My Hero Academia Pits Shoto Against His Worst Weakness
My Hero Academia pitted Shoto Todoroki against one of his worst weaknesses with the newest chapter of the series! Kohei Horikoshi's original manga series is now burning its way through the final war between the heroes and villains, and the stage has been set for each of the important conflicts fans will get to see play out. The latest string of chapters have been focused on Shoto and Dabi as the two brothers confront one another over their shared Todoroki lineage, and it's been made clear that Dabi's only real focus from here on out is the complete destruction of himself and everything around him.
As Dabi burns himself away to nothing as his fight with his younger brother begins, Shoto has been challenged in a much different way than before. Because confronting his brother over their shared abuse by their father not only forces him to think about everything that Endeavor has done to him over the years, it's also forced Shoto to confront the fact that he has shelled himself off from the world as a result. He's built in an unconscious hesitation towards action, and that hesitation now means life or death in this final fight with his brother.
Chapter 351 of My Hero Academia kicks off Shoto's final fight with Dabi, and the first thing he notices is that Dabi is heating himself up without a hint of hesitation. As the two of them prepare for their hottest flames and hottest attacks as a result, Shoto himself then has to face the fact that he's been numbed throughout the years as his father's puppet. He himself admits to his brother that he's been slowed down unconsciously due to the fact that he has been faced with so much doubt under his father's thumb.
Through his anger at his father and desire to be the one to actually stop Dabi, he has turned that doubt and hesitationinto something that fuels his flames in a different way. It's become a new move that's entirely unique to him thanks to his joint abilities, but at the same time it's only something he has been able to accomplish now that he's come face to face with the fact that he had been stalled by his father's old ways for so long.
What do you think? How do you feel about Shoto finally breaking out of the shell created by his father? What do you think it means for his fight with Dabi to come? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments! You can even reach out to me directly about all things animated and other cool stuff @Valdezology on Twitter!