Warning: Spoilers for My Hero Academia, Chapter #426

My Hero Academia‘s epilogue continues by revisiting the Todoroki family one last time, and the chapter was so moving that it easily solidified the Todoroki family’s story arc as the series’ greatest plot line. As fans say goodbye to the Todorokis, the family has their own difficult conversation to hold with the barely surviving Toya Todoroki, better known as Dabi.

The chapter opens with the family all coming to the hospital where Toya is being held, left suspended in a tank and in such bad condition that he can only barely speak for a few minutes a day. It’s miraculous that Toya is alive at all, and there’s no telling how much longer that will remain the case. With the family having finally come together to put a stop to his rampage, it’s now time that they come together and mourn what they’ve collectively lost.

The family, now all scarred from getting too close to Dabi’s flames, will never be the same again… and surprisingly, they’re all okay with that.

My Hero Academia Gives the Todoroki Family a Tearful Farewell

The Todoroki Family Accepts Their New Circumstances

The Todoroki family has suffered a lot over the series, largely as a result of Endeavor’s actions as he chased the #1 hero spot. His children don’t like him, and Toya, who was thought dead, came back as a villain, proudly declaring his association with Endeavor to destroy his father’s reputation as thoroughly as possible. Endeavor has turned over a new leaf throughout the series, however, and his redemption story has been a hard fought one, which has made it one of the most compelling aspects of My Hero Academia.

Chapter #426 shows how much Endeavor has changed with his scenes here with the family. Forced to retire from hero work by his injuries, Endeavor has already dedicated himself to visiting Toya each day, talking to him for as long as the doctors will allow. He even offers Toya something of a compliment in saying that his flames truly did accomplish his goal of taking down his father. Endeavor takes full responsibility for the situation as it stands now, admitting that in the end, the flames which burned inside Dabi were ultimately his.

Shoto takes a moment to connect with his brother personally for the first time, asking his brother what his favorite food is (it’s soba). This simple moment of outreach seems to move Toya, causing him to realize that he never had any real reason to be so mad at Shoto. As the family leaves the hospital room, it becomes apparent that despite Endeavor’s best efforts at redeeming himself, Natsuo, at least, won’t be swayed. Given everything Endeavor has done to the family over the years, it’s entirely understandable that Natsuo can’t simply forgive and forget. While Shoto and Fuyumi may yet forgive their father, Natsuo is under no obligation to do the same.

The scars of the Todoroki family, once (mostly) metaphorical, have now become literal thanks to Dabi’s flames, and they’ll all bear the marks of this for the rest of their lives. This has the biggest impact on Fuyumi, who seems set to lose her job as a kindergarten teacher as a result of the burns. But Fuyumi is still happy, in the end, that her father is trying to be better, and that in some small sense, they may have saved Toya from a death burning with hatred. While redemption is impossible for Toya, by settling this family matter, the Todoroki family will finally be able to put the past behind them, and that’s what makes this such an incredible storyline for My Hero Academia.