Why Did Dabi Become a Villain in My Hero Academia? Explained

Episode 11 of season 6 of My Hero Academia allowed us to see a lot of developments in the storyline of Dabi and his relationship with the Todoroki family. That was when we got to learn who he truly was and what his ultimate goal as a villain was. Of course, he wanted to destroy Endeavor’s entire identity as one of the top heroes in the entire world. So, why did Dabi become a villain?

Dabi, who is actually Toya Todoroki, became a villain because he wanted vengeance for the things that he experienced under his father, Endeavor. He didn’t have the best childhood, and that was what led to his supposed death. While he did survive, he developed a resentment toward Endeavor for what he went through.

It is worth noting that the villains of My Hero Academia aren’t evil for the sake of evil but are actually characters that went through traumatic experiences that forced them to live villainous lives. In that regard, Dabi is one of the characters that endured a tough childhood that didn’t make him feel loved or important. So, with that said, let’s look at the reason why Dabi became a villain.

What Is Dabi’s True Identity?

Ever since he was introduced, Dabi was one of the most mysterious villains in the entire storyline of My Hero Academia, as hardly anyone knew anything about him or his past. No one knew who he truly was or what his goals were. And that was what made him an intriguing character with a somewhat twisted way of doing things as a villain.

But season 6, episode 11, which is entitled Dabi’s Dance, allowed us to see more of Dabi and who he truly is. This happened when he and the rest of the League of Villains arrived on the battlefield in time to rescue a heavily injured Tomura Shigaraki. The villains arrived at the back of Gigantomachia, who needed to rush to his master’s aid so that he could help him escape the onslaught of the heroes that wanted him dead.

However, as Gigantomachia had no idea what to do next because Shigaraki had lost consciousness, Dabi was delighted to see that both Endeavor and Shoto Todoroki were there. When Endeavor called out his name, Dabi told him that he preferred to be called Toya Todoroki, which was a name that surprised both Endeavor and Shoto.

That’s because Toya was the name of Endeavor’s eldest son and Shoto’s older brother. However, they thought that Toya had died in the past after an accident involving his Quirk was believed to have reduced him to ash. As such, neither Endeavor nor Shoto expected that Dabi was actually Toya the entire time.

The fact that Dabi was a Todoroki the entire time was one of the biggest reveals we have seen in the storyline of My Hero Academia, as the villain admitted that his goal was to make his father’s life a living hell. He did so by simultaneously playing a pre-recorded video that allowed the entire world to know his true identity and the things that his father did to him when he was still a child. And he even proved his identity by showing a DNA test as evidence that he was indeed the son of Enji Todoroki, the hero known as Endeavor.

Dabi said that he became a villain that wanted to kill Shoto so that he could make Endeavor suffer. But when Endeavor became the top hero in the world after All Might’s retirement, that was when he changed his goal and decided to destroy his father’s hero career while also revealing to the world what kind of a person Enji was. As such, he was a villain that didn’t have the same goals as the other villains but was simply there to reveal to the world the hypocrisy of his own father.

Why Did Dabi Become A Villain?

While we do know that Dabi is a villain that used to be called Toya Todoroki, what we don’t know is why he actually became a villain. We know his goals as a villain as he wants to destroy his father’s life. But what events led to him becoming a villain?

It all started when Endeavor struggled to overtake All Might as the top hero in Japan, and that was what allowed him to accept the fact that he could never become better than the symbol of peace. As such, he entered into a Quirk Marriage with Rei Himura so that he could produce a child that had his Hellfire Quirk and Rei’s ice-based Quirk.

Endeavor’s first son was, of course, Toya Todoroki, who manifested a red-flame Quirk that burned hotter than his own father’s Hellfire Quirk. While Enji couldn’t produce a child that had the perfect fire and ice Quirk, he was happy enough that Toya’s flames were hotter than his and could very well allow him to overtake All Might in the future.

The problem, however, was that Toya’s body did not develop the same resistance to heat that Enji had. Instead, he inherited Rei’s resistance to freezing temperatures, and that was the reason why his own Quirk started to leave him with burns. Because of this, Endeavor saw him as a failure and stopped training him because he didn’t want his son to injure himself with his flames.

Toya, however, still wanted to train and become a great hero because that was the goal that Endeavor had already implanted in his head. No matter how hard Endeavor told him to stop training because he would only burn his body, Toya still continued to try to master his Quirk in the hopes that he could make his father proud. 

Shoto, however, was born with the perfect Quirk that Endeavor wanted from his son. As such, Enji focused on training his youngest son while forgetting about his eldest son’s desire to become a hero. This made Toya question his worth and existence as a person because his own father didn’t give him the recognition that he wanted. And that was what forced him to work even harder so that he could finally earn Endeavor’s recognition.

But when Toya developed his blue flames, his Quirk burned so hotly that he struggled to control it. That was when it was presumed that he had died while he was training, as his flames burned so hot that it was believed that his entire body had turned into ashes. The only remains that Endeavor could find was a part of his jaw.

The truth, however, was that Toya jumped into the water to douse his flames. He was in a coma when All For One found him. But when All For One offered to train him, Toya refused and escaped so that he could come home. But upon returning home without the knowledge of the Todoroki family, he saw that his family was seemingly unaffected by his death and that Endeavor continued to train Shoto in a harsh and abusive manner.

That was when Toya saw the truth behind what his father was doing. He realized that he had been trying to win the recognition of a man that he thought didn’t care about him or his siblings. As such, he decided to change his name to Dabi and work with All For One and the rest of the League of Villains so that he could find a way to destroy his father.

As such, Dabi’s villain origin story stemmed from the fact that he felt that he was unloved by his father because Endeavor didn’t want to train him due to the major flaw of his Quirk. He also realized that his father was quite abusive toward him and his youngest brother. And that was the reason why he woke up to his perceived reality and became a villain.