Highlights
- Dabi’s tragic childhood and neglect led him down the path of villainy, becoming a mass murderer with no remorse in My Hero Academia.
- Endeavor’s rise as the number one hero fuels Dabi’s hatred towards his family, emphasizing the possibility of redemption in the series.
- Dabi’s cry for recognition from his family and descent into insanity showcases his deep-rooted desire for redemption, despite his villainous actions.
Dabi, or Todoroki Touya, has lived a tragic life due to his traumatic childhood. As a result of this, he has gone down the path of villainy, becoming a mass murderer with no remorse in My Hero Academia. Would it be possible for Dabi to be redeemed of his past actions after being driven into insanity as a result of being neglected, feeling abandoned, and wishing ill on his family?
As Todoroki Enji, also known as Endeavor, becomes more recognized as the number one hero, this continues to fuel Dabi’s hatred towards his family, wishing them nothing but harm. My Hero Academia places an emphasis on redeeming characters, making them see the wrong of their ways, and getting the help they need.
Can Dabi be Redeemed for His Past Actions as a Villain?
Is it possible for Dabi to be redeemed for his villainous actions? It’s unlikely that the victims’ families and citizens will forgive the Dabi in My Hero Academia. While the series emphasizes redemption, Dabi’s actions, fueled by hatred and revenge, can not be easily forgiven.
However, the Todoroki family still loves the eldest son and has done their best to prevent him from hurting himself and others; unless Dabi is willing to show change, those around him can view him as redeemable. It’s also possible the series will give Dabi a redemption arc; however, as we reach Chapter 424, it’s unlikely to happen unless the series produces a sequel after the events.
Dabi’s Traumatic Childhood
All members of the Todoroki family have experienced trauma, with Enji and Rei’s children taking the brunt of their fathers’ obsession. Enji, obsessed with surpassing All Might, had what is called a Quirk Marriage, an arranged marriage between two users hoping to pass down an inherited Quirk.
These practices have been frowned upon in the world of My Hero Academia, as the notation is to create custom children. Endeavor aimed to accomplish this with his children, as he knew he would not be able to surpass All Might in his lifetime. With this came Dabi, also known as Touya. Dabi was born with a Quirk much greater than Endeavors, as his fire could reach greater power than his fathers. However, the only flaw of this power was that Dabi inherited his mother’s weakness to heat, and as a result, his body could not handle his growing flames.
While Endeavor yearned for a child with a combination Quirk, he still placed his ambitions and goals unto Dabi. Although this may seem like a lot for a child, Touya was always excited for Quirk training and wanted to show his father what he could accomplish. However, with the arrival of Shoto and his weakening body, he quickly fell into despair. Touya wanted to be acknowledged by his father, so he continued training in secret at Sekoto Peak. However, Endeavor knew Touya’s body could not handle his growing flames, so he urged Touya to stop training. Unfortunately, this only spurred on Touya’s ambitions.
Unfortunately, after Touya reached his breaking point, he sought to attack why his father no longer pays attention to him, his younger brother Shoto, when he was still a baby. However, this action led Endeavor to completely separate Shoto from his older siblings, which is how Touyas’ resentment grew.
Dabi’s Life as a Villain
At this time, Touya’s resentment had been growing immensely, and soon he learned his rage and emotions fueled his firepower. Touya’s resentment and anxiety about not being recognized by Endeavor has already grown to an alarming point, and this night at Sekoto Peak, Touya was unable to control his firepower. After the tragic incident at Sekoto Peak, Touya was presumed dead and taken to a care facility by All For One.
After returning home and learning that his family believed him to be dead and learning his father continued his attempt to nurture Shoto, Touya accepted his death and began his new life as Dabi. With this, Dabi’s hatred towards Endeavor continued to grow, resulting in him joining the League of Villains and scheming to ruin Endeavor’s career as a Hero.
During his time as a villain, Dabi would partake in mass murder, easily killing 30 Heros while showing no remorse for the people he has killed. In addition, Dabi can also be seen easily killing low-class villains during the Provisional Hero License Exam arc. As a result, his personality quickly became more twisted as time went on. However, Dabi wanted nothing more than to see his father perish. Dabi will likely be locked away in a new prison similar to Tartarus after having his wounds treated with his family by his side; however, this does not mean his actions as a villain have been redeemed.
Touya’s Cry for Help
Throughout Dabi’s descent into insanity, one thing has remained clear: He always wanted his father’s and family’s recognition. While the birth of his younger siblings left him feeling pushed aside, his resentment grew after Shoto’s birth, and he finally realized he was being cast aside for his prodigal younger brother.
Dabi would go to great lengths to further ruin his father’s career to ensure that his growing fans hate him. By that time, Dabi had made several appearances in front of Endeavor; however, with his scarred body and change of appearance, it was unlikely that anyone in the Todoroki family would recognize the family’s eldest son.
In an attempt to break his father down, Dabi publicly and strategically revealed that he is the son of Endeavor. He also revealed the abuse and neglect he and his siblings endured while living with his father. Hero greatly relies on the support of the citizens to continue their Hero career. Dabi, revealing he is a mass murderer, knew he could sway the opinion of the public. This, along with blowing himself up with Endeavor, is one of the many ways Dabi has tried to gain his father’s attention. It is finally in his final battle with his family that Dabi realizes they see him for who he is; however, it is unlikely his past actions will be forgiven.
My Hero Academia is available to stream on Crunchyroll.
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