The Todoroki family and their internal conflict is one of My Hero Academia's most fascinating storylines. The three most prominent Todorokis are Enji, Shoto and Dabi, each having their character arcs shaped by their experiences in the family and their relationship with the fiery Quirk Endeavor is famous for.
Knowing the Todorokis' past helps to understand the goals each of them is currently aiming for in My Hero Academia. Here's a look at their full family history -- and how their Quirks may help or hinder them from future success.
Endeavor's Hellflame Quirk Made Him MHA's #2 Pro Hero
All Might may have cast a large shadow in MHA with his unparalleled peak strength but in his early days as a hero, Endeavor made it his personal mission to surpass the #1 Pro Hero. His mantra of constant improvement propelled him all the way to the #2 spot on the Hero charts, but his Quirk's drawback meant he could climb no further.
Endeavor's Quirk, Hellflame, allows him to produce high-intensity flames from his body and control them at will. He's able to manipulate them freely and has even been shown to form constructs like spears and fireballs. Endeavor has an astonishing amount of control over his Quirk and can produce flames out of any part of his body. His Hell Spider Super Move shoots concentrated streams of flames from his fingertips that can slice through concrete as easily as any laser. Recently, with the help of support items, he's even proved able to imitate flight. His Quirk seems almost invincible; the problem is, Endeavor himself isn't.
The then-#2 Hero had a flame tolerance much higher than any other but even Endeavor had his limits. Like many other characters in MHA, his Quirk was far too powerful for his body to keep up. When he reached his peak temperatures, Endeavor's body would start to overheat and several of his vital organs would begin to shut down. Great as his power was, Endeavor realized this particular condition would forever prevent him from being on All Might's level. He gave himself a new mission: training the hero who would one day surpass All Might.
How Did Toya Todoroki Become Dabi?
Endeavor sought to raise a child who inherited his powerful Quirk but without his body's main weakness. To facilitate this, he entered a Quirk marriage -- an arranged partnership entered in with the aim of producing children with a specific type of Quirk. Quirk marriages aren't exactly legal in My Hero Academia, but Endeavor wasn't about to let anything in the way of his dream. His soon-to-be wife, Rei, and her family held ice Quirks and seemed ecstatic about the arrangement, so all was well for a time.
Endeavor's first-born son, Toya, inherited an even stronger version of the Hellflame Quirk. Even at a young age, Endeavor recognized this new Quirk's potential and instantly began training Toya to become a Pro Hero who would surpass All Might. Unfortunately, they hadn't progressed very far with Toya's training before discovering side effects of his Quirk much more drastic than Endeavor's. While Toya had inherited a Flame Quirk, his body had taken after his mother's; he was more suited for withstanding cold temperatures. The Quirk's incompatibility meant that its overuse wouldn't merely start to shut his body down, but that his very self would be consumed by his own flames.
Horrified at what the process had wrought, Endeavor immediately stopped training Toya -- but he'd already done too good a job at getting his eldest son fired up. Toya had internalized the idea that he was the one to surpass All Might and didn't mind destroying his body to do it. Although he was forbidden by his father to continue training his Quirk, Toya continued to do so in secret, learning to minimize the damage and hide his injuries. His resentment for Endeavor began to grow as his father refused to acknowledge his efforts, but it truly came to a head when Shoto was born.
Why Does Shoto Todoroki Hate Endeavor?
Shoto was blessed with the perfect Quirk combination that Endeavor hoped for. On his left side, he could produce and control flames, while his right side could do the same for ice. Toya's predicament evidently didn't teach Endeavor any lessons because he immediately saddled his youngest son with the same ambition he'd previously assigned to Toya. Unable to control his emotions, Toya attacked the infant Shoto but was prevented from doing any real harm.
From then on, Endeavor kept Shoto separated from his other children. He saw them as belonging to different worlds and prevented Shoto from socializing with his siblings. The boy's entire existence was to train, and having to do so with a perfectionist like Endeavor as his coach was a truly hellish experience. There was no room for error.
Meanwhile, Toya continued to train his Quirk despite warnings from both his parents. Although his animosity toward Endeavor had grown even more, he still couldn't help longing for the man's approval. He invited Endeavor to watch one of his training sessions at Sekoto Peak. When Endeavor didn't show up, he was overcome by emotions that only fueled his already powerful flames. Having never learned proper control, Toya was helpless to stop the blaze that ravaged him and presumably burned to death along with the entire mountain that night. The assumption wasn't too far off; Toya had indeed died that night -- all that was left was Dabi.
After this incident, Endeavor only tightened his grip on Shoto. His rationale was if this second attempt failed as well, then everything he and his family had endured was pointless. The entire family bore the strain of his obsession with surpassing All Might and his already frail wife's mental health had begun to severely deteriorate. She started to conflate Endeavor's appearance with that of her children, and in one particularly vulnerable moment caused the accident that gave Shoto the burn scar over his left eye.
Dabi Vs Shoto Todoroki: MHA's Fated Battle Between Brothers
Even at that young age, Shoto was discerning enough to realize his mother's erratic behavior was caused by his father's actions. To spite Endeavor, he declined to use his Flame powers at all in his journey to becoming a hero. He took this vow very seriously, until he entered UA High and encountered the other members of the Hero Course. During MHA's Sports Festival, Midoriya Izuku helped Shoto to understand that his desire to be a hero was more important than rejecting his father; attempting to climb to the top with half his strength dishonored his classmates. This epiphany prompted Shoto to finally start using his flame Quirk again after years of neglect -- and to attempt rebuilding bonds with the rest of his family.
Dabi, on the other hand, surrendered to his worst instincts upon leaving the Todoroki family. After faking his death on Sekoto Peak, Dabi nursed a grudge against Endeavor that blossomed into a hatred of Hero Society at large. He planned to hit Endeavor where it counted most by exposing the abuse of his family to the world -- and kill Shoto in front of their father. Dabi achieved his first goal during MHA's Paranormal Liberation War and would have crossed the second off his list had he not been interrupted. Going into the second war, Dabi aims to kill Shoto once and for all.
The Todoroki brothers' battle has been years in the making and is sure to be exciting, as the two are quite evenly matched. Shoto has achieved mastery over both aspects of his Quirk and is currently incapable of being burnt by even Dabi's flames, whereas Dabi currently has nothing to lose and may be able to release untold levels of power not seen before. There's also the possibility that All For One may have given the pyromaniac a Quirk that counterbalances the effects of his Cremation on his body. Whatever the case, the two brothers' opposing goals will definitely make their fight a nail biter for all My Hero Academia fans.
