Spoilers for My Hero Academia manga chapter 356 (and the series in general)
My Hero Academia’s Endeavor has always been a divisive character, which, to me, has always been the point. He’s always been a good representation of how flawed hero society is, and in a lot of ways, his path mirrors frustratingly relatable issues in our own society. He’s an abuser who receives praise because he’s good at his job. His family is in shambles but folks idolize him for his strength in battle. He’s one of the reasons why villains question the merits of hero society. The villains, of course, have their own questionable methods of getting their point across, but they aren’t wrong for looking at characters like Endeavor and reading them for filth.
Endeavor’s been trying to do better, not because he’s looking for forgiveness, but because it’s the right thing to do. Our Princess Weekes has actually called Endeavor’s story the opposite of a redemption arc.
“In the fourth season, after he is thrust into the number one hero spot not through merit, but through tragedy, he slowly realizes that he will never bridge the gap between himself and his rival the way he’s been acting. He tells his estranged son, Shoto, that he will work to be a hero that Shoto can be proud of. I don’t think of that as a redemption story. He naturally came to the conclusion that his path would never allow him to be a true hero in the eyes of others.”
I think this is something that the series has been building on for a while, especially with what’s going on in the manga right now.
Endeavor constantly getting what he deserves is such good storytelling
As Weekes mentions in her piece, Endeavor becomes the number one hero by default. When the series reached this point that’s when I knew I was really going to enjoy Endeavor’s story arc. What a way to give him exactly what he’s been fighting for. I wrote about this when talking about my love for extremely salty characters who get exactly what they deserve.
“This way, Endeavor got what he wanted in the most unfilling way possible, which forced him to reflect on, well, everything. He was suddenly in the top spot, which is what he was striving for, but he only made it there because the other guy stepped down. This is something that gets pointed out, often, because everyone’s mourning All Might’s retirement.”
Endeavor spent so much time trying to best All Might but he’ll never actually know if he’s better than him or not. He was, essentially, the default number one choice, and the hit that takes on him is, frankly, fantastic storytelling. You made your family suffer, and for what?
Everyone questions Endeavor’s new title as number one hero because he’s nothing like the bright, booming presence that they’ve come to rely on. No one said anything about him before, but now that he’s in the top spot, all eyes are on him. It doesn’t stop there. As Endeavor works to better himself to be the kind of hero who deserves the top spot, he now has to face his family and what he’s put them all through. His children all have differing opinions of him (which I love) and Endeavor, to his credit, says that no one has to forgive him. This all comes to a head when Dabi reveals to everyone that he’s Endeavor’s son and we start to see his side of the story. This is such a massive, but necessary, blow to Endeavor, and I’m really glad that it was Dabi who got to talk about his struggles under Endeavor’s demanding expectations. We as readers already had some idea since we saw what Shoto went through, but I’m glad we actually got to fully see Dabi’s perspective instead of just lingering on Endeavor’s regrets.
Endeavor is a character who is trying to do the right thing and atone for his actions. What I appreciate about his story is the fact that his improvement doesn’t absolve him of what he’s done – and he knows it. He’s not looking for an easy way out and knows that it’s up to everyone else to decide how they feel about him. This could’ve easily been a story where the abuser apologizes and everyone moves on because “he’s doing his best,” but Endeavor constantly has to face what he’s done. That’s such an important part of his story that in the latest manga chapter (356) he literally faces himself.
Endeavor faces his greatest enemy: himself
Endeavor is currently fighting against the ultimate evil, All For One, yet somehow, the most fearsome thing he’s had to face is himself. This is something Horikoshi has done before. Characters will stand face to face with their past actions or past selves and have to deal with what they’ve done. There’s an entire manga cover illustrating this with Bakugo, for example, where he sits in the spot where, as a child, he rejected Deku’s help.
Endeavor has had to face his actions through his children, his wife, and even society itself, but this is the first time he’s actually had to look at it in such a direct way. His past self gives him a cold reminder of who he is, telling him that his attempts at atonement have revealed a weakness that’s always been there in him. We get to see what inspired him to become a hero (his father died trying to save a girl, who ended up dying, too) and how he grew to envy people like All Might.
What’s interesting here is that Endeavor’s past self tells him that he’ll never be like All Might or Deku. That’s not the kind of hero he is. This also circles back to a conversation Endeavor once had with All Might (after he retired) about how he needs to figure out what kind of hero he is. What Endeavor’s past self reveals is that he’s been constantly fighting against the weak parts of himself, and he needs to keep fighting. The inferiority complex, the envy, all the parts he’s trying to distance himself from in his attempt to be better. However, he’s told to NOT try and have some “grand rebirth” and to, instead, keep fighting the parts of himself he hates. “That’s the only thing that has kept you alive.” It’s right there in his hero name: Endeavor.
From what we’ve seen of his character, this is exactly how Endeavor would go about trying to atone – fight the part of himself that held onto the values that led to his destructive ways. This is what makes him such an interesting hero. He’s an example of how bad things can get if you try and reach the unrealistic standards society has. At the end of the day, Endeavor envied something that wasn’t even real. That persona All Might put out there hid how much pain he was in, and his trying to be this perfect hero is what ultimately led to his retirement. No one can, or should, try and be All Might, and Endeavor’s attempt led to so much hurt in his family. That’s something he’s going to have to live with for the rest of his life and there will always be reminders from outside and within. He knows all of this and accepts it because that’s the kind of hero he is. I never expected to get this kind of character when I got into My Hero Academia, but I’m glad he’s being explored in such a way.
(Featured image: © K. Horikoshi/Shueisha, My Hero Academia The Movie Project)
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