My Hero Academia is a smash-hit shonen anime with an ensemble cast of lovable characters, ranging from protagonist Izuku Midoriya to his good friend, Ochaco Uraraka, to his fierce rival, Katsuki Bakugo. Then a certain fire/ice boy entered the picture, the wildly talented but troubled Shoto Todoroki. He’s got a lot of baggage, to say the least.
Every My Hero Academia fan knows how rough it can be to live as Shoto Todoroki, especially regarding his tyrannical father, Endeavor, and the mental scars he inflicted on his youngest son. But it’s not all bad news. Shoto also has many good things to be thankful for at different points in My Hero Academia, and a few of his personal perks have been around since the start. Maybe things aren’t so bad for U.A.’s most talented first-year student.
10 Shoto’s Quirk Is Incredibly Powerful
U.A. expects every student to have a combat-worthy quirk for either offense, defense, or support, and Shoto Todoroki is way ahead of the curve. His quirk does come with some baggage, but in return, his ice/fire quirk is enormously powerful, especially relative to Shoto’s age.
With this incredible quirk, Shoto is already like a Pro Hero, and he can easily outclass most of his classmates at school, even powerhouses like Fumikage Tokoyami and Denki Kaminari. His ice and flames give him various options for any battlefield scenario.
9 Shoto Still Has Room To Improve & Innovate
At first, it seemed that Shoto had little room to improve his combat ability with his quirk, and peaking early would be a pretty harsh reality indeed. Fortunately, it’s the opposite, and even a prodigy like Shoto can and will work hard to get even better.
Shoto may not only boost his quirk’s effectiveness, but he can also feel good about himself by training and gaining new power on his own. He had been miserable enduring his father’s training, so now he can reap the rewards of growing stronger all by himself.
8 Shoto Has Supportive & Caring Classmates
Early on, Shoto Todoroki tried the “lone wolf” routine, acting like he didn’t need anyone’s help, not even that of the teachers. But this kuudere boy later learned to embrace his Class 1-A classmates as friends, and that was the right call. He’s not so alone after all.
Shoto’s classmates are generally kind, empathetic people who support one another, which includes support for Shoto. The best example is Izuku lecturing Shoto during their U.A. sports festival match and encouraging Shoto to embrace his true power as a hero.
7 Shoto Has Great Teachers
Having incredible teachers is a wonderful perk that Shoto shares with all his classmates at U.A.; surely, he is grateful for it deep down. Everyone in Classes 1-A and 1-B has the benefit of learning from excellent Pro Hero teachers who know how to help these students unlock their true potential, no matter what their quirks are.
Shoto has already learned a lot from teachers like Shota Aizawa and Present Mic both in the classroom and in the training fields, and that’s just from one or two semesters. These teachers are all empathetic, smart, and insightful pros who can definitely help Shoto become who he was meant to be.
6 Shoto Also Attends An Amazing & Secure School
Being a student at U.A. High School is a perk in and of itself. In this world, a school is more than the students and staff; it’s also about the campus’ security measures, training equipment, funding, and student housing. And the elite U.A. school delivers on all fronts.
This is Japan’s top heroics school for a reason. Aside from the great staff, this campus offers well-funded facilities such as the USJ training dome, gymnasiums, comfortable student housing, and tight security measures to keep villains away. Shoto won’t have to face the League of Villains at school ever again.
5 Shoto Gets Along With His Mother, Rei
The Todoroki family is fraught with drama, emotional damage, and conflict, to be sure, but there are still a few bright spots. Shoto’s ice-wielding mother, Rei, has long since made amends for pouring boiling water on her youngest son’s face, and mother and son now get along quite well.
Shoto often spends his limited free time visiting Rei in the hospital, which is a happy time for both of them. These visits comfort Shoto, reminding him that he has at least one parent who always loves and supports him, which he urgently needs in these trying times.
4 Shoto Has The Emotional Strength To Face Endeavor
For years, Shoto’s rocky relationship with his fiery father, Endeavor, was a total harsh reality, but now, some perks are emerging. Neither Shoto nor Endeavor can change the past, but they can find the tools necessary to find a better future, and Shoto is ready to do his part.
To mend ties with Endeavor and emotionally protect himself, Shoto now has what it takes to face his father and not become a victim again. Shoto’s emotional strength is a vital asset that helps him move on from his past trauma, and so far, it’s working.
3 Shoto Is Good At Carpentry
This was mostly just a gag in My Hero Academia, but it does suggest that Shoto is a pretty hands-on guy who isn’t afraid of some hard work. At one point, the students of Class 1-A got moved into dorm rooms and were free to add any furniture or decorations they wanted. But Shoto did more than that.
Shoto “worked hard” off-screen to remodel his room into a more traditional Japanese room, complete with new windows, tatami mats, and more. He didn’t even boast about it; Shoto mentioned it as though it were casual and easy.
2 Shoto Has A Nice Older Sister, Fuyumi
Shoto is the youngest of four children, ranging from the deceased Toya Todoroki, the eldest, to the next son, Natsuo, and the family’s lone daughter, Fuyumi. Not much is seen of Fuyumi Todoroki in My Hero Academia, but she is clearly the big sister Shoto always wanted in his life.
Fuyumi did her best to help her brothers and father reconcile when the Todorokis gathered, and she also warmly welcomed both Izuku and Katsuki to the household. Fuyumi isn’t a miracle worker, but she’s doing what she can to keep everyone together, and that’s exactly what Shoto needs right now.
1 Shoto Has Rivals & Role Models To Keep Him Sharp
At first, Shoto and the explosive Katsuki Bakugo had a somewhat unhealthy attitude about rivalry, seeing each other and Izuku as someone to crush on their way to greatness. But now, all three of them are healthy rivals, even if there is still a bit of lingering animosity.
Shoto, Izuku, and Bakugo are the main trio of Class 1-A, and they are all competing to keep each other sharp and prove themselves worthy of being rookie heroes. Shoto didn’t have any meaningful rivals growing up, but now he does, with Izuku and Bakugo inspiring him to fight harder than ever to prove himself.
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