When Does The Rival First Appear In The Manga Volume?

I’ll be blunt: the rival turns up in volume 1. In 'My Hero Academia' that rival—Katsuki Bakugo—makes his first clear appearance during chapter 1, which is included in the first tankobon. That opening chapter establishes the friction between him and Izuku Midoriya right away; Bakugo’s bullying and the contrast between them are front and center. If you’re flicking through that volume, you can’t miss him—he’s drawn to dominate the panels and his energy sets the tone for their relationship.

I sometimes prefer the manga for this scene because the pacing feels slightly different from the anime adaptation; the panels give more room to Horikoshi’s expressions and linework, so Bakugo’s debut feels rawer and a bit nastier on the page. For collectors, note that the collected volume includes all the early chapters, so no hunting through later issues is needed—Volume 1 is where the rivalry begins. Personally, that opening still gets me excited every time I read it.

If you mean the big rival everyone talks about—Katsuki Bakugo in 'My Hero Academia'—he actually shows up literally in volume 1. His first appearance is in chapter 1, which is collected right at the start of the first tankobon (volume 1 gathers the opening chapters). You get him in the very early pages: the obnoxious childhood bully introducing himself to Izuku Midoriya, already full of that explosive attitude that defines him. In the manga that first scene lands with a punch because Horikoshi gives Bakugo such a loud entrance visually; you can almost hear the shouts through the panels. If you’re skimming the volume, look at chapter 1’s opening sequences—Bakugo’s face, his scorn, and the way Deku looks back at him are all there from page one of their rivalry.

I like to point out details that make the debut feel intentional: the art, the dialogue, and the way Deku is framed as small and earnest while Bakugo occupies more aggressive, confident poses. Volume 1 is a tidy package that includes this entire setup, so whether you read the single chapters online or the collected book, the rival’s debut is always present from the start. Different editions (digital vs. paper) might have slightly different page numbering or bonus color pages, but the narrative placement doesn’t change—chapter 1 is the moment. If you’ve only watched the anime, this matches Episode 1 pretty closely; the manga first chapter gives you that raw, original pacing and small visual hints—character design choices and panel direction—that the anime later animated.

On a personal note, I love how early Bakugo appears because it sets the emotional baseline for the whole series: jealousy, power, and competitive drive laid out before any formal training arcs. Going back to volume 1 now, I still get a thrill reading those opening pages—there’s so much foreshadowing in the way Horikoshi draws their dynamic that you only fully appreciate after seeing how both characters grow. It’s a brilliant, grab-you-by-the-throat introduction that stuck with me.