Since this scene finally got animated, I wanna talk about this line real quick as a Kacchako shipper.
While it’s regarded widely in our fandom as a display of how Uraraka understands Bakugou, I also feel like it’s a double edged sword. Yes, it’s all fine and dandy that Uraraka is right in her assessment of how Bakugou may feel about getting rescued (”Don’t come, Deku”) but I also think it’s smart writing in the sense that it shows Uraraka is incredibly empathetic… Maybe to an excessive degree? And it’s rare that empathy gets shown as a trait that isn’t all positive.
Todoroki says everyone who is going to go rescue Bakugou has selfish reasons for doing so. Essentially, they are thinking about how they feel about the situation more than how he feels, and in this scenario Uraraka is here to say that she cares about Bakugou’s emotions in regards to getting rescued enough to honour his wish and not aid in “disgracing” him.
But… that fact doesn’t really matter because he’s in danger??? He’s their classmate and he got kidnapped, so regardless of his humiliation, he needs help. He’s outnumbered and at risk, and it’s known that Bakugou’s pride aids in his downfalls as well, so is it really right to honour someones pride when it’s not good for them? I don’t think so at all. I think it’s actually really a loss for Kacchako shippers, that Uraraka can understand him to such a degree but still didn’t go to help him (”Ochako is the traitor” theorists don’t interact.)
The reason I think her empathy is shown as having potential downsides is Uraraka is shown to hesitate every time emotions are involved. These scenes, which I’m sure you all remember, are also examples of such:
But I feel this moment in S3E8 is yet another display of Uraraka being shown to struggle doing the right thing because she’s busy thinking about how someone feels.Her empathy essentially breaks her focus, or clouds her vision. Yes there’s also the question of authority coming into play with this scenerio, but the statement in question is about empathy not breaking the law.
That’s why I actually really like it when Kacchako shippers remember that there’s another side to this statement, and while her being able to deduct how Bakugou may perceive the rescue is a win, it’s still a loss and problematic to the ship that she was willing to wait when their friends weren’t (even Iida went, when he was against the whole idea).
An example of this scene being handled very well is in the fanfic “Two Black Dots” by @tharroswrites where it wasn’t focused on too much, but while Bakugou could admit Uraraka was right, he could still be frustrated with her for possibly not caring enough for his safety. That’s pretty realistic, I would think. I don’t think Bakugou would want to dwell on his kidnapping for a long time, so it’s not going to be a moment that could hinder the ship per say, but if it came into question, I don’t think he’d thank her in any way for not going after him??? I also don’t think he’d condemn her for not going though, as it’s not like he asked for help.
So in the end, this scene is a balance between good and bad. It has his upside and its downside. I just think if we’re going to use canon content to support/mould out ship, we should think about the negatives as well. ❤
We Are What We Feel 