Did I Really Just Write over 8 Pages on Dabi? Yes. Yes I did

I don’t know how to necessarily start off my pieces of writing so I’ll just babble on till I get to my point which is probably where I’m heading in the next sentence. If you watch My Hero Academia, are a fan of the notorious villain — Dabi, or just wanna read my reasoning behind why he’s just a victim and what he’s doing is understandable and where I think the series is leading then that’s what I’m going to do. Warning: Major Spoilers Ahead!

Okay, let’s start off with what My Hero Academia is (for those of you who don’t know what the hell I’m talking about). So, My Hero Academia is an anime and basically, the watchers/readers (for those of you who read the manga and/or watch the subbed version of the anime) the main character, Izuku Midoriya through his process of becoming the greatest hero because in that universe, 80% of the population has these superpowers called quirks and what not- It’s a lot. Midoriya has to master his quirk and like I said before, it’s just a lot and I’d kinda rather get to the point I was trying to get at and not over-explain the plot and stuff.

Okay now, Dabi. Now, animated wise, for about two seasons since Dabi’s debut in Season 2 episode 31, fans have been theorizing that he could be related to one of the pro heroes (Endeavor) and his son, Shoto Todoroki who’s in class 1A. Before I start with some evidence, here’s the backstory on Endeavor and the Todoroki family that may help out. So Endeavor was the top 2 hero with a fire quirk. His costume has like…fire everywhere and he always looks angry. Very muscular and overall intimidating character see:

but, with All Might (previous 1) hero’s downfall, he became 1. Now, it was always Endeavors goal to become the number one hero and if not him then one of his children because then he believed it would technically be his victory. Endeavor bought a person (WHICH IS LITERALLY ILLEGAL BY THE WAY) with an ice quirk to marry to make powerful children (i hate him so much you have no idea). Now, his first kid, Touya, had a fire quirk. Endeavor claims that Touya’s quirk was more powerful than his. Touya’s body wasn’t suited for a fire quirk, it was suited for an ice quirk, though. Until chapter 290 that aired in November 2020, the only evidence that was shown as to what happened to Touya or where he was was that he’s dead and Endeavor states that he could say it’s his (endeavor) fault. There are other siblings, Fuyumi and Natsuo and then Shoto. Fuyumi and Natsuo are both rumored to have ice quirks and Shoto has both hot and cold. Shoto was the sibling that Endeavor chose to train the hardest other than Touya. Here, think of it like this, Touya was obviously the first born kid with the strongest flames but Shoto was the kid that had what Endeavor was looking for/trying to create. A child with a quirk that can balance each other out. Endeavor had gone crazy with the need to be number one especially when Shoto was born, that he separated Shoto from his siblings and trained him really hard. Shoto basically had no childhood and had little to no relationships with his siblings. Endeavor also made his wife, Rei go crazy to the point where she poured boiling hot water on Shotos eye (he now has a scar like zuko) and she was placed in a mental hospital. (Endeavor is just a really bad guy, okay?). Now, Here’s some evidence behind the fact that Dabi could be Touya:

Evidence 1:

He legit has a fire quirk. Who else has a fire quirk? Endeavor and Shoto (who are both related, mind you).

Evidence 2:

Now, along with the fire quirk, we have Dabi’s appearance. Take away the scars and change his hair to red…maybe white and he looks like he belongs in the Todoroki family (he does already but I’m just saying). Also the eyes! Now I know I know, that may not be enough evidence but, don’t you worry, I have a lot more evidence.

Evidence 3:

In season 3, episode 44/45 we see Dabi actually use a move to attack some of the students (Shoto being one of them) and at some point in the series we see Shoto use the exact same move with his fire quirk:

Now I know I know this could be a coincidence, right? But I have more-

Evidence 4:

This is a picture taken from one of the games that was released. Here’s a pro hero talking about Dabi’s quirk:

Evidence 5 (one of my FAVORITE pieces of evidence):

This takes place in season 3, episode 45 at the very end. As the students are trying to get back the marbles that hold two of their dearest classmates inside. The animators single out this scene in particular. We see shoto’s arm reaching towards the marble then, right as he’s about to snatch it up, Dabi does. And as Shoto stumbles forward and past Dabi in slow motion, they show Dabi smirking with the marble that’s holding one of the classmates inside. Dabi says, and I quote, “Well isn’t that a tragedy….poor little Shoto Todoroki” in a taunting tone.

Here’s the link as well ( https://youtu.be/_gyWwSCZs-c )

(Also last piece of) evidence 6:

MANGA PANELS!!!

OKay okay I know what you’re probably thinking. Enough with the evidence and such. I agree. I’m just trying to show some stuff for the big reveal. OKay okay now for the big reveal. The creator of the series had released a chapter around the time of the election where Dabi admits he is Touya! (When this happened I kid you not I went crazy and could not stop talking about it.)

Now when I tell you the reveal was crazy…I mean like…In the matter of a few hours it was trending more than the election.

Now, during the reveal as Dabi/Touya is dancing (yes yes he indeed dances) and is ecstatic, the other villains are broadcasting a pre-recorded tape of Dabi admitting ( hold on and I quote “I, Touya Todoroki, was born as the eldest son of Endeavor. I’ve killed over 30 innocent people until now. I would like to let everyone know why I’d end up committing such a hideous act…”)

He then proceeds in the next chapter to show DNA results that he is, in fact Touya Todoroki in front of all of Japan.

Now for the moment we’ve all been waiting for. Why I think Dabi/Touya is a victim and what he’s doing is understandable but not necessarily okay.

Now, first off, let’s rewind. Endeavor is abusive, he lacks being there for his children, he has what I call “I’m trying to make things better but the damage has already been done” (especially now with what has come into the light). I don’t think Endeavor is trying to better himself for his kids, I think he’s doing it for himself because now he’s the number 1 hero. Anyways, here’s a manga panel:

Endeavor was trying to train Touya/Dabi into being a hero and surpassing him to be the number one hero. But obviously things went south. Endeavor became obsessed with power and then he and Rei had Shoto and Endeavor chose shoto and practically abandoned Touya/Dabi to train Shoto. So, think about it. If you had this amazing power and you were being told you were gonna be something great and trained to be something amazing and being pushed past your limits to the point where you’re practically cooking yourself, only to have someone being chosen over you and them having done the same thing to them but not as bad because their quirk can balance them out and they aren’t basically destroying themselves everytime they use their power, how would you feel? How would you feel if you basically have tried your absolute hardest and still failed? Well, the most common feelings would be anger. Jealousy. Resentment. Revenge. I feel like that’s what Touya was feeling at first…that’s what was motivating him. His anger and need to get back at his father. I feel like that was when he still felt something.

But then, as time progressed, I feel like those feelings faded and were replaced by numbness (as stated in the manga panel, he states “You got it, Shoto! Your big brother has completely lost any feeling for anything!”) And there was this drive to bring down hero society by using the league of villains and another pro hero to bring down his father first because…if there’s no faith or positivity for even the pro hero, then what? Not so much heroes but people who pose like heroes when there is a deeper, darker truth to them. That some of the heroes portrayed and shown to society act more like villains. Touya/Dabi was neglected in a way, abandoned, etc… I don’t even need to explain it. He is a victim of trauma that hasn’t healed. He’s a victim in general who never got closure or the things he needed at the time. He needed a parent…the parent he looked up to the most to tell him he’s not useless and he can still be a hero and because of that…Dabi became the result.

From the day that Endeavor abandoned him to the day Dabi/Touya faked his death and became Dabi to the day of the reveal, Dabi/Touya has not stopped thinking about everything he had witnessed, everything he had felt, everything in general. He went numb. He went crazy. He doesn’t care anymore. He sent a villain after the sibling he was closest to, Natsuo and claimed “It would be Endeavor’s fault/ Endeavor would suffer.”

Endeavor has caused so much pain to Touya/Dabi that Dabi wants nothing but for him to feel what he felt. To suffer. Dabi wants to give Endeavor what he deserves. Hell. None of this would be happening if Endeavor hadn’t done what he did in the first place.

And here’s another part. He wants to kill shoto. TO GET BACK at Endeavor because that’s who Endeavor believes will surpass him and that’s who he abandoned Dabi/Touya for.

Summarization, Dabi/Touya is a victim of trauma, abandonment, etc… and just wants to make…the person who gave him hell the person that mattered most to him (from what we saw) and the person he looked up to, burn and be ultimately destroyed by the thing that matters most to him just like what was done to him (Touya/Dabi).

Now, as for where I think the anime is going now that the reveal happened and the war arc is coming to an end-I’m not entirely sure. There are so many possibilities and so many things that could happen. Though, Horikoshi (the creator of My Hero Academia) did recently announce that the first part of the series is coming to an end. So, it’s most likely we will be getting a time skip to the future. And considering what has happened as of the recent chapter, its most likely it isn’t gonna be good.

What I’m hoping to see is a little more backstory on Hawks and Dabi. Every. bit of information about Hawks’ real name has been erased. Nobody could find anything. Only his hero name, where he works, and his quirk, and his hometown, etc…nothing on his parents though. But Dabi knew…How? Well the only possible explanation could be that they were childhood friends. Especially with the information that Endeavor was the one that saved Hawks when he was a kid and Hawks’ expression in the pages below:

We see Hawks’ expression and he looks as though he knows the person behind the name that Dabi said (which we later find out is Touya Todoroki). So, it could be a high possibility that they know each other.