Thinking of You

Fanart 😭

Horikoshi-sensei has given Endeavor an sort of impossible choice of what to do about his son that he inadvertently turned villainous, Touya/Dabi. It’s one thing to deal with his abuse privately, within the family, go through only the interpersonal consequences, as it so often the case irl. But Horikoshi says no, Endeavor must face the full consequences upon consequences of the chain reaction of his abusive behavior. He stands to lose everything and more as he arguably should as someone who abused his authority/power/quirk (standing in for ‘personality, individuality’, essentially his entire unique being).

I’ve seen a common opinion that Endeavor hasn’t ‘suffered’ enough in the narrative to earn a redemption. Leaving aside the fact that I in general don’t agree with the idea of suffering as a sort of penance, this is it. How much more can the man who wanted to be the strongest, who was so caught up in his ego, who now wants to make amends— how much more can he suffer than this? For a man like him, defeated and failing to take down Shigaraki Tomura and the League, humiliated on the national stage (especially this, I think; abusers are usually narcissistic, seeking control over their victim, over their image), all the work he has done gone - it’s the worst situation imaginable for Endeavor’s character.

It’s absolutely delicious irony. You can’t even feel sorry for him because this is the natural and logical result of his sins; reaping what he sow. It’s narrative justice coming for its due. This is the corner the author as written Endeavor into, the test given - symbolically, the ultimate test for abusers in rehabilitation.

See, thing is: There’s no incentive for Endeavor to change anymore! Before, him changing would’ve ‘rewarded’ him: having a family, becoming a true hero, worthy of the title of Japan’s No. 1 Hero, the new pillar and ‘symbol of peace’. Now all that is gone, or at the very least so very much more difficult and grueling to achieve. No reward at the end of this journey, no positive reinforcement, no peace, nothing. All that’s left is this: will he go back to thinking only of himself, or will he accept this fate and continue to think of his victims? Will he continue to commit to atoning and becoming a better person, simply because it’s the right thing to do?

IMO, it’s an real good portrayal of one of the aspects of domestic violence, weaven seamlessly in the storyline, achieving character development through worldbuilding (in a way?), connected with the bigger themes of the story. As a story with impact, I don’t think you can slam home the point any harder than this - abuse has long lingering, devastating and sometimes irreparable consequences. When Endeavor harmed his family, he had harmed their hearts, their lives, and—