Horikoshi Reveals How His Previous Manga Influenced The Creation Of Endeavor

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This article contains spoilers for My Hero Academia

Many fans of *My Hero Academia* consider Endeavor to be the most well-developed character, and it’s easy to understand why. Although he’s initially portrayed as a cruel and awful hero, the story gradually reveals his complexities. Author Kohei Horikoshi skillfully humanizes Endeavor, making him sympathetic despite acknowledging his flaws and that he’s not truly a good person.

Fans will likely discuss Endeavor’s development for a long time, but it turns out the character was inspired by the feelings creator Kohei Horikoshi experienced after having to end his previous manga series. Without those canceled projects, Endeavor probably wouldn’t have existed in *My Hero Academia*, which would have been unfortunate given how vital he is to the overall story.

Endeavor’s Complex Character Arc

Reaching The Top Hero Spot Turned Endeavor Into A Monster

  • Endeavor’s obsession with being number one tore his family apart
  • The Pro Hero desperately seeks a way to atone for how he treated his wife and kids

Endeavor, like many heroes in *My Hero Academia*, always wanted to be the top-ranked Pro Hero, but he couldn’t surpass the incredibly powerful All Might. Determined to create a child strong enough to achieve this, he entered into a Quirk marriage, hoping to combine fire and ice abilities. However, in his relentless pursuit of a successor stronger than All Might, Endeavor pushed his children too hard, ultimately becoming abusive in his training methods.

The situation would ultimately destroy the Todoroki family. Toya, feeling abandoned by his father, became a villain, while Shoto, still harboring resentment towards Endeavor, refused to use the fire aspect of his Quirk. The severe burn Shoto suffered was also partially Endeavor’s fault, as his actions drove Shoto’s mother to an emotional breaking point, causing her to accidentally scald him with boiling water.

Endeavor isn’t a hero, but after becoming the top hero around the middle of the story, he starts to change. He embarks on a difficult path to make amends for his past actions, desperately wanting to repair his family, even though he knows he caused their pain. This complex journey is full of surprises and keeps viewers hooked, but there’s a key reason why the story chose to focus on his attempts at redemption.

How Did Horikoshi’s Previous Manga Lead To Endeavor’s Creation?

Horikoshi’s Struggles Being A Manga Author Influenced Endeavor’s Personal Story

Shortly before the release of *My Hero Academia: You’re Next*, creator Kohei Horikoshi had a chance to talk about the movie and the series in general. The conversation largely focused on the positive response to his work, but one question particularly resonated with him – it was about the character Endeavor.

The interviewer explains that Endeavor is a character striving to be better, even though he caused a lot of pain while pursuing the top hero spot. Many characters in *My Hero Academia* share this desire to make amends for past wrongs, and the author, Kohei Horikoshi, offered a particularly insightful explanation when asked about why he focuses on this theme.

Kohei Horikoshi has said that he created My Hero Academia as a sort of ‘make or break’ project. He felt that if it wasn’t successful, he would stop drawing manga altogether. Because of this, he specifically wanted the story to inspire people to not give up, even if they’ve made mistakes.

Horikoshi shares that after his second manga series ended, he worried he might not be able to create comics again. Luckily, his third series became incredibly popular. Because of this success and the attention it brought, he wanted to show readers that even after losing hope, anyone can still achieve their goals with a renewed effort.

Why Endeavor Matters So Much To The Story

Heroism Isn’t Quite As Hopeful And Inspirational As It May Seem

As a huge fan, I’ve always been fascinated by Endeavor. It’s so clear that Kohei Horikoshi poured a lot of his own struggles and anxieties into the character, shaped by his experiences in the manga world. But it really makes you wonder… what would *My Hero Academia* even *be* like without Endeavor? He’s crucial because he pulls back the curtain on hero society, showing us that it’s not all sunshine and inspiration. Beneath the surface, it can be really harsh and cutthroat. We *saw* that firsthand when Dabi exposed Endeavor’s past – it was devastating! Suddenly, everyone lost faith in heroes, realizing that even the number one hero was capable of such awful things. It completely changed the way everyone viewed the entire system.

“I’m not looking for forgiveness. Just atonement” – Endeavor

Endeavor serves as a great foil to All Might, and their interactions are always compelling due to their long-standing rivalry. While Endeavor once intensely disliked All Might, they eventually become allies. This happens even after All Might loses his powers and is no longer at his peak.

Removing Endeavor from the story would significantly lessen the emotional impact of Todoroki’s development. The gradual rebuilding of their relationship is a truly moving part of the series, and a highlight of the character writing. It was a good decision for the author to create Endeavor, even if it stemmed from his own frustrations with his earlier works.

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2025-09-21 16:34