The Big Picture
The Todoroki family in
My Hero Academia
is filled with dysfunction and tragedy, caused by the patriarch’s obsession with surpassing the number one hero.
Endeavor’s obsession leads to neglect, abuse, and a toxic family dynamic, with his wife and children suffering the consequences.
Despite the pain they endure, the Todoroki family shows glimpses of redemption and forgiveness, but the road to healing is long and difficult.
When it comes to dysfunctional family relationships, nobody in My Hero Academia tops the prestigious but tragic Todoroki family. There isn’t anything wrong with ambition in moderation, but Enji Todoroki (Tetsu Inada/Patrick Seitz), the family patriarch, took his ambition too far into obsession and ended up doing irreparable damage to his own family, the very foundation of which is built on jealousy and a dark side of the desire to go Plus Ultra.
My Hero Academia
A superhero-admiring boy enrolls in a prestigious hero academy and learns what it really means to be a hero, after the strongest superhero grants him his own powers.
Release Date May 5, 2018
Cast Daiki Yamashita , Justin Briner , Nobuhiko Okamoto , Ayane Sakura
Seasons 6
Enji Todoroki
Quirk: Hellflame
Image via Studio Bones
The number one hero in Japan, All Might (Kenta Miyake/Christopher Sabat), was a shining beacon of hope and inspiration for a long while, with many heroes looking up to him and many villains out for his blood. Enji Todoroki (Tetsu Inada/Patrick Seitz) was the only other person to seriously try and surpass All Might. To signify Enji’s constant work toward the number one spot, even his superhero name matches this attribute: Endeavor. My Hero Academia shows that ever since their rivalry hit its peak, Endeavor has been trying to surpass All Might, to the point where it almost feels like All Might is his reason for doing hero work at all. Although Hawks (Yûichi Nakamura/Zeno Robinson) sees Endeavor’s endeavor as an admirable trait (and it would have been, if kept to a healthy degree), the number two hero became even more obsessed when all his efforts didn’t get him any closer to All Might’s reign.
Realizing that he may never bridge the gap between them, Enji turned to the frowned-upon practice of “Quirk marriage.” In the society of My Hero Academia, where people with Quirks are more common than those without, a Quirk marriage between two compatible power sets could theoretically ensure an even more powerful offspring. Endeavor seeks out a marriage to Rei Himura (Michiko Neya/Morgan Lauré Garrett), but his obsession with being number one leads him down a dark and abusive road, as he neglects some children, overworks others, and pushes his wife to new heights of stress.
Recent seasons of the show explore Endeavor’s motivations and a move toward redemption; when All Might retires from hero work, he is automatically named the number one hero — which is everything he’s ever wanted — and yet he doesn’t feel deserving of the title. He begins to realize the hurt he’s caused his family, and though the relationship between him and his youngest son Shoto (Yūki Kaji/David Matranga) is rocky (with a slow but steady movement toward forgiveness), other members of his family are more accepting of his atonement (and still others, not so much).
Rei Todoroki
Quirk: Frost
Image via Studio Bones
Rei Himura’s family is thrilled to have an offer from Endeavor to enter into a Quirk marriage, and while Rei herself isn’t entirely convinced, she goes through with it for her family’s sake. Her Quirk, Frost, grants her ice powers that complement Enji’s Hellflame. Together, they could create children who would potentially have the power to wield both fire and ice, which is seen as an exciting prospect to Enji and a way to have a big happy family for Rei. What seemed like a promising idea turns out to be the beginning of the Todoroki family’s darkest issues.
Enji’s obsession with surpassing All Might leads him to dismiss his children who don’t live up to his ridiculously high standards and expectations, and he gradually becomes more and more abusive. Rei herself is on the receiving end of physical abuse when she tries to stand up for her children, and she begins to lose her sense of safety. During a phone call with her mother, she shakily describes how, when she looks at her youngest child, six-year-old Shoto, she sees his father instead. Unfortunately, Shoto overhears this and startles Rei, resulting in her throwing boiling water on him out of fear and leaving Shoto with a large facial scar. The family breaks apart even more when Enji sends Rei to a hospital for her mental issues (which he himself caused). Though Rei does eventually start recovering, she loses precious time with her children. However, she is an extremely kind and forgiving person, taking into consideration Enji’s thoughtfulness when he sends her favorite kind of flower to the hospital as an apology/peace offering. While Endeavor’s attempts to reconcile with his family in the years following his abuse start out subtle and not at all satisfying, Rei recognizes the intent behind the gesture.
Toya Todoroki
Quirk: Blueflame
Image via Studio Bones
The Todoroki family dynamic is riddled with toxicity: the first three children who didn’t show promise or the potential to inherit both Quirks were either neglected or shunned, and the stress ended up landing Rei in the hospital. Toya Todoroki (Hiro Shimono/Jason Liebrecht), the firstborn, inherited a version of his father’s fire Quirk, but never got the ice, and so he was cast aside, especially when Shoto was born. In an attempt to earn his father’s praise and be the one to become his successor, Toya’s display of power was never enough — and using it badly burned his body. Though his family assumed he’d died when he used his Quirk and charred himself, Toya lived on and became one of the show’s most powerful and fearsome villains. He took on the name Dabi, and the trauma surrounding Toya and his fate would follow the Todoroki family and haunt their every interaction in My Hero Academia. Toya’s fate was part of the catalyst for yet more neglect and abuse.
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Fuyumi Todoroki
Quirk: Frost
Image via Studio Bones
Fuyumi Todoroki (Kei Shindo/Kate Oxley), the second born and the only daughter of the family, inherited her mother’s ice powers but never got the flame portion. Though she has significantly less screen time than other members of her family, she became the family’s attempted peacekeeper, showing an immense capability for forgiveness and a strong desire for her family to be whole and happy. Along with her mother’s Quirk, Fuyumi also inherited her kind nature and peacekeeping personality. She works as an elementary school teacher and serves as a connective link between her siblings and her father, as she is the first one to forgive him when he acknowledges his wrongs and is fully supportive of having a family meal together (even if it’s more than a little tense). Because Fuyumi’s Quirk wasn’t what her father was looking for, he kept his focus on Toya until Shoto’s birth, neglecting Fuyumi in the process. Despite this, Fuyumi grew up to be a warm-hearted caretaker, much like her mother.
Natsuo Todoroki
Quirk: Frost
Image via Studio Bones
Similarly to Fuyumi, the third child, Natsuo Todoroki (Yuuki Shin/Adam Gibbs), only inherited the ice Quirk from Rei (Frost) and was overlooked by Enji as well. This type of disdain and neglect from their father led to a traumatizing home environment, as Enji became more frustrated and, with the birth of Shoto, violent. However, despite the troubles of his childhood, Natsuo decides to go to college for a medical welfare degree, showing that, in some ways, he’s able to move past what he endured when he was a kid and prepare for his future. Natsuo, however, was less willing than his sister to forgive his father for the horrific childhood they all endured. Of all the siblings (besides Dabi), he is the most outspoken against Enji and refuses to absolve his father of his past crimes, including neglecting him and his siblings, pushing Shoto beyond his limits, hospitalizing Rei, and being responsible for the “death” of Toya.
Shoto Todoroki
Quirk: Half-Cold Half-Hot
Enji Todoroki’s Quirk marriage is successful in the end; after the fourth attempt, he finally gets the child he’d been trying for — Shoto Todoroki — who inherits his father’s flame Quirk and his mother’s ice Quirk, giving him control over both temperatures and ensuring his powerful skill set. After years of training, Shoto enters UA and begins showing incredible promise, especially when he beats All Might’s successor, Deku (Daiki Yamashita/Justin Briner), during the sports festival and showcases his control over fire and ice for all to see. Enji is so excited, in fact, that he even jumps up from the stands with his iconic “SHOTO!” scream.
My Hero Academia doesn’t hold back when it comes to depicting tragic backstories. At the early age of five, Shoto was already enduring harsh training from Enji. He was isolated from his siblings and forced to keep to a rigorous schedule. He also experienced physical abuse and witnessed his mother endure similar treatment from Enji around this time; he is able to understand that, although his mother hurt him by throwing boiling water on his face, Enji was the one who pushed her to the breaking point. Shoto vows never to use his flame for fear of becoming like his father, and he keeps this promise for years until the UA sports festival, when Deku finally convinces him that using his full quirk wouldn’t make him like Endeavor — instead, it means he’s accepting his full potential as a hero. Shoto’s self-acceptance signaled a change in the Todoroki family, and from then on, the family dynamics began to change.
Though their toxicity is far from being fully healed, the Todoroki family has made strides toward redemption and forgiveness. Shoto’s acceptance of his full Quirk, Half-Cold Half-Hot, led him to begin the journey of mending his relationship with his mother, who has been recovering in the hospital. Unfortunately for the Todoroki family, their biggest source of pain continues to haunt them. Because of Enji’s abuse, Toya fully embraced his villainous side and became a powerful foe after taking up the name Dabi and joining the side of All For One (Akio Ōtsuka/John Swasey) with the goal of exposing his father’s abuse and taking his anger and jealousy out on Shoto, who was given their father’s coveted attention due to his Half-Cold Half-Hot Quirk. The family has begun its journey toward healing in My Hero Academia, but the road is still long, and every member of the family still has plenty of pain to get through.
With such a complicated family history and tense personal relationships, the Todoroki family is one of the most interesting and tragic group of characters in My Hero Academia, and they go through plenty of growth, whether they’re together or apart. With Season 7 of My Hero Academia currently airing, the story will only get more interesting as it continues.
My Hero Academia is available to stream on Hulu in the U.S.
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