Horikoshi didn't sideline Shoto in the Todoroki family plotline, and My Hero Academia's Epilogue is the final proof

Modified Jul 16, 2024 06:05 GMT

Horikoshi didn — Shoto Todoroki as seen in the My Hero Academia anime (Image via BONES)

With My Hero Academia manga inching closer to its end, the series finally concluded Shoto Todoroki's story arc. However, not all fans believed that he had a valuable part to play in the same. While the story arc initially focused on Shoto and his father Endeavor, the focus soon shifted from him to his family, and then his brother Toya.

Even when the plot was focused on Toya, many fans believed that Shoto's role was being forced into the plot as he barely had any history with his older brother. However, that is far from the truth as unlike popular belief, the manga creator didn't sideline Shoto in the Todoroki plotline and the same can be confirmed with the epilogue chapter.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers from the My Hero Academia manga.

My Hero Academia: How did Horikoshi use Shoto in the Todoroki plotline?

Endeavor as seen in the My Hero Academia anime (Image via BONES)

While it is true that the Todoroki plotline shifted its focus away from Endeavor and Shoto Todoroki to Endeavor and his family, and eventually to Toya (Dabi), the manga never truly sidelined Shoto in the whole ordeal. This is because Shoto wasn't sidelined but had evolved from being Endeavor's main victim to being the glue to bring his family together.

Shoto's growth amidst All Might's retirement allowed Endeavor to see the flaws in his actions. This is because after All Might retired, Endeavor had reached his goal, i.e., to become Japan's No.1 Hero. Hence, Endeavor eased up and started focusing on his family.

Rei Todoroki as seen in the My Hero Academia anime (Image via BONES)

As for Shoto, he reached out to his mother Rei Todoroki at the hospital. This allowed her to finally start healing as she had previously thrown boiling water on Shoto's face and found it impossible to forgive herself. This development eventually allowed Rei to confront her husband Enji Todoroki over everything that happened with their "dead" son Toya.

In addition, Shoto also brought Izuku Midoriya and Katsuki Bakugo to Endeavor's agency for work-studies. As previously seen in the series, Shoto wanted no connection with his father. But his growth allowed him to introduce his father to his friends, eventually allowing Endeavor to look beyond just his own son.

Dabi as seen in My Hero Academia anime (Image via BONES)

Later in the story when Dabi revealed his true personality and the truth behind Endeavor, Enji Todoroki was left blaming himself as he prepared to deal with Toya on his own. Even at this point, it was Shoto who first approached Enji in the hospital to declare that Enji wasn't solely responsible for Toya.

Shoto was the only person who helped Enji Todoroki make a change. His sister Fuyumi had essentially let go of the situation and brother Natsuo wanted nothing to do with him. Thus, it was only Shoto who gave Enji a chance to change.

Toya Todoroki as seen in the My Hero Academia anime (Image via BONES)

As for the epilogue chapter, many fans were confused as to why Shoto was the only person Toya apologized to. This exchange made fans believe that Shoto's presence in the arc was forced. However, the reality is that Shoto was the only person who didn’t do anything to Toya before he became Dabi. Hence, even if he found it difficult to forgive his family, he was able to bring himself to forgive his younger brother.

This makes it evident that manga creator Kohei Horikoshi never sidelined Shoto in the Todoroki plotline but only used him as the key to conclude the same.