Within the story of My Hero Academia, one of the main themes that is shown within the two main leads is the type of hero that they aim to be. Both Izuku Midoriya and Katsuki Bakugo heavily admire and respect All Might that they take up major facets of him. What Midoriya takes from his idol in aspiring to be the new Symbol of Peace is the selflessness of a hero: saving people no matter the cost. What Bakugo takes from his idol is being a Symbol of Victory: the invincibility of a hero that s/he projects, always defeating the villains no matter what. But what about Shoto Todoroki?
It’s clear that like Bakugo and Todoroki, he clearly respects All Might. In fact, All Might was the reason he wanted to be a hero, not simply because of his father’s pressure and selfish desire. Todoroki still has much room to grow as a character, but if there’s one thing that he wants from All Might, is the ability to put every one at ease like he does. Yet, that doesn’t distinguish from the quality he aspires or needs to be. Midoriya wants to be the next Symbol of Peace and Hope and it was through All Might’s training that he was taken in as his protege and eventual successor. Bakugo aspires to be a Symbol of Victory as All Might was able to defeat anyone that came his way.
A lot of Todoroki’s backstory and past is heavily traumatic, and a great deal of his character arc is overcoming his past. Midoriya himself lampshades the fact that his backstory sounds straight out of a comic book. From there, it would be easy to say that Todoroki best embodies the trauma of being a hero. At five years old, Shoto was beaten by his father, lost his elder brother and was scarred by his mother and then lost her. All of which had been caused by his father’s insane drive to surpass All Might, who was the #1 Hero. Todoroki’s backstory demonstrates how not all heroes are like All Might, seeking justice and saving lives. He shows us how a hero could actually be a villain, but that could also apply to several characters; even Deku and Bakugo themselves.
Another major part of his story is finding the person he wants to be at the end of it all. This also coincides with another major part in his story arc is distinguishing between the hero and the real person. All Might is optimistic and affable towards others, a charismatic hero with a inspiring and calming smile on his face but because that’s the hero that he had aimed to be. Toshinori Yagi is quite optimistic and affable himself but he is more mild and serious, demonstrating the toll it takes utilizing his heroic persona. The #2 Hero Endeavor is an exceedingly accomplished and competent hero who comes across as cold and callous. Shoto’s father, Enji Todoroki, was a cold and callous father who would come to abuse his wife, neglect his children and beat his youngest son due to his overall drive to surpass All Might. As a result; Shoto hates his father who can win and save but is a terrible person. He admires Endeavor the hero but the person he admires has always been All Might. This keenly demonstrates that being a hero is not about doing heroic things but being a person worthy of being a hero.
So, what would Todoroki be a symbol of? Balance; duality. The thing that surrounds him the most from his powers to his character design is balance. Even Bakugo knows it as he calls him Icy Hot and Half-and-Half Bastard. Todoroki cannot grow as a person and as a hero, until he manages to accept and balance all the parts within himself: ice and fire, his mother and his father, calm reason and hot rage, dark past and bright future, justice and compassion.
He knows better than anyone that if there is not a coherence between the hero’s public mask and private motivations, achievements and hero ranking mean nothing. Which is why Todoroki never says he wants to be the strongest or surpass anyone and everyone – he only strives to surpass himself both as a hero and as a person.
This is all the more reason for it to be reflected in his future hero name. One of the most common suggestions I’ve heard is Frostfire or Hellfrost. They both reflect the nature of his powers and create a homage to his father, demonstrating a begrudging respect for him. Another hero name that Shoto could use that would reflect his powers and personality would be Flashpoint. In chemistry terms, a flashpoint is the lowest temperature at which a liquid will give off sufficient vapor to ignite momentarily on application of a flame. A flashpoint can also be a critical point or stage at which something or someone suddenly causes or creates some significant action: that could reflect a critical moment in which Shoto creates a significant amount of attention for himself by himself, and not by being associated as the son of Endeavor but his own person. One suggestion similar to this would be Solidus. While it does remind me of the Metal Gear franchise, a solidus is a temperature that lies somewhere between a substance’s melting point and freezing point; subtly referencing his powers and eventual balance he could have among them.
Another suggestion I have heard was Redeemer. It’s synonymous with being a savior and a rescuer; a hero. It would also reflect in how much of Endeavor’s story involves redemption; as he seeks to redeem himself from his past and his actions, and a part of Shoto’s story is accepting his father’s redemption. And when Dabi is finally revealed to be his older brother Touya Todoroki (it’s all but confirmed), another major part of his story arc could involve redeeming his nefarious elder brother or his family’s legacy as a whole. The final suggestion have heard is Triumph. And it makes sense in terms of his character and story, as well as parallel his father. Endeavor’s name shows how he’s constantly striving to be something greater but for Todoroki simply becoming a hero would make him happy. If becoming a hero is Enji’s “Endeavor” then becoming a hero for Shoto will be his “Triumph”. Shoto would have triumphed over the darkness of his past and triumphed in forgiving his father.
