Personality

[burnitblack]

Personality

As a child, Toya was very energetic and boisterous, and he wanted to learn as much as he could from his father. Because his father Enji had emphasized that he would be the one to surpass All Might since childhood, Toya became obsessed with the goal to fulfill that dream, becoming just as stubborn as his father to become the next number one. This drive to surpass All Might was so great that despite Enji continuously trying to tell him to abandon this goal and focus on something else in life, he refused and continued training, burning himself in the process. Toya described his goal as a fire that his father lit within him that would not go out and that he could not bring himself to ignore, highlighting how his childhood dream went on to become an unhealthy obsession, although his mother Rei construed that he simply yearned for his father’s acknowledgement and proof that he wasn’t a failure.

Toya’s obsession would go on to make him further unstable, not caring about the damage his Quirk training did to his own body. He also shrugged off concerns from his sister and mother, taking Enji’s words to heart that his younger siblings lived in a different world than him. At one point, Toya even lashed out and attacked his mother and an infant Shoto with his Quirk when his father refused to look at him. Despite this, he wasn’t completely callous towards his family as he showed to have a fairly good relationship with Fuyumi and Natsuo while growing up, and also expressed regret for trying to attack his youngest brother while admitting that he was wrong.

After being abandoned by Enji, who became focused on Toya's youngest brother Shoto, Toya went through an existential crisis and would cry out of frustration every night. Still, he continued to train his Quirk despite the harm it brought him, hoping to surpass Shoto and gain his father’s approval. Toya even cried out of pure happiness when he saw his Quirk evolve and his flames become stronger. When his father didn’t meet with him to see this discovery however, Toya broke down emotionally and lost control of his flames, which ended up nearly burning him to death, sorching a large portion of his body. After surviving and being horribly scarred and traumatized by the event, the constant stress and suffering caused Toya to lose his sanity. He faked his death and went on to become a murderous criminal obsessed with ruining the reputation of his father and paying him back for all the suffering he went through.

After renaming himself Dabi, he became a stoic, aloof, confident, and focused individual who rarely shows emotion outside his derisive disposition. While rather crude and violent, he's actually cautious, choosing to retreat when Mirko arrived to aid Endeavor and made sure not to divulge too much information to Hawks about High-End because of the infancy of their relationship. Overall, Dabi is a highly enigmatic individual who trusts no one, preferring to do things alone and in his own way. He also gives off the impression of knowing more about certain people than he lets on.

Despite his usual expressionless behavior, Dabi finds joy in establishing himself as a villain fighting against what he believes to be false heroes, an ideology proposed by his apparent inspiration, Stain. Dabi is dedicated to Stain's mission and desires to destroy superhuman society, sharing his belief that one person with the necessary conviction can do so. He is shown to share Stain's sentiment that heroes are hypocritical and unworthy of their title, but unlike Stain, he does not seem to seek a society with better heroes, believing that true heroes don't exist. Despite his devotion to the Hero Killer's creed, Dabi does many things that Stain would not, such as attacking innocent bystanders and helping the League get revenge against Overhaul, while also being motivated by his own vengeance against Endeavor. In the end, it seems Dabi only uses Stain's ideals as a cover for his own motives, as well as to justify his crimes against hero society.

Dabi takes pleasure in taunting heroic figures, students, and Pro Heroes alike, sadistically enjoying the pain he inflicts on others, including those he murders. During these moments, he shows his true maniacal disposition that lurks behind his stoic persona. He has no hesitation towards Dabi engaging in psychological warfare in order to unnerve whoever his opposition is, breaking their spirits or distracting them while also allowing himself to cool down from his Quirk's effects. Very pragmatic in battle, he is rather savvy about how heroes operate and will exploit their natural tendency to rescue others. He is not afraid of causing collateral destruction, rarely holding back, even if it puts his allies at risk. Cautious and extremely distrustful of people in general, he keeps his guard up around others and often seeks out information and details about people he interacts with, specifically hunting dirt and incriminating facts on others as a way to manipulate them rather than extend any sort of trust to them.

Dabi is intolerant of most people and can be very derisive, being quite rude and condescending to essentially everybody he interacts with. He insulted Tomura Shigaraki immediately after meeting him and constantly does the same to both his allies and enemies, but doesn't always do it with the intention to be rude. While the League would go on to develop a strong sense of camaraderie, Dabi has remained distant from them for the most part. He has admitted that he doesn't care for Tomura or the rest of the League and that the value he puts on them comes mostly from their ability to bring his ambitions into reality. This selfish way of thinking establishes Dabi as an extreme sociopath.

However, Dabi appears to at least be capable of feeling remorse. While he had no problem killing the Pro Hero Snatch, the latter's words appear to have resonated with him, implying that Dabi has sympathy for those that have lost family due to villains, as well as the loved ones of those who he has killed. This does not extend to his own family though, as Dabi has frequently contemplated their deaths for the sake of revenge. He is also shown to have certain standards, as he was surprised and disgusted by how the heroes and government were more than willing to bring young students into the Paranormal Liberation War, although he could've just been looking down on them for having to rely on high schoolers. He even displayed some semblance of kindness when he burned down Himiko Toga's old family home while she was feeling distraught over it, though he claims he only did it as a way to twist the knife for the heroes.

Following the reveal of his identity and his broadcast revealing his childhood, Dabi unveils his far more sadistic and unhinged side, expressing a maddened and gleeful expression upon confronting his father and youngest brother. With his sadism and vengeance fully renewed, Dabi is shown to completely relish in any and all pain he can cause Endeavor, which is shown when he attacked Nejire Chan with his Quirk and gloated that another child's future had been burned by Endeavor's flames. His broadcast has also shown his true belief in heroes, which is that they use their good actions to hide and justify all their sins, and use the public's admiration of them to keep it that way. He ridicules his father for believing that he could atone for his past of abusing his family, as well as his attempts to change into a better person, and did the same when revealing Hawks’ father to be a serial criminal who was caught by the Flame Hero.

Dabi is also aware of his own madness and hypocritically foists the responsibility of all his crimes and actions on his father, enjoying every moment of it. He doesn't seem to be against the idea of suicide if it can kill his father or hurt Endeavor even more, as shown when Dabi attempts to immolate both himself and Shoto in the Paranormal Liberation War. He also expresses how he can't feel anything anymore, not even towards his family, as his only concern about sacking a villain on Endeavor almost ending in Natsuo’s death being how much it would’ve hurt his father, further cementing Dabi's apathy and his disregard for any and all life. Having been bred and groomed from birth to be the top of hero society and embody his father’s ambitions, only to be discarded as worthless as soon as he was deemed a failure, Dabi’s abandonment issues and mangled emotions triggered an extreme hatred towards the notion of "family", especially his own. To him, every member of his family was responsible for his pain and he blames each of them for their flaws and short comings, as well as his own issues.

Relationships

Family   Enji Todoroki Rei Todoroki Shoto Todoroki Fuyumi Todoroki Natsuo Todoroki

League of Villains   Tomura Shigaraki Vanguard Action Squad

Others   Keigo Takami Fumikage Tokoyami Izuku Midoriya Stain Geten

Quotes

"How could I make you hurt?! How to best stomp all over your life?! I've been pondering all this ever since that day! I couldn't figure out why I even existed, and every day… I'd crawl to Natsu, crying my eyes out. Not that you ever knew, right?! My blood ran cold when I thought you might bite the big one in Kyushu! Then, I led Starservant and Ending straight to you, one after the other! You were finally number one! It's all you ever wanted! But it must've weighed on you, right?! Or was all the praise and admiration like chicken soup for your soul?! When, at long last, you could stare your kids in the eye… did 'ya finally start to feel the warm and fuzzy bonds of family?! You must've thought, "As long as I face the future, I can be better!" I can tell you're at a loss for words, so here's the answer! The past never dies! Get it, yet?! 'Ya reap what you sow! So let's tango, you and me — Enji Todoroki!! A dance with your son, here in Hell!!"
        ~ Dabi's monologue to Endeavor.

"This will just be a signal fire. We'll fill those heroes full of holes... and put them in their place. All for a brighter future."
        ~ Dabi’s ignition speech to the Vanguard Action Squad.

"Quite worthy of being an instructor at U.A. Ain't that right, hero? Is it cuz your students are so precious? Hope you got what it takes to protect them... See ya later."
        ~ Dabi taunting Eraser Head about their motives.

"Why not get cocky? You're playing right into our hands. The second you lost the initiative signaled your defeat. You've got the top hero-training academy, U.A., and the Symbol of Peace, All Might... the two most trusted foundations of our hero-based society. But now one mess after another is shaking that trust... don't you think that loss of faith will spread like wildfire throughout society? Think about it... how your careless administration keeps allowing attack after attack... you're so weak... you couldn't even stop a criminal organization from abducting your students."
        ~ Dabi taunting Vlad King about their motives.

"You’re not what we need… If you're trash, at least burn and be kindling for my flames."
        ~ Dabi before murdering some unnamed criminals.

"The League? Shigaraki? I never gave a crap about them. A single person with a single conviction has the power to change the world. There are no true heroes. I plan to make Stain's will a reality. See ya, Hawks. Your life's another thing I don't care about."
        ~ Dabi revealing his true nature to Hawks.

"The kids at school all say they wanna be heroes! I can't understand that. Because I've got you as a father. You lit this fire in me, Dad… and it's not going out! I can't just pretend it's not there! Look at me! ENDEAVOR!! LOOK… AT ME!!"
        ~ Toya having a mental breakdown back when he was a child.

"Hawks: Is that… the face of a man who just watched a friend die?!
Dabi: Hey, now!!! That was rude! I haven't cried since my tear ducts got all burned! With Twice around, my dream had a way better chance of coming true! So of course I'm sad he's gone!"
        ~ Dabi upon witnessing Twice's death.

"More than Twice… More than anyone… You should've been keeping both eyes on me."
        ~ Dabi after revealing his true identity to Hawks.

"Ouch… Is that any way to address me…? I have a great name. Call me Toya. You're that dumbstruck? Really…? I know my face ain't exactly what it was… But I was sure my own kin would've figured it out."
        ~ Dabi reveals his true identity to Endeavor and Shoto.

"I am Toya Todoroki. The eldest son of Endeavor. To date, I've killed over 30 innocent people in cold blood… And today, I'd like everyone to know exactly what drove me to such despicable acts. Once upon a time, Endeavor yearned for nothing but power. But when he found himself unable to surpass All Might, he despaired. To concoct even stronger Quirks, my father forced the woman who would become my mother to marry him. That's when my father created me, in pursuit of his selfish, egotistical dreams. But alas, I was a failed creation. It didn't take long for him to reject me. I was tossed aside and forgotten."
        ~ Dabi exposes Endeavor's abusive history to the public.

"I couldn't let that stand! These twisted people with skeletons in their closets... they cover it all up with masks of justice! But they don't stop there! They keep calling themselves "heroes" and keep fooling everyone! I just want everyone to stop and think! The only ones these "heroes" protect are themselves! With all that ugliness inside, they use you, people, to give them protection! Approval! Admiration!"
        ~ Dabi's speech to the people to break their faith in heroes.

"Thanks for going strong up until now, Endeavor!"
        ~ Dabi before he prepares to kill his father.

"Shoto: You really sent those villains our way?! One of them almost killed Natsu! Remember him? The brother you cried to every day?!
Dabi: Almost killed? What a shame. That would've really hurt Endeavor.
Shoto: Are you freaking insane?!
Dabi: Sure am, Shoto. See, your brother's not so big on "feelings" anymore.
Shoto: Toya…
Dabi: And now I get to kill you after all."
        ~ Dabi expressing his lack of feelings for anyone.

"Dabi: Aw, your friends are having a blast down there. Poor Shoto… No fun for you. Just pain.
Shoto: But… you're… burning up… too!
Dabi: Seriously, it's great that you were raised with love. I'm fine… because I'm really happy right now. 'Cuz look at that face. The guy's about to watch his puppet masterpiece burn up and die in the fire of his failed experiment, and he can't do anything! Ngh… I said look! He's totally broken inside!! Hahahaha!! Shoto!! Once my fire burns you to ash… I wonder… what kinda face Dad'll make?!"
        ~ Dabi as he tries to kill Shoto Todoroki.

"Hahaha! Way to state the obvious!! But still — you gotta pity me, right? That agent of justice did some vile stuff, and I'm the result. Evil is thriving! Justice is losing this war! All I'm doing is showing you sentimental dopes who's to blame for that! The future coming down the pipeline… is one where all that schmaltz and lip service is gonna get blown away by the chaos!"
        ~ Dabi countering Izuku Midoriya’s interference.

"Dabi: Good. Whether we're crying or smiling, the sun'll come out tomorrow. So I say... let's smile, Himiko Toga. Smiling is why we'll live our lives!
Himiko: You'll get us caught, Toya. But that was awfully kind of you.
Dabi: Caught? Society don't got the juice to take us down right now. And it's not kindness so much as twisting the knife in Endeavor some more! You'll be able to use it, y'know... when you transform. If the person's someone close to your heart, you'll be able to use their Quirk by drinking their blood. Before Machia whisked us away... I made sure to grab the original body's blood. We'll help that sad, sad parade keep marching. Twice's blood, that is. And the ones having the last laugh? That'll be us."
        ~ Dabi to Himiko Toga after burning her home.