My Hero Academia Doesn’t Have to Forgive and Forget Endeavor’s Abuse

My Hero Academia is a colorful superhero series that is unlike any going on in the genre right now. Kohei Horikoshi has crafted a compelling cast of characters who fight for good and evil, but his leads are more than that. Each of the story’s leads is complicated with moral failings littering their past. But as fans become further informed of Endeavor’s past, it is important to remember that forgiveness isn’t a prerequisite for the hero to change.

If you are caught up with the manga, you will know that Endeavor is at the front of its mind. After a damning run-in with Dabi, the Number One Hero has had his life turned upside down. His failure as a father and husband has come back tenfold as he learned his oldest child is now a notorious villain. Toya’s turn into Dabi was predicated by the fiery man years ago, and conversations are ongoing about his abuse.

It is no secret that Endeavor was a lousy family man. My Hero Academia made his failings clear through not only his children’s behavior but the public as well. Endeavor’s wholly selfish ego has always been about being the best, and he did not think twice about using them. In recent chapters, fans were informed his obsession with All Might fanned brighter after Toya’s promise was tarnished by age. The falling out pushed a button in Endeavor he never knew about, and the Todoroki family suffered as it was pressed time after time.

In fact, chapter 302 of My Hero Academia goes far enough to show how Toya’s quirk pushed Endeavor to the brink. The man became abusive in the span of a decade, and his manipulative behavior was no joke. He traumatized his children, forcefully isolated his youngest kid, provoked his wife into psychosis, and he did so while ruling the household under threat of injury. His anger sparked a flame that Endeavor could not extinguish, and like Dabi notes, the man never learned how to cool his jets.

Endeavor might be looking to repent these days, but it took a karmic failure to make him face all the damage he did. The man took away the childhoods of his kids, and fans believe Rei is blaming herself over Toya’s fate more so than necessary. No one can control a child fully, but Endeavor did every wrong thing in the book when it came to intervention. His longstanding abuse made more people than his oldest son snap, and his victims are now being forced to help clean the mess. So if you can’t bring yourself to forgive and forget Endeavor’s past, you shouldn’t feel bad. His road to redemption doesn’t require such a toll, and Endeavor could use the reminder as he strives to make amends.

How do you feel about the Todoroki family’s subplot so far? Do you think Endeavor has been handled well? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.