This time My Hero Academia episode 157 mostly focuses on a shunned antagonist, Dabi or Todoroki Toya, and delves deeper into his psyche affected by his family.
So now, like in the previous episode, this episode also focuses on a villain however the angle is different.
In the previous episode, All For One was featured with only his nefarious nature and cold-hearted and calculative villain-like characteristics.
However, in My Hero Academia episode 157, the villain of the main focus Dabi shows only his vulnerable side and his suppressed emotions, which may resonate with the viewer’s heart.
Table of Contents
Dabi In Full Throttle In My Hero Academia Episode 157
After the scheming phase of All For One’s hidden lackeys in the preset UA High/Shelter for citizens, where they somehow prevented all refugees from evacuating, the real trouble transpired in My Hero Academia episode 157.
This time, the source of the trouble was Dabi or Todoroki Toya, the firstborn of Endeavor(Todoroki Enji).
Most of the major villains from Spinner to Toga Himiko have been in the spotlight and had their respective episodes dedicated to them in this season up till now, so Dabi’s case can’t be any different.
So, in this episode, Dabi gets the spotlight, and with a big bang, at that.
So, what did Dabi actually do that was worthy of getting enough attention that a whole episode was dedicated solely to him?
Well, he simply became a damn nuke, capable of blowing off an area of a 5km radius and a civilian escape route also inside that area.
As shown previously, he was suppressing all the flame he could master inside of his own body up till now and that has reached such a point that it could cause a disaster of such a scale.
This self-sacrificing tendency of Dabi to get even with Endeavor didn’t only come from his hatred of him but there were also other reasons that we would discuss later.
Most of a different incident than All For One or Toga Himiko and similar to Spinner that occurred to Dabi was, losing his mind from overload of heat energy, and his mind reverting back to his childhood where he only seeks recognition from his father, Endeavor.
So, that reason was used as a catalyst in My Hero Academia episode 157 to portray Dabi differently than other villains and more like a prodigal son who becomes twisted due to some circumstances.
Dabi’s Interaction With Family
My Hero Academia episode 157 also puts importance on showing Dabi and his interaction, no, more like confrontation with his family.
Let’s start with his father Endeavor or Todoroki Enji, in Dabi’s early childhood, from the point when he had to push his body to meet his frantic father’s expectation, to the time when he finally mastered a strong move and wanted to show that to his father at Mt.Sekoto, none of the time he was as resentful as that time when at Mt.Sekoto he had to get burned by his own immense heat in absence of his father.
Well, that may as well have been the start of his resentment towards his family, but hatred has been suppressed inside him from long before, since his family, from his mother Rei, younger brother Natsuo, to younger sister Fuyumi, everyone was indifferent to him and his suffering and the youngest was also the same, I mean Shoto.
So, when Dabi confronted Endeavor, he not only did that out of resentment for him but also for his entire family but there was also a hidden longing for being loved and embraced that came out later, at the very last part of My Hero Academia episode 157.
If we change the angle a little bit and observe the whole scenario from Dabi’s family’s point of view, they also seem desperate enough to make amends.
For example, Shoto teams up with Iida to rush to Dabi in order to stop him in order to get closure for himself and to take responsibility as a member of Dabi’s family.
However, the most exceptional scene might be when Rei, despite being a normal civilian, tries to cool down Dabi and save him, along with her children Natsuo and Fuyumi.
This was clearly a scene to strike an emotional chord in viewers, and that was a success somehow.
And, when Shoto finally totally cools done Dabi, and neutralizes him, the suppressed emotions pour out from him, and the way this scene is presented and how Endeavor replies to him, is what may have made My Hero Academia episode 157 more memorable.
Final Thought
So, My Hero Academia episode 157 does paint a fine portrait of the antagonist Dabi, and uncovers his insecurities, suppressed emotions, and hidden intent or expectation from his family.
Besides that, no other important factor comes to mind that stood above Dabi as a subject.
Since, this time it’s all about Dabi, so, let’s see, what the next episode is about.
