Great video! Could you maybe do a video about the issues guilt, blame and responsibility connected to MHA, and how they're used in the series and by the fand? Maybe use Endeavor, Bakugo, Deku, Mirio, All Might, Ochaco, Iida, and a few other characters from the series as examples of either three?
I think Enji is a perfect parallel of Tenko. In the way Tenko enbodies the ultimate villain created by hero society, Enji emodies the ultimate heroes created by hero society. They are both the product of society and they both embodied the flaws of hero scoiety. the same flaws hero society refuses to accept accountability for.
It’s proof that the biological evolution of quirks is pointless without the social evolution of better institutions and a greater sense of care, not just security.
@@deismaccountant i think that idea goes with humanity's whole thing about why everything is shitty. our evolutions dont determine if they're socially good or not, its only our opinions that have evolved as a society that gets to determine if they're good or bad. quirks arent really a bad thing, but the way society has viewed quirks and used their quirks makes quirks have a negative effect on society.
I feel the same just that my mom was the garbage person. He is really well writen especially because his children don't just accept him that he wants to change and say "ok your forgiven". He needs to deal with the possible rejection of his family members and over all the consequences that he will face for his shitty behavior. And even tho he already got some mild (?) rejection he doesn't stop or give up a sign that he truly wants to change.
I think Enji is so polarizing because it makes us as the reader confront the concept of forgiveness: How much should I forgive and is anything unforgivable? The way many react is concerning and telling of the real society we create and live.
@@Gloomdrake You know the saying "He who fights monsters should see to it that he himself doesn't become one, for if you stare long into the abyss, the abyss gazes back onto you". Or something like that.
@@Gloomdrake The problem with restorative justice is who truly gets to decide how much is enough to restore what the victims have lost. If a man beats his wife bloody every night in front of his young pre-adolescent children and waits till they're in their 30's to apologize to his family who is to say that they should ever forgive him. They were broken and in all probability mentally destroyed by that act and it probably took years if not decades to put themselves back together ( if they even could ) and just because one seeks forgiveness and atonement does not mean it must be given or accepted. I think honestly it isn't up to society to morally judge those who suffered through atrocities and come out of it angry, broken, and seeking justice because we have no idea how we would feel if we were in those very situations; and I agree with you that the reality is forgiveness is not a given and is not owed to anyone regardless of how small or large your mistakes or wrongs may have been.
@@tryguy69 unless they're Enji, right? Here's the thing, abuse doesn't happen at random, it's a cycle and generational abuse and trauma are very real things that people have to untangle themselves from. Enji's most likely mirroring how he was raised and didn't realize this until his 40's, which can't be helped and honestly, doesn't matter. What matters is that he's trying now and is killing himself doing it, not out of pride, not out of his very real desire to be forgiven, but because he genuinely loves his family and genuine regret.
@@NoirRaven It does matter though because he should have known better. The reality is we all make mistakes but fighting at 15 because you grew up in an abusive household is understandable. You are a child and don't have the faculties to truly self-reflect on the things you are doing and how that may affect others. At 25 though it is a whole different story and by that time you should know better. He may be killing himself trying to atone for his sins and that's great but nobody asked you to commit them, nobody forced your hand or created that situation. He created it and any work he does to make up for that is purely him pulling a knife out of a wound he inflicted.
Damn, kinda same. I'm good with both but seeing someone change and improve is so nourishing and weirdly rare in media. Or at least, it feels handfisted
@@edlo3254 right??? Ngl purity culture needs a reality check because there is no such thing as a perfect human being, all jokes aside. worshipping or holding anyone to that standard is insanity
@@RWAsur This is true. Some (sometimes without realizing it) do seem to say "you did something bad/made a mistake", so don't even try to do anything good again (in fact *you shouldn't be allowed* to)." Thing is no one is perfect, and no one is 100% good or 100% evil (though some would like to think so).
@@wanna-be-thinker2377 awful, isn't it? I don't mind media where I can shut off my brain and accept "x is bad, y is good" but truly I think the simplicity plants an ugly seed in some people's minds, and they are more often than not the type to lack self reflective thought patterns too... Come on now, characters can and should be as nuanced in their success, failures, flaws, and strengths as real people are, it makes them so much more enjoyable and relatable and the potential to write more and create a good dynamic arc is ingrained.
Endeavour’s arc is something I am 100% confident horikoshi will stick the landing for, and I always get invested with every scene with him and his family.
I'm legitimately more interested in Endeavor's story than the actual main plot. And I used to HATE Endeavor. He's by far one of, if not, THE best written characters in the series thus far.
The thing about Endeavor is, he reminds me so much of my dad. My dad isn't as bad as Endeavor was (pretty close), but the general traits of both my father and Endeavor are pretty similar, so finding comfort in Endeavor's redemption Arc really gives me hope my own father will find his own redemption. I love the man, but he has his own endeavor to go through.
haha i get that but as a content creator ive grown a lot over the last 3 years so looking back to my oldest vids like that always makes me inevitably cringe
Endeavor Haters and Endeavor Apologists both completely miss the point when it comes to critical analysis with the former ignoring all the writing behind him that makes Endeavor a complex character and the latter oversimplifying abuse and saying Endeavor is getting redeemed when atonement and redemption are not the same thing, and at the end of the day Endeavor is still a shitty person Another banger from Oceaniz, your MHA vids don’t miss
an excellent comment. Endeavour is no devil, he is no martyr. he is just as a character in his position should be, a flawed individual with a crisis that makes him polarising. he won't be forgiven for his actions, yet his journey of self-realisation and lifelong atonement as a first step is what makes him such a interesting if not controversial figure to discuss
the road to hell is paved with good intentions. that is the foundation of of Enji's character and makes him one of the most human characters in all of fiction (that i am aware of)
It also raises another question. What happens when you realize you on said road? There are probably many different answers, but it's an interesting question I don't see brought up much.
I still hope Natsu never forgives him. I think it just makes the message more realistic, not everyone can forgive you and they shouldn't be expected to.
@@mcwaff8661 Oh I blame Rei. Enji abused his children and her, and she let it happen. As a parent, you're supposed to protect your kids. She failed. I see my own parents in Rei and Enji, and I still have A LOT of anger, being able to point it at fictional characters rather than real people, is a godsend as I continue to try to get past it.
My father was a lot like endeavor, except he hasn’t tried to atone for his sins. Point is I’ve experienced things like endeavor has done. And I love him as a character and love seeing him grow. Fight me
You're gonna make me type it aren't you. "Endeavor isn't the hero society needs, but it's the one it deserves. He can take it, because he'll keep on endeavoring no matter what. "
Your mention of Nana Shimura is very interesting to me. Both her and Endeavor, in some way, contributed to the societal circumstances that resulted in the tragedies of Shigaraki and Dabi. Even though Nana was leaving to go out and be a hero, she couldn’t save her own family. I feel like this is very different from someone like Deku’s heroism, because he strives to rescue people on a more emotional/personal level (Like Eri or Kota), and similarly, this is what Endeavor eventually tries to do with his family. This is meaningful character development to me because it works so well with the themes of the story. Amazing video, very enjoyable
"You can build a thousand bridges, but if you fuck one goat, you won't be known as a bridge builder" As funny as this quote sounds, it's actually a perfect way to sum up Endeavor's arc in one sentence. He might have saved countless lives. But society sees him as an abusive father he is. He can't escape this past no matter how much he regrets. He might continie to save more people and prove the society wrong, but he can't and doesn't try to deny he DID kill Touya, DID make his wife go insane, and DID take Shoto's youth away form him.
I think what really sells Endeavor's arc is that the consequences don't go away, and his family doesn't automatically forgive him. Even Endeavor's nicest children can't just forgive Endeavor. Shoto, for example, was in danger of becoming another Dabi by his own admission, not only loathing his father to forbid combat use with his Father's quirk, but also projecting that hatred unintentionally towards others. He grew to the point where he could respect and work with his father as a professional hero. And it gets to a point where Shoto recognizes that his father was in no shape to face Dabi, which shows that he understands his father's mental shape well enough to see that his regrets are eating at him.
He is my favorite character in the series. He is indeed a horrible human being, but he is complex, he is gray, he almost fall in the cathegory of superheroes that feel real, as imperfect as they are. I admire people that despite all of their struggles, can move on trying and trying. This character is a poem that not many people want to see or are ready to understand. All might set such a high bar to reach, I remember Enji saying "that invisible thing you created" to him and that's fair. He is the hero that such a dark society deserve, and I hope he stays as far to his family as he plans to be.
Enji is the human embodiment of the concept of "Who is more good? Someone on the right path from the start, or someone who can recognize that they are not on the right path and attempt to correct themselves'
I still remember that Endeavor tells Deku they are the same. As All Might is the talented type, the one who seems to master anything and everything he pays attention to. He feels his powers and uses them in a very natural way, as if he was born with them. But Deku and Endeavor have to sweat bullets to reach each and every step in their quirk mastery, partly because in both cases Deku and Endeavor's powers are self destructive when misused, but partly because they are always at the shadow of so many other talented quirk users and they feel constantly left behind. And of course, both of them are always overthinking what went wrong. Because no matter what, neither Deku nor Endeavor can still compare to All Might: they are always an inch too short and a second too late.
It takes A heroic spirit to look at yourself, see the bad, the damage, the harm you have caused. And instead of justify it, choose instead to repent and take that hard long road of atonement. Even though it will not be easy, it will not be quick, and you have to experience true humility without any assurance that you will get what you seek. He’s a fictional character but the journey is truly a heroic one. One I think many people could learn from. Frankly I root for endeavor in the series and hope that the journey has a happy ending for him
So many times in Fanfictions the authors choose to go to the simple path of " waa! Endeavors and abusive scumbag who is a bigot and violent and he kills people instead of arresting them because it's easier for him"it's nice to see someone else look into his complexity. Someone can be a good hero but a very bad man. Would make for an interesting fanfiction in which Endeavor makes a better choice about Toya and sits down and talks to him about how he scared that he'll end up hurting himself. And doing so keeping the family much healthier in the long run. And such a situation I don't know if the younger two children would even be born, but it could make for an interesting story
I feel like now we will start seeing more of such fanfic. Remember that until pro-hero endeavor was meant to be a hate sink, and first impressions can really shape a character in people's mind. So most fanfiction did potray him as such, which obviously have aged poorly now. It's only in the past year have we realized that the backstory is slightly more complicated than endeavor being a egoistical jackass.
And what makes the story even more poignant is that even if Enji was a good father, it may still not have been enough. Say Enji and Rei were good parents, Enji abandoned his ambitions and they still had all four of their kids. Toya would still have a Quirk that hurt him. Shoto would still have an interest in Hero Work (remember: he still wanted to be a Hero because of All Might). Heck, both kids might want to be Heroes now BECAUSE they look up to their dad. Toya can still not be a Hero while Shoto can. And what if Shoto expressed a desire to be trained by Enji? Should he say no because it'd make Toya upset? He'd still alienate one son either way. Toya might still end up resenting Shoto either way. He might not become Dabi, but there's a good chance this stubborn, hot-headed child might have still gotten hurt, even if Enji and Rei did everything right. Dabi's fans love to blame fully blame Enji for what Toya is now, and he definitely didn't help Toya growing up happy or stable. But kids are not blank slates and good parenting isn't a guarantee they won't mess up their lives.
I’m very glad you made that disclaimer at the beginning specifically the idea of needing to make a distinction between a good character and person So many times will I see someone say “I like x evil/bad character ” and people will go wild about it You can like a character without putting them on a pedestal like so many others do with “good” characters and if you can like someone without idolizing their behavior, then by all means go ahead.
Problem is, both twitter amd Tumblr will call you an abuse apologist if you decide to look passed Enji's misdeeds and focus on the now; that if you don't completely lambast he character for everything he's done, you're just as evil/wrong as he is. Meanwhile Rei, Dabi, they get a pass because they're his victims.
@@NoirRaven Seriously, I can accept that someone changes and wants to be better can I not? People like that really block the ability to have civil discussion because they’re unable to separate the fictional acts from horrible things they may have experienced in person and that makes things difficult to work around
@@ziongamer6905 Unfortunately, sometimes a person can understandably, though life experience, give up on the idea that a person who did bad things, or made a mistake, would want to correct their mistakes, reform themselves, redeem themselves, atone for their actions, or better themselves in one way of another. They can even think there's no such thing as having genuine regrets, and that a apology is the same as begging for mercy (not helped by people actually using them that way).
Tbh the Endeavor story really hits home with me and my step-dad and stepbrother. I love the writing and how real it feels if you know personally and how it also gives people a glimpse into that type of life
3:44 Something the video kind of brushes over that I wanna point out, because it's my favorite thing about the Todoroki backstory. I think the manga does an amazing job of showing that their whole family situation was slowly deteriorating. It's not like Enji or Touya just suddenly snapped one day, it's shown to be little by little. The growing stress of Endeavor constantly seeing All Might, then Touya becoming a source of stress, stemming from Touya's own growing complexities. I don't think it was just a series of bad decisions, but also the fact that all of them were under more and more pressure as time went on.
Endeavour's story feels like a cautionary tale of what happens when you're aiming for something fleeting. He aims to be no.1. that is admirable. I do have one question though, what is his plan to maintain that position years later down the line?
My whole life I've been surrounded by abusive figures; my dad and my stepdad. When people do wrong specially when it comes to spousal abuse or family abuse in general you won't even get an apology or if you do it's an empty apology and no sense of change. The thing about Endeavor is that endeavor tries to change, he doesn't look for redemption he looks for atonement. He can't redeem himself from what he did to his family but he can atone for it. He could have easily put all the blame on AFO when he found out that he took his son but he didn't, he was still blaming himself and rightfully so. He's looking to better himself and be someone that his family can at least look at. Mad respect because honestly people that do that IRL are few and far in between.
I really love the way you word that Endeavor is a human symbol. I also love this analysis of his character because I know people irl who have done the human (non-quirk) version of such abuses who feel 100% justified in never apologizing, never looking back on their actions, and demanding that those they tormented *worship* them and accuse those they abused of lying about such abuse. Within the fiction of the story, it's 100% within the respective Todoroki's rights to forgive or never forgive Endeavor, because even once someone has begged forgiveness and demonstrated actions to change everything about themselves they aren't entitled to that forgiveness, but outside of the fiction of the story Endeavor gives enough of a crap to want to change and fix what he knows he's basically nuked from orbit. And I know real people who could care less about their own actions against those they claim to love. (Which is probably my objection to anyone who blatantly claims Endeavor is just evil "because." Because it's dishonest in regards to real people who don't show remorse or care who they've hurt.)
When I first began this series, I never expected Endeavor to be one of my favorite characters. I’m still honestly surprised Horikoshi was able to accomplish it.
I’ve literally told my friend he is one of the best and most relatable heroes because of the wrongs he’s done and the fact that he tries to atone for what he’s done. Being someone who’s had a father who has tossed him aside and was abused physically and verbally i related to Enji more than his kids which is awkward considering he is the tormentor and not the tormented but he’s more human than his children to me in my opinion, he is a walking inferno of conflictions within himself. I understood his desires to want his children to be better than himself and All Might. Although he went about all of that in a horrible way and hurt his family really bad he is trying to recover from his own hardships as well as reconnect with his family. All his rage, frustration and conflict make him super relatable which is insane.
I think one of the problems some people have with Endeavor's story arc (well other than writing him as a flawed human and a piece of s--t) is that he hasn't faced the consequences of his actions the way they want him to. For one thing, they want someone else to enact retribution on him rather then allow him to atone. Another thing is the belief that he should face (before anything including having regrets) his victims getting revenge on him (or at least someone avenging them), judicial consequences, or even mortal consequences before being allowed to do anything good (if he's allowed at all). Well, that and that he's giving so much a huge role in the story.... I, on the other hand, think its great writing a character trying to atone for such horrific actions (whether he succeeds we'll see), especially one that shows one of the way the society in the series is messed up, which leads to it downfall. Edit: There's also the fact that Horikoshi seem to have given him, and several other characters, a "realistic character development". Some may just want realistic elements to his development (as well as the other characters), others may see it as giving a character "realistic character development" should mean the story needs to be written either more like how it is irl, as a moral warning (if they do something bad), or both.
You know what I'm reminded of is actually when Bakugo and Deku fought in Season 3. When Bakugo didn't know what do he had Deku to literally beat it out of him, when Enji didn't know what to do he had only his son to weak to burden.
At his first debut, I thought Endeavor will always be the bad hero example type of character until the end of the series. But nope, Horikoshi actually puts a LOT of depth on Endeavor. He brings the question to us the readers: is he forgivable after every damage he has done?
I hate him. But that shows how well he was created/makes you FEEL. Like Todoroki said, The Hero is amazing but dad....I still hate you. My mom was an abuse mental and physically to me. That doesn't mean she didn't show hate nastiness 24/7. She showed me love sometimes. She gave me beliefs I still hold to this day, but there are also ALOT of beliefs I don't hold. Im not racist like her, but Im a product of her. Thats why Todoroki Shouto holds such a place in my heart. I understand him and his father, more then I really should. Taking cures from real life only makes the characters more believable. I hate him but he is VERY well excuted.
Enji is not the only one responsible for the pain his children went through. Rei bears blame as well. Yes, while she did suffer because of the actions of Enji, she stood back and allowed Enji to push their first born son down a path that would lead to pain. She gave birth to more children, all for the sake of her husband's obsessions. All the pressure and tension would cause Rei to snap and pour boiling water on the face of her youngest child. Yes, she suffered, but her inaction towards the situation between Enji, Toya and her other children ultimately played a part in the tragedy of her family. However, like Enji, Rei is not evil. She is flawed. And now they both want to make amends. Like Rei said,the burden is not just his to bear. The entire Todoroki family must bear it, and try to set things right.
It an artist curse, sort to said. When improve one skill and talent, looking back the artist will "hate" their early work because they can spot all the mistakes they made and had overcome, something they would never do after perfecting their talent. I can said from experience that my drawing from when I start to now are night and day. Can't help but cringe a bit looking back at my early work, since I can actually draw characters looking like people instead of being block figures.
I think they are both great videos. The first one really speaks to survivors of abuse and gives a big voice to the healing. This video is about the journey and humanity of it all.
Endeavour's saves must be atleast in the 100 thousands since all might saved three cities and it was said that endeavour has saved more people than him
its 2021 and people cant separate good character from good person.He is my favourite character because he is an amazing character not because he is a saint he is probably one of the shittiest people in the manga but the way horikoshi wrote him made endeavor carry every scene he is in because of how interesting he is
Can I just thank you for being who you are? Sorry that probably sounds sappy but last night I tried to watch other analysis channels and while I won't name names my god, I literally got so angry with how god damn stupid and shallow their 'analysis' was. Then there is you. Just, thank you for existing.
It’s crazy how little this video has aged, we obviously have had some developments from him and his plotline overall but nothing that major that makes this video obsolete
I always find it really maddening how people feel sympathy for those “good” gone bad but won’t even give the time of day to those who are “bad” trying to be good! Next time I’m just gunna show them this video cause you answer them perfectly!
Endeavor was a character I would've never expected to like and want to be better in a hundred years. He is a great hero, but he isn't a good person. He was a good person and he did love his family at one point in time. This is good to show the audience because real life abusers are not all the same. Some of them aren't these cartoonish people who are evil to be evil. They still have emotions and they can still show love. BUT just because they do some good things, it does NOT absolve them of all their sins. He will never atone, but he will spend the rest of his life to atone to his family. Things will never heal, but as long as he keeps at it, the atonement will make his family, the people most important, feel more comfortable.
Enji Todoroki is my favorite character in MHA. Has been for a really long time. He's a fantastically written character, and I really don't know why everyone dismissing him so easily. Sure he's a terrible person and has done horrible things in his life, but so have other fan favorite characters that are part of the league. So many people fawn over characters like dabi when he's literally incinerated innocent people alive, enjoyed it, and has shown absolutely no remorse or regrets. Shigaraki is the same. He wants to destory the hero system and doesn't care how many heroes or normal people die in the process. Compared to their crimes of literal mass murder, Enji's pale in comparison. That still doesn't excuse what he did, but I hate the argument that he is a horrible character because of what he did to his family but then other characters' crimes, which are worse, don't get the same criticism. At least Enji has acknowledged what he did, is regretful, and is trying to change and better himself. At the very least, be consistent. If you're going to use that argument, don't pick and chose who it applies to. I know abuse can be a subject closer to home for some, but like the video said in the beginning, he's a fictional character who hasn't actually hurt anyone. We use fiction so that we can see or experience different types of people and see things from their perspective without actually hurting anyone. And while everyone has the right to dislike or like a character for whatever reason, it's really hypocritical for people to criticize others for liking a character who has done bad things as if only good and moral characters are worth liking. So, yeah, I unapologetically think Endeavor is the most interesting and best-written character in MHA.
What an absolute banger of a video. The way it all came together back to the name "Endeavor" near the end was chillingly good. I never connected the parallels between chasing after All Might's back, and chasing after atonement, trying desperately to undo the damage he has caused, both impossible tasks.
Your other Endeavor video absolutely doesn’t suck. It’s thoughtful, provocative and entertaining all the way through. You provide a professional point of view us regular people don’t have, it’s invaluable to your argument.
The closing statements on Endeavor are by far the most poignant and accurate things I've ever heard. This is why Endeavors redemption arc is so amazing.
I literally watched what is available of season five so fast just because I wanted to watch "the hellish todoroki family" and see how shit would go down
When endeavor told Shoto that he wanted to change for the better in S4 thats when I started to like him. Once I saw his S4 development when he became the number one hero, he became my favorite character. A man who has been trying to change for the better since S4 and atton for his sins since S5 became my favorite character
I was planning on doing an analysis video and here I find the perfect description of WHY I love the guy. He embodies every aspect of MHA perfectly. His hero name embodies both himself and the story theme too. To endeavor. An incredible job by you to spell it all out and deep dive Horikoshi's most complex character and masterpiece!
jep, the most human hero... coming after a demi god... I would not want to switch places with him... but I can not help but root for him, mainly because I made theactive choice to better himself, which was so cool to see. Come to think the motto of this family is: we can only become better if we chose to make it. Since 3 out of 6 made already such a choice. This guy this family.. is a beautiful, complicated, realistic and somewhat optimistic mess and masterpiece in itself and I am thankful to see it. great video btw XD
great video on a fascinating character. and despite the long journey we’ve seen from endeavour, there’s still a lot more left. we still haven’t really seen his upbringing and how it shaped who he was at the start of the series and his desire to surpass all might, and his next confrontation with toya should be something amazing. phenomenal character who contributes massively to a phenomenal series.
honestly horikoshi really caught me off guard with endeavor. up until the pro hero arc i was firmly in the camp of highkey hating him. however, as the story began to delve deeper into his psyche and his backstory i couldn't help but begin to tolerate him if only due to the masterful writing. now, i find myself really enjoying endeavor's character writing, even if i still don't fully "like" him.
Maybe you can get the endevour haters, if you say he is a well written character instead of good. Since they seem to conflate good with beeing a moral person.
I really like this video! Very good analysis. I'd say, and this may be my Christian self talking, that after what we've seen, he's no longer a monster. His regret and determination to make amends are genuine. Of course, the damage he's done won't be healed and his mistakes won't be forgotten but at least those are a testimony to just how very frail heroes really are, and society (BnHA's) would learn from that.
I disagree with the framing that he threw Touya away, but he did snap after he believed his wife let their first son burn himself to death in the woods.
Endeavor is the Batman of the mha universe. Except with powers. Once you find out why he quests to be number 1 hero and his childhood it makes sense why he was so overly focused. Much like Batman who can be a decent dad but also a POS because it's his way or no easy and you're all subordinates to him.
Just to add a little thing: at the beginning, you said that art's value is proportionate to the amount of discourse it generates. And I happen to know a professor, of aesthetics at Charles University who would absolutely agree. It's a great philosophical debate, really. Most people think the aesthetic value of art is the main thing, but this professor disagrees. He says that the aesthetic value (how nice it looks/sounds etc.) is second to the "artistic" value, as in how much it contributed to the world of art in general. Using this definition, Endeavor may have any aesthetic value, he might be enjoyable, he might be annoying to the viewer, whatever, but he certainly has great artistic value, as he's one of the rare complex abusive characters out there, contributing a great deal to the more realistic depiction of abusers across art forms.
I love how you can reasonably infer how the quirks given to the todoroki family influence their behavior and personality, endeavor is likely only like this because his quirk symbolically embodies ambition, toya had a quirk much more powerful than his but it ended up hurting him, alongside that came an ambition and stubbornness so much more powerful than endeavors it was impossible to control and was practically destined to end with him in a blaze of glory, i see that to be equally as responsible for toya’s downfall as i see it to be endeavor’s responsibility for failing to direct his sons drive somewhere healthier, shoto is a lot more confusing in this regard and that makes a lot of sense as he is literally ice and fire, but he’s characterized by a softer more reserved nature that regularly hides an anger and frustration he once lacked the ability to handle before his fight with deku, to me he shows off a kinder softer side that gives way to his ambition after the sports festival to be his whole hearted desire to help people and be a hero
Watching this I think I finally understand why people hate Endeavor so much he is a flawed and realistic character in a fictional story and we have been conditioned to see fictional stories in black and white we don't want to admit it but even in small ways we all turn out as the villain or at least less of a good guy than we want to be in some situations some more than others but we all make mistakes some of these mistakes can be catastrophic but Endeavor's endeavors show even if you can't undo the past you can make the future better and that's all any of us can ask of each other but people hate Endeavor because he shows us that ugliness a lot of people go to fiction to escape and it's easier to virtue signal than to admit the brilliance of the writing and our own flaws
I love this video and wish there was something like it years ago. Back in 2018, when I was really getting into MHA, I started an Endeavor fan blog because I really liked his character and development. I was met with harassment and rude people a lot and they would say stuff like: “You’re an abuser apologist” and stuff. But I also met a lot of people like me who saw what endeavor could be and what he actually was as a character and we stuck together against everything. Not many in the fandom seemed to understand us but we knew that there was a lot more to his character than being a bad father and we wanted to show the fandom but sometimes it felt on deaf ears. Our endeavor didn’t work. As time went on, a lot more people started getting into his character and it felt nice but there was and still are a bunch of people who think he’s a bad character because he’s a bad person. Back then, there wasn’t really a good video that truthfully and thoroughly explained Enji and I’m happy that fans can now get a view of who he really is through this video. Thank you.
I actually disagree on only 1 point. Yes he's a bastard. But I do not feel that his past being revealed didn't make him seem anymore of one, it humanized him and showed that spiral into madness, if anything I feel it shows a reason to sympathize with him.
it definetly humanized him, but for me, it characterized his past self as more despicable (and deluded) than I had expected. His choice to push the mentally unwell Toya away is just incredibly evil, especially considering that Endeavor was a 30 yr old man at this point and should have really shown more perspective. But i think both takeaways are valid, its this ambiguity that makes him such a great character imo!
I see it more as an incredible toxic mindset and him the perfect character to critique toxic masculinity, expectations devaluing despite knowing better communications. I makes him look more like a character haunted by a complex caught in zoxic patzerns, probably one of the hero society itself with obsession with strengh. And pushing toya away was bad, but more him being unable to cope with own insecurizies, still bad thou.
@@Oceaniz I think you're a smidge biased here, possibly due to someone in your past but, Enji wasn't evil for pushing Touya away, because he wasn't wrong when he pointed out that the only world he could provide Touya, was that of a hero. Seriously, think about it. What hope was there for Touya, even outside of heroism? Not only is his power destructive and dangerous, but he can't ever use it at full power without cooking himself alive. I don't even think a support item would help with this problem, if your skin theory is correct: Touya can never use his powers again. Which does suck in every way possible. It's like being a gifted athlete until you take that bear fatal header and can never play again without risking death. Trust me, I've been thinking about this ever since that part of his backstory was revealed and I can't find a solution for Touya, so I can understand why Enji panicked and avoided him. Was it right? Not entirely, but it's understandable when you look at it from a psychological perspective. I swear, Enji has mad anxiety he's had to hide his whole life, probably due to how he was raised or societal expectations, (not that I think we'll ever get that part of his backstory, so we're condemned to speculation on that one, unfortunately.) One thing I do know, however, is that abuse is often learned behavior. Yes, humans are inherently toxic and abusive from the start and we have to have that traumatized out of us as we grow older, but some internalize the toxic traits they were raised on and then pass that on to the next generation. Generational trauma abuse is a thing and it's one hell of a cycle to break. At least Enjoy finally realized and is trying.
I think that his reasoning (now I know this is my opinion and me getting to much into a character's mind) was that since HE's whole life he follows the motto "not backing down and striving to be number one", he couldnt make the right decision of stopping Toya from training no matter what and getting him help, like he is a child, not a teen or adult in that time, but he thought that just like him, Toya would stop at nothing so he made the worst decision, creating Dabi. Anyways loved this video. Thanks!
I personally think that endeavor gets more credit for what he's worth (he seems more talk than action when it comes to his atonement). However, despite me still hating this man now and probably always, he is one of the only FOUR character's whose stories I care about in the my hero manga currently. i literally cannot wait to see what he will do next.
A bit harsh, I became suscribed to you thanks to your Endeavor video. Still the Touya backstory was excellent showing the complete contrast of Rei who lets her emotions boil inside to a reaching point, and Enji who burns constantly with so much rage and passion he eventually burns out also confirming that Endeavor is indeed an abuser and Shoto wasn't seeing things. Great video.
Dabi is the Joker to his father's Batman, Dabi challenges Endeavor not through strength but through his most cherished thing -His HERO IDENTITY. DABI's existence tells Endeavor he was never a hero and it was ALL FOR NOTHING
I would argue that Dabi is more two-face than Joker. He is someone who by all rights would have been Endeavour's only and greatest ally. No one, *NO ONE*, believed in his dream like Touya did. Enji says it himself; they are exactly the same in determination. By denying Touya, Endeaviur is basically saying that he himself should never have had he chance to be a hero due to his own dangerous and self destructive quirk. Endeavour, too, has the necessary qualities and would have become a villain if he was treated as he treated others. By himself, Endeavour fails even by his own standards of what a hero aspirant should be. But with is family, trying to lift them up from the depths he sunk them to, he finds purpose once more. Above all, be what they need, not what he wants. This is the core of Endeavour's redemption.
@@rakshithanand8262 I agree, but the Joker I had in mind was Heath Ledger's Joker but with Two Faces' tragic story, why? Dabi is an anarchist but he is trying to prove a point and he is way more sympathetic than Joker which is where Two face comes in. Love your Batman villain take on Dabi
I love Endeavor because he shows that change is possible even for horrible people. I get why people hate the guy but to me, if my father changed like Endeavor did, I’d fully accept him back. You can’t change the past but people have to realize just cause people have done bad things doesn’t mean they’re always destined to be bad. I mean we probably all have done bad things in our lives, it’s what makes us human so we should credit people when they try to better themselves instead of pushing them down cause that might stop them from even trying
SPOILERS AHEAD!
Oceaniz are you planning on doing Naruto shippuden next, not that I can’t wait, I’m just curious.
Naruto video when???
The video must have been an endavour.👻🔥🔥🔥🔥
I didnt realize until too late
Great video!
Could you maybe do a video about the issues guilt, blame and responsibility connected to MHA, and how they're used in the series and by the fand? Maybe use Endeavor, Bakugo, Deku, Mirio, All Might, Ochaco, Iida, and a few other characters from the series as examples of either three?
"Endeavor is the hero society deserves. A reflection of a broken system."
Damn man, that was the best way to put that, well done 👏🏾
This truly says a lot about our society
Holy shit. thats an amazing though
That is even alluded to in an opening sequence(can't remember which). Where the large than life image of All Might fades and shows Endeavor behind it.
It reminds me of the Imperium of Man from Warhammer 40K.
A society that cares more about protecting its future than the future its protecting.
I think Enji is a perfect parallel of Tenko. In the way Tenko enbodies the ultimate villain created by hero society, Enji emodies the ultimate heroes created by hero society. They are both the product of society and they both embodied the flaws of hero scoiety. the same flaws hero society refuses to accept accountability for.
Very well said!
It’s proof that the biological evolution of quirks is pointless without the social evolution of better institutions and a greater sense of care, not just security.
It’s more about character than institutions.
@@deismaccountant i think that idea goes with humanity's whole thing about why everything is shitty. our evolutions dont determine if they're socially good or not, its only our opinions that have evolved as a society that gets to determine if they're good or bad. quirks arent really a bad thing, but the way society has viewed quirks and used their quirks makes quirks have a negative effect on society.
442nd like.
As someone with a garbage dad, I love how Endeavor actually tries to better himself after going that far, even though he has an easy way out
BuT YOu Can’t JuSt FoRgIvE sOmEonE lIkE EndeAvOr iM an AbuSe VicTiM.
Like dude you are different from them respect for you
same, he's already so much better than my abusive mom
I feel the same just that my mom was the garbage person.
He is really well writen especially because his children don't just accept him that he wants to change and say "ok your forgiven". He needs to deal with the possible rejection of his family members and over all the consequences that he will face for his shitty behavior. And even tho he already got some mild (?) rejection he doesn't stop or give up a sign that he truly wants to change.
I completely feel you
Yes!! This!!
I couldn't honestly give less of a fuck about the main plot of my hero at this point. Give me more "Keeping up with the Todoroki's" that shit is good.
Same
Jesus loves you
I think Enji is so polarizing because it makes us as the reader confront the concept of forgiveness: How much should I forgive and is anything unforgivable? The way many react is concerning and telling of the real society we create and live.
I prefer restorative justice over eye for an eye vindication, personally, though I do think some people are irredeemable
@@Gloomdrake You know the saying "He who fights monsters should see to it that he himself doesn't become one, for if you stare long into the abyss, the abyss gazes back onto you". Or something like that.
@@Gloomdrake The problem with restorative justice is who truly gets to decide how much is enough to restore what the victims have lost. If a man beats his wife bloody every night in front of his young pre-adolescent children and waits till they're in their 30's to apologize to his family who is to say that they should ever forgive him. They were broken and in all probability mentally destroyed by that act and it probably took years if not decades to put themselves back together ( if they even could ) and just because one seeks forgiveness and atonement does not mean it must be given or accepted.
I think honestly it isn't up to society to morally judge those who suffered through atrocities and come out of it angry, broken, and seeking justice because we have no idea how we would feel if we were in those very situations; and I agree with you that the reality is forgiveness is not a given and is not owed to anyone regardless of how small or large your mistakes or wrongs may have been.
@@tryguy69 unless they're Enji, right? Here's the thing, abuse doesn't happen at random, it's a cycle and generational abuse and trauma are very real things that people have to untangle themselves from. Enji's most likely mirroring how he was raised and didn't realize this until his 40's, which can't be helped and honestly, doesn't matter. What matters is that he's trying now and is killing himself doing it, not out of pride, not out of his very real desire to be forgiven, but because he genuinely loves his family and genuine regret.
@@NoirRaven It does matter though because he should have known better.
The reality is we all make mistakes but fighting at 15 because you grew up in an abusive household is understandable. You are a child and don't have the faculties to truly self-reflect on the things you are doing and how that may affect others. At 25 though it is a whole different story and by that time you should know better.
He may be killing himself trying to atone for his sins and that's great but nobody asked you to commit them, nobody forced your hand or created that situation. He created it and any work he does to make up for that is purely him pulling a knife out of a wound he inflicted.
I rather see a bad person better themselves instead of a good person turning bad
Damn, kinda same. I'm good with both but seeing someone change and improve is so nourishing and weirdly rare in media. Or at least, it feels handfisted
@@RWAsur facts also I don't understand why some don't like the idea of people trying to improve themselves irl and in fiction
@@edlo3254 right??? Ngl purity culture needs a reality check because there is no such thing as a perfect human being, all jokes aside. worshipping or holding anyone to that standard is insanity
@@RWAsur This is true. Some (sometimes without realizing it) do seem to say "you did something bad/made a mistake", so don't even try to do anything good again (in fact *you shouldn't be allowed* to)." Thing is no one is perfect, and no one is 100% good or 100% evil (though some would like to think so).
@@wanna-be-thinker2377 awful, isn't it? I don't mind media where I can shut off my brain and accept "x is bad, y is good" but truly I think the simplicity plants an ugly seed in some people's minds, and they are more often than not the type to lack self reflective thought patterns too... Come on now, characters can and should be as nuanced in their success, failures, flaws, and strengths as real people are, it makes them so much more enjoyable and relatable and the potential to write more and create a good dynamic arc is ingrained.
Endeavour’s arc is something I am 100% confident horikoshi will stick the landing for, and I always get invested with every scene with him and his family.
He’s easy Top 100 best written anime/manga characters
I'm legitimately more interested in Endeavor's story than the actual main plot. And I used to HATE Endeavor. He's by far one of, if not, THE best written characters in the series thus far.
Eh,I’ve seen way better.
@@nebulous9280 I 100% agree with you there.
Endeavor is the most Human and flesh out character in MHA, I always find myself rooting for him.
The thing about Endeavor is, he reminds me so much of my dad. My dad isn't as bad as Endeavor was (pretty close), but the general traits of both my father and Endeavor are pretty similar, so finding comfort in Endeavor's redemption Arc really gives me hope my own father will find his own redemption. I love the man, but he has his own endeavor to go through.
Honestly same...
same....
The play on words 😎
Same here
@@AbdulMedBanguraJr I noticed that
Every part of the Todoroki familiy's story could stand on its own as a spin-off
Oceaniz:”But that video sucks, sue me”
Me who liked the video: “No :c”
Yeah, same. What sucks about it; it being sympathetic towards endeavor?
Same💀
haha i get that but as a content creator ive grown a lot over the last 3 years so looking back to my oldest vids like that always makes me inevitably cringe
@@Oceaniz Turns out the real Endeavor, was the self-improvement and achievements we made along the way.
@@Oceaniz Dont be such an endavour🔥😅
Endeavor Haters and Endeavor Apologists both completely miss the point when it comes to critical analysis with the former ignoring all the writing behind him that makes Endeavor a complex character and the latter oversimplifying abuse and saying Endeavor is getting redeemed when atonement and redemption are not the same thing, and at the end of the day Endeavor is still a shitty person
Another banger from Oceaniz, your MHA vids don’t miss
an excellent comment. Endeavour is no devil, he is no martyr. he is just as a character in his position should be, a flawed individual with a crisis that makes him polarising. he won't be forgiven for his actions, yet his journey of self-realisation and lifelong atonement as a first step is what makes him such a interesting if not controversial figure to discuss
THANK YOU!
His character is handled with a lot of care and realistic writing. Top 2 mha character for me.
Who's your other top character? Curious as Endeavor is my favorite too
@@Caspianm2 Shigaraki’s my top 1
@@goatgaming9191 mine too
@@goatgaming9191 A man of great taste as well XD
the road to hell is paved with good intentions. that is the foundation of of Enji's character and makes him one of the most human characters in all of fiction (that i am aware of)
It also raises another question. What happens when you realize you on said road? There are probably many different answers, but it's an interesting question I don't see brought up much.
I still hope Natsu never forgives him.
I think it just makes the message more realistic, not everyone can forgive you and they shouldn't be expected to.
He should not and that should be okay with everyone on story.
Why does no one blame the mother tho? She's somewhat equal to blame
@@mcwaff8661 Oh I blame Rei. Enji abused his children and her, and she let it happen. As a parent, you're supposed to protect your kids. She failed. I see my own parents in Rei and Enji, and I still have A LOT of anger, being able to point it at fictional characters rather than real people, is a godsend as I continue to try to get past it.
@@mcwaff8661 Because she too was a victim of Enji's abuse?!
@@pablosilva6932 being "abused" doesn't give you the right to ignore every child bar one that's emotional neglect.
My father was a lot like endeavor, except he hasn’t tried to atone for his sins.
Point is I’ve experienced things like endeavor has done. And I love him as a character and love seeing him grow. Fight me
No, you're right
You're gonna make me type it aren't you.
"Endeavor isn't the hero society needs, but it's the one it deserves. He can take it, because he'll keep on endeavoring no matter what. "
Your mention of Nana Shimura is very interesting to me. Both her and Endeavor, in some way, contributed to the societal circumstances that resulted in the tragedies of Shigaraki and Dabi. Even though Nana was leaving to go out and be a hero, she couldn’t save her own family. I feel like this is very different from someone like Deku’s heroism, because he strives to rescue people on a more emotional/personal level (Like Eri or Kota), and similarly, this is what Endeavor eventually tries to do with his family. This is meaningful character development to me because it works so well with the themes of the story.
Amazing video, very enjoyable
Are you proud of that pun, ocean man?
He should be
Considering how well dabi for example was handled, I have no doubt that horikoshi will be able to continue to impress us with his work
Deku is my favorite character, but I think Endeavor is the best character. Love where Horikoshi is taking him.
Shigaraki?????
@@red_hood1493
I need to see how Shigaraki’s story ends with All For One before making my full assessment of him.
Endeavor's story isn't over either
@@red_hood1493
Endeavor doesn’t also have his body currently controlled by someone else, and still has agency in the story.
@@Ren_Davis0531 honestly im the opposite im a huge fan of Enji but if i had to rank every mha character deku would be very low
"You can build a thousand bridges, but if you fuck one goat, you won't be known as a bridge builder" As funny as this quote sounds, it's actually a perfect way to sum up Endeavor's arc in one sentence. He might have saved countless lives. But society sees him as an abusive father he is. He can't escape this past no matter how much he regrets. He might continie to save more people and prove the society wrong, but he can't and doesn't try to deny he DID kill Touya, DID make his wife go insane, and DID take Shoto's youth away form him.
I think what really sells Endeavor's arc is that the consequences don't go away, and his family doesn't automatically forgive him. Even Endeavor's nicest children can't just forgive Endeavor. Shoto, for example, was in danger of becoming another Dabi by his own admission, not only loathing his father to forbid combat use with his Father's quirk, but also projecting that hatred unintentionally towards others. He grew to the point where he could respect and work with his father as a professional hero. And it gets to a point where Shoto recognizes that his father was in no shape to face Dabi, which shows that he understands his father's mental shape well enough to see that his regrets are eating at him.
Endeavour is a man who had everything and failed to see it.
He is my favorite character in the series. He is indeed a horrible human being, but he is complex, he is gray, he almost fall in the cathegory of superheroes that feel real, as imperfect as they are. I admire people that despite all of their struggles, can move on trying and trying. This character is a poem that not many people want to see or are ready to understand. All might set such a high bar to reach, I remember Enji saying "that invisible thing you created" to him and that's fair. He is the hero that such a dark society deserve, and I hope he stays as far to his family as he plans to be.
Enji is the human embodiment of the concept of
"Who is more good? Someone on the right path from the start, or someone who can recognize that they are not on the right path and attempt to correct themselves'
"What is better; to be born good, or to overcome the evil in your nature through great effort?".
@@rakshithanand8262 through a great *ENDEAVOUR*
I still remember that Endeavor tells Deku they are the same. As All Might is the talented type, the one who seems to master anything and everything he pays attention to. He feels his powers and uses them in a very natural way, as if he was born with them. But Deku and Endeavor have to sweat bullets to reach each and every step in their quirk mastery, partly because in both cases Deku and Endeavor's powers are self destructive when misused, but partly because they are always at the shadow of so many other talented quirk users and they feel constantly left behind. And of course, both of them are always overthinking what went wrong. Because no matter what, neither Deku nor Endeavor can still compare to All Might: they are always an inch too short and a second too late.
It takes A heroic spirit to look at yourself, see the bad, the damage, the harm you have caused. And instead of justify it, choose instead to repent and take that hard long road of atonement. Even though it will not be easy, it will not be quick, and you have to experience true humility without any assurance that you will get what you seek. He’s a fictional character but the journey is truly a heroic one. One I think many people could learn from. Frankly I root for endeavor in the series and hope that the journey has a happy ending for him
So many times in Fanfictions the authors choose to go to the simple path of " waa! Endeavors and abusive scumbag who is a bigot and violent and he kills people instead of arresting them because it's easier for him"it's nice to see someone else look into his complexity. Someone can be a good hero but a very bad man. Would make for an interesting fanfiction in which Endeavor makes a better choice about Toya and sits down and talks to him about how he scared that he'll end up hurting himself. And doing so keeping the family much healthier in the long run. And such a situation I don't know if the younger two children would even be born, but it could make for an interesting story
I feel like now we will start seeing more of such fanfic. Remember that until pro-hero endeavor was meant to be a hate sink, and first impressions can really shape a character in people's mind. So most fanfiction did potray him as such, which obviously have aged poorly now.
It's only in the past year have we realized that the backstory is slightly more complicated than endeavor being a egoistical jackass.
And what makes the story even more poignant is that even if Enji was a good father, it may still not have been enough. Say Enji and Rei were good parents, Enji abandoned his ambitions and they still had all four of their kids. Toya would still have a Quirk that hurt him. Shoto would still have an interest in Hero Work (remember: he still wanted to be a Hero because of All Might). Heck, both kids might want to be Heroes now BECAUSE they look up to their dad. Toya can still not be a Hero while Shoto can. And what if Shoto expressed a desire to be trained by Enji? Should he say no because it'd make Toya upset? He'd still alienate one son either way. Toya might still end up resenting Shoto either way. He might not become Dabi, but there's a good chance this stubborn, hot-headed child might have still gotten hurt, even if Enji and Rei did everything right. Dabi's fans love to blame fully blame Enji for what Toya is now, and he definitely didn't help Toya growing up happy or stable. But kids are not blank slates and good parenting isn't a guarantee they won't mess up their lives.
@@VeWatchesVideos so they would turn out base on the environment they grew up on
I’m very glad you made that disclaimer at the beginning specifically the idea of needing to make a distinction between a good character and person
So many times will I see someone say “I like x evil/bad character ” and people will go wild about it
You can like a character without putting them on a pedestal like so many others do with “good” characters and if you can like someone without idolizing their behavior, then by all means go ahead.
Problem is, both twitter amd Tumblr will call you an abuse apologist if you decide to look passed Enji's misdeeds and focus on the now; that if you don't completely lambast he character for everything he's done, you're just as evil/wrong as he is. Meanwhile Rei, Dabi, they get a pass because they're his victims.
@@NoirRaven Seriously, I can accept that someone changes and wants to be better can I not? People like that really block the ability to have civil discussion because they’re unable to separate the fictional acts from horrible things they may have experienced in person and that makes things difficult to work around
@@ziongamer6905 Unfortunately, sometimes a person can understandably, though life experience, give up on the idea that a person who did bad things, or made a mistake, would want to correct their mistakes, reform themselves, redeem themselves, atone for their actions, or better themselves in one way of another. They can even think there's no such thing as having genuine regrets, and that a apology is the same as begging for mercy (not helped by people actually using them that way).
@@ziongamer6905 Yeah, I agree with you. I clarified the above post.
Tbh the Endeavor story really hits home with me and my step-dad and stepbrother. I love the writing and how real it feels if you know personally and how it also gives people a glimpse into that type of life
Ah my favorite character
3:44 Something the video kind of brushes over that I wanna point out, because it's my favorite thing about the Todoroki backstory. I think the manga does an amazing job of showing that their whole family situation was slowly deteriorating. It's not like Enji or Touya just suddenly snapped one day, it's shown to be little by little. The growing stress of Endeavor constantly seeing All Might, then Touya becoming a source of stress, stemming from Touya's own growing complexities. I don't think it was just a series of bad decisions, but also the fact that all of them were under more and more pressure as time went on.
Endeavour's story feels like a cautionary tale of what happens when you're aiming for something fleeting.
He aims to be no.1. that is admirable. I do have one question though, what is his plan to maintain that position years later down the line?
My whole life I've been surrounded by abusive figures; my dad and my stepdad. When people do wrong specially when it comes to spousal abuse or family abuse in general you won't even get an apology or if you do it's an empty apology and no sense of change. The thing about Endeavor is that endeavor tries to change, he doesn't look for redemption he looks for atonement. He can't redeem himself from what he did to his family but he can atone for it. He could have easily put all the blame on AFO when he found out that he took his son but he didn't, he was still blaming himself and rightfully so. He's looking to better himself and be someone that his family can at least look at. Mad respect because honestly people that do that IRL are few and far in between.
I really love the way you word that Endeavor is a human symbol. I also love this analysis of his character because I know people irl who have done the human (non-quirk) version of such abuses who feel 100% justified in never apologizing, never looking back on their actions, and demanding that those they tormented *worship* them and accuse those they abused of lying about such abuse. Within the fiction of the story, it's 100% within the respective Todoroki's rights to forgive or never forgive Endeavor, because even once someone has begged forgiveness and demonstrated actions to change everything about themselves they aren't entitled to that forgiveness, but outside of the fiction of the story Endeavor gives enough of a crap to want to change and fix what he knows he's basically nuked from orbit. And I know real people who could care less about their own actions against those they claim to love.
(Which is probably my objection to anyone who blatantly claims Endeavor is just evil "because." Because it's dishonest in regards to real people who don't show remorse or care who they've hurt.)
When I first began this series, I never expected Endeavor to be one of my favorite characters. I’m still honestly surprised Horikoshi was able to accomplish it.
Best character deservingly gets a nearly 20 minute video by Oceaniz?
Well deserved I say
But best character is shiggy he got 40 minute video
Best character is Shoto
Nice one haha
I’ve literally told my friend he is one of the best and most relatable heroes because of the wrongs he’s done and the fact that he tries to atone for what he’s done. Being someone who’s had a father who has tossed him aside and was abused physically and verbally i related to Enji more than his kids which is awkward considering he is the tormentor and not the tormented but he’s more human than his children to me in my opinion, he is a walking inferno of conflictions within himself. I understood his desires to want his children to be better than himself and All Might. Although he went about all of that in a horrible way and hurt his family really bad he is trying to recover from his own hardships as well as reconnect with his family. All his rage, frustration and conflict make him super relatable which is insane.
I think one of the problems some people have with Endeavor's story arc (well other than writing him as a flawed human and a piece of s--t) is that he hasn't faced the consequences of his actions the way they want him to. For one thing, they want someone else to enact retribution on him rather then allow him to atone. Another thing is the belief that he should face (before anything including having regrets) his victims getting revenge on him (or at least someone avenging them), judicial consequences, or even mortal consequences before being allowed to do anything good (if he's allowed at all).
Well, that and that he's giving so much a huge role in the story....
I, on the other hand, think its great writing a character trying to atone for such horrific actions (whether he succeeds we'll see), especially one that shows one of the way the society in the series is messed up, which leads to it downfall.
Edit: There's also the fact that Horikoshi seem to have given him, and several other characters, a "realistic character development". Some may just want realistic elements to his development (as well as the other characters), others may see it as giving a character "realistic character development" should mean the story needs to be written either more like how it is irl, as a moral warning (if they do something bad), or both.
I am an absolute sucker for stories of a genuine bastard knowing they're a bastard and doing their best to atone, especially if it's impossible.
You know what I'm reminded of is actually when Bakugo and Deku fought in Season 3. When Bakugo didn't know what do he had Deku to literally beat it out of him, when Enji didn't know what to do he had only his son to weak to burden.
At his first debut, I thought Endeavor will always be the bad hero example type of character until the end of the series. But nope, Horikoshi actually puts a LOT of depth on Endeavor. He brings the question to us the readers: is he forgivable after every damage he has done?
I hate him. But that shows how well he was created/makes you FEEL. Like Todoroki said, The Hero is amazing but dad....I still hate you. My mom was an abuse mental and physically to me. That doesn't mean she didn't show hate nastiness 24/7. She showed me love sometimes. She gave me beliefs I still hold to this day, but there are also ALOT of beliefs I don't hold. Im not racist like her, but Im a product of her. Thats why Todoroki Shouto holds such a place in my heart. I understand him and his father, more then I really should. Taking cures from real life only makes the characters more believable. I hate him but he is VERY well excuted.
Enji is not the only one responsible for the pain his children went through. Rei bears blame as well. Yes, while she did suffer because of the actions of Enji, she stood back and allowed Enji to push their first born son down a path that would lead to pain. She gave birth to more children, all for the sake of her husband's obsessions. All the pressure and tension would cause Rei to snap and pour boiling water on the face of her youngest child.
Yes, she suffered, but her inaction towards the situation between Enji, Toya and her other children ultimately played a part in the tragedy of her family. However, like Enji, Rei is not evil. She is flawed. And now they both want to make amends. Like Rei said,the burden is not just his to bear. The entire Todoroki family must bear it, and try to set things right.
i feel a little sad that oceaniz thinks his last endeavour video sucks bcs its actually one of my favorite videos of his ☹
It's the reason why I subbed
Its good, 😔 its genuinly good, cant wait for future endavour or todoroki family videos.
Yeah I do not think it was bad. This video is better but the first was still good
It an artist curse, sort to said. When improve one skill and talent, looking back the artist will "hate" their early work because they can spot all the mistakes they made and had overcome, something they would never do after perfecting their talent.
I can said from experience that my drawing from when I start to now are night and day. Can't help but cringe a bit looking back at my early work, since I can actually draw characters looking like people instead of being block figures.
I think they are both great videos. The first one really speaks to survivors of abuse and gives a big voice to the healing. This video is about the journey and humanity of it all.
Endeavour's saves must be atleast in the 100 thousands since all might saved three cities and it was said that endeavour has saved more people than him
Endeavor and Rei's story is my favorite subplot of any story
Enji deserves his breakdown. But he NEEDS to be broken so that he can be rebuilt.
its 2021 and people cant separate good character from good person.He is my favourite character because he is an amazing character not because he is a saint he is probably one of the shittiest people in the manga but the way horikoshi wrote him made endeavor carry every scene he is in because of how interesting he is
Can I just thank you for being who you are? Sorry that probably sounds sappy but last night I tried to watch other analysis channels and while I won't name names my god, I literally got so angry with how god damn stupid and shallow their 'analysis' was. Then there is you. Just, thank you for existing.
It’s crazy how little this video has aged, we obviously have had some developments from him and his plotline overall but nothing that major that makes this video obsolete
Oceaniz! Quirk: Insightful Analysis. Whenever he enjoys a piece of media he can dissect and examine small elements that make it good.
I always find it really maddening how people feel sympathy for those “good” gone bad but won’t even give the time of day to those who are “bad” trying to be good! Next time I’m just gunna show them this video cause you answer them perfectly!
Endeavor was a character I would've never expected to like and want to be better in a hundred years. He is a great hero, but he isn't a good person.
He was a good person and he did love his family at one point in time. This is good to show the audience because real life abusers are not all the same. Some of them aren't these cartoonish people who are evil to be evil. They still have emotions and they can still show love. BUT just because they do some good things, it does NOT absolve them of all their sins.
He will never atone, but he will spend the rest of his life to atone to his family. Things will never heal, but as long as he keeps at it, the atonement will make his family, the people most important, feel more comfortable.
Man endeavor is so underrated as a character tbh
Enji Todoroki is my favorite character in MHA. Has been for a really long time. He's a fantastically written character, and I really don't know why everyone dismissing him so easily. Sure he's a terrible person and has done horrible things in his life, but so have other fan favorite characters that are part of the league. So many people fawn over characters like dabi when he's literally incinerated innocent people alive, enjoyed it, and has shown absolutely no remorse or regrets. Shigaraki is the same. He wants to destory the hero system and doesn't care how many heroes or normal people die in the process. Compared to their crimes of literal mass murder, Enji's pale in comparison. That still doesn't excuse what he did, but I hate the argument that he is a horrible character because of what he did to his family but then other characters' crimes, which are worse, don't get the same criticism. At least Enji has acknowledged what he did, is regretful, and is trying to change and better himself. At the very least, be consistent. If you're going to use that argument, don't pick and chose who it applies to. I know abuse can be a subject closer to home for some, but like the video said in the beginning, he's a fictional character who hasn't actually hurt anyone. We use fiction so that we can see or experience different types of people and see things from their perspective without actually hurting anyone. And while everyone has the right to dislike or like a character for whatever reason, it's really hypocritical for people to criticize others for liking a character who has done bad things as if only good and moral characters are worth liking. So, yeah, I unapologetically think Endeavor is the most interesting and best-written character in MHA.
@Márcio Monteiro thanks 😁
Spittin
Endeavor has honestly become one of the only reasons I keep up with MHA.... I wanna see where his arc goes!
What an absolute banger of a video. The way it all came together back to the name "Endeavor" near the end was chillingly good.
I never connected the parallels between chasing after All Might's back, and chasing after atonement, trying desperately to undo the damage he has caused, both impossible tasks.
"Just watch me."
DANG is that line impactful after watching all that, WOW. Love the video, man!
Your other Endeavor video absolutely doesn’t suck. It’s thoughtful, provocative and entertaining all the way through. You provide a professional point of view us regular people don’t have, it’s invaluable to your argument.
The closing statements on Endeavor are by far the most poignant and accurate things I've ever heard.
This is why Endeavors redemption arc is so amazing.
Enji Todoroki is a terrible person. Endeavor is a great hero.
I literally watched what is available of season five so fast just because I wanted to watch "the hellish todoroki family" and see how shit would go down
When endeavor told Shoto that he wanted to change for the better in S4 thats when I started to like him. Once I saw his S4 development when he became the number one hero, he became my favorite character. A man who has been trying to change for the better since S4 and atton for his sins since S5 became my favorite character
I was planning on doing an analysis video and here I find the perfect description of WHY I love the guy. He embodies every aspect of MHA perfectly. His hero name embodies both himself and the story theme too. To endeavor.
An incredible job by you to spell it all out and deep dive Horikoshi's most complex character and masterpiece!
jep, the most human hero... coming after a demi god... I would not want to switch places with him... but I can not help but root for him, mainly because I made theactive choice to better himself, which was so cool to see. Come to think the motto of this family is: we can only become better if we chose to make it. Since 3 out of 6 made already such a choice. This guy this family.. is a beautiful, complicated, realistic and somewhat optimistic mess and masterpiece in itself and I am thankful to see it. great video btw XD
This video is deliciously compelling.
great video on a fascinating character. and despite the long journey we’ve seen from endeavour, there’s still a lot more left. we still haven’t really seen his upbringing and how it shaped who he was at the start of the series and his desire to surpass all might, and his next confrontation with toya should be something amazing. phenomenal character who contributes massively to a phenomenal series.
Just watched your older video about Endeavor last night. Can't wait to see how your analysis has changed
honestly horikoshi really caught me off guard with endeavor. up until the pro hero arc i was firmly in the camp of highkey hating him. however, as the story began to delve deeper into his psyche and his backstory i couldn't help but begin to tolerate him if only due to the masterful writing. now, i find myself really enjoying endeavor's character writing, even if i still don't fully "like" him.
Maybe you can get the endevour haters, if you say he is a well written character instead of good. Since they seem to conflate good with beeing a moral person.
I really like this video! Very good analysis. I'd say, and this may be my Christian self talking, that after what we've seen, he's no longer a monster. His regret and determination to make amends are genuine. Of course, the damage he's done won't be healed and his mistakes won't be forgotten but at least those are a testimony to just how very frail heroes really are, and society (BnHA's) would learn from that.
I disagree with the framing that he threw Touya away, but he did snap after he believed his wife let their first son burn himself to death in the woods.
Endeavor is the Batman of the mha universe. Except with powers. Once you find out why he quests to be number 1 hero and his childhood it makes sense why he was so overly focused. Much like Batman who can be a decent dad but also a POS because it's his way or no easy and you're all subordinates to him.
All Might is what the world needs.
Endeavour is what the world deserves.
Just to add a little thing: at the beginning, you said that art's value is proportionate to the amount of discourse it generates. And I happen to know a professor, of aesthetics at Charles University who would absolutely agree. It's a great philosophical debate, really. Most people think the aesthetic value of art is the main thing, but this professor disagrees. He says that the aesthetic value (how nice it looks/sounds etc.) is second to the "artistic" value, as in how much it contributed to the world of art in general. Using this definition, Endeavor may have any aesthetic value, he might be enjoyable, he might be annoying to the viewer, whatever, but he certainly has great artistic value, as he's one of the rare complex abusive characters out there, contributing a great deal to the more realistic depiction of abusers across art forms.
I love how you can reasonably infer how the quirks given to the todoroki family influence their behavior and personality, endeavor is likely only like this because his quirk symbolically embodies ambition, toya had a quirk much more powerful than his but it ended up hurting him, alongside that came an ambition and stubbornness so much more powerful than endeavors it was impossible to control and was practically destined to end with him in a blaze of glory, i see that to be equally as responsible for toya’s downfall as i see it to be endeavor’s responsibility for failing to direct his sons drive somewhere healthier, shoto is a lot more confusing in this regard and that makes a lot of sense as he is literally ice and fire, but he’s characterized by a softer more reserved nature that regularly hides an anger and frustration he once lacked the ability to handle before his fight with deku, to me he shows off a kinder softer side that gives way to his ambition after the sports festival to be his whole hearted desire to help people and be a hero
Watching this I think I finally understand why people hate Endeavor so much he is a flawed and realistic character in a fictional story and we have been conditioned to see fictional stories in black and white we don't want to admit it but even in small ways we all turn out as the villain or at least less of a good guy than we want to be in some situations some more than others but we all make mistakes some of these mistakes can be catastrophic but Endeavor's endeavors show even if you can't undo the past you can make the future better and that's all any of us can ask of each other but people hate Endeavor because he shows us that ugliness
a lot of people go to fiction to escape and it's easier to virtue signal than to admit the brilliance of the writing and our own flaws
Endeavor’s wife wanted more kids lmfao
Ya know looking at endeavor’s body... why not???
This is better than the previous video for sure!
Man wants to make another endeavor video and does, respect
Amazing video man,
Endeavor is my favorite MHA character too
i am not a massive MHA fan but damn do i love Endeavor
Thanks for explaining my favourite character in better ways I could do so myself.
It's always a pleasure to learn in your channel.
I feel the same when people discuss and like fictional villains just because you like them dosnt mean you condone thier actions
I love this video and wish there was something like it years ago.
Back in 2018, when I was really getting into MHA, I started an Endeavor fan blog because I really liked his character and development. I was met with harassment and rude people a lot and they would say stuff like: “You’re an abuser apologist” and stuff. But I also met a lot of people like me who saw what endeavor could be and what he actually was as a character and we stuck together against everything. Not many in the fandom seemed to understand us but we knew that there was a lot more to his character than being a bad father and we wanted to show the fandom but sometimes it felt on deaf ears. Our endeavor didn’t work.
As time went on, a lot more people started getting into his character and it felt nice but there was and still are a bunch of people who think he’s a bad character because he’s a bad person. Back then, there wasn’t really a good video that truthfully and thoroughly explained Enji and I’m happy that fans can now get a view of who he really is through this video. Thank you.
The title for this video is simply exquisite
I actually disagree on only 1 point.
Yes he's a bastard. But I do not feel that his past being revealed didn't make him seem anymore of one, it humanized him and showed that spiral into madness, if anything I feel it shows a reason to sympathize with him.
it definetly humanized him, but for me, it characterized his past self as more despicable (and deluded) than I had expected. His choice to push the mentally unwell Toya away is just incredibly evil, especially considering that Endeavor was a 30 yr old man at this point and should have really shown more perspective. But i think both takeaways are valid, its this ambiguity that makes him such a great character imo!
I see it more as an incredible toxic mindset and him the perfect character to critique toxic masculinity, expectations devaluing despite knowing better communications. I makes him look more like a character haunted by a complex caught in zoxic patzerns, probably one of the hero society itself with obsession with strengh.
And pushing toya away was bad, but more him being unable to cope with own insecurizies, still bad thou.
@@Oceaniz I agree hid character writing is absolutely fantastic and it's great to see different view points on such a decisive character
@@Oceaniz I think you're a smidge biased here, possibly due to someone in your past but, Enji wasn't evil for pushing Touya away, because he wasn't wrong when he pointed out that the only world he could provide Touya, was that of a hero.
Seriously, think about it. What hope was there for Touya, even outside of heroism? Not only is his power destructive and dangerous, but he can't ever use it at full power without cooking himself alive. I don't even think a support item would help with this problem, if your skin theory is correct: Touya can never use his powers again.
Which does suck in every way possible. It's like being a gifted athlete until you take that bear fatal header and can never play again without risking death.
Trust me, I've been thinking about this ever since that part of his backstory was revealed and I can't find a solution for Touya, so I can understand why Enji panicked and avoided him.
Was it right? Not entirely, but it's understandable when you look at it from a psychological perspective.
I swear, Enji has mad anxiety he's had to hide his whole life, probably due to how he was raised or societal expectations, (not that I think we'll ever get that part of his backstory, so we're condemned to speculation on that one, unfortunately.)
One thing I do know, however, is that abuse is often learned behavior. Yes, humans are inherently toxic and abusive from the start and we have to have that traumatized out of us as we grow older, but some internalize the toxic traits they were raised on and then pass that on to the next generation. Generational trauma abuse is a thing and it's one hell of a cycle to break. At least Enjoy finally realized and is trying.
Damn, this was beautiful
You might have just made endeavour my favourite character
I think that his reasoning (now I know this is my opinion and me getting to much into a character's mind) was that since HE's whole life he follows the motto "not backing down and striving to be number one", he couldnt make the right decision of stopping Toya from training no matter what and getting him help, like he is a child, not a teen or adult in that time, but he thought that just like him, Toya would stop at nothing so he made the worst decision, creating Dabi. Anyways loved this video. Thanks!
Holy shit, those last 4 minutes? GOOSEBUMPS.
One of the best MHA characters really solid character arc and continued development
I personally think that endeavor gets more credit for what he's worth (he seems more talk than action when it comes to his atonement). However, despite me still hating this man now and probably always, he is one of the only FOUR character's whose stories I care about in the my hero manga currently. i literally cannot wait to see what he will do next.
This was very moving! Thanks for writing and making!
A bit harsh, I became suscribed to you thanks to your Endeavor video.
Still the Touya backstory was excellent showing the complete contrast of Rei who lets her emotions boil inside to a reaching point, and Enji who burns constantly with so much rage and passion he eventually burns out also confirming that Endeavor is indeed an abuser and Shoto wasn't seeing things.
Great video.
Dabi is the Joker to his father's Batman, Dabi challenges Endeavor not through strength but through his most cherished thing -His HERO IDENTITY.
DABI's existence tells Endeavor he was never a hero and it was ALL FOR NOTHING
I would argue that Dabi is more two-face than Joker. He is someone who by all rights would have been Endeavour's only and greatest ally. No one, *NO ONE*, believed in his dream like Touya did. Enji says it himself; they are exactly the same in determination. By denying Touya, Endeaviur is basically saying that he himself should never have had he chance to be a hero due to his own dangerous and self destructive quirk. Endeavour, too, has the necessary qualities and would have become a villain if he was treated as he treated others.
By himself, Endeavour fails even by his own standards of what a hero aspirant should be. But with is family, trying to lift them up from the depths he sunk them to, he finds purpose once more. Above all, be what they need, not what he wants. This is the core of Endeavour's redemption.
@@rakshithanand8262 I agree, but the Joker I had in mind was Heath Ledger's Joker but with Two Faces' tragic story, why? Dabi is an anarchist but he is trying to prove a point and he is way more sympathetic than Joker which is where Two face comes in. Love your Batman villain take on Dabi
best mha analysist i've seen. prove me wrong
Bad man, great character. Awesome video!
I love Endeavor because he shows that change is possible even for horrible people. I get why people hate the guy but to me, if my father changed like Endeavor did, I’d fully accept him back. You can’t change the past but people have to realize just cause people have done bad things doesn’t mean they’re always destined to be bad. I mean we probably all have done bad things in our lives, it’s what makes us human so we should credit people when they try to better themselves instead of pushing them down cause that might stop them from even trying