Why Endeavor Shouldnāt Be Told toĀ āDieā
Oh boy, did that get your attention? Well it should.
So let me give you all some context before I begin. Since Iām traveling right now, I havenāt been super much keeping up with the spoilers or the discussions behind it so Iāve been kinda chilling until my friend mentioned to me how she was upset by this past chapter. Naturally, my curious little butt wanted to know what people were saying and Iām franklyā¦a bit upset at some of the reactions for this past chapter. Well maybe saying upset is a bit of an understatement.
To briefly recap, this past chapter Endeavor was seen unconscious and/or dying with a wound over his left eye, which is an homage to the burn Shouto has
Of course, since it was broadcasted on live TV, everyone saw it, including his family
(Can I just interrupt and say that Enji and Rei created such a beautiful boi? Say what you want but they got those good genes šš»)
Either way, this moment had immense shock value and created more of a conflicting feeling within Shouto and his family, which ties into the Todoroki family āredemptionā arc. And whether or not this was an appropriate tactic to take, its dependent on the future events that Horikoshi wants to take.
Of course, some people reacted in a way that created discussions and thatās not what Iām referring to. What Iām referring to are the people who like to say āHE DESERVEDā and āKILL HIM BITCHā and āKARMAS A BITCH HUH, ENDEAVORā and āDONT LET US FEEL BAD FOR HIM HORIKOSHI, FUCKING KILL HIMā and if you think for one second Iām exaggerating with this, then either youāre doing it or you havenāt seen the chats and tags that show this animalistic view point. For the sake of privacy, I wonāt show screenshots but youāll know exactly what Iām talking about when you see it.
Frankly, if youāre one of those people, then maybe you shouldnāt be reading this manga because itās clear youāre not understanding the content that Horikoshi is trying to convey.
Now Iām not going to sit here and say that Endeavor is a good person and that you should like him. What he did to his family was awful and caused a lot of issues with Shouto that required Izuku to break that mold during their fight
And one thing to consider is the function that Endeavorās character type had in the beginning or at least when he was introduced. When we view the heroes in the beginning, we are shown that they not only want to help others, but they have high morals. They are seen to be just and righteous and basically what the epitome of a hero should be
But the thing is, with Endeavor, Horikoshi designed him specifically not to fit that mold of the typical hero we see. We see that heās ambitious, he views the hero spot as a ranking, he is willing to undergo quirk compatibility marriage for the hope that he will create a perfect suitor, and then proceeds to undergo harsh training for his son when his quirk is revealed. Endeavor shows that heroes arenāt always these morally just people and that there are some that are glorified while doing crappy things
Now, for this arc thatās been happening, Horikoshi has been breaking the mold and giving Endeavor the chance for redemption. For the first time, he told his son that he was proud of him
And he gave flowers to his wife that not only were her favorites but showed that he has come to visit her within the time that he has placed her there
Of course, by no means do these actions mean that he should be forgiven, that he should be glorified, that it automatically excuses everything heās done in the past. Because by no means do these automatically mean that heās suddenly this amazing person. He still has his faults but this is a part of the redemption that Horikoshi is putting him through. Heās learning that what heās done is wrong and that he heavily affected his family in such a negative way and those little bits are the first steps towards his own personal redemption.
So exactly why is there this reaction of āDIE BITCHā to a character that is undergoing through an arc that is not only affecting him but his own family? Why the hell is there this reaction? Like what possible reason is there for this shallow aggression and saying that he deserves to die?
I mean, yāall are acting like he shot Shouto ten fucking times and murdered the rest of his family and even worse things than a criminal here in America. Like yāall are acting as if heās beyond hope and beyond redemption and beyond even growing as a god damn character.
And itās hilarious too because most of yāall condemn him like the devil but then turn around and say how Katsuki is such a son, such a good boy, oh heās the absolute best, oh him yelling is just s O preCIOUS.
Listen, I love Katsuki with all the fibers of my being. Heās a complex character and seeing him grow has been an absolute blessing and I genuinely love him so much. Ā However, heās done some shit to that also gets into the realm of being abusive.
Like did you all suddenly forget how he got his friends to beat Midoriya in the beginning??
Did yāall forget that he told Midoriya to jump off the school building?
Did yāall forget how terrified Midoriya was in the beginning whenever he just merely saw Katsuki???
And did yāall also forget the attitude he had towards Izuku during their first fight?
Oh Iām certain yāall did.
However, throughout the manga, Katsuki was given the chance to redeem himself and to learn that his own attitudes have consequences and have hurt others in his past. Despite the bad things heās done in his past towards Midoriya, heās been given the chance to redeem himself and show those beautiful qualities he has been sharing
So the biggest question I have is: why is a character like Katsuki allowed and is glorified having a redemption arc but Endeavor isnāt? Why does Katsuki get a chance to change but with Endeavor, heās told to die and that heās beyond ever changing nor should he be allowed to?
The age difference isnāt a good argument because since he was a little kid, Katsuki has had this attitude towards Izuku and is only slightly changing due to the fact he was encouraged to act that way. The motives behind their abuse arenāt good because thereās no good reason why you would abuse your family or tell a young boy to kill himself. Maturity isnāt a factor because Katsuki told Izuku that when he was at a competent age and understood the complications of what he said.
So exactly why does Katsuki get an open pass, a pass that allows him to redeem himself for what heās done in the past but Endeavor gets people saying that they hope he dies and to not be given a chance in the manga to redeem himself? Why does Katsuki allow for people to discuss his development and is known to be discussed as complex but god forbid Endeavor is seen as a character that is more than just an evil person?
Of course, Iām not asking these questions to tell everyone to start hating on Katsuki and start loving on Endeavor. Absolutely not. Despite me writing all of this, I still am not the biggest fan of Endeavor and view him to be a meme and I donāt expect people to start bowing down to him. Thatās not what Iām pointing out.
What Iām pointing out is the hypocrisy of people who bow down to Katsuki and praise him like thereās no tomorrow but shun and belittle Endeavor and basically reduce him to a one dimensional character that has no way of turning into someone more complex. Iām calling out this culture in this fandom that allows for certain characters to be on a pedestal and some other to be thrown into the dirt despite similarities. Whether you like it or not, both of these two abused people in a way that affected someone negatively. Yet, one of them gets to be in this spotlight and glorified both in and out of manga but the other has people chanting for his death and saying that he only deserves to die and that what heās doing to change isnāt good.
Again, feel free to not like Katsuki or Endeavor or both really. Opinions matter and itās always good to discuss. However, I want to call out those who have a one dimensional view of Endeavor and refuse to analyze and discuss the growth of his character as the manga progresses. Just as Katsuki deserves to be discussed and not thrown to the ground, Endeavorās character should ignite in depth conversations and Iām kinda grossed that people have been jumping on this bandwagon of simplicity and refuse to look at him in a different mold despite doing that for other characters. Like Iām actually really disappointed in the reactions of people in this past chapter and I really want to question each of you why have a reaction like that to Endeavor but not to others who have done bad things in the manga? What really makes them so different?
TLDR: In this new chapter, instead of discussing the complexity of the situation, you find people chanting death threats towards Endeavor and hoping that he dies like a little bitch without the chance of redemption.