Endeavor, Dabi is your Son!

My Hero Academia S6, Ep 11 Review

I remember first reading what happens in this episode of My Hero Academia in the manga, and I was shocked. I knew that Endeavor was a terrible Dad for a long time, but I had no idea things got that bad. Dabi’s shaken the reputation of heroes to its core in one move. All because he wanted to get revenge on his father. It’s like a reverse “Luke, I am your father” moment here!

Dabi Begins His Dance…

Despite All for One’s best efforts, he failed to get One for All from Deku. In addition, Shigaraki’s body is on the verge of giving out. It looks like the heroes might finally be able to capture the man and end this madness for good. 

Then Gigantomachia arrives, and everything begins to fall apart. It’s not the hulking monster that’s the biggest threat, though. The biggest threat is Dabi. Or should I say, Toya Todoroki, the firstborn son of Endeavor, and Shoto’s older brother. The older brother that the Todoroki family thought long dead.

The story behind Dabi is a twisted and tragic one, and one that he’s seen fit to share with the world. In a pre-recorded message that he sends out nationwide, Dabi tells the whole story. He was Endeavor’s firstborn son and got his dad’s fire-based Quirk. However, he lacked his Dad’s resistance to heat, making it very dangerous to himself. As a result, Toya was thought to have died in a massive fire that didn’t even leave a body behind. Instead, he survived and dedicated his life to destroying his father’s legacy.

And does he destroy it! To twist the knife even further, he reveals that not only did Hawks kill Twice, but that Hawks was the son of a criminal and killer. 

…And the Heroes all Suffer for it

This moment was still as shocking in anime form as it was reading in the manga. I heard rumors that Dabi was Endeavor’s child, but I didn’t give them as much thought as I should have. In our world, what Dabi did would lead to Endeavor and Hawks getting canceled on social media. It doesn’t matter that Dabi’s a villain. This news will damage the heroes reputation at the worst moment.

The thing I like about the League of Villains members is that they’re not one-dimensional characters. We know what they’re doing is wrong, but they’re also the results of society’s shortcomings. Toga didn’t get the help she needs to channel her impulses. Twice was considered a failure. Shigaraki got abused by his Dad. They all have good reasons to hate the hero society. And Dabi knows how to use that to his advantage to turn the public against the heroes. Even if they do win, this will be a huge blow to their reputation. 

Season’s Best Episode

Speaking of Toga, this episode also saw Uravity and Toga face off once more. It’s a bit of a cliche to have the female members fight each other, but the two are very good foils to one another. They’re both driven by the people they love and admire, but Toga’s also a very sad person. To her, her behavior’s normal, and she doesn’t get why everyone punishes her for it. Like I said before, the villains are really well written. 

Overall, this was a really good episode of MHA, one of the best of the season thus far. It leaves you with the sense that even if the heroes win the battle, the villains just won the war. Only one episode’s left before the season goes on hiatus, and I can’t wait to see what happens. GO BEYOND, PLUS ULTRA!

I Give “Dabi’s Dance” a 4/5

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