My Hero Academia's young characters prove that while these trainee heroes do have powerful Quirks and a great deal of faith in their dreams to become superheroes, they are far from perfect people. These characters, from Izuku Midoriya to Momo Yaoyorozu to Katsuki Bakugo, are balanced with character flaws ranging from arrogance to self-doubt or simple impatience or anger issues. What about Shoto Todoroki?
Shoto was born with a powerful ice/fire elemental Quirk, but this gift came at a steep emotional cost, and the Todoroki family household was far from a healthy one. Thus, Shoto has some unsavory personality traits and behavioral issues that he is working on, though not all of them are a part of Shoto's core being. Some of them are the result of Endeavor's harsh training.
10 Shoto Is Rather Stubborn At Times
A number of Shoto's negative personality traits are connected to each other or even cause each other, and an example of that is Shoto's stubborn side. His stubbornness isn't his most defining trait, but it is definitely there, and it nearly always manifests in a negative way.
As opposed to the stubborn but hardworking Izuku Midoriya, Shoto is stubborn about refusing to use the fire half of his Quirk, and he stubbornly clung to his "it's all about me" worldview for quite some time. He needs to be a little more open to change and some newfound humility.
9 Shoto Is Uncooperative, Trying To Solo Everything
It's important that a pro hero knows how to integrate themselves into a team and combine their Quirks with the Quirks of others, but some heroes and students struggle with that. Katsuki Bakugo is famously uncooperative, and for a time, Shoto was, too.
Early on, due to arrogance and his self-absorbed ways, Shoto saw fit to try to fight every foe and solve every problem alone with his incredible powers. He didn't always get away with it, and this helped spark his feud with another powerhouse student, Inasa Yoarashi. Eventually, though, Shoto learned to cooperate with Inasa after all.
8 Shoto Is Practically Humorless, Rarely Cracking A Joke Or A Smile
Being a goofball or class clown isn't necessary for becoming a great hero, but still, a good sense of humor can have a surprisingly powerful impact. For one thing, pro heroes need to be charismatic to earn the trust and adoration of the masses, and a refined sense of humor can win over the crowds every time.
Such humor can also help a hero (trainee or not) maintain a balanced and grounded perspective, and not become too self-absorbed. Shoto, however, is grumpy to the point of self-sabotage, and he needs to learn to have a bit of humor. He did try it once, though, when he commented that his classmates (Izuku and Tenya Iida) kept getting their hands hurt on his behalf. Perhaps he is the hand destroyer?
7 Shoto Is Quick To Hold Grudges Against Anyone
In the competitive world of superheroes, it is understandable that some characters will form rivalries, even one-sided ones. However, Shoto does this in a negative way, seeing his rivals as people to crush and prove himself superior. He also tends to mutate these rivalries into grudges.
Shoto holds a long-standing grudge against his father, Endeavor, and not without reason. He also held a grudge against Izuku, coldly telling Izuku that he was going to crush him and prove himself the best. That's not the kind of rivalry either boy needs.
6 Shoto Is Spiteful Toward Others
Shoto's personality can be downright spiteful at times, and this ties into his tendency to hold grudges and act in an arrogant manner. Shoto isn't exactly a bully, but then again, he is not afraid to talk down to someone and bluntly oppose them and their worldview. He'll get in anyone's face if they get in his way.
This will only earn Shoto more enemies and further alienate potential allies and friends. Shoto was especially spiteful toward Inasa Yoarashi and Endeavor, but by now, Shoto is finally learning to not act this way, and it's a huge improvement.
5 Shoto Can Be A Callous Person At Times
Shoto is not a cruel person deep down, but then again, his difficult upbringing has put some callouses on his heart and mind alike, making him come off as emotionless or even abrasive. This, combined with his lack of humor, makes him difficult for others to like or even trust.
A callous person has had their heart hardened by abuse or other hardships, and that is certainly the case for Shoto. His callous attitude endears him to no one, and as a pro hero, he would prove rather unpopular. Fortunately, he is working to change all that.
4 Shoto Is An Unsociable Person
Unsociable behavior is not to be confused with antisocial behavior, which is based more on defying and destroying social norms of behavior. Instead of trying to tear down the social order, Shoto simply opts out of it, and once again, this behavior will only cost him potential friends and influence.
Shoto isn't entirely to blame for this, though. His difficult upbringing warped his personality and behavior and made it difficult for him to connect to other people and see things their way. He was known for being a loner, but that's starting to change, and just in time.
3 Shoto Is A Self-Absorbed Person, Making Everything About Him
Given everything Shoto has been through, it is little wonder that he tends to keep to himself and focus on his own problems. A person might be self-absorbed out of sheer vanity, but in Shoto's case, it's because of how his parents raised him.
Shoto was born to be the best, and Endeavor reminded him nonstop that he alone can surpass All Might where his siblings failed. Shoto tries to make everything about his own quest and his own problems, and this, combined with his unsociable behavior, made him difficult to approach.
2 Shoto Tends To Underestimate His Enemies, Even Class 1-B
It's not a good idea for any shonen or seinen hero to take their enemies or rivals too lightly, or they may end up losing fights that they could otherwise win. Shoto is right to be confident in his abilities, but it's wrong of him to dismiss the abilities and skills of others. Being born with talent doesn't make him invincible.
Shoto, like Bakugo, rarely pays attention to what his classmates can do, and he sometimes fumbles his fights and gets taken off-guard, simply because he thinks everyone is beneath him. Pony Tsunotori's team in the joint training exercise arc, meanwhile, taught him a rather hard lesson about taking others lightly.
1 Shoto Has His Arrogant Side
Above all, Shoto is somewhat arrogant about his abilities and tends to inflate his view of himself, despite his loathing of the fire half of his Quirk. This arrogant streak of his is closely tied to his habit of taking others too lightly and his uncooperative nature, and it's another reason why Shoto rarely even tries to connect to other people.
Stories from around the world have endlessly warned humanity against the follies of arrogance and hubris, especially Greek drama, and Shoto has sabotaged himself more than once by thinking he's too powerful to play by the rules. Fortunately, Shoto is getting over this, and he is humbly realizing that his quest is just beginning. It's time to stop coasting.