Still seeing people think Touya/Dabi needs Enji's validation to stop all of this, I personally don't really vibe with that. While it seems like the story is guiding us to think it is Enji's validation that will somehow save/heal/stop (whatever word you want to use here) Dabi, I somewhat don't think it's "the healthiest" and "the most appropriate" way for a victim of child abuse to heal; receiving a validation from his abuser.
Making Enji's validation the only thing that would save/stop Touya puts the focus on Enji. Funny how even 10 years later, Touya's character would not evolve; still seeking his abuser's validation. It would not be bittersweet, it would not be sweet, poetic, whatever you want to call it to be. Honestly, it's cheap for me.
I once wrote that Touya's character journey could still progress without involving Enji. For someone like Dabi —who thinks he only exists now just to get his revenge on his father, realizing he could still have another reason or purpose to live is the first thing he will need out of all things to heal. Dabi will need to "see beyond Endeavor". The very first person he needs to fix his relationship with is none than his own self; don't hurt yourself for other people and don't exchange your life, your safety and your health.
It will be a good portrayal of a character like Dabi (who chooses to not forgive and to get his revenge on his abuser) if the thing that he actually needs to heal/pursue his life is to make a peace with his own self; realizing that he can still continue to live without focusing his entire being's worth on about his abuser, realizing that there are still people who need him and want to reconcile with him (Shouto, Natsuo, etc.).
The story of little Touya's character is always about how little his self-worth is, how "little" he thought the purpose of his life was.
So, where's the progression for Touya's character if the story then shows it's still Enji's validation that matters?
Touya didn't know why he lived. He thought Enji's approval was everything. 10 years later, should Enji's validation still be everything for his character? No. It would not give his character anything. No development, and a poor way to conclude this story of Touya Todoroki.
I don't have a high expectation for how the Todoroki family will be resolved (I believe Dabi will be "saved" but how the story will portray it is still indeterminate for me). I just hope the story will at least give a message to its readers that: all you need to heal is to love yourself, appreciate yourself, you are worth to live, not your abuser's words or validation.
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