Summary
Most fans, if not all, ofMy Hero Academiaare familiar with Endeavor;they might not love him, but at least they know him. In a world full of heroes, Endeavor becomes the number 1 hero in Japan after All Might retired. For the longest time, Endeavor had been gunning for this position, hoping that he would defeat All Might and, if not him, his offspring. Unfortunately for Endeavor, neither happened, and he got this title because All Might be retired. This angered Endeavor, buthe accepted the positionbecause he had sacrificed so much for it.
TheEndeavor Agency ArcinMy Hero Academiastarts in season 5, episode 13, and ends in episode 18. This arc represents a significant turning point in this anime. It takes place after theMeta Liberation Army Arc, and more importantly, it follows the experiences of Midoriya, Bakugo, and Todoroki as they embark on an internship with Endeavor. Beyond their training, this arc delves deep into Endeavor’s path to redemption while exploring the changing dynamics within hero society as they prepare for the war that the Paranormal Liberation Front is planning.
Hero Work Studies Continues
Todoroki Invites His Friends To His Father’s Agency
With the Hero Work Studies program back in effect, U.A. high school students have the opportunity to work ina hero agencythroughout the school year. This program is put in place so that students can build their skills and be prepared for their lives as pro-heroes and the danger coming their way.
Midoriya and Bakugo, just like their peers, were looking for where to intern, and most students had an idea of where they were working but not these two. Some students were going back to the agency they previously worked in, while others, like Midoriya, wanted a change. Bakugo could not return toBest Jeanist’s agencyas the pro-hero is still missing. Luckily for these two, Todoroki invited them to intern with him at his father’s agency, which they accepted.
When Todoroki brings Midoriya and Bakugo to his father, he pretends to be glad about the decision Todoroki made without consulting him but agrees to it nonetheless. Endeavor is just glad that his son made an effort and is under the impression that Todoroki wants to work on mending their relationship, but little does he know. Endeavor plans on giving Todoroki his full attention, ignoring Midoriya and Bakugo. But as this arc progresses, Endeavor has a change of heart.
Hawks As A Double Agent
Building Trust With The Villains
In this arc, fans see Hawks in action as a double agent.The Hero Public Safety Commissionconvinces Hawks to infiltrate the League of Villains after their alliance with the Meta Liberation Army, which later becomes the Paranormal Liberation Front underTomura Shigaraki’s leadership.
Hawks happens to be the perfect candidatefor this dangerous task because of his calm demeanor, intelligence, and ability to manipulate situations. The Paranormal Liberation Front has something big planned, and the hero society needs to be prepared for what they have in store, or else it will be catastrophic. Being left in the dark is not a choice these heroes can accept, which is why they sent Hawks in with the hopes thathe would gain the trust of the villainsand extract critical information that can help them plan a counterattack against the growing threat.
The Paranormal Liberation Front tracks Hawks’s moves, but he is still able to find a clever way to inform Endeavor about their plan. Hawks gives Endeavor a book written by Destro, gushing about how relevant the book is and Destro’s idealogy is. Endeavor collects the book, and while reading it, he pays close attention to the parts that Hawks highlighted, as there is a message Hawks is trying to pass.
Once Endeavor gets the message from Hawks, he realizes that the impending danger is great, and it would be grave if they were not prepared for it, and more hands need to be on deck for the war coming. With only four months to spare, Endeavor’s change begins as he has a change of heart and decides to train all his interns, Bakugo, Midoriya, and Todoroki, leaving no one out and making sure they get stronger.
Life In Endeavor’s Agency
The Training Begins
Fans have Hawks to thank for Endeavor’s change of heart. Endeavor begins training his interns, and fans discover he is a pretty good teacher as he pays individualized attention to his students. Before training began, he asked Bakugo and Midoriya what they planned on achieving. Midoriya hopes that he will be able to control One For All better and all the powers within it,especially Blackwhip. Bakugo, on the other hand, believes he has mastered his quirk and just wants to know what Endeavor lacks as the number one heroso he can surpass him. Endeavor accepts their reasons and is about to continue training when Todoroki counters him.
Endeavor’s greatest flaw crept up during this moment with his students as he failed to ask Todoroki what his goals were, showing that for the longest time, he did not care about what his son wanted and only about what he wanted or felt was best for his son. Endeavor wants Todoroki to masterFlashfire Fist, his ultimate move, but Todoroki has other plans. Todoroki tells his father he is only at his agency to use and learn from him. He adds that he has no plans to forgive him and tells his father that All Might is his inspiration and not him.
This confrontation with Todoroki broke Endeavor’s heart. He thought Todoroki had come to his agency because he wanted to forgive him. Endeavor is reaping the fruits of his past actions but accepts that and moves on with his training. Endeavor takes his interns out for training, taking them out on rounds and teaching them how to efficiently use their quirks to swiftly apprehend a villain. As the arc progresses, fans see how these three try to overtake Endeavor when a villain is on the loose.
Endeavor’s Redemption
A Difficult But Necessary Journey
Things cannot be well overnight, as the damage Endeavor has done, especially to his family, is great. Luckily for Endeavor, his daughter, Fuyumi, is passionate about mending their broken family. In this arc,fans are invited into Todoroki’s abodeas Fuyumi cooks dinner and gathers all her family, including Midoriya and Bakugo.
This dinner led to a can of worms being opened up, especially in front of non-family members.Natsuo is deeply angry at his father for all his previous actions, blaming him for Toya’s death, and abruptly leaves dinner because he cannot stand him. Todoroki also has reservations about his father and is unsure if forgiving him is the right decision. Midoriya tells him he is ready to forgive his father and should not fight it.
Throughout the arc,Endeavor wrestles with his past mistakes, especially how he treated his family. His previous obsession with surpassing All Might caused the death of his son, Toya, and his abusive and controlling behavior, especially toward Shoto. He neglected his other children, Fuyumi and Natsuo, but he is trying to make amends. Endeavor has gotten what he wants, being the number one hero, but he lost so much in the process.
Fans see that despite Endeavor’s tough guy act, he is just human, and he is making an effort to correct his mistakes and try to be a better hero and father. The dinner at the Todoroki’s residence exposes Endeavor’s intentions of wanting better for his family. He feels honored that his daughter Fuyumi organized a family dinner and included him, much to the annoyance of his other son, Natsuo. Endeavor seeks to make amends for his mistakes and wants his family to be happy even if it means without him.
Showcases Endeavor’s Students Growth And His Lost Relationship With His Son
Before this arc wraps up, a villain named Ending tries to get Endeavor’s attention and kidnaps Natsuo in a bid to force Endeavor to kill him. As Endeavor rushes to rescue his son, he is unable to act like he usually would because of the scared look on his son’s face. Luckily, his students, whom he spent time training, stepped up and had a face-off against the villain.
Midoriya, Todoroki, and Bakugo work together to stop the villain and save Natsuo without needing Endeavor’s help. The successful rescue strengthens the bond between the three students, showing they can handle real-world dangers as a team.
For Endeavor,the situation reminds him of the personal cost of his past actions. After reuniting with Natsuo, he realizes he harbors deep resentment toward him. He has a heartfelt conversation with Natsuo, where he acknowledges his past failures and accepts responsibility for neglecting his family, particularly him, Fuyumi, and their mother, Rei. He also accepts responsibility for Toya’s fate. Natsuo expresses his anger, stating he will never forgive Endeavor, and Endeavor accepts that forgiveness may never come, but he still wants to make amends. Ending, the villain, witnesses this heartfelt conversion and is againstEndeavor’s shift in character, proving that indeed, Endeavor is on ajourney to redemption.
What Is To Come After?
This arc ends withMidoriya, Bakugo, and Todoroki being strongerand more confident in their abilities, showing that interning with Endeavor was a good choice. Endeavor, on the other hand, begins to gain redemption in the eyes of his family and society, although his journey is far from complete.
The arc also sets the stage for the impending large-scale war between heroes and villains, with society’s trust in heroes hanging in the balance.
My Hero Academiais now available to stream onCrunchyroll.
My Hero Academia
In My Hero Academia, some humans have superpowers called quirks. Izuku Midoriya, nicknamed Deku, is not one of them. Deku has always idolized heroes like the number one hero, All Might, and since he was a child, he has always wanted to be a hero. However, his lack of a quirk has always held him back, but a chance encounter with All Might after discovering a classmate in danger sets Deku on the path to becoming a true hero. My Hero Academia centers around Deku and a class of heroes-in-training at UA. This school shapes young quirk users into future heroes through fake rescue missions, combat training, and other hero-tempering tasks. With young Deku inheriting the “One-For-All” quirk, he will learn what it means to be a true hero while facing off with dastardly supervillains.
