MHA: Why Did Shoto Todoroki Hate His Dad Instead of His Mom?

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While we do know that the larger storyline of My Hero Academia revolves around Izuku Midoriya and his fight against All For One, we also know that one of the best side stories involves the Todoroki family. Of course, we learned early that Shoto once resented his father, Endeavor, as he favored his ice powers over his fire abilities. But we also know that Shoto’s mother, Rei, wasn’t entirely innocent because she also hurt him in the past. So, why did Shoto hate his dad instead of his mom?

Shoto Todoroki hated Endeavor because he saw how abusive he was to him and his mother. While Rei was the one responsible for burning his face, Shoto understood that his mother was driven over the edge due to how abusive Endeavor was to her and the rest of the family back then.

The entire drama surrounding the Todoroki family stemmed from Endeavor’s obsession with producing a successor that could surpass All Might. As such, this paved the way for the dysfunctional relationship he has with his children. Of course, while Shoto and Endeavor eventually made up, that doesn’t erase what he did to his family in the past, especially when Dabi revealed to the entire world what kind of setup they had. That said, let’s talk more about this topic.

What Did Endeavor Do To Shoto?

During the early part of My Hero Academia, we met Shoto Todoroki. At that time, he was someone who never wanted to make friends and was only focused on developing his gift with his ice Quirk. Of course, his aloof nature and the fact that he worked more on his ice Quirk were products of his upbringing as he didn’t have the best kind of childhood under Endeavor, who was ranked number 2 in the hero rankings at that time.

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At that time, Shoto and Endeavor didn’t see eye-to-eye as the younger Todoroki wanted to reject his father’s power by focusing only on his mother’s ice Quirk. On the other hand, Endeavor wanted his son to use the full potential of his Quirk by using his fire powers. Nevertheless, Shoto clearly despised his father during the earlier part of the My Hero Academia storyline. So, what did Endeavor do to Shoto?

Enji Todoroki was an ambitious man that dreamed of surpassing All Might as the top hero in the country. However, when he realized that he couldn’t do so, he decided to have children that he believed could become strong enough to surpass All Might. As such, Endeavor entered into a Quirk marriage with Rei Himura, whose Frost Quirk would have allowed Enji to produce offspring with his fire-based Quirk and his wife’s ice-based Quirk.

Eventually, Shoto was born with both of those qualities, as he became the “perfect” son that Endeavor wanted to train hard enough to be able to surpass All Might. This led to an abusive childhood on Shoto’s part, as Endeavor only made him focus on honing and perfecting his Quirk. In that regard, Shoto wasn’t even allowed to have the normal childhood that most children tend to experience.

He wasn’t allowed to play with his siblings or even come close to them, as Endeavor only wanted Shoto to become strong enough to challenge All Might’s strength. This led to Shoto becoming an aloof child that struggled to make friends. He also became emotionless due to the many traumas he endured while his father was training him in a manner that was quite abusive.

What Did Rei Do To Shoto?

On top of the fact that Shoto’s experiences with his father weren’t quite that good, he also had a bad experience with his mother when he was growing up. Rei was never as vocal and as active of a parent as Enji was. But she tried to make sure that her children were given the best childhood possible despite the fact that Endeavor was more obsessed with producing a successor that could surpass All Might.

Then again, Endeavor was an abusive husband that hurt Rei mentally and physically (and probably even sexually). His obsession with producing a successor caused Rei to deteriorate mentally. On top of that, the events surrounding Toya, their eldest son, also caused Rei to hit the breaking point of her mental health.

At one point, while Rei was in the kitchen, Shoto approached her happily. However, when Rei saw the red part of Shoto’s hair, she was reminded of Endeavor and how abusive he was to her. As such, she poured boiling water over Shoto, as this caused the left side of his face to become scarred.

Rei was quick to see what she had done wrong, and that was when she used her Frost Quirk to try to heal Shoto’s face. Still, the damage was done. She understood what she had done, and that was what forced her to have herself confined in a mental institution. 

Why Does Shoto Hate Endeavor Instead Of His Mom?

As you can see, Shoto had bad experiences with both his father and his mother. He didn’t have the best kind of childhood, and that was reflected in his aloof nature. But why did Shoto hate Endeavor instead of his mother?

It’s because Shoto understood that it was his father’s abusive nature that led to the dysfunctional relationship of the entire Todoroki family. Rei’s deteriorating mental health was a product of Enji’s abusive nature, as he often scolded and even assaulted her when Shoto was still just a child.

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In fact, when Endeavor realized that Toya was still training in the use of his Quirk and was getting burned while he was honing his powers, he got so mad at Rei because he gave her the task of watching over their eldest son. He assaulted her in front of Shoto, as the young boy was seen trying to protect his mother from his abusive father.

As such, Shoto understood that his mother’s deteriorated mental health was a product of the abuses of his father, whose only goal at that time was to make Shoto strong enough to surpass All Might. It might be true that Rei burned Shoto’s face by pouring boiling water over it. But it was equally true that she only did so due to how her mental health had already deteriorated as a result of Endeavor’s abuses.

Shoto was not blind to what his father was doing, which meant that he blamed everything about the dysfunctional relationship of the Todoroki family on him. That was the reason why he hated his father and rejected his fire powers.

But as the storyline progressed, the relationship between Shoto and Endeavor improved when the latter saw the error in his ways and became more of a father to his children. As such, Shoto’s hatred toward his father gradually disappears as he eventually learns that it is better for him to fix things with Endeavor instead of despising him throughout his entire life. Still, that didn’t erase the fact that Endeavor was an abusive father and a bad husband, as this came back to haunt him in the form of Dabi, who was Toya Todoroki the entire time.

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