiro calls it “amazing”. On the other hand, Katsuki says it’s too childish.
 * When given the summary of the play they’d be performing, Eijiro gets excited, saying that it’s such an awesome story. Katsuki scoffs and replies, “but it’s damn basic.” Eijiro then smiles at him and says, “Nah, I like it!”
 * The time soon comes to cast roles. Camie and Katsuki fall into an argument over the leading role, but Eijiro rushes over to calm Katsuki down, and changes the subject to the rides of the park.
 * Katsuki adamantly refuses to ride anything, as they’re “too childish” for him. Eijiro continuously begs for him to join him, and finally manages to get him to ride the teacups with him after a challenge. (A/N: Whoever could withstand the ride the longest would get to play the leading role). This method of “challenging” shows that he truly understands Katsuki, and what he likes.
 * Katsuki sits next to Eijiro in the teacup and spins it insanely fast. He looks at Eijiro and taunts, “HOW IS IT!? YOU DON’T LOOK SO GOOD. GONNA GIVE UP YET!?” Eijiro, seemingly wanting to impress him, yells back “YOU MUST BE JOKING!! NOT EVEN CLOSE!! TURN IT UP!!”
 * After getting off the ride, everyone except Shoto is dizzy and nauseated. Eijiro almost stumbles into the girl’s restroom. After doing so, he yells for Katsuki’s attention.
 * Soon after the first act of the play, the students overhear a villain's plan to send a cart flying off the track of the rollercoaster. Eijiro runs off to stop it. He struggles until Katsuki rushes over to jump onto his back to provide the force of his explosions, giving them the power they needed to stop the cart, a task they could only accomplish together.
 * They walk home together in the end.

My Hero Academia: The “Ultra” Stage (Stage Play)

 * During the “entrance exam”, Katsuki and Eijiro can be seen wearing similar tank-tops. Eijiro quickly notices Katsuki, and checks him out before heading over to chat with him.


 * Eraserhead tells everyone to prepare for the “quirk tests”, and the boys begin to strip on-stage. Eijiro stands next to Katsuki as they change out of their uniforms, and is notably the only one not wearing an undershirt. After removing his clothes, he turns to Katsuki to pause and check him out (again) Eijiro then attempts to lean closer to him, which flusters Katsuki, who pushes him away.


 * During the “first day of school”, Eijiro sits next to Katsuki and makes an attempt to chat with him. Instead of responding, Katsuki scoffs and kicks the chair in front of him. Eijiro moves to put the chair back in place. Katsuki then proceeds to set his legs on top of his desk, and gets a scolding from Tenya. To stop this, Eijiro sits in the chair in front of Katsuki and pats his feet before grabbing the hems of Katsuki’s pants, to make him put his feet down. Eijiro brushes the chair off afterwards, and apologizes to Tenya on Katsuki’s behalf. Later, as they both stand, Katsuki pulls Eijiro in really close and snarls at him before letting go.


 * At the “USJ”, the two share a dance number. Later, during the fight scenes, they leap over one another, and even hold hands for a brief period as they do a spin attack. Katsuki smiles at Eijiro after they take down their villain, and fistbumps him. In another scene, Katsuki gets thrown against a wall by a villain, and Eijiro rushes to his aid, standing defensively in front of him to protect him.


 * Instead of the “horse” formation, Katsuki preferred to jump onto Eijiro’s back so he could carry him during the “Cavalry Battle”. Later, during Mei’s fight with Tenya, everyone fell asleep from how boring it was. Katsuki wakes up and finds Eijiro passed out on the floor. He then grabs ahold of Eijiro’s upper thigh and squeezes, then shakes him awake.


 * During a curtain call, Eijiro was headed down the aisles and spotted Katsuki coming up from behind him. He then smiled and made a heart with his hands that he sent out to Katsuki, which Katsuki swatted away?!


 * Eijiro asks Katsuki, “What do you want for your birthday?” Katsuki says “Something spicy,” Eijiro replies, “Spicy stuff- leave it to me!”

BNHA Smash! (Manga Spin-Off) (Vol. 1-5)

 * Missing the Point: Katsuki is hit with a “bishonen” quirk, which twists his words into “flirts”. During a training exercise, he tells Eijiro, “You can try and tie me up all you want, but you’ll never be able to tie down my heart!” Eijiro responds, “Interesting! A challenge to see which of our hearts will submit first!”


 * Without Ill Intention: Kyoka develops a (temporary) crush on Eijiro, and attempts to grow closer to him during the class shopping trip. Unfortunately for her, Eijiro spots Katsuki nearby and runs to walk with him instead.


 * A Little at a Time: During a spar, Eijiro ends up crumbled from Katsuki’s explosions. Katsuki grows concerned and softly asks if they should stop, but is told no. Eventually, Eijiro is reduced to shards, which Katsuki gathers with a look of regret.


 * Whatcha all drinking?: Eijiro takes a sip of Katsuki’s spicy drink (indirect kiss).


 * Reflecting On: Eijiro invites Katsuki to eat with him, but is refused due to the embarrassing way in which Katsuki’s lunch is fashioned (shaped like a heart). Eijiro tries to follow him, so Katsuki throws his lunch in his face. Hanta asks if they’re fighting, (In some translations, he says “Trouble in paradise, you two?”)


 * Human Bullet: The two make a combo move which they name “Kirishima-Rocket”.


 * The Partner For Him: Katsuki behaves feral as ever during the USJ attack. After a large explosion of his, Eijiro thinks to himself, “As debris pelted him like rain, Kirishima came to believe that he was the only one in the world who could fit the role of this boy’s partner.”


 * New Setting: Eijiro is shown in his “Red Riding (Riot) Hood” costume and carries a wolf costume with him for Katsuki to wear and match with him. When he gets him in the costume, Eijiro smiles and says it suits him.


 * A Kind Man in All Situations: Katsuki accidentally hits Eijiro with a tree, and explains as such. Eijiro proceeds to ask if he’s hurt.


 * Senpai Gets Teased: Eijiro finds Katsuki mountain climbing, and drags him to join a similar class outing. As they walk together, he (and Kyoka) tease him about being “masochistic”.


 * An Uncouth Question: Eijiro asks Katsuki if he wanted to go on a Christmas hike together. (Christmas in Japan is typically a romantic holiday)


 * It Can’t Be, This Guy: Eijiro returns from a mission, only to find a sick Katsuki on the common room couch. He proceeds to baby him with sweet gifts.


 * Ice Cream: Eijiro invites Katsuki out to eat with him (at a restaurant!). As they walk, Eijiro blushes and tells Katsuki he smells good.


 * Kirishima-Woof-Eijiro: Eijiro is quirked into a dog, and uses this to get embarrassingly close to Katsuki. Later, he sees Shoto (as a koala) clutching onto Katsuki’s hip and grows jealous. He looks at them angrily before running over to aggressively yank Shoto away.


 * A Huge Occurrence: Katsuki accidentally breaks Eijiro’s night-vision goggles (from Kamino). Eijiro is saddened by this, which guilts  Katsuki, so without his knowledge, he enlists himself to many ridiculous jobs to pay him back. Eijiro takes notice of this and concludes that Katsuki must be having money troubles. He gets the class to put together a large sum of money for Katsuki, although Katsuki refuses by giving him the new goggles.


 * (Bonus) Two Heroes: Izuku notices the roses on the suit Eijiro bought for Katsuki, and reads their meanings (I’m the only one for you) out loud to their classmates. Eijiro looks rather embarrassed as he does this. Katsuki then jumps to attack Izuku, rather than Eijiro, showing that he isn’t against Eijiro having these feelings for him.


 * (Bonus) Two Heroes: Katsuki thanks Eijiro for saving him from a villain, although Eijiro doesn’t hear him properly. Katsuki is too embarrassed to say it to his face, so Shoto does it for him.

BNHA: Drama CD(s)
“Preparing for the Sports Festival!” (BNHA Season 2 Vol. 1)

The CD takes place ten days prior to the Sports Festival, and Eijiro is nervous for what’s to come. He goes to Katsuki to ask for tips on preparing, although doesn’t quite get what he asked for!


 * Eijiro stops Katsuki after class by yelling “Bakugou!” Katsuki answers with “What is it, shitty hair?”, and is met with the typical, “My name is Kirishima, man!” rant. After this, Eijiro goes on to question if he’s practicing for the Festival, which he answers he is.


 * After a disagreement over Katsuki’s “approachability”, Eijiro finally asks how he’s preparing for the festival, but Katsuki refuses to share his “secrets”, as they’d be opponents in the upcoming days. Eijiro then slips an arm around him, since they’re classmates after all.


 * Katsuki gets mad at this touch and attempts to pry him off, yelling for Eijiro to not get “chummy” with him. Eijiro says, “Aw, don’t say that!”, causing Katsuki to angrily slam his fist on a desk, and thus draws attention (Mina & Ochako).
 * Katsuki is eventually annoyed into explaining the concept of Sports Festival, to which Ochako states that he really knows his stuff. Eijiro says to her, “That’s Bakugou for you. No wonder he placed in the top rank during the entrance exams!”


 * Eijiro asks, “You really wanna win this, right?” Katsuki responds that he doesn’t just wanna win, but will win. Bring on whatever opponent- I’ll just eliminate them, including YOU!


 * After Katsuki leaves the room to begin training, Eijiro says dazedly, “Man, he’s intense..It’s like the road he walks on is a death road or something.”

Fanon
Kirishima being Bakugou's dragon was a popular speculation among fans long before the light novel was released. Bakugou's Japanese voice actor Nobuhiko Okamoto made a comment in the August 2018 volume of CUT Magazine, saying that "Kirishima is the only one for Bakugou."

In another interview in Newtype September 2018 with Bakugou's voice actor Nobuhiko Okamoto and Todoroki's voice actor Yuki Kaji, Okamoto says, "Kirishima is such a good guy- he's really a great guy" and Kaji responds "He even brought a suit for him [in the movie], so he must know his measurements" and Okamoto replies with "Thank you for pointing that out for the fans."

The Kiribaku tag often ranks as one of the most popular and most active ships on Tumblr. In fact, in June 2018, it was the second most popular ship on Tumblr's 'Fandometrics'.

The ship officially gained popularity when it was heavily implied that they were friends in Season 3, episode 39, "Game Start" when Kirishima was the one to bring Bakugou to the pool, and the two of them were later shown walking home together as Kirishima tried to comfort Bakugou after the frustrating end.

Oftentimes, the ship is portrayed as Kirishima being the one to make most of the advances in the relationship while Bakugou is often the "tsundere" type and will not properly express his feelings.

Fandom
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Trivia

 * Eijiro loves manly things, and thinks Katsuki is the manliest thing of them all (similar to Haya Yuuyu’s love for cute things).


 * The ship name “PopRocks” (like the candy) is drawn from their quirks; The onomatopoeia of Katsuki’s explosions, a possible “Pop!”, and Eijiro’s hardening, which leads him to take on a rock-like appearance. The similar sounding “PopCrocs” is a twist, deviated from Eijiro’s wearing of the footwear ‘Crocs’.


 * The ship name “Ichigo”, or “Strawberry” derives from their scores on one popularity poll, in which Katsuki and Eijiro scored 1st and 5th respectively. The importance to this was pieced together by Eastern fans, who recognized “1” as “Ichi”, and 5 as “Go”. When put together, the word “Ichigo”, or again, “Strawberry”, is formed.


 * Eijiro and Katsuki drew their hero names from their idols, Crimson Riot and All Might respectively. Interesting enough, they both placed their special twists at the beginning of the name (Red Riot/Crimson Riot | Dyna-Might/All-Might)


 * The BNHA Smash Strip “Sulky-Shima” was originally planned to feature Eijiro becoming jealous of Tsuyu as she received the attention of Denki and Izuku. However, it was decided that the character relations didn’t work, and the strip was changed to Eijiro becoming jealous of Shoto hugging Katsuki’s hip. The change is rather suspicious for good reason.


 * Horikoshi added a comment from Eijiro onto the fight between Katsuki and Izuku: “Bakugou and Midoriya’s fight was so hot, watching it got me all fired up!”


 * Much to fan’s delight, the Japanese voice actors of many characters have made their love for this paring clear with comments, and even role-plays during panels.


 * During a panel, Clifford Chaplin (Katsuki’s English VA) was asked “Who will Bakugou end up with?” He responded “Whoever Bakugou starts to care for more, be their hair brown, or be their hair red.” (There is no one else who “red” could refer to.) Chaplin is known to ship Kacchako (to “spite” Izuku), so it is interesting that he brought up Eijiro.


 * In one official game, certain characters provide power boosts to others on a range from 1-3 (1 being the lowest, 3 being the highest). The strength of the boost appears to depend on the strength of the canon bonds between characters. Eijiro provides the max boost for Katsuki, and vice versa. It’s interesting to note that this occurs with several other popular pairings, such as TodoMomo, IzuOcha, and KamiJirou to name a few.


 * Eijiro is confirmed to be Katsuki’s dragon in the “Fantasy AU” Spin-Off.
 * In the “Fantasy AU”, Katsuki has a stylistic “K” tattooed on one shoulder, this could very well stand
 * They are very close in height, the last official recording of character height showed Katsuki is but 2(cm) taller than Eijiro.
 * A white and black patterned shirt is commonly seen on either boy in official artworks and merchandise. Judging by the similarity in size between the two, it is speculated that it- and perhaps other articles of clothing are shared between the boys.
 * The main symbols of Eijiro and Katsuki’s hero costumes (Katsuki’s orange “X” and Eijiro’s gear) form a stylistic “XO” when put together.

Variations

 * TodoBakuKiriDeku refers to the ship between Izuku Midoriya, Shoto Todoroki, Katsuki Bakugou, and Eijiro Kirishima

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