REVIEW: ‘My Hero Academia’ Episode 130 — “The Wrong Way to Put Out a Fire”

CONTENT WARNING: My Hero Academia Episode 130 and this article feature a discussion of verbal and physical abuse.

My Hero Academia Episode 130 picks up right where the last episode left off, focusing on the Todoroki family as they work through their deep emotional and physical wounds. It’s one of the most emotional storylines in My Hero Academia, and Studio BONES has done an excellent job bringing it to life.

The Todoroki family has had to reconcile with the fact that their son, Toya, went on to become the villain Dabi. Viewers haven’t had the opportunity until now to really learn about how Toya became a villain and what caused his physical transformation. Endeavor had high hopes for him becoming a hero with a combination of quirks inherited from his parents, but his body was physically unable to handle it.

The backstory of Endeavor and Rei getting married in order to have a child that combines their fire and ice quirks is quite an intriguing one. The pressure Endeavor felt to surpass All Might was incredible, to the point where that pressure weighed heavily on his kids too. Unfortunately, Toya is unable to use Endeavor’s flame quirk without serious risk to his own life. Endeavor clearly cares about Toya and wants him to forget the idea of using the flame quirk, but Toya believes that the only way to make his father proud is by finding a way to manage his abilities regardless of the risk.

Watching Endeavor descend into a man of rage and hatred has been really tough. His internal dialogue makes it obvious he cares and there is a decent man underneath all of the anger, but the way he outwardly handles the situation is horrifically wrong. Endeavor becomes verbally and physically abusive. His deep-rooted desire to protect his firstborn child is morphed into a sick, twisted mentality that causes serious emotional and physical harm to the entire family. It’s what makes the fact that they are all together in the hospital visiting Endeavor in the present so impactful. Endeavor realizes the person he became and his villain-like behavior essentially inspired Toya to become Dabi and pushed the rest of his family away.

Instead of presenting a storyline where the abuser is instantly forgiven, My Hero Academia Episode 130 takes a more realistic approach. Rei and the other children don’t come to see Endeavor to forgive him, at least not right away, but they recognize his willingness to admit the monster he became to them and see his desire to change. They share in his pain since Toya was their son and brother too. That Endeavor has to fight him weighs heavily on the entire family. It’s such a hard topic to present in any format in a way that doesn’t feel gross, but My Hero Academia Episode 130 treats it like the serious issue it is.

Analyzing Dabi’s reason for becoming a villain is vital to finding a way to defeat him, and Hawks and Best Jeanist are on board to help Endeavor not to have to carry the weight all on his own. Hawks has his own history of an abusive childhood, which gives him a unique perspective into what Dabi might be thinking. The world is descending into chaos all around them, but Endeavor has friends in Hawks and Best Jeanist who are helping support each other in order to help save the world. They also know they’re going to need Deku to help learn more about how to stop All for One, but he has yet to wake up from his coma. Hopefully, he re-enters the fray next episode to help the heroes turn the tide.

My Hero Academia Episode 130 hurts, but it’s one of the best episodes of the show to date. It takes an authentic look at the relationship between abusers and those that they’ve hurt and doesn’t pull any punches. The story of the Todoroki family is arguably more impactful than the overarching story of fighting All for One, at least for now, and the way they are being tied together has been excellent.

My Hero Academia Episode 130 is streaming now on Crunchyroll.