My Hero Academia: Why did Dabi refuse to kill Shoto?

My Hero Academia will continue a bitter family rivalry for a bit longer, as Dabi has specific plans for them.

Endeavor was always a neglectful parent. He only married Rei for their children's potential so that they could inherit their powers. Endeavor also desperately wanted to surpass All Might in My Hero Academia. Unfortunately, this also drove his eldest son into sheer insanity.

Dabi wants to ruin his father's heroic image by any means. More importantly, he wants him to suffer. He was recently given a golden opportunity to kill his younger brother Shoto in My Hero Academia. However, he decided not to go through with it.

Note: This article reflects the writer's personal views.

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Dabi awarded Shoto a twisted act of mercy in My Hero Academia instead of killing him

He only gave up since his father wouldn't see it

At the climax of the Paranormal Liberation War, the youngest and eldest Todoroki brothers had battled it out with their signature moves, the Flashfire Fist. Dabi ended up overpowering Shoto and could've quickly burned him alive. Instead, he decided to let him live only because Endeavor was about to pass out.

Dabi only lives for a single purpose in My Hero Academia. He wants to make his father suffer. In fact, he didn't even care about his family dying. He outright told Shoto that the villains should've killed Natsuo in the previous arc since it would've agonized Endeavor.

Moments away from losing consciousness, the villain only showed mercy when Endeavor. Remember, the Pro Hero was already heavily injured in the Paranormal Liberation War, having fought the extremely powerful Tomura Shigaraki. Dabi felt it wouldn't have been satisfying to kill Shoto.

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Dabi was driven to madness by this point

As the war raged on, it became clear that Dabi was clinically insane. During his fight against Shoto, he would maniacally laugh while talking about the pain he would cause Endeavor. He even asked Shoto what facial expressions he would make if he saw his youngest child perish.

Since he was no longer the golden boy of the Todoroki family, Dabi has never forgiven his father in My Hero Academia. He wasn't born with the right Quirk genetics like Shoto was, so he lacked the heat resistance that Endeavor was looking for. All that harsh training was for absolutely nothing.

It also didn't help that he "died" in a fiery accident, Dabi somehow managed to survive with severe burns. Most of his skin was burned to a crisp. He likely suffers a lot of pain in addition to emotional trauma. At this point in the series, Dabi doesn't care about anyone.

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The Todoroki family has been through a lot

Despite his best efforts to redeem himself, Endeavor's past sins have finally caught up with him in My Hero Academia. With some help from Skeptic, Dabi broadcasts his secret identity to the entire world, showing everybody who Endeavor is. It's a very bitter pill to swallow for many.

The rest of the family also has to live with the fact that Dabi lost his mind. Their own family member, who is long believed to be dead, is now a serial killer in My Hero Academia. He also wants them all dead just so his father can suffer.

It will be a long recovery process for the entire family in My Hero Academia.

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