My Hero Academia Season 6 Episode 130

Quirk Marriages and Designer Babies

My Hero Academia Season 6 Episode 130 once again brought up the concept of quirk marriages. This might be the first time the phrase “quirk marriage” has been used in the series. But, the idea has been around long before now.

Basically, a quirk marriage is when two people get married to produce a specific quirk. The most obvious example of this happening is the Todoroki family. Enji has a fire quirk and Rei has an ice quirk. Enji married Rei because he wanted to produce a child with a combined fire and ice quirk.

As we know, it took 4 attempts to finally get the outcome Enji was looking for. Shouto has the half-hot half-cold quirk. And the benefit of this quirk is that he can regulate his body temperature. He doesn’t have to worry about overheating or freezing when using his quirk(s).

Now, there’s an issue I have with quirk marriages. And it’s one I know I’ve brought up in previous episode reviews. At the start of the series, we learned that quirks are random, not genetic. The quirk of a child isn’t supposed to be dependent on the quirks of the parents.

If I’m wrong about that, tell me in the comments. But, I’m almost positive that’s how the series set up the premise of quirks. And that’s part of the reason why All-for-One and One-for-All are so special. Those quirks let you pass your quirk on to another person.

Of course, there are still other examples of familial quirks. Iida and his brother have the same quirk. And Re-Destro inherited a version of his father’s quirk. But, for the most part, this doesn’t happen. Hawks’ quirk doesn’t come from his parents. And neither does Shigaraki’s quirk. It’s not consistent.

From Touya to Dabi

I think Episode 130 is my favorite episode of My Hero Academia Season 6 (so far). It did a lot to make me like both Enji and Touya more. And I know that might seem a little strange considering we saw Enji abuse his kids and beat his wife.

Here’s the thing about Endeavor, though: He’s actually not as bad as I thought. All the previous times in the series that we saw his past with his family were from his kids’ point of view. In this episode, we see the past from Enji’s and Rei’s points of view.

Of course, the bad stuff we already knew about Enji is still true. He didn’t treat his kids right and he even became abusive to his wife. But, now we also got to see the other side of things. Part of the reason Enji was hard on his kids was to protect them.

How Enji dealt with Touya is a great example. Yes, Enji wanted a child who could surpass All Might. But, when he learned Touya couldn’t withstand his own fire, he didn’t turn around and beat his son. He tried to divert Touya down a different path.

Enji didn’t want to see his son injure himself while trying to become a hero. He told his son he could be anything else he wanted and encouraged him to make friends. In that regard, he’s a good father. However, he still failed Touya in other ways.

Rather than outright denying Touya, Enji still could have worked with and taught him. The way Enji cast Touya aside and kept trying for a child who could live up to his expectations wasn’t good. And this is ultimately what led Touya to become Dabi. It was the neglect.

Reuniting Todoroki Family

So, it was Enji’s neglect that led to Touya becoming a villain. But, there’s a bit more to it than that. Why did Enji neglect Touya and his other children? Because of a character flaw that he recognizes in himself.

Once Enji decides what he wants to do, there’s no stopping him. Even if he knows he’s hurting his family in the process, he keeps pushing for the end result he wants. And he recognizes that Touya is the same way. This is why Touya couldn’t just give up on becoming the hero his father was searching for.

Touya’s the victim here, so I shouldn’t blame him. But, in a way, he holds at least some of the blame. He was unable to see why his father wanted him to stop — that he was hurting himself. And at the same time, Enji was unable to see what Touya really wanted — acknowledgment.

Then, there’s Rei. She’s also a victim, obviously. But, like Touya, she shares some of the blame, too. Much like Enji, Rei couldn’t figure out how to deal with Touya in a constructive manner. They both failed as parents to Touya.

With all that in mind, the reunification of the Todoroki family is exciting to see. They’re finally realizing that Dabi is a monster of their own creation. Every member of the Todoroki family failed Touya in some way — some more than others. Now, they’re coming together to fix it.

Well, I say fix, but I’m not sure if Dabi is fixable. I’m going to be pretty annoyed if they “defeat” Dabi through the power of familial love and accept him back. They either need to kill or imprison him. I can’t see their relationship with him recovering.

Conclusion

What do you think of My Hero Academia Season 6 Episode 130? Do you remember when it was said that quirks are random and not genetic? Did this episode make you like Enji, Touya, or Rei more despite showing their bad sides? And how do you think Dabi’s story is going to end? Let me know in the comments.

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My review of Episode 131 is available now.