Dabi’s Flawed Character in My Hero Academia: A Backstory Analysis

On June 10, 2024, the highly anticipated release of chapter 425 of My Hero Academia took place. The chapter concluded with Endeavor confronting Dabi following the events of the Final War, giving a hint that the upcoming chapter may revolve around the Todoroko family.

Despite the villain’s ultimate defeat, fans are now questioning his character as a biased individual who sought pity from others but never showed remorse for his brother, Shoto. This is particularly evident as Shoto endured harsh treatment from their father, Endeavor.

Despite fans calling his character flawed, it is important to consider that he was abandoned by his family and they made no effort to search for him. This could justify some of his actions, but it does not change the fact that he ultimately remains a villain.

Note: This article includes possible spoilers from the My Hero Academia manga series and reflects the author’s perspective.

Exploring the character of Dabi in My Hero Academia

Endeavor as seen in the manga (Image via Shueisha)

In the final scene of My Hero Academia chapter 425, Endeavor was shown sitting in front of a chamber. Shoto mentioned an upcoming event, which he referred to as happening “today,”when Midoriya inquired about attending Aoyama’s graduation party. It is possible that this event involves Toya Todoroki, the eldest brother in the Todoroki family, who is known as Dabi.

Toya, the eldest of the Todoroki family, inherited his father’s fiery quirk despite his father’s wish for him to also inherit his mother’s ability. However, Endeavor was delighted as Toya’s flames proved to be even more powerful than his own. However, as Toya grew older, his flames began to take a toll on his body, causing Endeavor to halt their training.

Toya Todoroki (Dabi) as seen in the anime (Image via BONES)

Despite feeling neglected by his father, Toya persisted in training alone to fulfill his father’s dream of producing the number 1 hero. He continued to give his all until the birth of Shoto. However, with the arrival of Shoto, Endeavor shifted his attention solely to him, disregarding all others.

During a training session in the forests, Toya’s flames accidentally set fire to the trees, causing a large forest fire. When the flames finally died down, the Todoroki family was devastated to find that only Toya’s jaw remained. They believed that he had perished in the fire. However, in truth, Toya had been rescued by Dr Garaki, who replaced his jaw and manipulated his memories to make him believe that his family had abandoned him.

Dabi as seen in the anime (Image via BONES)

Toya spent a great deal of time considering his options before ultimately abandoning his former identity to become Dabi. He dedicated himself to making Endeavor suffer and adopted a new goal in life. In the midst of the Paranormal Liberation War arc, Dabi confessed to Deku that he saw himself as a pitiful individual, believing that he needed the sympathy of others due to the injustice inflicted upon him by Endeavor.

Despite his desire for pity, Dabi’s backstory reveals that he never showed any pity towards his younger brother Shoto. Dabi witnessed Endeavor’s harsh training of Shoto at a young age and was aware of the difficulties he faced, yet he did nothing to help. This led fans to call out Dabi for his hypocrisy and criticize his flawed character.

Final Thoughts

Shoto as seen in the anime (Image via BONES)

It has been observed by the majority of the fandom and confirmed by Shoto that Dabi is not mentally stable. His only desire was for his father to recognize him, but Endeavor’s conflicting thoughts prevented him from fully satisfying all of his children.

Despite Dabi’s burning desire for revenge, it was not until the Paranormal Liberation arc that he finally released his anger towards Endeavor for causing him so much suffering. It is true that he did not help Shoto during his own time of suffering, but this was due to his preoccupation with gaining his father’s attention. While his flawed character may be a part of him as ‘Dabi,’ one of the main antagonists in My Hero Academia, it also serves as a reminder of his humanity.