Todoroki Family - Blog Posts

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todoroki family headcanon

Before Touya “died”, Natsuo and him had shared a room their whole life. Natsuo is scared of the dark, and touya would sometimes use his finger as a candle until Natsuo fell asleep. After touyas death, tiny Natsuo was left alone in the dark, and would sometimes light candles to help him sleep.

sometimes i like to rewatch "the hellish todoroki family" just for my king NATSUO

i am unwell about the todoroki family

"I like food"

I saw many posts people saying how random Shouto's line is about praying at Touya's altar and realizing that he likes food - and I wanted to point to how it helps wrapping up his arc.

Shouto is saying: "When I was praying at Touya's butsudan (Buddhist altar), I suddenly realized something, I liked eating food. I realized there's more to me than just the person I want to become."

Food was a "negative space in the Todoroki family, so liking food was not evident to Shoto growing up.

In Shouto's flashbacks with his family, we never see him eat food. His only memory tied to the kitchen is the kettle incident. We know from Natsuo that Shouto ate alone, a diet prescribed by Endeavor, no doubt all geared towards maximum performance, rather than enjoyment. Not even knowing your siblings favorite food is the ultimate symbol of how dysfunctional the household was.

2. Food was a positive space in Class A - tied to comfort, bonding, friendship

In class A, Shouto starts eating with Iida and Midoriya after the Stain incident. Food becomes comfort, connection, sharing, caring, teamwork, etc. He experiences things like using his fire to prepare food together, eating together, cleaning up.

Many memorable Shouto-scenes are tied to Class A eating together (e.g. heroes cry too) and he connects to Inasa over a discussion about favorite foods (udon vs soba) which is a theme that carries over to his endgame with Touya

3. As the Todoroki family tries to reconnect, food plays a central role

As the family changes, they attempt to reconnect around the family dinner table (the famous sluuurp scenes). But Todoroki dinners end in a disaster - still they are useful bringing to the surface important conflicts and trying to communicate about them (another important theme discussed in Shoto Rising).

There is more in the light novels: Shoto's and Rei's decade late reconnection as Rei offers him a little kid strawberry milk that she remembers he liked when he was 5, and their attempt to connect with Natsuo ending up in a mush of ruined soba - it's all out of sync.

4. Food as a symbol of lost time and broken futures

Food is also very central for the hopes of a happier future: Enji's dream of his family at the dinner table, Natsuo's regret about years of missed meals, Shoto wanting to share noodles with Toya, all culminating in the heartbreaking realization that they have the same favorite food they'll never get to share.

5. Food as a symbol of processing grief and healing

Praying at the butsudan (the Buddhist altar at home set up for a deceased loved one) involves the preparation of offerings of food and drinks, which then the family eats afterwards. We see this practice referenced in Ch 249 when Enji prays at Toya's altar.

So Shouto making a reference to it is a shorthand for telling us that Touya died at some point, Shouto is still grieving him and just like Deku and Ochako, he's trying to make sense for himself out of their short encounter. So wanting to learn how to make chopsticks and bowls (a traditional Japanese craft of woodwork and applying lacquer, often involving intricate patterns) implies that he wants to bring Touya the perfect offering, but also that he's finally stepping outside fully of the framework Endeavor created for the family, where children are cast into roles of heroes, villains and by-standers, masterpieces and failures but never human beings. He's thinking about what connects him and Touya together and who they would have been in a different story.

6. Shouto's personal arc

Shouto's character was always about balance. Balance between past and future, ice and fire, duty and family, etc. So crafting chopsticks and bowls to elevate good food connects the grief and survival guilt with healing and growth. It is both a tribute to Touya's memory and a new possible hobby to express still undiscovered sides of himself.

It fits the theme of the chapter "More" - as it focuses on what lies beyond being a hero, reaching a goal, working hard and how Izuku, Ochako and Shouto have been transformed by their experiences of trying to save their villains.

But it also fits Shouto's personal arc that was about discovering who Shouto really is. Earlier in the chapter, Shouto refers to being constrained into the framework of a bigger story, where his choices are bound to happen. As a hero of the sidestory of that manga, Shouto has no choice but decide what kind of a hero he wants to be (not-Endeavor, like All Might, reassuring, family hero). Encounters with his family helped crystallized this image of himself.

But now that he's being released from this story, he can look outside of the framework of a hero manga and discover those "more sides than just a hero". And Touya was the last encounter - the last piece of that puzzle. I think there is a parallel in how Tomura destroyed much of hero society - Touya also destroyed the foundations of the Todoroki family, so something different can maybe built.

Without Touya, I think the family would have kept at trying to piece themselves together in a tense, fake kind of peace to keep up appearances. If nothing else, Touya's actions tore through that need of saving face - leaving them all exposed and grappling with the harsh realities of their actions. But I think it also allowed the younger siblings to step outside the cage their parents created for them and build things better from scratch. It allows them to find more sides to themselves outside of the logic of the Todoroki household.

the family if mama todoroki had gotten a divorce

no because its that they're the fear responses. the todoroki children are all just the fear responses. touya is fight, natsuo is flight, shoto is freeze, and fuyumi is fawn. when you stare down abuse every day you have to react somehow, and they all just developed different methods of coping with it

JASON TODD VS. DABI: WHY NOT ME?

"You haven't been here long but you've seen him, right? The batman. The batman. He lives in darkness, to find the helpless and bring them into the light. So I have to wonder...why couldn't he do it for me?" The Boy Wonder: Issue #2

This is the story of the boy who didn't get saved. The story of a boy who really ought to have been saved. Of course, every victim deserves to be saved, but this boy was the son of a superhero. Can a hero who saves everyone, but fails to save his own son really be called a hero? As for the son, how does it feel to watch his father save complete strangers but let him fall to the wayside?

Jason Todd and Dabi are two characters with similar backstories and motives (so similar it's possible Dabi is outright based on Jason Todd) which are worthy of comparison. These are two tragic arcs which explore the conflict between a hero's responsibility to act as a father, and their responsibility to save people. As I said they are tragic because in both cases the hero fails, as a father, and a hero. However, I'm comparing the two because Jason Todd's story is a well written tragedy, and Toya's story is not.

If you were to write a story of my life, it would surely be a tragedy.

Aristotle's Poetics is the first attempt to define what Tragedy is, not as a story where sad things happen but a specific story structure. He outlines not only what makes tragedy, tragedy, but also what makes a good tragedy.

The Plot, then, is the first principle, and, as it were, the soul of a tragedy: Character holds the second place. A similar fact is seen in painting. The most beautiful colours, laid on confusedly, will not give as much pleasure as the chalk outline of a portrait. Thus Tragedy is the imitation of an action, and of the agents mainly with a view to the action.

I use this quote because the painting metaphor is a great way of explaining what I'm getting at, you can have a painting with the most wonderful colors, you can have a story with really good ideas like the Todoroki family plotline but if you don't use those colors correctly all you're going to end up with is a bad painting.

In poetics Aristotle clearly defines a tight well-structured plot as the first priority for effective tragedy, character as second.

Again, a beautiful object, whether it be a living organism or any whole composed of parts, must not only have an orderly arrangement of parts, but must also be of a certain magnitude; for beauty depends on magnitude and order. Hence a very small animal organism cannot be beautiful; for the view of it is confused, the object being seen in an almost imperceptible moment of time. Nor, again, can one of vast size be beautiful; for as the eye cannot take it all in at once, the unity and sense of the whole is lost for the spectator; as for instance if there were one a thousand miles long

To make sure you understand, it's vital in tragedy for all the pieces to fit together. Tragedy is a specific story format. Good tragedy uses the parts of a story well, but bad tragedy is sloppy and poorly put together. In tragedy, the whole has to be greater than the sum of its parts. The Todoroki Family are all good characters out of context, but the story could have enhanced their characters but detracted from them due to how poorly it is told. The fact that a lot of MHA fans are in love with the Todoroki family out of the context of the story, but also have constant complaints for how Horikoshi handles their plotlines is, in my opinion, very telling.

What Aristotle goes on to posit is the best tragedies do not come about by accident, but rather by the direct actions of the characters.

But again, Tragedy is an imitation not only of a complete action, but of events inspiring fear or pity. Such an effect is best produced when the events come on us by surprise; and the effect is heightened when, at the same time, they follow as cause and effect. The tragic wonder will thee be greater than if they happened of themselves or by accident; for even coincidences are most striking when they have an air of design. 

Therefore Tragedies require consequentialism, like Newton's Third Law, every action will have an equal and opposite reaction. To simplify a good tragedy arises from the consequences of the character's actions (or inaction). The most basic form is that the hero of the story will have a tragic flaw that they fail to improve upon in time and then leads to their destruction. In essence, tragedy is where the hero fails. Not only does the hero fail, but the hero loses, and that irreversible loss is what defines tragedy. Medea slays her own children, Oedipus rips his own eyes off and deserts his kingdom, Creon Antigone is buried alive and Creon's son, her fiancee, commits suicide.

These events share two things in common, they are irreversible (hence why they feel like good endings), and two they evoke catharsis. Aristotle defines the goal of tragedy to evoke terror and pity. We feel alongside these heroes, Medea was abandoned by the husband Jason who she left her home and slaughtered her own brother for, Oedipus did all of his crimes unwittingly and is a victim of fate, Antigone was doing the right thing by burying her brother so his soul could pass on to the afterlife.

There's all different sorts of tragedies, Hamliet explores more here. I'd say UTRH and Hellish Todoroki Family are tragedies centered around grief.

Tragedy works on extreme emotions, and extreme hard-hitting consequences to the hero's failures. The worst thing a tragedy can be is boring.

The Tragic Hero

Now that I'm done lecturing you let's actually talk about both My Hero Academia and Batman like I promised. Both of these stories don't actually feature the central victim as their protagonist, and that is a feature not a flaw.

Rather, the story we are being told is that of a tragic hero, failing to save a tragic victim because of their own personal flaws.

These flaws are called (hamartia) or "error in judgement". A hero, being called a hero of a story is often unaware of his flaws which is central to what makes them unable to fix those flaws in time. That flaw can later lead to a moral failing, such as Othello's jealousy, initially jealousy is an understandable emotion, but then it leads to him trusting Iago over his own wife and killing his wife in a rage.

Most importantly, the hero’s suffering and its far-reaching reverberations are far out of proportion to his flaw.

Let's begin with talking of the heroes and their flaws, Batman and Endeavor. My main reason for comparing these two is in these specific stories they have the same flaw, inability to move past their personal guilt towards their son, and the same conflict the duty of a father versus the duty of a hero.

However, Batman functions as a tragic hero, and Enji does not. The summary of their conflict is right here in these two panels.

A parent is required to place their children above everything else, because they are the ones responsible for bringing that child into the world. Bruce Wayne made the decision to adopt Jason. Enji made the decision to have children, however with Enji you have the added insidious motivation of he only wanted to make designer babies and just didn't care for the ones who didn't turn out right.

Bruce attempts to do both, to act as a father for Jason and also a crime fighter as batman but he can't do both. This comes to a head in Death of the Family when Jason is having serious trouble because of his lack of a strong parental figure, and Bruce knowing that Jason is in trouble chooses still to go off and fight crime instead of staying with him. The choice to place crimefighting over the child they chose to take responsibility for has the unintended consequence of getting that child killed.

Whereas Enji makes the same choice over and over again, ignoring Toya's clear troubles at the fact his father no longer spends time with him and choosing to run away to the world of heroes because he doesn't want to face the fact that his actions are severely hurting his son. Bruce's motivations are more sympathetic admittedly he wasn't actively practicing eugenics, but the choice is the same and the consequences are the same.

Both Bruce and Enji are forced to bear witness to the deaths of their children when they are not there, specifically because they made a choice to be a hero instead of staying by their child's side. A situation directly caused by their choice to be a hero over a father, and a situation that would have been avoided if they had stayed with their child in their time of need. Jason runs off when Batman tells him to stay and gets kidnapped by the Joker, if Enji had been on Sekoto peak that day Toya would never have accidentally lost control of his fire.

This is just the backstory however, the main event that kickstart this plot is the unexpected return from the dead of both Jason and Dabi. Each story follows the same plot beats. A new villain appears to challenge Endeavor / Batman. The villain reveals themselves as their dead son. Both Endeavor / Batman are given a chance to try reaching out to their sons, but they choose not to.

Then even though they are given a second chance with a miracle of a dead son coming back to them, they choose the exact same thing they chose before, being a hero and because of that the tragedy repeats itself. For both of them they are unable to save their son again, and the son goes through a second death. History repeats itself, the lesson isn't learned.

Their fatal flaw is their guilt. This is a story about grief and mourning after all, a son who is died, buried, but never grieved properly, never mourned, an open wound on the father suddenly coming back. The inability of each to process their grief blinds them from seeing the fact the son has come back, and they have a second chance.

Toya has internalized he is a failure, because Enji literally called him that. Jason believes that Batman thinks he is a failure. In both cases the father is the one who failed, Bruce at least acknowledges this but cannot communicate it in any way shape or form.

This guilt and responsibility both Enji and Bruce feel causes them to self-sabotage. They no longer have the confidence they are in the right (they no longer feel like heroes because they have failed to be heroes to their own son).

You can also add the layer of complication that since both men chose to be heroes in the past, they do not know how to handle the situation as a father now that they're being challenged to step up as one. Unfortunately, they are not the fathers that stepped up.

The reason their grief becomes a flaw is because they put their grief over their victims. . Each man is aware too much of their own failure, and while they should feel guilty they make the classic mistake of placing their own guilt over the feelings of the victim. The guilt they feel for causing the death and the genuine grief of losing a son is given priority over Jason and Dabi who you know... actually died.

An overwhelming grief and guilt is understandable because grief is a messy and human emotion, losing a child is an unimaginable tragedy that should never be inflicted on anyone.

Yet at the same time both Dabi and Jason are grieving to. This paradox that Batman only thinks of his own grief at losing a son and never stops to think about how Jason must feel leads to one of the best lines in Under the Red Hood.

"The father had lost a son, and now the son had lost a father."

Batman's guilt is so strong over being the cause of Jason's suffering, that the suffering of the victim himself is ignored. To be fair to My Hero Academia, the Todorokis say a similar line to Enji.

However, this is where I begin to get into the difference between ideas and execution. Tragedies are stories of actions and logical consequences, every action has an equal and opposite reaction in Under the Red Hood. Batman is punished for the choices he makes, the choices he doesn't make, and the choices he fails to make in time.

The Todoroki plotline features almost none of its character making any choices of substance, and because of that the plotline says the right things over and over again, but it all comes off as tell don't show.

I'm going to quote @codenamesazanka's post right here a couple of times because they describe the complete failure of the Todoroki plotline to show us a reason why we should be feeling things for the characters artfully.

We've heard Enji say this before - I'm sorry, I intend to atone. It's indeed the right thing to say, it's exactly what he should be saying and acting. Natsuo is declaring no contact - That's fine, I'm sorry, I accept this as part of my atonement and will continue. Touya calls him a coward - That's fine, I'm sorry, I accept this as part of my atonement and will continue. The public hates him - That's fine, I'm sorry, I accept this as part of my atonement and will continue. But you can only hear this so many times before you want to snap and beat the character, the story, the writing over the head with Enji's wheelchair. Why is that? He's behaving exactly as he should, and yet...

The reason why it fails to evoke strong feelings is because of what we'd called "narrative dissonance." The actions of Bruce and Enji are the same, they both neglect to do anything, make any real attempts to reach out to their victims because they're paralyzed by guilt.

However, we are told that they have entirely different arcs. Bruce's arc is a tragic fall. He's failing as a hero. While we are being told that Enji is experiencing an arc of atonement. Enji is supposed to be improving himself, and Bruce is supposed to be experiencing negative character development but they both do the exact same thing in story. Bruce neglects Jason, we are told by the story, by the characters in the story that Bruce is failing Jason. Enji does nothing in time to actually atone for Toya or try to help him, yet, we are told again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again that Enji is atoning with nothing substantive to show us this is the case.

To show what I meant instead of telling this scene is in chapter 252.

This scene is the ending point in chapter in chapter #426.

It's just him repeating the exact same sentiment and yet in a more than 150+ chapter gap, Enji never made any action to show he was now placing his family first. Enji didn't say anything to Dabi when he revealed himself as Toya. Enji didn't look for Toya in the months before the final war arc. Enji literally appeared on live TV in a broadcast that Toya was watching and said the very selfish "Watch Me" atone for the crime of creating Toya instead of literally talking about Toya or too Toya. Well, that would have rocked the boat too much... THAT IS LITERALLY THE POINT. Enji had to somehow break from tradition or make some significant sacrifice onscreen to his social standing to show that he's willing to put his family first. Enji decides to go along with Hawks decision to not face Toya head on, making the decision to be the hero for the final time which directly causes Toya to get up after Shoto brings him down non-lethally and make one last attempt to suicide bomb for his father's inaction.

Bruce does nothing for a long time in Under the Red Hood. He ignores his initial instinct that Jason came back and instead makes a long investigation on whether or not someone can come back from the dead in order to distract himself. When Jason takes the mask off, Batman already knew but was pretending otherwise because he didn't want to face the reality.

Even when Jason takes his mask off, Bruce still takes on the "I need to investigate this" angle even though Jason calls him out that deep down he already knows it's the truth. This of course foreshadows Bruce's underlying flaw, he doesn't want to face Jason head on because he feels too much grief about what happened to Jason and his guilt is more important than Jason's own grief. Just as the father has lost the son, the son has lost the father.

What follows is several chapters of Batman fighting crime as usual and making no attempts to directly search for Jason. They cross paths a few times but when they do Bruce doesn't follow. In fact, Bruce only shows up when Jason sends Bruce a sample of the joker's hair and Bruce knows that the Joker has kidnapped him out of Arkham. Bruce almost lets Jason get killed by Black Mask because he doesn't know whether to stop Jason or save him yet again, and then they have their final showdown where Jason has kidnapped the joker to demand Bruce kill him, and Bruce finally attempts to talk him down.

Out of context it sounds like I'm describing the same plotline, to the point where if you haven't read either, it looks like I'm complaining baselessly. Why is one hero doing nothing until it's too late good, and the other bad? The difference is of course context, or rather framing. Bruce's actions are called out by the people around him (Dick, Jason, Alfred) as him handling the situation wrong. Whereas both Enji's internal monologue and other characters say that he is doing his best to atone for his actions and deserves a chance, but the events we are shown in story are the exact opposite.

Here's another example to SHOW my point. Here's Dabi with my special, hardcover edition of under the Red Hood.

I reread the entirety of the fourteen chapter plotline and the majority of internal narrations come from characters outside of Bruce observing his behavior and commenting on how differently he's acting. Jason's backstory for instance is told by Alfred, not Bruce. Dick Grayson the first Robin comments on Batman's odd behavior. The rest are the third person narrator. Bruce has four instances of internal monologues spanning a few pages each in a 378 page story. (Alfred has the most internal monologues and he's presented as a more trustworthy unbiased narrator than Bruce, to get us to question Bruce's actions).

"Information travels on many routes, sometimes it comes predictably like the tides. You just need to know where to stand and meet it. Other times it's elusive and you have to root through the garbage to find it. In the last few years I've come to rely on Barbara Gordon, Oracle, we all did. Utilizing every form of surveillance equipment she has been the eyes and ear [...] but those days are over. I can't rely on anyone anymore. [...] and tonight it's also about the company I keep. It's different with him [night wing] out here. I think about when he was younger, when I was younger, it was different, simpler and I miss it. I miss those days, for that it's hard to be around him.

This first internal monologue is a case of unreliable narrator, because as soon as finishing it Dick Grayson / Nightwing shows up, offers Batman his help and while Bruce at first refuses it the two of them are forced to work together to fight Amazo. What does this show us? Bruce is not alone, but Bruce actively acts like he's alone ignoring the feelings of the other people around him. It exhibits a flaw of Bruce and the bad headspace he is in mentally (if I remember correctly Stephanie Brown recently died in the comics while this storyline was being published. It establishes Bruce's improper coping mechanism with grief, and how he is going about it the incorrect way.

Bruce says I work alone, and then Bruce says it's easier working with Dick, I miss it, but I can't go back to those days. It's bruce's contradictory thinking patterns in the same chapter that stop him. it's bruce's fault he cannot connect to Dick, and he is actively mourning the past because his relationship with Dick has changed.

Now the final part of the monologue in that chapter.

He's quick. Not just fast, agile. He's not thinking about his next move, he's just making it. He's been trained well. And there's something about him. Something familiar. There was something interesting about before he cut the line, before it had been taught. That had to have been practiced. Either that or just plain dumb luck. No it's not luck.

This is the first hint that Bruce already suspects it's Jason from early on but is in denial about it. This unreliable narrator trope also gives an agency to Bruce's decision, he is actively choosing to ignore the possibility that it's Jason because it doesn't want it to be.

Whereas, a lot of Endeavor's plot takes away any agency from him. For example, he doesn't even know that Dabi is Toya, because if he had the sneaking suspicion and ignored it like Batman did that might have made him look bad. We can't have the main character in a tragedy looking bad now can we?

The second monologue is more denial.

That device is from Kord industries. I should know. Ordered it special from them. How can he have it? No more dead ends. No more questions. No more guessing. Tonight I find out what is passing for the truth.

Reading between the lines this is outright confirmation Batman already knows.

The third is a brief reflection in his feelings for Jason.

The armor has to be light enough to fit but strong enough to protect. But sometimes a great many times, it's not strong enough. It wans't strong enough for Barbara who has to fight from her chair. It wasn't strong enough for Stephanie, other dear soldier enough dear grave. And it wasn't enough for Jason. Willful Jason. Who ignored the danger. Who spat at risk. Who was never frightened enough. I've always wondered... always... was he scared at the end? Was he praying I'd come save him? And in those last moments when he knew that I wouldn't. Did he hate me for it?

This monologue directly shows without stating it outright, Bruce is prioritizing his feelings of grief and failure mixing them in with his genuine grief over the loss of a son. it's selfish of him, but grief is a selfish emotion.

Here's the thing Bruce is allowed to be selfish and to not have the correct reaction to his grief, because the whole story is centered on Bruce being unable to get his shit together in time, and this picture into his emotions is an explanation as to why. Bruce is afraid of being hated by Jason. Jason of course has every right to hate him for failing as a father, but still I think not wanting to be hated to a person you loved so much and feel genuinely sorry over what you let happen to them is an understandable reaction.

Meanwhile we have Enji saying repeatedly all the right things in his monologue, the selfless, I don't need to be forgiven, it's okay if they hate me, I just need to atone but he never actually does anything. There's no explanation for why he isn't doing anything either, so that narrative dissonance. We're shown why Bruce doesn't act in time, he's internally a mess to be frank. We are not shown why Enji doesn't act in time because his internal monologue tells us again and again he's committed to atoning and he understands what the right thing to do is.

As Codenamesanzanka says:

Enji is still saying all the right things, but the story isn't giving him the opportunity to actually do the right things. To have his new actions matter. I have no doubt about his sincerity in his mantra, but without the 'show', it's hollow. Similarly, "Let's talk" is actually kinda bullshit too, because it's so vague. This is less about Enji, and more about the writing, how it set up this scene. "Let's talk" or "I want to talk" or any of that variation is repeated 6 times, without anything more or specific added.

There's an excess of repetition of Enji saying he wants to atone, he's ready to atone, without any of that materializing in the story.

As @class1akids says in this reaction post:

It also feels also super-hollow to say he's sheltering the family from the fallout, after they've just talked about how Fuyumi lost her job (and got a new one through the connections she herself built). How is he going to do that?

The fourth because I don't want to write it down, it's just Batman monologueing on how his partnership with Jason is still good and explaining the technical details of his fight with count Vertigo. It's in chapter 10 if you must look it up.

So four monologues total. Two monologues establish indirectly that Batman knows that Red Hood is Jason and doesn't want to face him. The third monologue establishes why he doesn't want to face him, he's afraid of being hated. The monologue is in line with Bruce's actions in the story, Bruce investigates several ways of reviving from the dead instead of looking for Jason.

The character's reactions around Bruce are also talking about how he's not acting like himself. Especially Alfred's who speaks of Bruce's indecision, on whether to put a stop to or save Jason.

"It is curious. He is lost in thought. It is not like him to spend vast stretches of time immobile, where his mind is gripped in the solitary process of deduction. This is quite different. He is hesitating. At a loss for what to do. I believe it is about Jason. And whether or not to stop him or save him."

This is illustrated in two scenes later where Jason spends a long time simply watching when Jason is fighting enemies, first in a fight against Captain Nazi, and second Black Mask. Jason even gives a direct callout of that behavior.

Jason: What the hell took you so long? Couldn't decide if you wanted to let me live. Batman: Shut up and fight.

Observed by Alfred Bruce is completely stalling and can't choose, observed by Jason Bruce can't decide whether to let Jason live or not. Bruce hesitates twice. We know why. We see it in action. It's called out as flawed behavior.

Now let's cover all the tell that don't show that is Endeavor's many monologues.

Pro Hero Arc:

I have to safeguard the future for them. That's the job for whoever's on top. What about the lives I cut short? Just demanding forgiveness isn't enough, it's too late for that. At this point I need to atone there's no other route.

Hellish Todoroki Family 1:

I'm trying to make ammends going forward. It might be too late. but I fall asleep every night thinking about it. Lately it's been the same dream. The wife and the kids looking happy at the dinner table. But I'm never there with them. It might be too late but I fall asleep every night thinking about what I can do for my family. I wish you could be here too, Toya. It's always the same dream. My whole family's there but not me. If I really care how they feel [I'll remain here].

I'm not going to read 200 chapters so I'm just going to ballpark it based on memory. Here we go.

Dabi's Dance:

My eldest, Toya didn't harbor frost within him. He didn't have a way to overcome the inescapable downside of overheating but I nevertheless sought to raise the boy as a hero. [...] Because Toya had more potential than me I placed my ambitions on his shoulders. I thought it could be you. You could have been the one to reach my eternal goal. My frustration... My envy... The ugliness in my heart... you could have been the one to smash it all to dust.

Plot twist this is the only monologue I like. It's different from all the others, and it's the only one where Enji is being emotionally honest. He put the emotional burden of his own emotional insecurities on an eight year old child, and expected to live vicariously through him and when Toya failed to live up to those expectations he just abandoned him. It alligns what we have been shown so far, Enji is not acting like a reptentant man here who realizes the harm he's done to Toya and only thinks of Toya as an extension of himself and his own regrets.

The Fight Against AFO:

My mistakes took the form as Toya leading to many stolen futures. The past never dies. Rage, resentment and even penace wound together toward the future. And the future is a path for the young. A path with so many branching choices. That's why I must win this. [I'll keep paying my penance. I'll win today and keep my eyes on Toya.]

When Enji decides to double Suicide with Toya:

I take full responsibility. I swore to bear the burden and live my life atoning for it all. However, you've been watching me all this time. While I couldn't be there to watch you. You were someone I especially needed to do right by. No I can't let you meet your end alone, but I won't let anyone else get caught up in our tragedy.

Hellish Todoroki Family Final:

I came to talk about what's to come. I'm retiring as a hero. That was my initial plan even before the war started, but now I can't even walk on my own. The hero endeavor burned to death. Your flames were really stronger than mine. [...] You're right. You know everything about me, Toya. After all you were always watching me. And you wanted me to do the same for you, but I didn't. Not matter what anyone says your heat does come from my hellflame. From now on I'll come everyday, so let's talk. It's too late now, so let's talk. [...] You're free to hate me. Anything is fine really, so throw it all at me.

This one is spoken dialogue but it's still a four-page long monologue. Every one of Enji's monologues with one exceptionsays the same thing: I'm sorry, I'll spend the rest of my life atoning for my actions.

We're repeatedly told Enji is atoning but he acts like Batman. Then, his actions should be framed as Batman, not atoning but avoiding any responsibility.

As observed by Class1akids when we were discussing the update:

Everyone else faces an uphill struggle with their lives, but we should all feel sorry for Enji atoning and being in hell. I hate Hori's compulsion to over-write his abusers and over-explain their atonement. He does this with Bakugou too but with Enji it's more irritating. It was so much more enjoyable when he just wrote the thing but didn't point at them and say -> look, they are atoning. Aren't they soooo cool??

Enji's internal monologues and the other characters frame him as some sort of martyr, while on the other hand it's clear by both Batman's actions and Alfred's observations he's not acting like his usual self. In fact, this is an interpretation of Under the Red Hood that I love from the writers of the video game Arkham Knight that does a less tragic retelling of Under the Red Hood:

Batman doesn't fight victims. He saves them.

Therefore if Batman is fighting Jason, a victim, he's not acting like Batman. I'm also fine with Arkham Knight being an Under the Red Hood retelling because it's a different story. Comics do this all the time, different universe versions, popular storylines adapted into different mediums. It also works as a commentary on the original story, by showing what Batman could have done to lead to a more positive outcome it makes Batman's choices in Under the Red Hood worse and more tragic because he could have saved Jason, there was still a chance.

So here we have two flawed tragic heroes who are meant to be both pitied and condemned for their actions. One of them is all pity with no condemnation. The other is both pity and condemnation, Batman is grieving, but also he's failing his responsibility towards Jason. Therefore one protagonist works, the other fails utterly.

I'm not saying abusers don't deserve redemption. I'm not saying Enji should have died in order to atone. I'm not saying that the underlying problem with the arc is that they decided to make Enji sympathetic and a focus of the arc. The most important problem is the breaking of one of the fundamental rules of storytelling: Show, Don't Tell.

The Tragic Villain

Not only does The Hellish Todoroki Family plotline fail to make Enji a compelling protagonist, it also fails it's biggest victim. Now, these are both stories that end with the hero failing to save their victim. So if both of these stories have the same ending, why am I saying it failed Dabi, but not Jason?

Well, let me explain.

Dabi and Jason are both villains turned victims. The stories themselves are about this ambiguity. How much should the be held responsible for their own choices? If they are actively harming innocent people, then shouldn't they be stopped? Should they be automatically be forgiven just because of the pain and grief they've suffered, even if they've been causing it to others?

Both characters are also reflective of their fathers because they are too being selfish in their grief, they want their grief acknowledged and so are violently lashing out.

Jason and Dabi both make plays at being vigilantes at first, Dabi wants to inherit Stains will, and Jason Todd wants to be a better bat-man by taking control of the drug trade in Gotham and cutting crime down by executing gang heads. However, neither of them are being honest with this and it's shown through their actions, both of them abandon their original plans.

In the final showdown all Toya cares about is facing Enji on the battlefield, and when he's on the brink of death his mind erodes to the point where all he can do is scream for Enji's attention while his flames get hotter and hotter.

Let's take about Jason first and how his narrative treats him a whole lot better and more sympathetically, with more humanity than Batman. Jason is still held responsible for his choices, he is criticized by Bruce for murdering gang leaders and passing it off as justice. He's also blatantly shown to be a hypocrite. My favorite scene from Red Hood: Lost Days, the official UTRH prequel.

"I want to kill the joker in a cool way. Just sniping the Joker from a rooftop isn't dramatic enough for me."

This scene, and the final scene of UTRH underlines Jason isn't executing criminals because he believes it's the right thing to do, or because of his stated motivation that killing the joker would prevent more future victims.

Instead his every action is to set up a scenario where he makes a selfish demand of Bruce. He wants Bruce to prove to him that he would choose him over being a hero, by setting up his final scenario. Him, the Joker, and Batman. Jason will shoot the Joker. Bruce has a gun. He can either choose to let Jason kill the Joker, or kill Jason to stop him, either way it makes it clear what Bruce's priorities are.

The underlying reason for this is similiar to Bruce. Just like Bruce, Jason is deeply afraid that Batman doesn't love him. That he thinks of him as a failure. (This is Toya's main reason too).

He also interprets Bruce's failure to avenge him to mean that Bruce didn't even care enough to mourn him. If Bruce loved him enough, he'd choose him over the joker, but he's so afraid that Bruce doesn't love him enough that he's going to force Bruce to choose.

Along the way he's also going to behead several crimelords in order to put an exclamation point on that point.

The way Jason completely unravels in the confrontation shows this insecurity, he begins with monologueing about how batman should totally kill people, until his fear that he wasn't important enough, and his grief at losing his father is revealed.

Batman: I know I failed you, but I tried to save you. I'm trying to save you now. Jason: Is that what what you think this is about? Your letting me die. I don't know what clouds your judgement worse, your guilt or your antiquated sense of morality. Bruce, I forgive you for not saving me. Jason: But why on god's green earth is he still alive? Ignoring what he's done in the past. Blindly, stupidly disregarding the whole graveyards he's filled with people. The friend's he's killed. I thought killing me - that I'd be the last person you ever let him hurt. Jason: If it had been you that he beat to a bloody mess. If it had been you he left in agony. If he had taken you from this world. I would have done nothing but search the planet for this pathetic pile of evil, this death worshipping garbage, and sent him off to hell.

Direct statement, it's irresponsible of Bruce to let Joker live after killing Jason and should have put him down to prevent future victims. Reading between the lines, Batman not taking revenge for Jason is a sign that he didn't love him enough, Jason loves Batman more because he would have taken revenge.

As the confrontation continues and Jason's mental spiral worsens, to the point where he can't keep up his pretense of self-righteousness.

Jason: I'm not talking about killing cobblepot, or scarecrow, or riddled, or dent. Jason: I'm talking about him. Just him. And doing it because...he took me away from you.

The father had lost the son, and now the son had lost the father.

Jason's revenge is just a cover, for his grief at losing Bruce. I think this also shows a really positive aspect of Jason's character to humanize him instead of condemning him for his actions to ignore or even justify the suffering he endured: Jason really loves Bruce.

I mean how meaningful is the statement: "Bruce, I forgive you for not saving me."

Bruce has been afraid to hear the whole time that Jason hates him, that he won't forgive him, but Jason loves him deeply. In fact his love is almost equal to his rage because Jason is a deeply emotional person, and these little details make him human and not just like a plot obstacle that Bruce has to face. A metaphor for his past failures.

Dabi is drawn as a crying boy who wants comfort, Jason is shown to be a crying boy who wants comfort through both dialogue and action without us directly needing to be told. It's a heartbreaking line and doing it because he took me away from you and it lands perfectly because the narrative wants us to just look at Jason's grief. It doesn't add an asterisk* even though he was in pain, he's done unforgivable things that can't be justified to undercut Jason's suffering.

In fact that might be another underlying problem with The Hellish Todoroki Family, the narrative tries too hard to make you feel a certain way instead of just presenting things as they are to make you come to your own conclusion. UTRH doesn't support Jason's revenge based serial killing of villains. It doesn't say he's justified to cut off the heads of mobsters. However, it doesn't excessively state "Well, I'm really sorry what happened to you but what you've done can't be forgiven" so we don't have to challenge ourselves to feel too much empathy for Jason's suffering.

Meanwhile even when Toya tries to express his rightful anger and grief, we're always met with someone shutting him down and saying well yeah, but you're wrong, involving innocent people is unforgivable.

As said by @stillness-in-green in the replies to this post:

I think so much harm (in-universe, but the state of the Twitter fandom makes me think the messages are pretty toxic irl, too) comes out of portraying the Heroes as needing to weigh in on the *morality* of the Villains' actions before they gauge "saving" them, when that is not a thing that glorified cops have any business thinking they have the right to do. Demanding repentance before the rehab is so bizarre.

You can say someone's actions are wrong without using it as a factor to consider whether or not their suffering as a human being should be acknowledged, and like I said there's multiple instances of people just yelling at Toya how immoral he is instead of addressing the elephant in the room.

You're wrong, you're wrong, you're wrong, you're wrong.

(Okay, I understand that some people have interpreted this as a show of Honnae and Tatamae, the Todoroki's who are a very repressed household are finally talking about their feelings even if those feelings are selfish and ugly).

(I'm not criticizing Shoto for saying that the people he killed were his own choice necessarily, Shoto is a character who's actions need to be read more deeply than his words he was dedicated to bringing Dabi down without him burning himself any further start to finished. My criticism lies in the fact that Hori uses Shoto as a mouth piece because he thinks we need to be reminded that murder is bad).

However, even acknowledging that time and place man, time and place. They couldn't have done that in the aftermath, when Toya isn't burning to death?

Hey buddy, you're being selfish.

Toya: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I'M MELTING, I'M MELTING.

This is I feel the underlying problem with the way the arc is written, not because the Todorokis are a very traditional Japanese family and there are cultural reasons they express their emotions differently, I'll give a caveat to that it's a nuance I might not understand.

However, I am arguing the actual problem is tell don't show. Horikoshi thinks that we as an audience need to be told multiple times that murder is bad, and we cannot be trusted to interpret that on our own.

Under the Red Hood shows both sides of Batman and Jason's debate, and let's us just come to the conclusion that Jason is in the wrong because revenge isn't justice. Horikoshi reaches no shit sherlock levels of telling us that we're not supposed to approve of Dabi's murders.

it's also a matter of giving Dabi narrative space to express his feelings, like every time Dabi tries to talk he is continually shut down (Shoto does engage Dabi talk to him and listen to why he didn't come back though I'll give him that) and it seems to be to push forward this weird idea that you shouldn't sympathize with the pain Dabi has endured or the ways he's dehumanized unless he does something to prove he deserves to be treated like a human being first.

Jason gets to monologue and make an entire argument, and his argument also shows the depths of his love for Bruce and what a deeply feeling person he is, and how those feelings being hurt and twisted could logically lead to his lashing out.

Compare this to Dabi who doesn't get a final monologue, but is instead reduced to a completely mindless state where he just cries out for his dad's attention. He doesn't get to make his argument.

Jason and Dabi both choose to blow themselves up, but Jason gets enough character agency to show this is a deliberate choice he's making even if it's the wrong one. He retains his character agency and ability to make decisions until the end of the narrative.

Jason's also you know physically crying. The end result of the narrative is about wrong choices that both Bruce and Jason make together, and then suffer the consequences together. Bruce watches the same failure play out again and he isn't able to save Jason, Jason doesn't get what he wants, he doesn't get revenge and he doesn't get to reunite with his father. It's tragic for both of them, and brought about by decisions both of them made.

Whereas yes Dabi makes a lot of bad decisions leading up to the last war arc, but in the end his final fate is up to a choice Enji made to not face Toya in the final battle.

However, while the final consequence of the battle is brought about more by Enji's decisions than Toya's, it's Toya who endures all the suffering and punishment. It's Toya who is in an iron coffin, and doomed to slowly and agonizingly die with all of his skin burnt off unable to move. Toya doesn't even get agency after the arc is over. Enji still has a wheelchair, Enji can still move around, Enji's still fucking rich, he's not in prison for his actions, he as Rei wheeling him around.

Toya's agency and choices are all taken from him, presumably to serve the plot purpose of making Enji save him to finish off his arc, and then ENJI DOESN'T EVEN SAVE HIM.

Also I think it's important to mention, Bruce's tragic ending is brought about by him attempting to save both, trying to save the joker and Jason with the same action. Whereas Enji's tragic ending is brought about by Enji NOT LIFTING A FUCKING FINGER TO HELP. Yet, it's Dabi who has the lion's share of suffering, and is sentenced to this horrific state of being skinless in an iron coffin and only being able to be awake a few minutes a day with no choice but to waste away.

Bruce is also immediately called out for his actions, by the Joker of all people, you handled this all wrong, it's your fault. Bruce is right to not kill the joker, killing the Joker would not have solved any of Jason's problems, but the fact that he put off facing Jason for so long, and his inability to communicate that he loves Jason is what leads to Jason thinking that the only way to prove Bruce loves him is to force him to choose. It's because Bruce has utterly failed to show him in any other way that he is loved.

Joker: Oh my god, I love it! You manage to find a way to win, and everyone still loses. I'm going to be the one who gets what he wants tonight, badda bing, badda boom."

I'd also like to add that a lot of agency in Enji's actions are taken away too, to make him look more blameless. It's not Enji's fault that he didn't say anything to Dabi during Dabi's dance, he passed out because he had a punctured lung. It's not Enji's fault that he spent a month protecting Deku instead of searching for Toya, he had to protect innocent people. It's not Enji's fault that he didn't go immediately to face Toya in the final war arc Hawks told him not to.

It's not Enji's fault that he made Shoto and Toya fight like Pokemon instead of cleaning up his own mess, and also he feels really sorry for it and as soon as he's done punching the bad guy he'll look after Toya he promises.

Enji does get called out for this behavior but it falls flat because it only comes from the villain AFO, and Toya himself. As I stated above too, the ending is more influenced by Enji's actions not Toya's (because Toya's agency is stripped away until he's mindless) but Toya is the one who has to die while Enji gets to live and atone.

That is the real sticking point for The Hellish Todoroki Family, the way it ends.

Themes Are For Eight Graders

The underlying problem with the whole arc and why The Hellish Todoroki Family fails as a tragedy, is because it wasn't written to be a tragedy.

The above quote is from an interview with the writers of the widely hated Game of Thrones Season 8, which took a sudden tragic turn for Dany's character, gave her an incredibly dehumanizing ending of being put down like a rabid dog by her own lover, an ending that was neither foreshadowed nor did it match with anything written before.

In this meta here by @hamliet it goes far more into depth that Game of Thrones isn't a tragedy, but a piece of Romantic fiction (not a love story, Romanticism is a genre of big emotions, the beauty of life, larger than life ideas hence why it fits well with fantasy genre, it can be sad but it doesn't follow tragic structure).

Dany is a romantic heroine, a deconstruction of the idea of the classic warrior princess trope, and you know a colonizer, but she's not meant to be written as an inherently bad person. There are people who say that Dany was going to die in the original books. I'm one of those people. Me. However, context and framing matters, Dany for all her colonizing ways does genuinely want to do the right thing, so it's likely she'd die a heroic death as a reflection of her selfless intentions (and intentions do matter for fictional characters) whereas in the show she's put down as a villain.

Now watch me I'm going to coin a term for future literary critics to use: Narrative Gaslighting.

Narrative gaslighting is different then Show Don't Tell, where an author has just failed to properly show what they're trying to tell you in the story. Narrative Gaslighting is when a narrative deliberately tries to mislead you, straight up lies to you, or just insists things that did not happen totally happened guys. Much like real gaslighting, Narrative Gaslighting makes you feel stupid for interpreting things a certain way and insists you were wrong all along.

Narrative gaslighting is when Tyrian gives a speech that everyone should have suspected Dany when she burned slavers alive that she was secretly evil and would one day turn on them.

Like, no.

Dany is flawed because she is a foreigner, interfering with the politics of a different country that she does not understand in order to gain enough resources and men to return to her home country and invade that country to exercise her right as a Targeryn to uphold the divine right of kings.

Game of Thrones doesn't mention any of that shit that's in alignment with the previous actions in the story, it's just insisting the very ableist notion that Dany was insane all along and her violence towards other people is the result of her mental illness.

(Also before anyone says, so if she's a colonizer than how can she have good intentions, everyone is Bad in Game of Thrones, they're all waging war to vie for a throne, monarchy is bad guys. IDK how to tell you that Game of Thrones has gray on gray on gray on gray morality).

(Also this aside ties into the hangup of MHA and most popular fandom culture on Twitter, that Dany's moral failings somehow disqualify her from her humanity. In spite of the fact that on top of all of that she's a rape victim, and like, Dany's only on that continent in the first place because she was sold as a bride.)

But here's the same weird subtext that Horikoshi's writing of Dabi. The fact that Dabi was continually victimized and denied human dignity does not need to be addressed, because he did the bad things and didn't atone properly enough for it first.

In essence this random post on the gunnerkrigg court forums I found on the same day the chapter came out, displaying apollo's gift of prophecy.

"When someone is persecuted, it's important to inform everyone about their flaws. That way you don't have to feel anything about all the times that they were denied human dignity."

So, Dany is not written as a tragic hero but a romantic one, we as an audience are both meant to acknowledge her flaws and sympathize with her, not demonize her in an ableist way for being insane, and even if Dany is meant to die the tragic way she dies does not match up with all of the narrative foreshadowing that was built before that.

Like, for instance a lot of POC after the show ended kept telling everyone that Dany's actions in a foreign country were seriously problematic, and not only did the audience not listen but the showwiters didn't acknowledge it with the same subtlety as the books. So those people especially were able to pick up Dany's character flaws, and when the show finally acknowledged them it's not even in the way that critiques of the show were pointing out Dany's flaws it was just "she was insane all along." Not like taking time to go "no matter what the intention, interfering with the politics of a foreign country is wrong."

The problem with the Todoroki arc is essentially the same, down to the ableism (because outsiders continually call Dabi either a maniac or insane Demon without even giving credence to his grievances about hero society he's just reduced to an insane fringe element of society, and Dabi himself is reduced to a completely mindless, childish, insane screaming state where he can't make active decisions).

The Todoroki Arc is not set up to us as a tragic one. The ending is pretty clearly telegraphed to the whole audience. People are not wrong for thinking that Toya's ending would be either rehabilitation like Rei with the eventual hope of being welcomed home, or some kind of house arrest where he still gets to be with his family.

Everyone happy at the Dinner table and Enji not sitting with them.

"I wish you could be here, Toya."

"We all have to go stop, Toya."

"In that case, I'll make him sit down for a bowl with me."

Even Shoto's efforts to take down Toya non-lethally are rendered completely pointless, because Toya gets back up again and then burns himself alive (completely by his own choice so no one has to feel bad that they failed).

The story sets up the expectation that Toya is going to be brought home and sit down for a meal with his family. Then it makes you feel stupid for going in an entirely different direction. It was always going to end this way didn't you know The Todorokis are a tragedy?

Well, I just spent a very long section of this thesis statement illustrating that if it's supposed to be a tragedy, then it's still not written well.

It's a written as a romantic story of a family healing, and the villain getting saved, only for the villain not to be saved and the story to just keep on going like not getting saved isn't a huge failure. This is something that should permanently destroy the main characters, that they got the chance to repeat Sekoto peak and be there this time and they all utterly failed. I feel bad for Shoto most of all because he did everything right, and he still loses his brother, but does the story show that?

The problem is the story is blatantly lying to you about the fact that Toya was somehow saved, even though he LITERALLY LOOKS LIKE HELLRAISER. To quote Codenamesanzanka again:

But I feel the story couldn't give us that because it will remind the reader and everyone just how much Touya will be missing. In-story, talking any more will overburden Touya's heart - and how apt is that metaphor? So let's talk about how we'll talk, but that's all that's allowed here for this scene. Else we'll see how unfair it is that Touya has to be confined to this room, he isn't with his family and they have to come to this prison just to tell him about their day, and soon he will be gone. Details make it real, and it would've exposed the lie that Touya was saved in an actual way. The story knows it too - "this extra time Shouto gave us." This is all 'extra', and not the core. [...] If the story was sincere that this is a case of "it's simply too late" - as it should be!!! imo, to really drive in the clear point that they failed, they did not get the save they wanted, because that's the truth - the tone of the chapter isn't tragic enough for that. The tone is going for 'Making Peace With This'. We've skipped the stages of grief and all we have is acceptance. The characters have accepted this, and so must the readers as well.

Therefore it's narrative gaslighting, the story is making us doubt our perceptions and trying instead to manipulate us to feel a certain way. We don't have to question the unfairness of Toya's fate, because look at all the people he's hurt, and look how Enji is atoning and taking responsibility.

The story builds up the idea that Enji will choose Toya. That he will choose being a father over being a hero. Enji doesn't do that, and it's Toya who suffers the horrific, painful consequences while Enji gets off mostly scott free. Mind you it's also ableist to suggest that being in a wheelchair is some sort of life-ending consequence like he's fine. The story even goes out of its way to say how avoidable this ending could have been if Enji or Rei or someone lifted a single finger to give Toya the acknowledgement he wanted, and then gives it a "Too little, Too Late" conclusion but doesn't acknowledge that this is where it's ending and instead tells us that Enji has successfully atoned.

"Everyone's watching me. So this is what it's like. If it was such a simple thing, then why not sooner?"

If it was going to turn out this way Toya should have just died here, not because death would somehow be a mercy compared to life in prison, but because the Todoroki Family doesn't deserve to get to pat themselves on the back. If they let Sekoto Peak happen a second time, then they should have to deal with the consequences of that.

It would be consistent is my point. This is written as a "Too Little, Too Late" kind of ending, but we don't get the emotional response from the Todorokis that they've let Toya die a second time.

On the other hand, UTRH has the exact same tragic ending but it doesn't make me angry because it's honest about it. The Todorokis let Sekoto peak happen a second time. Batman let Death in the Family happen a second time, but look at how even the narration and comic panels of the story acknowledge it.

"Fate is a funny thing. It swells up like a raging current and we are forced to travel. It provides us no exit. No deviation. It drops us in a bottomless ocean and compels us. We either swim, or drown, and sometimes as we struggle against the tide, a great truth arises."

One ends with Enji meaninglessly stating that he'll spend the rest of his life atoning for Toya and watching over him (which I guess will be like two months tops) for the fifth time. The other ends with Batman being lectured by the Joker of all people of how he chose wrong and being forced to watch once again as a warehouse blows up, and he's completely helpless to save Jason.

UTRH ends with the message that Batman sucks, Enji's atonement arc ends with Natsuo calling him cool for atoning and UTRH makes me like Batman way more as a character. Whereas at this point I feel nothing from the Todoroki Family, except for a disgust for the way that Toya not only has to die, but has to die a slow, gruesome death while the rest of his family walks away with the small comfort of "oh at least we'll get to say what we need to say before Toya passes."

Especially with the fact that Toya's greatest fear was that when he died, he died meaninglessly because his family never grieved him and all moved on with their life. I guess we don't have to analyze how gross the underlying message that criminals don't deserve to be sympathized with because themes are for eighth graders.

EPILOGUE

The post is finished but apparently everyone expects me to cover every single possible angle even in posts this long.

You didn't address the cultural aspect. Under the Red Hood is a western story, and Todoroki Family is based on eastern concepts.

The post isn't about that. The post is long enough I can't cover every single topic. Here's someone who covered that topic thoroughly. This one discusses more about the nuances of collectivism.

Also, since the Todoroki Family obviously copied Under the Red Hood's homework, it warrants a comparison. Especially since it seems to critically misunderstand what made the original work.

Which is a valid form of Literary Criticism, as Ursula K Le Guinn once said:

 It doesn’t occur to the novice that a genre is a genre because it has a field and focus of its own; its appropriate and particular tools, rules, and techniques for handling the material; its traditions; and its experienced, appreciative readers—that it is, in fact, a literature. Ignoring all this, our novice is just about to reinvent the wheel, the space ship, the space alien, and the mad scientist, with cries of innocent wonder. The cries will not be echoed by the readers. Readers familiar with that genre have met the space ship, the alien, and the mad scientist before. They know more about them than the writer does.

The Todorkis aren't all to blame for Toya. Natsu, Fuyumi and Shoto are innocent:

You're right. It's just easier to refer them as the Todorokis then specifying "Enji and Rei" each time.

You didn't mention Shoto once in this post:

I have no cricism for Shoto's role in all this. In fact I think he's the best written part. I praise it here.

Shoto is a good boy, and he deserved to spend more time with his brother. The fact he won't be able to sit down and have dinner of him, is the greatest tragedy of them all.

showing off!!

It's been a while!

I watched the new episode of MHA and decided to be delusional and pretend this is what happened instead.

Loved the part where they all went home unharmed and ate cold Soba together

The fact that the Todoroki family storyline is a tragedy.

The fact that the manga ends with every single one of the Todoroki children remaining irreversibly damaged.

The fact that sometimes hurt is just hurt and there isn't a higher reason for it.

The fact that despite taking different approches, none of the Todoroki children are judged by the narritive for their choices in moving forward and finding their own peace.

The fact that Horikoshi didnt set out to write a story of justice in his superhero comic, but instead wrote a realistic take on how abuse survivors actually get treated by the world we live in.

Todoroki's reaction Pt. 2

Chapter 300

"The Little Boy Lost"

Such a good poem, and it fits Touya perfectly. The saddest thing is that the boy didn't call his mother. Maybe she would have heard him.

Could you please (if you feel comfortable) draw Dabi with a metal arms instead of his normal ones? I imagine that if he survives the war, he'll end armless?? If you know what I mean

Yes, of course, thanks for the idea)) don't worry, I feel comfortable 😁 P.S. I hope that Touya survives and most of his wounds heal, though some scars will probably remain))

What if

We know that Rei found out about Touya in the hospital, but was Enji brave enough to tell her about their son's death himself? I doubt it, but still...

Three years ago was published one of the best chapters in My Hero Academia))

''What I needed was a little encouragement, a little friendliness, a little help to keep my future open, instead you obstructed it, admittedly with the good intention of persuading me to go down a different path. But I was not fit for the path you chose.'' (c) F. Kafka ''Letter to my Father''

Mother

MHA incorrect quotes massive dump because I'm having a really bad day

Jeanist: What's up, guys? I'm back. Dabi: What the- you can't be here. You're dead. I literally saw you die. Jeanist: Death is a social construct.

Inko: Hey, how are you doing today? Middle School Midoriya: Can we change the subject before I start crying?

Bakugo: Do you ever wonder why you're still single? Denki, eating mayonnaise straight out of a jar with a spoon: Yeah... I mean, I'm perfect! Who wouldn't want to date me? Bakugo, sighing: I can name a few people...

Kirishima: Don’t trust everything you see on the internet. Denki: Pfft. What possibly nonsense could come from the internet? Oh. Did you know that the Earth is actually flat? Kirishima: *Takes away B’s phone* Yeah, that enough for you.

Shoto, at Dabi's funeral: I need a moment with him. Everyone else at the funeral: Of course. *leaves* Shoto, leaning over Dabi's coffin: Okay, listen here you little shit. I know you're not dead. Dabi, sitting up in the coffin: Yeah, no shit.

Shoto: What is wrong with you? Dabi: Loaded question. Elaborate.

Tomura: PEASANT. I REQUIRE SUSTENANCE. Kurogiri: You know there are other ways to say you want McDonalds. Tomura: FOUL PLEBEIAN. YOU DARE SPEAK AGAINST ME— Kurogiri: sigh What do you want? Tomura: Chicken nuggets please.

Denki: *watching their house burn down* Denki: Denki: *starts filming* Waddup, guys, welcome to my vlog, today's topic: how to get away with accidentally committing arson because you forgot Spaghetti O's cans are metal and thus non-microwavable! Step one: deny everything.

Toga: When I see initials carved into a tree with a heart I think it’s so romantic. Two lovers on a date… one of them carrying a knife for some reason.

Mr. Compress: Twice, Toga, I love y’all and all, but can I ask what in the hell are you doing? Toga, trying to stabilize a tower of folding chairs that B is sitting atop: Oh nothing much. Twice: I love you too :)

Endeavor: What goes up but never comes down? Natsuo: The amount of stress you're bringing to this family.

Dabi: *coughs blood* Shoto: Don't die, Touya! Dabi: Don't tell me what to do!

Tomura: How’s practice going? Himiko: Terrible. I want to stab everybody there. Tomura: Okay, just don’t get any blood on your clothes. Mr. Compress: …you shouldn’t be condoning this. Tomura: Don’t tell me how to live my life.

Incorrect quotes keep me alive so expect more

No because I go through phases of being OBSESSED with Dabihawks kidfics but I never write my own because I have no set AU for a kidfic yet so now I have to create one for my own piece of mind

The problem is that when I do that, I want to incorporate my other ships and THEIR potential kids because in reality other kids from canon characters would be relevant in a storyline. So then I start going off on little mental tangents about other ships and their possible kids and suddenly Dabihawks has 7 kids and Mirko and Fuyumi are giving those kids like 6 cousins and we haven't even touched on Natsuo or Shoto's protentional future kids-

And suddenly I have too many mha OCs (which I never make because I'm plenty interested in the canon character) for me to keep track of and I have to start using apps like foretelling to keep them all in order.

I think I'm going insane guys. And I'm gonna keep going insane because now I'm committed to the bit. Personal Gen 2 AU/headcanons here I come.

☆ UPCOMING STORY SNEAK PEEKS ☆

story 1: midnight rain

midnight: it was a noun to some, simply meaning the middle period of night. but to a little girl, it was her mother's hero name.

gifted a strong quirk hailing from her father's side, and a stronger personality from midnight herself, that little girl grows into the strongest storms you pray to only see in your nightmares.

and yet, like both her parents, she looks like a daydream all the same.

though, it didn’t start out like that; in fact, at the start, nemuri wasn’t sure if she even could raise a child herself.

and she couldn’t.

but with the help of her two well-meaning, slightly idiotic friends, the task seemed just a bit less daunting.

story 2: cowboy like me

a young con artist, the best of her kind, gets a job when a fellow con man introduces her to a villain in need of her deception skills.

the job requirements? infiltrate UA and weasel her way into shoto todoroki—as well as his family's—life.

for a year and a half.

it was a long con, and she was never a fan of those. especially when the chances of being caught by the number two hero were astronomically high.

but when the criminal dropped a stolen and stuffed moneybag at her feet? of course he became her newest employer.

the girl may as well have been walking into a burning lions den. still, she’d obviously bring her A-game and not rest until every last one of them was completely fooled.

forever is the sweetest con, right?

story 3: clara bow

the general public had their doubts about the H.P.S.C. and a small few had the guts to voice it. one day, the words caught flame and began to negatively sway opinions of the organization.

the president knew she had to act quickly to maintain their pristine image of innocence. and what better way to convey that, than with a bright-eyed poster child?

now, she wouldn't use hawks for this; his big hero debut was already scheduled for his eighteenth birthday.

instead, enter project: poseidon.

it all started with the adoption of a five year old who gained her quirk and lost her father—a dear member of the H.P.S.C.—in the same night. what seemed like kindness, was only twisted preservation of the status quo.

but hey, what do you know? the media is a sorry sucker for motherly madam president and her abundant, charitable heart.

the whole country watched the young profitable girl at the woman’s side, raised in the dazzling, blinding spotlight.

and wow.

it's hell on earth to be heavenly.

AND THAT'S THE NEW IDEASSSS !! >:3

yes they're all taylor themed, sorry if you don't like her, but i'll respect those opinions. pls show the same courtesy, otherwiseeee

*cutely blocks you ! ☆〜 (ゝ。∂)*

ANYWAYS LMK IF YOU HAD A FAVORITE ONE THAT YOU WANNA SEE MORE OF !! IT WOULD HELP ME KNOW WHAT TO POST FIRST BC I'M INDECISIVE AS HECKKKK :)))

okie bye hehehe <333

𝐑 𝐔 𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐄? — 𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐂 𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐊𝐄𝐘𝐒

𖤐 synopsis: touya finds himself desperately drawn to his equally dangerous colleague during an elegant gala, revealing vulnerability beneath his scarred exterior as he struggles with newfound emotions while they maintain control of their complicated dynamic.

𖤐 trigger warnings: mentions of violence, implications of criminal activity, power dynamics, manipulation, and descriptions of physical scarring.

𖤐 pairing: touya (dabi) todoroki x villain! gn! reader

𖤐 side note: this was my first actual fic i made..I just decided to post it now cause I’m obsessed with the song again...

the grand hall of the underground villain society's annual gala shimmered with danger and decadence. crystal chandeliers cast shadows across the marble floors where villains of all calibers mingled, their formal attire a stark contrast to the chaos they usually wrought.

you adjusted your gloves, running a finger along the intricate design that concealed the weapon beneath. as a newer but rapidly rising member of the paranormal liberation front, you'd earned your invitation through a string of perfectly executed missions that had left authorities baffled and the villain world impressed.

"enjoying the view?" a low, raspy voice asked from behind.

you didn't need to turn to recognize who it belonged to. the faint scent of ash and that distinctive voice gave him away instantly. dabi. the plf's flame villain with a penchant for destruction and a mysterious past that nobody dared question.

"i'm observing," you replied coolly, taking a sip of champagne. "there's a difference."

you finally turned to face him, allowing yourself a moment to appreciate how the formal black suit complemented his stapled skin and piercing turquoise eyes. unlike his usual casual attire, tonight he'd made an effort. the jacket hugged his lean frame, and the top buttons of his shirt were undone, revealing glimpses of his scarred chest.

"you clean up surprisingly well," you remarked with a half-smile.

"don't sound so shocked." his eyes never left yours as he moved closer. "though i could say the same about you. almost didn't recognize you without blood on your clothes."

you laughed softly, the sound drawing attention from nearby villains who quickly averted their gaze when dabi shot them a warning look.

"dance with me," he said suddenly, not quite a question but not entirely a command either.

you raised an eyebrow. "i didn't take you for a dancer, dabi."

"there are many things you don't know about me." he extended his hand, his eyes betraying a vulnerability that his smirk tried to mask. "yet."

the string quartet in the corner began playing something slow and haunting as you placed your hand in his. his skin was unnaturally warm—a side effect of his quirk—as he led you to the dance floor.

"i've been watching you," he confessed as his hand slid to your waist, pulling you closer than necessary. "since that mission in hosu city. the way you took down those pro heroes without hesitation... it was beautiful."

"careful," you warned playfully. "people might think you're developing feelings."

his grip tightened slightly. "would that be so terrible?"

you studied his face, noting the intensity behind his casual expression. dabi was known for his indifference, his detachment. yet here he was, holding you like you might disappear if he let go.

"you know how this works," you reminded him. "people like us don't do attachments."

the music swelled as he spun you effortlessly, bringing you back against his chest with practiced precision.

"tell me something," he whispered, his lips brushing against your ear. "are you just using me to pass the time? or is there more?"

you pulled back slightly to look at him. "that's a dangerous question."

"i'm a dangerous man."

around you, other villain couples danced, their faces masks of calculated charm and hidden agendas. everyone was playing a role tonight. everyone except dabi, whose eyes burned with something raw and unfiltered.

"every time you walk away," he continued, his voice dropping lower, "i find myself wondering if you'll come back. it's maddening."

"dabi—"

"i go crazy," he interrupted, "because being anywhere but with you isn't where i want to be. do you understand what that's like? to have someone crawl under your skin that deep?"

the music faded into the background as you studied him. this wasn't the dabi that the league knew—the apathetic, sardonic villain who cared only for his mysterious agenda. this was someone else entirely.

"you're acting like i own you," you said carefully.

his laugh was bitter and short. "maybe you do. isn't that what this is? you pull the strings, and i follow. like a damn puppet."

the song ended, but neither of you moved to separate. around you, villains exchanged partners, clinked champagne glasses, and plotted their next atrocities. but in your small bubble on the dance floor, something electric and dangerous was building.

"let's get some air," you suggested, acutely aware of how his fingers were now intertwined with yours.

he followed you through the grand ballroom, past clusters of villains deep in conversation, and out onto a deserted balcony overlooking the city lights below. the night air was cool against your skin, a welcome relief from the heat of the ballroom—and from dabi's proximity.

"better?" you asked, leaning against the stone railing.

instead of answering, he moved behind you, his hands gripping the railing on either side of you, effectively trapping you between his body and the stone.

"no," he said simply. "not better at all."

you turned to face him, your back now against the railing. "what is it you want from me, dabi? we've had our fun, haven't we? the missions, the nights afterward..."

"is that all this is to you? fun?" his eyes narrowed, blue flames briefly flickering at his fingertips before he controlled them. "because for me, it's become something else entirely."

"careful," you warned again. "shigaraki wouldn't approve of... complications within the ranks."

"i don't give a damn what shigaraki thinks." dabi leaned closer, his forehead nearly touching yours. "i only care about one thing right now."

"and what's that?"

"whether i'm yours," he said, his voice barely audible over the distant sounds of the party inside. "because you sure as hell are mine."

there it was—the raw desperation beneath his usual controlled facade. you'd seen glimpses of it before: in the way his eyes followed you during meetings, how his hand lingered on yours when passing equipment, the unnecessary risks he took to protect you during missions.

"this isn't you," you said softly. "the dabi i know doesn't beg."

something dangerous flashed in his eyes. "maybe you don't know me as well as you think."

his lips crashed against yours then, hot and demanding. it wasn't your first kiss—far from it—but there was something different about this one. something desperate and consuming that made your head spin.

when you finally broke apart, his breathing was ragged. "tell me you feel it too."

you reached up, tracing one of the staples that held his scarred skin together. "i've never seen you like this before."

"answer the question." his voice was strained. "am i yours? are you mine? i need to know i'm not just losing my mind here."

the vulnerability in his question struck you. for all his power, all his danger, in this moment, dabi was laying himself bare—something neither of you were accustomed to doing.

"we're villains," you reminded him. "we take what we want."

"and what do you want?" he searched your eyes for an answer.

you considered your options carefully. attachment in your world was a liability, a weakness that could be exploited. but there was something intoxicating about having one of the plf's most feared villains looking at you like you were the only thing that mattered.

"maybe i want you," you admitted finally. "but on my terms."

a slow smile spread across his face, transforming his features into something almost beautiful in its dangerous intensity. "i can live with that."

inside, the party continued—villains plotting, forming alliances, and breaking them just as quickly. but on the balcony, something new was taking shape between you and dabi—something that burned hotter than his blue flames and cut deeper than any weapon.

"you should know," he said, his fingers tracing a path down your arm, "i'm not good at sharing. what's mine is mine."

"i don't recall agreeing to be yours exclusively," you challenged, enjoying the flash of jealousy that crossed his face.

"you will," he promised, his confidence returning though the desperate need still lingered in his eyes. "i can be very persuasive."

the sound of the balcony door opening interrupted your exchange. toga's cheerful voice called out, "there you are! shigaraki's about to make an announcement. something big!"

dabi didn't take his eyes off you as he replied, "we'll be there in a minute."

when the door closed again, he leaned in, his lips brushing against your ear. "this conversation isn't over."

"i wouldn't expect it to be," you replied, straightening his tie with deliberate slowness. "but don't forget who's in control here."

his answering smile was equal parts submission and challenge. "wouldn't dream of it."

as you both rejoined the gathering inside, dabi's hand possessively at the small of your back, you knew that things had shifted irrevocably between you. in a world where power was currency and weakness meant death, you'd somehow gained the most dangerous kind of leverage—complete devotion from a man who burned everything he touched.

and despite everything you knew about the dangers of attachment in your line of work, you couldn't deny the thrill that came with it.

after all, what was villainy without a little risk?

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They’re just kids

Baby in the house

honestly my favorite part about the whole endeavor “atonement” arc is that we as the audience KNOW that there’s nothing he can do to properly atone for the things he’s done to his family.

the scars from endeavor’s abuse will forever be ingrained in the todorokis, no matter how hard they try to move on from it (and not everyone wants to move on, either). we’re constantly hit with reminders of endeavor’s actions throughout the story- heck, even right in the middle of his whole “atonement” arc, we get another flashback that goes more in depth on the abuse and neglect that the family has suffered because of him. we even get more details on how his marriage with rei began, along with the buildup that lead to rei’s horrible mental state. it’s like although endeavor is trying to correct himself, the show doesn’t want us to forget about the things he has done, and i can appreciate that. i’m sure even endeavor is aware that no matter how hard he tries, there’s not much he can do to fix the past.

him trying to correct himself after becoming the number one hero is kind of the point, because there’s nothing else left to distract him from the weight of his actions. there is no more all might for him to chase, and there’s really no point in trying to become the next symbol of peace because of the impossibly high standards that were left behind in all might’s place. now all endeavor can do is look back and see all the damage that he’s caused, all in exchange for some dream that he will never be able to fulfill.

its ironic, really. he’s been trying for decades to match all might’s power, but is left powerless when it comes to mending his relationship with his family. the past can never go away, and all he can really do is make sure it doesn’t happen again.

I lowkey kinda hate Endeavor's repentance arc. Not because I don't want to see an abusive character get better, I actually think it's incredibly important to show that people like this are capable of change but that does not inherently mean that you have to forgive them, I hate it because this shouldn't have been the wake-up call.

The wake-up call to all the damage he'd done shouldn't have been when he got what he wanted and realized that it isn't as fulfilling as he thought it be, leading to him reflecting on everything he's done to get there. No, it should've been when his eldest son "died" due to his ambition. He should've figured out just how much damage he was doing when Touya burned himself alive just to become his "perfect progeny" so that he could be "loved" by Endeavor again (he thought Touya was what he was looking for until he actually devolved his quirk and the drawback was discovered). The accident wouldn't have even happened if Endeavor had bothered to properly teach him how to turn off the fire!

To add another layer of how much Endeavor not bothering to reflect on what he's done after Touya's "death", Touya would've likely come back. It's revealed that Touya visited the Todoroki house to see how things had changed after his death, and what made him decided to continue on the war path and become Dabi was that everything was still the same. The only difference is that there was now an altar to morn him, everything else remained the same. If Touya had seen that things had changed after his death, that Endeavor worked to become better because of the tragedy, then maybe he would've stayed. Maybe he would've revealed he was alive and they could've been a family again. Don't know if they could ever be a "happy" or "healthy" family, considering everything around Endeavor and Rei getting married and the nature of Shoto's birth, but they most certainly could've been a family. One that would've stayed together, one with their mother not in a mental hospital, one that could maybe one day become proud to say that Endeavor was their father instead of refusing to his fire out of a strong desire to never be like him. But nope! Endeavor only realized how destructive he was to his own family when his youngest was 16 and "2"/4 of his children were adults (1/4 is "dead" and 1/4 is still a minor), far too late to undo any of the damage he's done. Too little, too late.

“The Todoroki family would have been happy if Endeavor wasn’t so selfish.”

The Todoroki family wouldn’t have existed if Endeavor wasn’t selfish. If he hadn’t wanted to become number one and needed a child to pass that on to, he wouldn’t have married or had kids with Rei. The children never would have existed. It’s possible that Enji and Rei just never would have met.

WE’RE BACK BABYYYY — ♚ 𝕶𝖊𝖗𝖔𝖘𝖊𝖓𝖊 ♚ pt.II

(Pt.I here)

Summary: 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚃𝚘𝚍𝚘𝚛𝚘𝚔𝚒 𝚜𝚙𝚊𝚠𝚗, 𝙴𝚖𝚒𝚔𝚘, 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏 𝚝𝚎𝚎𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚋𝚘𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚏𝚕𝚞𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚢’𝚜 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚒𝚌 𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚊𝚐𝚎, 𝚊𝚜 𝚠𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚊𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝— 𝚘𝚛 𝚠𝚑𝚘 —𝚑𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚍𝚊𝚛𝚔 𝚙𝚊𝚜𝚝. 𝚆𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚎 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚘 𝙴𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚘𝚛 𝚛𝚞𝚒𝚗𝚜 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚗, 𝚘𝚛 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚋𝚊𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚞𝚖𝚊𝚌𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊𝚋𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚘𝚘𝚛 𝚒𝚗𝚏𝚕𝚞𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚏𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚠 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚛𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚘𝚙 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚘 𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚔𝚜?

Last chapter introduced Emiko, as well as a bit of her past to better understand her current state of mind. This chapter is shorter than the rest and is the continuation of expressing the conflict Emiko’s facing, as well as making one path visible to her.

The teacher's coffee nearly jumps out of its container at the sudden drop of Emiko’s textbook. 

“You finished a month's worth of material,” She looked him dead in his dumbfounded eyes, nodding along as he spoke. “In a night?”

She confirms with a firm nod. 

“A single night?”

“Yes sir.”

His eyes narrow, and he leans forward on his desk. “You have a month to do it. Are you sure you don’t just want to go over it before you turn it in?”

“Nope, thanks though.” She takes a few steps away, before backtracking for that morning’s assignment and continuing her path. A deep sigh fell from his lips as he hung his head.

Someone had grabbed Emiko’s arm, stopping her in her tracks. She looks back to see Shoto. Her face lights up, before she notices his untamed hair and distraught look.

“Where were you? You can’t just disappear like that.”

“I didn’t feel like fighting yesterday.” she shrugs, but he yanks at her arm trying to pull any bit of seriousness out of her. 

“Then don’t fight. The old man was pissed, and we were all worried. Natsuo said you never stayed at his in the first place.” 

She pulls her arm out of his grip, furrowing her brows. “What is this, an interrogation? I thought you’d have my back. You hate him just as much as I do. I offered for you to come with, y’know.” 

“What do you mean ‘come with’? Come with where, Emiko?”

“Nevermind, just forget it.” she sighs, turning towards the direction of her desk.

“Hey, wait.” He grabs her again, but she doesn’t turn around. “Just- come home after school, alright? We can walk together. You could talk to me too, if you want…” he offers for any sort of support. “I know this week’s rough for you, and I think you might’ve felt like I’m siding with Dad over you.. But last night was horrifying. I don’t care what his motives are, I only want to know that you’re safe, wherever you go.”

She swallows back the lump in her throat, nodding. They stood there for a moment as the last few students flowed in before the bell rang.

·:*¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨*:·

Lunch had finally come. Everyone started packing once the bell rang, but she’d been packed for the past half-hour. She’d gotten home late enough to miss dinner and left early enough to avoid confrontation. She’s hungry, to say the least. She was the first out the door, blending in with the hundreds of students. 

“Emi,” Shoto called. “Wait up.”

She turns back to see her brother amongst his group of friends trying to catch up with her. In truth, everyone had wanted to introduce themselves earlier, but she’d been so cold and closed off that they figured she wouldn’t appreciate being bothered too much.

But Yaoyorozu had asked Shoto if they were really related, which made so much more sense to everyone. Who knew he had a sister? No wonder she’s so reclusive and abrasive. Shoto was intimidating at first, they thought. Maybe she’s warmer in person.

“Hey,” she mutters, at a loss for what else to really say. 

“I was wondering if you’d like to join us for lunch.” 

She looked amongst the group. She opened her mouth, but was quickly shut down. 

“Before you say no, I think you’d really like them.” 

She sighs, but nods. 

After some introductions in line, she sat down more familiar with Shoto’s friends. They were nice people, really. They just didn’t seem like her kind of crowd. She’s proud of him though, proud of him for finding a bunch of people to hang out with.

They were both homeschooled ever since they had basic book smarts, probably averaging them to have been pulled out of school around first or second grade. Neither of the two remember. It was so far off and insignificant. She was more or less self educated. She had her own books and resources, but her father just didn’t put as much time or effort into her schooling as he did Shoto’s. 

She’s still smart, though. At most lacking in one or two areas which she wasn’t disciplined enough to endure. The hero ethics textbook was long, and she was convinced that most of those words were made up. But it’d all gotten done and the bit of self-validation it gave her felt nice. 

“I just can’t believe you have a sister,” Uraraka smiled, stuffing her cheeks with curry.

“He didn’t tell you about us?” Emiko’s expression was softer, relaxing into the casual chatter as she poked at her tempura. 

“‘Us’? Todoroki, you have more siblings and never told us?” Yaoyorozu put a hand over her mouth, feigning shock.

“It didn’t seem important.” he shrugs.

“Unimportant?” Emiko quirked a brow. “I’m sure your other three siblings would just love to hear that.”

“Two,” he corrects.

“Huh?”

“Two other siblings.” he clarifies.

She presses a napkin to her lips. “Right.” She squeaks. “My bad.” 

Fortunately, the others didn’t seem to catch onto the tension, carrying on with their conversation.

·:*¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨*:·

Class drug on for what felt like an eternity. This time, she was more sluggish getting packed. Her second-to-last class was quirk training, which completely drained her by the time English class came around. 

Shoto stopped by her desk with his bag already slung over his shoulder. 

“What about your friends?” She asks, looking up at him after she shoves her books in her bag.

“They’re going a different direction,” he explains. “I thought it would be a good time to talk.”

She hums in response, standing up and throwing on her bag. 

“Hey, what’s on your bag?” He asks as they make their way to the door, pointing out the sticky brown stain.

“This? Oh, I just sat my bag down. Didn’t realize the soda on the ground, I guess.” Her eyes fixate on the wall’s seam as they walk. A small white lie, she thought. He didn’t have to know that she was on a roof. It would only make him ask questions, and the answers would just warrant more questions. Short and sweet, it’s for the best.

They finally break free from campus walls, the crowd of people eventually thinning. When they reach a less populated portion of the street, Shoto takes a sharp breath in, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

“I won’t tell Dad, you have my word, you know.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Where you went yesterday. I won’t say anything, I just wanna know.”

“Selling drugs.”

He nudges her, looking her in the face. “I’m serious.” She kept her eyes on the road ahead, but his gaze remained fixed on her.

“I just needed a break, what do you want me to say?”

“I don’t know, an address? People?”

“Bold of you to assume I have people.” She scoffs. Silence falls between them. Shoto stops on the sidewalk, Emiko only doing the same a few steps ahead.

“…You know, I didn’t invite you to lunch out of pity.” He starts, waiting for her to say anything at all. 

“Dad robbed us from being friends. But we’re not rivals anymore, and I really do want to be friends with you. I want to be your brother, it’s just—“

“‘It’s just’ what? I know I’m a piece of shit, alright? I’m a disappointment to dad, I piss off Yumi, I pushed away Natsuo, I’ll never be able to give mom a home to come back to..” her voice strains and cracks, her shoulders pulling close to her neck. 

Shoto puts a hand on her shoulder, but gives her the autonomy to hide her flushed face and teary eyes in her arm. “Fuyumi’s not mad at you. She’s never mad at you. You were best friends growing up, you were practically at the same level as her.”

She grimaced at his words, wiping the fresh tears with the base of her palm and sniffling.

“She’s not mad. She’s worried. We all are. Natsuo is too. He said you didn’t come by the other night. That he told you it wouldn’t work and to just stay in your room. He feels bad, you know. He was worried about you getting hurt. I was worried about you getting hurt,” He escalates. “Where the hell did you go??” He spits, only to hear soft sniffling entangled in the dead silence.

“Emiko, I’m—“ He pauses, his hand falling off of her like his attacks at the wall she’s put up. He lets out a sigh. 

“I should’ve come with you when you asked for back up. I don’t know what it was for, but if I didn’t brush you off then I would. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t…” she wipes the snot from her face and readjusts her bag on her shoulder. “Don’t worry about it. It was stupid, anyway.” She turns her head in his direction, but her eyes remain downcast. Wet strands of white hair stick to her bright red cheeks, no matter how hard her sleeve battles it. “Can we just go home?”

He watches her fallen and defeated figure for a moment, before silently nodding.

·:*¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨*:·

“It’s not fair.” each hit Touya landed was an emphasis, a point that he could never get across to anyone. “He won’t even watch me practice. Why won’t he just look at me?” The sack barely budged, but getting some pent-up hurt out felt better. He sighs, catching his breath. “And Yumi..” Tears prick at the corner of his eyes before he goes back to abusing the punching bag. “She doesn’t think I’m good enough either. Why doesn’t anyone think I’m strong? I was before. So what if I get a little hurt? Heroes get hurt all the time!”

Emiko sits crosslegged at the corner of the tatami mat, picking at loose threads. “Hey,” his arms drop heavy with exhaustion, only swaying with each pant. “Are you listening?” 

She pouts at the floor. Lip out, eyebrows knitted together, and shoulders high. She lets out a huff, shooting up and running to the center of the mat. A soft thump comes from the punching bag. His head fell to the side watching her. She seemed so… determined. Hitting the bag as hard as her little five-year-old arms could as if she were hammering something. Slowly, Touya breaks into snorts and giggles. 

“And why are you upset?” He plops down on the mat right where he stands while he watches her work herself out. “Because everyone thinks I’m stupid. I’m smart all the time! You all think I don’t understand, but I do!”

He watches up until she tires herself out. When she’s done, she throws herself down and pulls her knees to her chest. Did he make her feel that way? After giving her a few minutes to breathe, a few moments of silence to really feel, he gets up and holds out his hand to her. When she stands up, he closes her hand into a fist and repositions her thumb. “Don’t punch with your thumb in your hand, and..” He moves her arm to her side. “Start from here, not above your head.” 

Being wrong gave her a headache. Like if she couldn’t do something simple like this, then maybe she really was stupid. For someone to point out that she was wrong, her brother of all people, she got that sharp feeling in her throat. 

He eventually had her completely repositioned, before giving her the go-ahead to hit again. They’re still weak, the stillness of the sack proving this. Regardless, she spills everything she has into each punch. A tear slid down her plump cheek. She felt so small. She was painfully aware of how weak she was. 

“See? It feels better to get it out, right?” with each hit, they slowly packed less power. She nods, catching her breath.

·:*¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨*:·

“Oh, you’re  so mature for your age!”

 Those words were repeated over and over growing up.

Any time she shared a toy, or ate a vegetable, or said something just slightly intellectual, it was always met with the word “mature”. 

That’s a lie. It wasn’t that simple. She was a people pleaser, just like her sister. She made sure the house stayed clean, food stayed hot, and grades stayed high. Even after Touya’s passing, she knew it was her father's fault. It was his fault that Shoto got hurt and mom went away. It’s his fault that Yumi’s “as-needed” anxiety meds run empty all too often. His fault that Natsuo moved away.

She held her head high, though. Fuyumi wanted her to. She told her that it was all alright, and that she had things handled. Emiko’s small hands rested in hers growing up, trying to believe she was honest. Now she was fifteen and seethed every time her sister washed a dish or moved the old man's shoes where they went.

Now, she sat at the kitchen table. Dinners had been silent for years. Really, what was the point in doing these things anymore? Because Fuyumi wants to. Dad was here this time. The odds are always mixed on whether he “gets home in time” or not. Emiko knows he always stays out just a bit later than he has to. Between Shoto’s glares, Nastuo’s backhanded comments, Fuyumi’s over-the-top anxiety, and Emiko’s fragile patience, she wishes he would know better and stay gone. 

“So?” He starts. 

Fuyumi’s shoulders tense. “Dad, not right now, please?” She pleads

Emiko’s eye twitched, sharply side-eyeing him from across the table. She would only hold together for so long. For Yumi’s sake, but for hers as well. It wasn’t fair to herself to hold her tongue, to simply take the abuse.

“I have a right to know,” he persisted in a demanding tone.

“I don’t want anyone fighting at the table,” she retorted firmly.

“Then don’t fight with me.” He directed toward Emiko, cutting out Fuyumi as the messenger. 

“Dad—“ 

“I’m not speaking to you.” He reiterates, cutting Fuyumi off. She rests her head in her palms,  before grabbing her only half-eaten plate and excusing herself. Natsuo silently pleads for her to stay, but she waves him off and tells him to sit back down. 

Enji keeps his eyes fixed on Emiko, expecting an answer.

Moments pass before she scoffs, breaking eye contact and shoving tempura in her mouth. 

“She was with one of my friends.” Shoto confesses in a stale tone just as Enji opens his mouth to tell Emiko off. 

“She was mad, and I didn’t want her doing something stupid. So I sent her to a friends house to cool off. I’m looking out for her, like you tol—“ Shoto’s cut off by the blunt sound of his fathers fist to the table. 

“I’m not playing telephone, she’s capable of speaking for herself.”

She glances at Shoto, the slight rise of her shoulder saying ‘Thanks for trying’. Silence falls amongst the table. An uncomfortable silence. 

“I uhm,” her already low tone cracked, breaking under the pressure in the dining room. She stabbed through a piece of tofu. Keeping her eyes down like a vice, only briefly meeting her fathers to gauge his expression. “I just needed a break, that’s all.”

“That’s not an answer to my question.” his tone was softer than usual. Not by definition soft, but softer. 

“You’re question was?” her brows raise and she shakes her head defensively.

“Where were you.” he demands, becoming irritated once again.

“I went for a walk.” she retorts, finally meeting his eyes. “What else do you want from me? I can’t tell you more than I have.” 

“That’s bullshit.” He snaps. His gaze harshens, but she doesn’t back down. Not like he wants her to. She won’t tell him the truth, she wont hold her tongue, he’s losing control of her and it’s driving him to the brink of insanity.

“Prove it.” She dares. Natsuo presses his lips together, keeping his eyes firmly on his plate. Shoto kept his gaze directly on Enji. He never condones picking fights with their father, but for something so out of his control, he might as well watch the old man crumble. He can see defeat rising in him, the fact that he’s losing Emiko.

“Lose the disrespectful tone.” he starts, before his own tone drops. “I’m worried about you. You’re acting recklessly. And I feel.. Partially to blame.” 

Her jaw nearly drops. Everyone’s did. Her heart almost wouldn't start beating again. He was worried about her? That felt.. Like for the first time she wasn’t on the back burner. Maybe she’d taken too long to answer. He looks back at the table and starts stacking plates. What is this man doing, he hasnt washed a single dish in his entire life?

“And I’d like to nip your poor behavior in the bud. You’re going to UA under my name. When you bring shame on yourself, you bring shame on the rest of us too.”

Just as quickly as he made her feel acknowledged, he ruined it. He belittled her and chalked up years of battling her mental health for merely keeping his house liveable to “poor behavior”. She was so, so close to an actual resolution. 

Plates clinked against each other as he left, like his words hadn’t just split her chest wide open.