As much as I enjoyed the Hellish Todoroki Family arc, they served a much greater purpose as a narrative critique of Hero Society, than they ever did for Shouto’s story as a whole. It’s actually quite depressing for the vast majority of the tritagonist’s storyline to revolve around characters (Rei, Fuyumi, Natsuo, and Touya) that made absolutely no difference if they were around/not around, because they had almost no actual connection or personal relationships with Shouto as an individual.
Rei was absent most of his life, and in the little we saw prior to his scar, she was mostly out of it already. Even when she was comforting him, it always seemed as if she held a distance towards him. Fuyumi cared more about keeping her fantasies of a family true, than she ever did protecting, or even trying to protect, Shouto. Natsuo spent more time using his brother’s trauma and abusive childhood to one up their father than he actually did getting to know Shouto.
They were important because they were attached to Endeavor, who was the only one that mattered to Shouto’s story. Everyone else felt like add-ons that served nothing. Even Touya, though he was meant to be Shouto’s foil, was more about Endeavor’s failed parenting than anything to do with Shouto as a person. Shouto was a good person who blamed his dad pre-Touya. Shouto remained a good person who blamed his dad post-Touya.
One might argue that it’s Hori’s fault, and maybe it is, but a lot of it has more to do with UA and 1A taking the Todorokis’ place in Shouto’s life.
When Bakugou was killed on the coffin, when he resurrected and fought against AFO, they showed his parents. Who we only ever saw once, 5 seasons ago. Mitsuki’s reaction to the rain, to Masaru’s tears because of his worry; forcing themselves to watch their son—their only baby—fight against the worst villain Japan’s ever seen, because it’s worse than not watching what could possibly be his last moments.
But with Shouto? We never saw his family (sans Endeavor) even once. They weren’t the ones who comforted Shouto over having to fight his own brother. That was his friends. Not one of his siblings or mom even gave the slightest acknowledgment or apology for Shouto being forced into a terrible position.
When Shouto went to war, it was the little kids he bonded with back in s4 who screamed their support and trust. When he took down Dabi, it was the entirety of 1-A that was shown to praise and encourage him. When Shouto was crying after, it was Iida who comforted him, and All Might who cried with him.
The only time we see the other Todorokis was when it involved Touya about to blow himself up. It was the kids, again, who said they need not worry because Shouto is there and he’ll take care of it. Not Fuyumi. Not Natsuo. Because in the end, they’ll only ever see him as Endeavor did, as Touya still does:
Their father’s masterpiece. The Replacement.
The reason their sinking ship of a family finally drowned.
Shouto is 1A’s. He’s Aizawa’s and All Might’s. He’s the kid that came to UA with no intention of making friends, and got adopted by 19 people instead. He’s the sweet dork who rage baited Bakugo into a friendship, and in turned got forcibly best friended by Inasa. They raised him, took care of him. If Shouto grows up to be a wonderful, compassionate, dependable hero (and he does), it’s because he found love and a family at UA. Somewhere to belong, and new place to be from.
So yes, the Hellish Todoroki family was absolutely needed in the grand scope of the narrative. To criticize Hero Society, and celebrity worship. The dark side of a society built on popularity than doing actual good.
But for Shouto? Their absence from his life did more wonders for that boy than their presence ever did, and I stand by that.
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