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There are many obvious foil characters in My Hero Academia, such as Tomura Shigaraki to Izuku Midoriya.
A foil character is defined as a character whose aim is to accentuate or attract attention to the attributes of another character, with the antagonist vs. the protagonist being the most common example. This is not always as clear cut as many think, however, sometimes multiple characters can be foils to each other.
Case in point: the villainous Dabi from My Hero Academia is an obvious foil to Shoto Todoroki owing to their powersets and attitudes towards society and family. However, Shoto likewise contrasted with the double agent Hawks in terms of how they fit into the hero society as well as their attitude towards heroism itself.
This article will point out the ways in which Shoto Todoroki has two foils, if not more, in these extreme examples of villainy and heroism.
Disclaimer: This article will contain My Hero Academia spoilers for both recently aired anime revelations as well as the manga. The opinions expressed are subjective to the author alone.
My Hero Academia's Shoto Todoroki compared and contrasted with Dabi and Hawks
Dabi: The flames of hatred
One thing of note straight away that contrasts Shoto and Dabi is their Quirks. It's not that odd for multiple characters in a superhero series like My Hero Academia to possess fire quirks or quirks based on the element. It is, however, when they're both related and their fire use is contrasted in its control and self-harm factor.
Dabi's true name is Toya Todoroki. He is the eldest son of current Number One Hero Endeavor and was a victim of their father's abuse about as much as Shoto was. After failing to prove himself to Endeavor multiple times, Toya practically incinerated himself and deemed himself a failed experiment. It didn't help that he felt overshadowed by Shoto.
All for One was quick to aid the scarred child, and Toya died that day. Dabi was born a follower of Stain's ideology: that those motivated by self-interest can’t be genuine heroes, and his father was seen as the number one embodiment of this. Both Shoto and Dabi have been used by Endeavor as tools to surpass All Might. The big difference is that Dabi internalized his hatred and acted on it, whereas Shoto didn't.
My Hero Academia also shows them as foils via their different directions in life. Shoto sought to surpass Endeavor as a hero, not destroy him as Dabi wishes to. Shoto uses fire and ice to pressure or otherwise make an opponent submit and doesn't burn himself, whereas Dabi's fire is akin to an untamed wildfire that burns his body as much as it does his opponents. It's a fitting foil: Dabi's blue flames are his hatred unleased, whereas Shoto's is more tempered and controlled and symbolizes his maturing over the series.
Hawks: The caged bird
As stated prior, My Hero Academia has a habit of pointing multiple foils at one character. Shoto has Endeavor, Dabi, Midoriya, and the pro hero Hawks. This may seem strange to the casual observer, but it does make sense when observed closely. The basic comparison between the three is that they're all caged birds, with the Hawks being extremely literal in that regard.
To simplify Hawks' story: Keigo Takami was abused by his criminal father and "rescued" by Endeavor following his father's arrest. Unlike Dabi and Shoto, Hawks was Endeavor's biggest fan even before being adopted in. Even after hearing about Endeavor's abusive past, Hawks saw that Endeavor was genuinely trying to change. This contrasts with Shoto, who had a difficult time with the revelations and had an awkward time accepting that his father was changing.
This is where Hawks and Shoto divert in more than one way. Whereas Shoto's pain is outward and visible due to the scar on his face and the complicated baggage with regard to his father, Hawks seems like an eternal optimist that hides the fact that his self-worth is based on how useful he is to others. This may have something to do with the Hawks' past and how he's the caged bird trying to fly to freedom.
Long story short, the Hero Public Safety Commission took the Hawks in and kept his real name out of the public to hide his father's criminal history. Dabi's revelation of his true identity as Toya Todoroki contained an additional bombshell of Hawks' past, which further caused the public to shift against the Hero Society. Despite his best efforts, Hawks was never truly free of the cage of his father's past.
Shoto Todoroki: A story of halves
Unlike Dabi, who gave into his hatred and wants to see Endeavor fall, or Hawks, who's got his own internal problems with undying loyalty to Endeavor, Shoto Todoroki chose to attempt reconciliation with his father and ultimately became a hero at first to surpass his father and later to make others feel safe.
Shoto's quirk in My Hero Academia uses ice and fire, the latter of which he refused to use until the Sports Festival due to his problems with his father. Whereas Hawks is laid back and hides his insecurities, and Dabi fully embraces his hatred, Shoto started off extremely callous and introverted to the extreme. Now, however, he's at peace with himself and his family and is a kinder person.
This is mostly for one other thing both Hawks and Dabi didn't really have: friends and help. Hawks had "help" in the form of Endeavor, but the Hero Public Safety Commission routinely had him on solo missions and he ended up killing Twice as a result of his infiltration being discovered despite genuinely wanting a friend. Dabi used the League of Villains as his personal revenge tool and is single-mindedly focused on Endeavor's suffering.
Despite an icy start in My Hero Academia, Shoto eventually warms up to Class 1-A by having better interactions with kinder, more empathetic people like Izuku Midoriya. He goes from a callous loner and a horrible team player to a kinder and warmer person saving people and making friends. He was even genuinely worried for his father during the High-End fight, sympathized with Dabi during their final duel, and ultimately worked alongside Endeavor's sidekicks to snuff Dabi's flames out and land the finishing blow.
Final thoughts
In the end, Hawks and Dabi ultimately represent the extreme ends of what abuse does to victims: either their hatred burns eternally to the point of self-destruction like Dabi, or they become caged birds like Hawks. The abuse factor is one way in which My Hero Academia's Shoto Todoroki is contrasted by Hawks and Dabi, but it's the most prevalent way.
Shoto was lucky to have friends and help through his problems, as he could've easily become like Dabi without them. This is the case with many traumatized people in anime, and My Hero Academia is no exception.
