My Hero Academia features a cast of young shonen heroes, and protagonist Midoriya Izuku is just the beginning. Izuku is the classic shonen protagonist who will fight hard to save the day and prove himself to the world, but many of his companions have fully developed personalities and character arcs of their own, such as Todoroki Shoto.
Shoto is the product of a controversial Quirk marriage, born for the sole purpose of surpassing the invincible All Might with his superior natural gifts. This put a lot of pressure on Shoto, which deeply affected his personality and worldview. Shoto’s grim yet compelling characterization can be described not only by his astrological sign, but also by his alignment of Dungeons & Dragons .
The principles of a good neutral character
The best way to describe Shoto is as a Neutral Good character, which means that he seeks a balance between authority and independence, while aiming to improve society and the lives of others. Unlike a Legitimate character, Shoto does not adhere too closely to the law or chain of command, but unlike a Chaotic character, he does not disregard the rules and regulations of society and only places limited emphasis on the concept of personal freedom. . Shoto, as a hero in training, has a more measured approach and tends to avoid extremes. He is therefore Neutral Good, although he has bordered on Chaotic on a few occasions.
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In the eyes of a Neutral Good character like Shoto, the negative extremes of authority and chaos are to be avoided, and the opposite poles of authority and chaos keep each other in a happy medium, which is the best way to promote harmony. happiness, prosperity and protection for all. The law is good for something and must be followed, and leaders like mayors, pro heroes and military officers must be obeyed. On the other hand, blind dogma will stifle free thought and creativity, and people must use their discretion and exercise freedom if the law or leaders are corrupt or ineffective. In short, Neutral Good characters follow the law when they can and break it when they must.
For a Neutral Good character, a careful balance between authority and personal freedom is what allows people to live good lives, no matter their position. A modicum of freedom fosters creativity and competition, while law and order protect the weak and prevent society from falling apart completely. The characters of the Neutral Good largely coincide with those of the Legitimate Good in that the law provides security, but rigid dogma can become a problem, and the law must be accountable to itself. Similarly, Neutral Goods agree with Chaotic Goods that personal freedom is essential for self-determination and creative expression, but freedom must have some check so that it does not threaten the cohesion of society.
Todoroki Shoto as a neutral good hero from My Hero Academia
Shoto suffered greatly under his father’s abusive care, and he deeply resented that Endeavor viewed him as a tool that needed to be shaped. However, Shoto has kindness in his heart, otherwise this family background would have led him to become a villain, most likely a Chaotic Evil. Shoto grew to resent authority due to Endeavor’s methods, but that was tempered by his natural kindness, so he never fully became Chaotic or Evil, let alone both. In his place, Shoto adopted a more flexible and practical mindset, vowing to free himself from Endeavor and find his own path to becoming a true hero.
This borders on Chaotic territory, but Shoto remains Neutral because he still respects the authority and power of the pro heroes and his teachers at the UA school, like his homeroom teacher, Aizawa Shota/Eraserhead. Shoto is quite aloof and independent minded as a UA student, as his classmates have pointed out, but he still yearns to be a great hero, and will accept partners and allies if need be.
He was quite self-absorbed during the US sports festival, but later cooperated with his teammates after the League of Villains, and was a good teammate during the third battle of the joint training arc at school. Shoto doesn’t believe strongly in the power of friendship, but out of duty, he will work with any team he must to find victory and trust his teammates to have his back.
As far as his family is concerned, Shoto is slowly mending his relationship with Endeavor, which is an expression of his Good side, but he remains cautious about it and doesn’t let Endeavor control or manipulate him. Shoto barely gives his father a chance to atone for his past mistakes, and as a Neutral character, he sees no need to defer to his father, who is a pro hero, even as he formally became Endeavor’s intern along with Izuku. and Katsuki. Shoto will get carried away, like any good neutral character would.