Wikipedia

Shoto Todoroki

Shoto Todoroki (Japanese: 轟 焦凍, Hepburn: Todoroki Shōto), also known by the mononym Shoto (ショート, Shōto), is a superhero and one of the main protagonists of the manga series My Hero Academia, created by Kōhei Horikoshi. Being the only child who inherited both Endeavor and Rei's Quirks, Shoto was often separated from his siblings. After witnessing how Endeavor abused his mother, Shoto began to despise Endeavor and refused to use his fire powers as a result, though he began to use them more after a fight with Izuku Midoriya.

Shoto Todoroki
My Hero Academia character
First appearanceMy Hero Academia #1, "What I Can Do For Now", August 11, 2014
Created byKōhei Horikoshi
Portrayed byRyō Kitamura
Voiced by
In-universe information
AliasesShoto Todoroki, Todoroki-kun, Icy-Hot, Half'n'half, The Hand Crusher, Five Weiners
SpeciesHuman
GenderMale
OccupationStudent at U.A. High School
Family
NationalityJapanese
QuirkHalf-Cold Half-Hot

Shoto's Quirk is Half-Cold Half-Hot (半冷半燃), which allows him to shoot flames from the left side of his body and freeze things with the right side of his body. However, there are drawbacks to either side's overuse. Shoto has received positive reception by critics, with many praising his character development and origins in the anime.

Creation and conception

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Shoto was the fourth student in Class 1-A to be created by Horikoshi, following Izuku Midoriya, Katsuki Bakugo, and Ochaco Uraraka.[1] Originally Horikoshi had intended the UA Sports Festival solely to develop Shoto's character, though later had to expand it to give more characters a chance to be in the spotlight.[2]

Appearances

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In My Hero Academia

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Shoto is the youngest of four siblings from Endeavor (Enji Todoroki) and Rei Todoroki. However, unlike his siblings, Shoto was the only one who inherited both Endeavor and Rei's quirks, which was Endeavor's goal with the marriage, as he wanted a successor who could defeat All Might. When Shoto was a child, he was subjugated to harsh physical training by Endeavor, who would beat Shoto up brutally to make him stronger. His mother was also abused by her husband, which resulted of her poured boiling hot water on the left side of his face after she snapped because the left side of shotos face reminded her too much of endeavor, the man who had abused her, causing a scar on the left of his face, around his left eye. This experience negatively affected both Shoto's mental health and his feelings towards his father, alienating himself from his peers. Due to this distaste for his father, he refused to use the fire portion of his Quirk, or socialize with other classmates. After his fight against Izuku Midoriya in the U.A. Sports Festival, Shoto began to be more accepting of his fire powers. Shoto also became more sociable as a result of spending more time with his classmates.

Shoto's Quirk is Half-Cold Half-Hot, which allows him to freeze things with the right side of his body and shoot flames from the left side of his body. After overcoming the reluctance to use his flame powers, he learns different ways to combine both powers effectively. However, overuse of his powers could cause him to suffer from frostbite or heat stroke.

In the series' anime adaptation, Shoto is voiced by Yuki Kaji in Japanese and David Matranga in English.[3][4] In the stage play, he is portrayed by Ryō Kitamura.[5]

Other media

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Shoto was added to the crossover video game Jump Force as a DLC character on May 26, 2020.[6] In a crossover promotion with Avengers: Infinity War, Shoto shared a brief conversation with Thor.[7]

Shoto was also added as an outfit in the free-to-play game Fortnite along with Eijiro Kirishima and Mina Ashido, as well as his superpower, showcased as a mythic ability in the game.[8]

Reception

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Popularity

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Shoto has consistently ranked in the top three in popularity polls for the series alongside Izuku Midoriya and Katsuki Bakugo.[9][10] In Tumblr's top anime and manga characters, Shoto ranked third behind Izuku and Katsuki in 2019;[11] he was seventh in 2020;[12] and eighth in 2021.[13] In the Funimation's Decade of Anime fan poll, he was voted as one of the five recipients for the "Best Boys of the Decade" category.[14] Anime! Anime! did a poll where the readers voted for the most popular hero characters. Shoto ranked as the sixth-most popular hero character in 2021;[15] and eleventh in 2023.[16] In the same website poll, he was voted as the most associated character with a snow/ice powers from 2021 to 2023.[17][18][19] At the 2nd Crunchyroll Anime Awards, Shoto won the award for Best Boy.[20]

Critical response

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Yuki Kaji (left) and David Matranga (right) both received praise for their voice performances as Shoto.

Alex Osborn from IGN praised Shoto and his origins as emotional.[21] Daniel Kurland from Den of Geek also offered some praise, stating that Shoto was one of the coolest characters of the series.[22] The Anime UK News reviewer praised the character, as well as his voice actor in both the original Japanese and English dubbed versions.[23] Princess Weekes and Briana Lawrence of The Mary Sue also offered praise for Shoto, specifically for his character development and personality.[24][25] Brittney Hemmands of Comic Book Resources felt that Shoto became less likeable as the series progressed.[26] Götz Piesbergen from Splash Comics praised the character as unique and enjoyable.[27] Mickaël Géreaume from Planete BD praised Shoto as an endearing character.[28] Columnists from Manga News praised the character development and origin story of Shoto.[29]

Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto praised the character.[30]

References

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  1. ^ Horikoshi, Kōhei (November 3, 2015). Rage, You Damned Nerd. My Hero Academia. Vol. 2. Translated by Cook, Caleb. San Francisco: Viz Media. p. 86. ISBN 978-1-42-158270-2.
  2. ^ Horikoshi, Kōhei (August 2, 2016). Shoto Todoroki, Origin. My Hero Academia. Vol. 5. Translated by Cook, Caleb. San Francisco: Viz Media. p. 190. ISBN 978-1-42-158702-8.
  3. ^ Pineda, Rafael (February 10, 2016). "My Hero Academia Anime Casts Yuuki Kaji as Shōto Todoroki". Anime News Network. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
  4. ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (April 9, 2017). "Funimation Reveals English Dub Cast For My Hero Academia Season 2 Anime". Anime News Network. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
  5. ^ Pineda, Rafael (December 21, 2018). "My Hero Academia Stage Play's Cast, Visual, Debut Dates Revealed". Anime News Network. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
  6. ^ Hazra, Adriana (May 21, 2020). "Jump Force Game Adds Shoto Todoroki on May 26". Anime News Network. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
  7. ^ April (April 12, 2018). "My Hero Academia Characters Show Off Their Avengers Fandom in Crossover Videos". Anime News Network. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
  8. ^ Luster, Joseph (September 12, 2023). "My Hero Academia Fortnite Collab Returns with Shoto Todoroki and More". Crunchyroll. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  9. ^ Loveridge, Lynzee (December 12, 2017). "Deku Still Chasing #1 in My Hero Academia Popularity Poll". Anime News Network. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
  10. ^ Loveridge, Lynzee (November 26, 2018). "Deku's Popularity Falters in My Hero Academia Popularity Poll". Anime News Network. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
  11. ^ Dennison, Kara (December 2, 2019). "My Hero Academia Rules Tumblr's Anime Fandoms Again in 2019". Crunchyroll. Archived from the original on February 29, 2024. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  12. ^ Lee, Choo Sum (December 8, 2020). "My Hero Academia Dominates Tumblr's 2020 Top Anime & Manga List". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  13. ^ Peters, Megan (December 2, 2021). "My Hero Academia Is Dominating Tumblr's Anime Year in Review". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on September 27, 2023. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  14. ^ "A Decade of Anime: Best Girls & Best Boys". Funimation - Blog!. December 27, 2019. Archived from the original on May 5, 2022. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
  15. ^ "一番好きな"ヒーロー"キャラは？ 3位「ヒロアカ」オールマイト、2位「ヒロアカ」緑谷出久、1位は…【#ヒーローの日】". Anime! Anime! (in Japanese). January 16, 2021. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  16. ^ ""ヒーロー"キャラといえば？ 3位「ワンパンマン」サイタマ 2位「ヒロアカ」緑谷出久 1位は…＜23年版＞". Anime! Anime! (in Japanese). January 16, 2023. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  17. ^ "雪・氷キャラといえば？ 3位「Bleach」日番谷冬獅郎、2位「FAIRY TAIL」グレイ・フルバスター、1位は…". Anime! Anime! (in Japanese). January 20, 2021. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  18. ^ ""氷・雪"キャラといえば？ 「ヒロアカ」轟焦凍、2年連続トップなるか!?＜22年版＞". Anime! Anime! (in Japanese). January 12, 2022. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  19. ^ ""氷・雪"キャラといえば？ 3位「東方Project」チルノ、2位「アナと雪の女王」エルサ、1位は…＜23年版＞". Anime! Anime! (in Japanese). January 12, 2023. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  20. ^ Loveridge, Lynzee (February 25, 2018). "Made in Abyss, My Hero Academia Win Big at Crunchyroll's Anime Awards". Anime News Network. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
  21. ^ Osborn, Alex (June 3, 2017). "My Hero Academia Episode 23: "Shoto Todoroki: Origin" Review". IGN. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
  22. ^ Kurland, Daniel (October 21, 2018). "My Hero Academia Episode 23: Shoto Todoroki: Origin". Den of Geek. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
  23. ^ "My Hero Academia – Season 2 Part 1 Review". Anime UK News. March 30, 2018. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
  24. ^ Weekes, Princess (May 17, 2021). "My Hero Academia's Shoto Todoroki and the Evolution of a Hero". The Mary Sue. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
  25. ^ Lawrence, Briana (January 11, 2022). "Remember When We All Thought Shoto Todoroki Would Be a Dark and Brooding Character but It Turns Out He's a Sassy Troll?". The Mary Sue. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
  26. ^ Hemmands, Brittney (January 12, 2022). "My Hero Academia: 10 Ways Shoto Todoroki Ruined His Likability". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
  27. ^ Piesbergen, Götz (January 9, 2017). "Comic-Besprechung - My Hero Academia Band 2" (in German). Retrieved February 6, 2022.
  28. ^ Géreaume, Mickaël (December 23, 2016). "My Hero Academia T5". Planete BD (in French). Retrieved February 6, 2022.
  29. ^ Takato; Erkael; Alphonse (December 6, 2016). "My Hero Academia Vol.5: Shoto Todoroki: les origines". Manga News (in French). Retrieved February 6, 2022.
  30. ^ Yoshida, Daisuke (April 8, 2015). "一番最初にガツンときたのは鬼兄弟！【対談】岸本斉史×堀越耕平". Da Vinci News (in Japanese). Kadokawa Corporation. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
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