Kohei Horikoshi's My Hero Academia has become one of the most popular shonen anime since its initial release in mid-2016. While nearly every aspect of the anime is top-notch, it's the characters that truly win over fans and capture their hearts. One of the earliest standouts among the cast is Shoto Todoroki, the prodigious son of Endeavor who possesses an incredibly powerful half-fire, half-ice Quirk.

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Having been trained from birth to be a powerful Pro Hero, Shoto is leagues above his classmates at U.A. High when everyone first starts off. This leads to a plethora of moments where Shoto gets to show off his skills, stealing the spotlight and cementing himself as a powerful character in the eyes of fans.

Manga spoilers ahead!

10 Shoto Freezes His Battle Trial Opponents Solid

Shoto freezing a building, My Hero Academia

The Battle Trial arc is one of My Hero Academia's first, showing off each student's skill level as of entering U.A. High. Shoto is a student accepted via recommendation, and the skills he displays during the Battle Trial don't disappoint. Paired with Mezo Shoji, Shoto's assigned to defeat Ojiro and Hagakure.

Shoto wipes both of them out with a single ice attack, freezing his enemies in place along with the entire trial building. He doesn't give Ojiro or Hagakure any room to react, and Shoji admits that he's essentially useless in their tag battle, as Shoto takes care of everything himself.

9 Shoto's Fire Quirk Awakening During The Sports Festival Is Explosive

Shoto Todoroki using his fire in My Hero Academia.

It's not that Shoto can't use his fire powers prior to the Sports Festival's Tournament arc, but that he chooses not to as an act of rebellion against his father. Then, Izuku helps him mentally separate his father from his own fire powers.

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Thanks to this, Todoroki unleashes his fiery side against Midoriya without holding anything back, ultimately securing a victory. Even though Shoto then loses to Bakugo, becoming conflicted about his powers and what they mean, this awakening remains one of My Hero Academia's most iconic moments.

8 Shoto Shows Up For Iida & Midoriya In The Nick Of Time

Midoriya, Iida and Todoroki from My Hero Academia

After Iida hunts down the Hero Killer on his own, it's up to Izuku to attempt to save him. After landing in a tight spot himself, Shoto receives a message from Izuku disclosing his location, and he manages to track them down just in the nick of time.

Thanks to Shoto's appearance, both Iida and Midoriya are saved. Not only that, but the three of them manage to subdue the Hero Killer on their own, in large part due to the creative combination of Iida and Shoto's Quirks.

7 Shoto Begins To Move Forward With His Father

Endeavor hugging Shoto in My Hero Academia.

Moving forward with a parent who's been the source of one's suffering can be a near-impossible challenge, but Shoto is able to do so with time. Shoto interns at his father's agency, getting a better grasp on what being a top Pro Hero means despite their rocky relationship.

Over time, Endeavor starts to change as well, making an effort to apologize to Shoto and make up for his past mistakes. Shoto's under no obligation to accept Endeavor's apology, but he does, showing extreme levels of emotional strength and maturity.

6 Shoto Gets A Creative Head Start In The Obstacle Race

Shoto running on ice, My Hero Academia

During the Sports Festival's obstacle race, every second counts for those who want to finish at the top. Right when the race starts, students are blocked by a group of large robots, which Shoto easily freezes before running past.

This initially sounds like an advantage for his fellow competitors, but Shoto freezes the robots in a way that causes them to collapse, blocking the path for everyone else. It doesn't take long for other students to break through using their Quirks, but Shoto still buys himself a few moments to take the lead with this trick.

5 Shoto Becomes Strong Enough To Hold His Own Against Dabi

Shoto VS Dabi, My Hero Academia manga

Before Shoto, Dabi was originally trained to become Endeavor's successor. Dabi's body couldn't handle his Fire Quirk, but he was never able to move past Endeavor's influence, warping him into the villain fans know him as today. By the time the Second War rolls around, Shoto is strong enough to hold his own against his elder brother.

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Despite Dabi's Fire Quirk technically being more powerful, Shoto is able to overwhelm him using the mastery he has over his Ice side. Freezing multiple city blocks at once, Shoto successfully overwhelms Dabi, rendering his flames useless.

4 Shoto Freezes A Large Group Of Villains During The USJ Incident

Shoto freezing a group of villains, My Hero Academia

For many U.A. Academy students in Midoriya's year, the USJ Incident is their first true run-in with villainy. Despite this, many students are able to keep their cool and put on a stellar performance, with Shoto, in particular, standing out. Ending up in the Landslide Zone, Shoto quickly freezes the area and all villains inside.

Shoto would have easily been able to kill these villains, as he could have let them freeze to death. Instead, Shoto spares their lives in exchange for information regarding the villains' plan, showing a high level of cunning by using their lives as bargaining chips.

3 Shoto Declares War Against Midoriya In Front Of Their Classmates

Shoto declaring war against Izuku, My Hero Academia

The Sports Festival is just as important to Shoto as it is to Izuku, as both of them have top Pro Hero figures keeping an eye on their performance. Izuku wants to live up to All Might's expectations, whereas Shoto wants to come out on top without having to resort to using his Fire Quirk.

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Knowing that All Might has eyes on Izuku, Shoto makes it a point to challenge him in front of their classmates. This is a confident declaration of victory, too, as Shoto outright states that he's going to be victorious against Izuku specifically.

2 Shoto Freezes Iida's Engines To Secure A Last-Second Victory

Shoto VS Iida in the Sports Festival, My Hero Academia

Shoto's fight against Midoriya isn't the only intense match he stars in during the Sports Festival. After securing a win against Izuku, Shoto fights against Iida in the semi-finals and is almost propelled out of bounds by Iida's engines.

Thinking quickly, Shoto is able to freeze Iida's engines directly, causing them to stall. Shoto realized he couldn't dodge one of Iida's kicks, so he used the moment of direct contact to his advantage. He wins by fully immobilizing Iida, freezing his body and rendering him unable to act.

1 Shoto Forgives & Makes Up With His Mother

Shoto visiting Rei in the hospital, My Hero Academia

Shoto initially avoids making up with Rei, but this is due to Shoto believing the sight of him would only cause her pain. On the contrary, Rei is overjoyed that her son forgives her and wants to spend time with her again.

The scar Shoto receives from his mother understandably happens after she cracks under the weight of Endeavor's abuse and lashes out at Shoto for resembling him. Still, Shoto was under no obligation to reconnect with her, and he shows a high level of emotional maturity by doing so.

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