Shoto Todoroki – My Hero Academia
There are plenty of times throughout My Hero Academia where Todoroki gets the spotlight, and it tends to be pretty amazing. Out of all the side characters in My Hero Academia, he has the most interesting backstory and a great deal of character development.
Shoto is first shown as a quiet kid who stays in the shadows when compared to characters like Deku, Bakugo, and Iida, but we soon learn he has a burning (ha) hatred for his father. Throughout the series, we see Todoroki begin to understand his father more and even develop some kind of relationship with him.
He also shuns the side of his body that uses flames since those powers came from his father. When he begins to understand his father more, he starts using his flame powers. At first, he was antagonistic but then moved away from directing his anger at his classmates. It still never stops him from having honest discussions with people though.
Shoto may be a bit shy, but he’s excellent at interacting with his classmates and has no problem being firm with characters like Midoriya and Bakugo. His relationship with his father, who is also a pro hero, leads to many emotional highs and lows with Shoto and is an example of how the shows about high school students who need to learn harsh life lessons like his father did.
Like other characters in this anime, Todoroki has issues with self-doubt, but it’s not shoved down the viewer’s throat every episode. It’s more subtle. He’s also willing to have his opinions and perspectives challenged and changed, as proven by his relationship with his father.
Shoto also doesn’t have the typical underdog arc that is so prevalent in anime. He’s a powerful character that has a lot to live up to, but he also demands a lot of respect. With Shoto, his future is unknown to us and it makes his development fun to watch. Shoto’s powers may be a bit cliché since it’s just fire and ice, but it’s an interesting combo that leads to some flashy, cool scenes.
