Dabi's Final Fate in My Hero Academia Proves One Sad Truth, Endeavor Can Never Be Redeemed

Dabi’s Final Fate in My Hero Academia Proves One Sad Truth, Endeavor Can Never Be Redeemed


Toya Todoroki, better known as the Villain Dabi, is among the most tragic characters in My Hero Academia. Endeavor’s constant abuse and unreasonable expectations culminated in the Todoroki family having to fight Shoto’s older brother in an emotional and gruesome battle.




While no one died during this encounter, what ultimately happened to Dabi is a fate worse than death – cementing a multitude of dark truths in My Hero Academia‘s world. These unfortunate circumstances make it clear that, no matter what he does to repent for his past actions, the damage Enji inflicted on his family will never be forgotten or forgiven.


Dabi Became a Living Corpse Due to His Father’s Abuse

He will die slowly and painfully due to what his father did to him

After a grueling battle that left all of them severely injured, the Todoroki Family managed to defeat Dabi and freeze his blue flames in chapter 390. Toya miraculously survived his suicidal attempt to kill Endeavor and Shoto, as revealed later in chapter 426. Instead, Dabi was placed inside a machine that would keep his fragile body alive for a short time. Toya is aware that he will soon die, unable to move or take care of himself for the rest of his life.


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Despite the horrible acts he committed during his time as a Villain, this is a fate that no one should go through. Knowing that all of this could have been prevented had Endeavor been a loving and supportive father only makes it that much more tragic. Ever since his abusive behavior became public knowledge, Enji has been trying to make amends for what he did. While his intentions are admirable and his efforts appreciated, knowing what he caused to his son makes it nigh-impossible for him to earn redemption.


His desire to surpass All Might and the constant pain he puts Toya through are directly responsible for the young man becoming a living corpse. Enji may have had his family’s best interests in mind when he promised Dabi to visit him. Nevertheless, it may be too late for him to try and act like a responsible and loving father figure. His eldest son is slowly approaching the gates of death, and he could have prevented this fate by not allowing his selfish desires to harm his family.

Natsuo’s Epilogue Proves That Endeavor Does Not Deserve To Be Forgiven

Despite his father’s attempts to reconcile, Natsuo decided to cut ties with him

Natsuo speaks with Endeavor for the last time and tells his father that they will never see each other again.

After visiting Toya, the Todoroki Family had a small conversation outside the prison where the eldest son is being kept. Natsuo, Enji’s second-oldest son, revealed that he would be cutting ties with Endeavor completely after that day. He could not forgive his father for all the suffering he caused, and it seemed as if Dabi’s fate was the last straw for the young man. Despite being saddened by this news, Enji understood his son’s decision and once again apologized for the pain he caused him. Endeavor is aware that his actions are beyond forgiveness.


Instead of writing a fairy-tale-like ending where everyone forgives Enji, Kohei Horikoshi depicted a realistic conclusion for the Todoroki family. Not everyone wants, nor should, forgive Endeavor for being an abusive father and husband. Without realizing it, his desire to be the Number One Hero destroyed the lives of every member of his family. If not for Toya revealing his actions and Shoto’s rebellious acts, Enji would never have changed his ways. Endeavor may be Natsuo’s father, but that does not imply he should be completely absolved of his guilt.

The Todoroki Family may not have lost anyone during the Final War arc, but it is unlikely that they will have the same dynamic as before the conflict. Natsuo may never contact Enji ever again, and his siblings might also never hear from him if they decide to associate with Endeavor. Worst of all, they are all conscious of the fact that Toya will soon die, and there is nothing they can do to help the young man. Enji may have been redeemed in the eyes of the public, but his actions will never be truly forgiven by his family.


Does Dabi Ultimately Live Or Die In My Hero Academia?

Dabi’s Fate is Certain, Even If It’s Not Shown

shoto asks toya what his favourite food is in m,y hero academia to which dabi says soba

Dabi, AKA Toya Todoroki, burned up his body by pushing his flames too far past their limits, incinerating what little undamaged skin and muscle he had left. By all rights, Toya should have died on the battlefield that day, and it’s a monumental achievement of My Hero Academia‘s medicine that he’s able to survive and speak at all in this condition. However, keeping him around in this state is hardly a good thing; it might’ve been far more merciful to simply have let him die of his injuries, rather than be kept alive artificially in this barely conscious state.


Toya will die of his injuries; it’s only a matter of time. Whether it’s worth putting him through this tortured existence just for his family to have a few more minutes with him is a highly controversial topic. Of course, Toya isn’t forced to interact with his family; he could simply ignore them and remain bitter and spiteful to the end. There’s a solid chance that this may actually happen with Endeavor himself, but Toya has at least made some effort to reach out to Shoto by telling him of his favorite food, soba noodles. It’s just too bad that the brothers will never be able to sit down and share a meal together.

By the time of My Hero Academia‘s distant future epilogue, Toya Todoroki has surely died, meaning he never lived long enough to see his brother at the top of the hero charts. It’s likely he only lived a few more weeks, or perhaps a month or two at best, beyond his final scene in the manga.


Endeavor Might Be Beyond Redemption, But Is Dabi?

Dabi’s Fate is Harsh, Even Considering His Crimes

Dabi prepares to fight against his father with his blue flames.

Dabi/Toya is probably the member of the League of Villains with the most blood on his hands, besides Shigaraki. He admits to having murdered dozens of people, and had every intention of killing both Shoto and Endeavor. While My Hero Academia had strong themes of redemption throughout the story, as most notably seen with Toga’s surprising ending, there are ultimately some villains who are simply too far gone to redeem. Toya is too far gone to even understand what he truly wants until it’s too late, and willfully engaged in self-destructive behavior to harm his family.


While Toya’s consequences are extremely harsh, he’s really not any more redeemable than Endeavor is. Even from the night he was believed to have died, all Toya wanted was to earn the love of his family, and these painful final days of his have shown him that this was an option all along. He never needed to become a villain, he never needed vengeance. That makes him extremely tragic, sure, but it doesn’t do much to make it possible for him to have any sort of redemption. Considering the state that Toya was in when last seen, he’d be lucky to even have the time and energy to apologize, much less anything else.

The Todoroki Family’s conflict is undoubtedly one of the best storylines in the My Hero Academia manga. While bittersweet, Horikoshi gave them a realistic but hopeful ending. With time, those hurt by Endeavor will likely heal and move on from the trauma their father inflicted on them.


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