“The Wrong Way to Put Out a Fire: Part 1”
Who was Rei Todoroki comparing her children to and which child did she see peeking through the door that day?
Chapter 301 is incredibly revealing and shows that a flashback based upon a single character’s point of view is not and cannot be read as the full story.
What we knew of the Todoroki family - specifically Enji and Rei - mainly came from Shouto’s flashbacks during the Sports Festival and what we essentially overheard the family discuss when the focus is turned on them.
However! It isn’t the full story! It can even be misleading!
That is a mind-blowing way to write in a series like this. Just 100% good use of double-meaning and reread value. Horikoshi is honest-to-goodness impressive.
Chapter 301 reveals at least the first half of the downfall of the Todoroki family structure and life.
We have a marriage built upon an agreement.
A man with growing power and influence marrying the daughter of an old-money family that had lost its prestige over time. Both parties understood that they had their part to give. Enji gives Rei’s family a continued connection to power, influence, and money while Rei offers her ice quirk to create the kind of child Enji Todoroki wants.
Enji as the Hero Endeavor has at this point already given up on becoming Number 1. He’s seen the gap between himself and All Might and judged that he comes up short. He simply isn’t able to bridge that gap, but he believes a child of his can - given the right quirk combination.
Enji and Rei have their first child, Touya, and have a second, Fuyumi, to be his companion and support.
Enji told Touya what he was going to be, built up the expectation (and pressure) that he’d teach him to be the Number 1 hero. But Touya’s body and quirk don’t match. His quirk harmed his body. At no fault of his own, Touya was judged as incapable of fulfilling Endeavor’s vision.
All Touya wanted was his father’s attention and affection. He pushed himself to prove he still could be a great hero with his quirk, and hurt himself trying to get the attention he needed as a child.
Enji, being an extremely well-written flawed character, wants two things: 1) to continue his vision and 2) to get his first child to stop hurting himself. So, he does what he believes would solve both problems. Continue pushing for the successful mix of quirks. His thought process likely being: If Touya could see that he couldn’t bridge the gap and wouldn’t have to, surely he’d stop.
But to Touya, he’s being replaced. Left behind. Erased.
Being cast aside and told to try something else only fuels his desperation to prove himself. It fuels his anger too. He continues to self-destruct.
Where was Rei during all of this?
Rei, meanwhile, had been upholding her end of the marriage arrangement. Having child after child put her under more and more strain, exhausting her. Maybe she believed that Enji’s plan would get Touya to stop. Maybe she believed that they all had their part to endure to be in this family.
Then, Touya lashed out at her and the infant Shouto with his flames.
I think this will be continued in the next chapter, but this is what we already know:
Touya lashed out at Rei and Shouto when Enji pushed him away
Shouto lived mostly separated from his siblings for the majority of his childhood, including Touya who was still present
Enji put Rei in a mental hospital when she poured boiling water on Shouto
Touya’s “death” occurred shortly after Rei was sent to the hospital
If Touya lashed out only once, there wouldn’t be a need to separate Shouto from him for so long. It’s likely Touya lashed out more than once. As sad as it is, it is also possible that he was not put through proper therapy and instead was sedated or punished.
If Touya wasn’t getting the help he needed and he lashed out with his fire more than once?
How do you stop your child from burning you, your other children, or himself?
How do you put out a fire?
You use whatever water is nearby. Over and over for as many times as he ignites himself.
That was Rei’s job as Touya’s mother. When he was upset and burst into flames, she said it herself: “We have to cool him down!”
So when Shouto overheard her talking to her mother in his flashback, what he understood was that he was being compared to Endeavor and his mother couldn’t stand to raise him anymore.
But what did Rei see? Who?
She saw Touya as he was when his hair was still turning white. Her baby boy, Touya, overhearing her compare the children to him and rejecting him. Saying she shouldn’t be the one to raise Touya because she can’t help him when she can clearly see he needs help. And in that state of extreme stress, she thought Touya had come to lash out again.
So she grabbed the water she had on hand and poured.
This chapter is incredibly revealing and just the title card itself seems to point in this direction.
“That’s why I’m here.” Rei is stepping up again to put out a fire. This time hopefully the right way.
Enji was a terrible father, but not just for the reasons we believed we knew. He never let go of his vision and expected Touya to give up for the same reasons he did. Endeavor pushed Shouto to succeed not only for his vision but also to save the life of Touya whose drive he couldn’t understand. He was and is an extremely flawed and desperate man.
Rei hurt Shouto, but not because he reminded her of Endeavor. She was scrambling to put out Touya’s flames, trying to do what she could with what little support, mental stability, and options she believed she had available. Pushed to the brink, she slipped up and mistook Shouto for Touya.
Enji and Rei are both incredibly well-written flawed parents. We’re only now seeing the fuller picture.
This is in part a continuation and expansion of this post.
This post is based on my real-time realization discussion on the Toshinoumu discord manga chat page. If you want to read the Toshinoumu AU/ “I Am…” Series, check out our @toshinoumu blog for more information.
Additional fun/sad fact courtesy of @aoimikans: Rei’s favorite flower is a blue lily. Lily roots and bulbs have been used for medicinal purposes. They were boiled into teas to treat stomach disorders, fevers, and assist women in labor. They have also been used topically to treat sores and burns. The essential oil is used to help treat depression.
ALSO I SEE YOU DOCTOR YOU CAN’T HIDE!
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