Shoto Todoroki has one of the most unique physical appearances in My Hero Academia. His unique hair, half white and half red, along with a scar on his left eye makes him stand out in a crowd. Yet, his hero costume is about as plain as can be, almost identical to the U.A. PE uniform. Shouldn't the most physically striking character have an equally distinct costume?

A hero's costume often includes support items that complement the Quirk of the hero. Shoto's Quirk is pretty straightforward: he can create ice with his right half and fire with his left half. Such a simple ability leaves little room for any sort of power-boosting equipment like Bakugo and Deku use. Launching large-scale bursts of elemental forces like fire and ice would require any support items in a costume to be able to operate under extreme fluctuations in temperature, limiting his options.

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In the past, Shoto donned an outlandish costume that was basically an everyday outfit half-covered in ice. This costume was quickly, and wisely, ditched. First of all, his left half isn't even the half that he makes ice with. This costume had no practical contribution to his combat ability, and it only referenced his ice-making abilities, which is not the full extent of his Quirk. The suit was also way too garish for the subdued, and at times overly serious, teenager.

Shoto himself is a simple young man. Flashy behavior is just not how he operates, so a flashy costume would be a misrepresentation of his character. He only says what he needs to say and only does what he needs to do, so naturally, he would choose a suit that is functional and nothing else. That his PE suit is probably comfortable and doesn't burn away is likely good enough for him, leading to the ho-hum look he currently sports.

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Endeavor hugs Shoto in My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising

A hero's costume should be an expression of self, and Todoroki has not quite gotten the hang of expressing himself yet. His childhood was spent mostly in isolation, training with his father rather than playing with his siblings. The burden of Endeavor's dream being forced onto Shoto at such a young age caused him to retreat inward. Now that he has friends and his relationship with his father is on the mend, he is starting to find himself again.

As Shoto's new sense of self continues to improve, he may one day find himself desiring a new costume that accurately reflects the person he is becoming. For now, his distinct physical appearance along with his family name has made him a standout from the beginning. While part of being a hero is having an instantly recognizable costume, Shoto isn't quite ready to follow in his father's footsteps and grow a fire beard. Although a fire and ice beard does sound cool.

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