Summary
- Todoroki’s character growth from cold to compassionate hero is driven by his complex relationship with his father, and the help of his friends and family, like Deku.
- Each pivotal moment in Todoroki’s journey, from the Sports Festival to Saving Dabi, reinforces his resolve and heroism.
- The progression showcases how Todoroki navigates his family legacy, with key moments shaping his hero’s path.
Of the many reasons to praise My Hero Academia, one of the most notable is how the characters are developed over the course of the series. Whether through their interactions with Deku, Shigaraki, or the changing Hero society, there is not a character that escapes the story unchanged. This adds weight to every page of the series, and makes following the story over such a long time feel immensely rewarding.
One of the most significant examples of this is Todoroki, who begins the series in a vastly different place than how he ends it. A cold, menacing character gives way to one of the most warm and compassionate heroes in Japan. But what drove this growth, and how are his motivations changed by the end of the series?
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Todoroki’s Introduction
Todoroki Makes an Icy Entrance
We are first introduced to Todoroki’s character when Class 1-A meets up for their first team-up assignment. The Todoroki we see here is much different from the one we are used to now, in appearance and demeanor. With ice covering one half of his body and a single glowing red eye showing through, his character is incredibly intimidating to the class. His powers also provide a mystery, as the characters are aware that he also possesses some fire ability, but Todoroki notably never uses “that side”.
After almost instantly winning the team-up match by freezing the entire practice area, and briskly walking past his opponents as if he didn’t even notice them, we come to understand Todoroki’s power, though we are still unaware of why he chooses to hold back. At this point, he is seemingly content to prove he doesn’t need all of it to be stronger than others.
Post Deku vs Todoroki
We Learn About Shoto Todoroki’s Origin
It is only at the Sports Festival that we learn why Todoroki has chosen not to use his fire, and it is also here where we first see Shoto’s determination to become a “hero”. Todoroki meets with Deku prior to their match, and he informs him of a few different things, but most importantly, his backstory. When he reveals that he received his scar due to the abuse his father inflicted on his mother, Todoroki also reveals why he doesn’t use his “other” side: he is determined to become a hero without using his father’s fire-power.
But Deku, upon hearing this, goes on to confront Todoroki about his perspective, and this is a pivotal point in Todoroki’s journey that is referenced throughout the rest of the story. In one of the most famous moments of the anime and manga, Deku exclaims to Todoroki, “It’s yours, it’s your quirk not his!” And it is upon hearing this that Shoto flashes back to when he first decided to become a hero, seeing how All Might helped others on the TV, much like Deku did. He erupts in flame, wins the match, and is forever changed moving forward. This is where Todoroki’s hero journey truly begins or is at least reaffirmed, as signaled by the episode title, Shoto Todoroki: Origin.
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Pro Hero License Exam
Todoroki Realizes He Still Has Feelings He Needs to Address
While his Sports Festival moment signaled that he was moving past Endeavor, his issue with his father rears its head yet again at the Pro Hero License Exams. Here, he gets into a quarrel with another student who also has hatred for him and his father, and due to becoming distracted by this conflict, he fails the license exam and is forced to take it again. Here, Shoto realizes that he needs to address his feelings around Endeavor, as they are preventing him from being the best hero he can be. While he has accepted his power as his own, he still feels negatively affected by Endeavor’s legacy, and is struggling to stand out as a hero of his own. He understands that he can’t ignore his father and their history if he wants to achieve his dreams.
Endeavor Internship
Todoroki Makes the Most of His Situation
The internship arc of MHA sees Todoroki asking his father to not only accept him, but Deku and Bakugo as interns as well. This is a big step for Todoroki, as while he is not absolving his father of his actions and past, he is recognizing what he has accomplished for others in the Hero world, and the power he possesses. Shoto has decided to become the strongest hero that he can, and he believes that while Endeavor may have been a terrible father, he is a capable hero, one who can teach him to better handle the requirements of being a hero.
Here is another step showing how Todoroki is looking to move forward with his hero dream. While previously he would have abhorred any interaction with Endeavor, here he willingly approaches his father and even asks for his assistance, as he wants to use every tool available to him.
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Saving Dabi
Todoroki Uses Everything He’s Learned to Save His Family
Todoroki’s progression with his feelings around his father is challenged yet again when he learns that Dabi, the flame-wielding member of the League of Villains, is his long thought to be dead brother, Toya. This brings up all the failures of his father and family again, and what it means to hold the legacy of Endeavor as a hero. He quickly decides that he himself must save Dabi alone to atone for these errors, but the rest of his family quickly come to stand beside him and reassure him that they all have their role to play in helping him and Endeavor save Toya.
The finale showcases just how much Todoroki has changed throughout the series, as this confrontation with Toya, and the knowledge of yet another failure of his father, would have surely been received much differently if the UA Sports Festival had never happened. There may have even been a time when Todoroki would have left Endeavor to face Dabi’s flames alone. But we once again see just how much the moment with Deku had affected Todoroki, as Deku’s words push him once again to beat Dabi, and “save” the child, Toya, that still resides inside him.
Todoroki’s arc is one of acknowledging the pain of the past, and working to seize the most of the moment. While Shoto’s intense resentment of Endeavor originally stained his view of his powers, with the help of Deku, All Might, Class 1-A and even Endeavor and the rest of his family, he learns how to become the hero he always wanted to be.
My Hero Academia is available to watch on Crunchyroll, Hulu, Netflix and Amazon Prime where available. You can also read the manga on VIZ’s Shonen Jump App.
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