My Hero Academia chapter 352: The battle between Shoto and Dabi reaches an emotional climax

Shoto's ultimate move in My Hero Academia 352 (Image via Shueisha)
Shoto's ultimate move in My Hero Academia 352 (Image via Shueisha)

My Hero Academia chapter 352 brings about the climax and conclusion to one of the most anticipated confrontations in the series, Shoto vs Dabi. There is a fair bit of speculation that Dabi may somehow retaliate after this, but the general consensus accepts that the battle has drawn to a close.

However, Horikoshi manages to bring both Shoto’s and Dabi’s arcs to a convincing conclusion with My Hero Academia chapter 352, and any move they make after this will be a step away from their past and towards the future.


My Hero Academia chapter 352 shows Shoto debut two new moves in an effort to stop Dabi

In the last chapter, the two brothers unleashed their own version of Flashfire. After neutralizing Dabi’s Jet Burn, Shoto debuted his Flashfire Fist: Phosphor, which allowed him to use fire on both sides of his body.

My Hero Academia chapter 352 is titled Ultimate Moves.


My Hero Academia chapter 352: The origin of Phosphor

My Hero Academia chapter 352 begins with a flashback to the day before class 1-A left U.A. grounds. Midoriya was worried and asked Shoto if he really wanted to fight his brother. Shoto replied that Dabi was a product of the Todoroki family’s sins, and he intended to take responsibility for that. He believed that Endeavor not being able to keep his promise and fight Dabi was a punishment for his father.

Shoto then showed Midoriya his Flashfire Phosphor. He explained that by allowing the two extreme temperatures of his body to come to a balance, he can create a fire that is cold to the touch. Essentially, it is a technique that centers around his heart and weaponizes his blood-circulation to allow his body to absorb Dabi’s extreme heat.

The technique was complex and required extreme focus to work properly. While his father wanted Shoto to use his ice to temper his fire, he ended up walking a different path. Shoto thanked Midoriya for showing that his quirk was his own, and finally accepted that only he could understand the purpose of his existence.


Shoto’s first new move

My Hero Academia chapter 352 cut to the present, where Shoto used “Icebound Crash: Coldflame’s Pale Blade” to cool Dabi down and propel him backwards. Dabi realized that Shoto’s body can withstand his heat, and can also overpower his fire with ice. However, Dabi neutralized Shoto’s cold flames and used his fire at the ground.

He told Shoto that while they have similar beginnings, they are nothing alike. They are both the limits of the Superhuman society, but since Dabi has strayed from Shoto’s path, there can be no going back. Blue flames emerged from the ground, and Endeavor’s sidekicks were caught in it while trying to protect Shoto.

They told Shoto that they believed in his words, but reassured him that his gratitude was not necessary. However, Shoto still thanked them, realizing that as unfocused as he was at the moment, those flames would surely have burned him.


Shoto's second move

Shoto thought back to how he always believed his existence to be a lonely one. He believed that everyone was too far away from him, and he existed in a void. But Class A allowed him to find himself by being there for him and offering him a safe place. Shoto remembered every significant moment with his friends, and finally went on to unleash his final move.

Shoto remembered Mount Lady’s words that his ultimate move should represent himself. He built up his Ice and appeared in front of Dabi. He told his brother that they can still walk the same path because Dabi can still turn back. So, Dabi should stop what he was doing. With this, he unleashed his “Great Glacial Aegir.”

The last page of My Hero Academia chapter 352 showed Shoto and Dabi’s faces when they were younger, implying that Toya was still alive within Dabi, and that Shoto might have finally reached his elder brother. Outwardly, Shoto froze the battlefield as far as could be seen, while the two Todoroki brothers stood motionless in the middle, with Shoto holding up Dabi.


Final thoughts

Many fans are disgruntled that such a magnificent fight lasted only three and a half chapters, but considering Dabi’s physical condition, it seems logical that this would be a fast fight.

Shoto’s character arc seems to have come full circle in My Hero Academia chapter 352. He not only accepts that his Quirk, and by extension his life, is his own, but he also imparts that acceptance onto Toya.

It is fitting that Shoto’s ultimate move is an ice move, which is completely different from his father and brother. It is that part of the family that Toya rejected, and as such, it is poetic for him to be stopped by it.

Fans have been debating over who will survive this fight. The last page of My Hero Academia chapter 352 makes it seem like Toya has physically collapsed, but it may not be unlikely that both Todoroki brothers will survive this fight.