How Shoto Surpassed Endeavor, Explained

For the majority of My Hero Academia, the one hero who sits on the throne as the number 1 hero in Japan is none other than the Flame Hero: Endeavor. Some may argue that he only managed to get into that prestigious position because the undisputed top hero, All Might, decided to retire. Though there may be truth to that statement, the fact remains that based on his powers and achievements, Endeavor deserves that top spot.

As the number one, many pro heroes are gunning for Endeavor’s position. However, one particular person is much more eager than everybody else to surpass Endeavor. His name is Shoto Todoroki, Endeavor’s youngest son. It’s not easy to get to the level of somebody like Endeavor, but before we know it, Shoto has arguably surpassed his father before the end of the series. Here’s how he did it.

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Endeavor’s Limit

Endeavor has one of the greatest firepower among the pro heroes in Japan. His ultimate move, the Flashfire Fist, is a super-hot fire blast that can instantly pulverize anything in its path. That’s how devastating he can be. But even somebody as powerful as Endeavor has his limits.

Can’t Keep the Flame On

As somebody who has a fire-based quirk, Endeavor’s body can withstand extreme heat. That’s why he can keep firing high-temperature blasts that can disintegrate the enemies without suffering any harmful effect on his body. That being said, there’s a limit to how scorching he can be.

After he reaches a certain temperature, Endeavor can no longer increase his heat without severely damaging his body. This limitation meant Endeavor couldn’t use his full power to face enemies that kept getting stronger by the day. This is also one of the reasons why he married Rei Himura, a woman who has an ice-based quirk.

Blinded by Ambition

Since Endeavor couldn’t change the temperature limit of his body, his ambition to beat All Might and truly become the undisputed No. 1 Hero was basically shattered. So he forced his dream onto his children. He hoped that by marrying Rei, they would have children who would inherit both fire and ice quirks.

The ice quirk can lower the body’s temperature, which allows the fire quirk to climb to whatever temperature the user wants. His youngest child, Shoto Todoroki, managed to obtain both quirks. Unfortunately, Endeavor was blinded by his ambition and ended up abusing his wife and children while forcing Shoto to undergo harsh quirk training at an early age.

Shoto’s Limit

Shoto is one of the few people in the entire world who was born with two quirks. However, his resentment toward his father runs so deep that he refuses to use his fire quirk. Shoto is determined to surpass Endeavor with only his ice quirk. And that is him putting a limit on himself.

Putting a Limit on Himself

While Shoto’s decision to only use the power he received from his mother while abandoning his father’s power is certainly understandable, it is still the wrong decision. Everybody, including Endeavor, has to use every ounce of power in their body to become the best of the best. It is beyond naive for him to think that he can get to the top of the pro heroes while tying one hand behind his back. The reality is, as difficult as it may be to admit, Shoto needs his father’s firepower if he wants to catch up to him.

Catching Up to Endeavor

Fortunately for Shoto, he faces Deku during the Sports Festival. Deku knows what it feels like to be powerless. So it boggles his mind to see somebody who is blessed with two quirks purposely put himself in a disadvantageous position while claiming to pursue the top spot. Deku may have lost the fight, but his strong words that day resonated deeply with Shoto. Thanks to Deku, Shoto finally realizes that he needs to suppress his feelings and use everything that he has if he wants to surpass Endeavor.

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How Shoto Surpassed Endeavor

Once Shoto gets into the right mindset, his journey to surpass his father officially begins. He already mastered the ice quirk, so the first order of business is to master the fire quirk. This is one of the reasons why Shoto decided to join Endeavor Agency during the Hero Work-Studies.

Mastering the Fire

The first thing that Shoto needs to master is Endeavor’s signature move, the Flashfire Fist. This move requires its users to increase their fire temperature as high as they can manage and then unleash it on the opponent in the form of a controlled and condensed blast. This is the pinnacle of fire techniques, and this is also the move that makes Endeavor realize his own limitations. After all, Flashfire Fist’s strength depends highly on its user’s skill and temperature.

As mentioned earlier, Endeavor has a clear ceiling that he can’t break through simply because his body cannot withstand such a high temperature. The same thing doesn’t apply to Shoto. His ice quirk should lower his body temperature while he simultaneously raises the heat of his fire quirk. It takes quite some time, but Shoto eventually manages to execute the same level of Flashfire Fist as his father.

Mastering the Balance

At this point, Shoto has basically achieved the same power level as Endeavor. Now, it’s all about surpassing the old man. For that, Shoto needs to push both his ice and fire to the absolute limit. And that requires a delicate balance that is extremely difficult to master. But as expected, Shoto manages to pull off a Flashfire Fist that burns hotter than Endeavor’s well before the final battle.

However, Shoto knows that an improved version of Flashfire Fist alone is not enough to defeat Dabi’s blue flame, which can burn even hotter than his fire. And that’s when he comes up with a new ultimate move that only he can pull off. He calls it Phosphor. The principle behind this new move is relatively similar to his Flashfire Fist, which is to achieve a delicate balance between his ice and fire. However, the way he executes it is entirely different from the Flashfire Fist.

For Flashfire Fist, Shoto uses his fire and ice separately. The fire increases the heat while the ice lowers the body temperature. Phosphor, on the other hand, requires Shoto to blend his fire and ice. He circulates the heat and the cold in his body until he achieves a true unison between the two elements.

The result is something that looks, moves, and behaves like a fire but rather than burn, it freezes anything it touches. Thanks to this move, Shoto can safely neutralize Dabi’s devastating Blue Flashfire Fist. Thanks to Phosphor, he surpasses Endeavor and officially becomes the best fire user in My Hero Academia.

My Hero Academia is available to stream on Crunchyroll.

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