Amazing panels, My Horror Academia strikes again! Young Toya in the hospital, looking like Bakugo for me too lol.
I'm loving this take on the Icarus symbolism/mythology with Dabi too, I think Hawks is naturally associated with it too ofc in his own ways and hence why Hori had that storyline of him and Dabi too.
There was some powerful moments and dialogue in this chapter, I'm really enjoying it and finding it fascinating. Dabi was always of interest to me but this deep dive into his now complete backstory has really brought everything to the light and full circle.
There's themes of Icarus/overambition as mentioned before, fates worse than death, cheating death, living purely out of spite/hatred/vengeance and such and desperation for admitation/acknowledgement. Part of this is very relatable and thus very understandable.
There's heavy themes of Frankenstein and his monster in this series, with Shigaraki, Ujiko, AFO, Dabi, Endeavour, the Nomus and such and its very prevalent in this chapter too with who I just mentioned ofc and thus with Dabi and his father. Shoto is the "perfect creation", the "miracle" and what Dabi failed to be and almost killed himself trying to be too.
The structure, panelling, art, dialogue etc are all fantastic in this chapter, I'm really enjoying it. There's os much to take in and digest, so much to process and so much grieving to be done. This really feels so utterly climatic now, the long awaited showdown between brothers like Sasuke and Itachi and the dramatic, emotional conclusion that will change everything for them and resolve the biggest shame, regrets, demons, guilt, drama etc of the Todoroki family aside from Endeavour himself and his heinous past and actions too.
Endeavour feels very much inspired by Vegeta too although that's probably stating the obvious ofc lol.
Hori absolutely snapped with these panels of Dabi as he has done before and like with Shigaraki and Toga too BUT this is something else too! Dabi looks so absolutely hellish/demonic/nightmarish and him melting that statue of All Might, the one his father could never surpass is some purely badass and ironic symbolism too.
I'm not sure how Shoto is going to win this fight too, it will probably be more of a psychological/mental win ofc, rather than just being "stronger" or having a "better quirk" or "better flames". I do think his ice and thus his mother's side of the family will end up being the key somehow, that it will contrast Dabi's extreme flames and heat but even then, Shoto is not a pure ice specialist and we already had Dabi facing one in the form of Geten who seemed like a relative of Rei surely but apparently isn't? Haha.
I'm also still haunted by that brutal panel of Dabi trying to burn Shoto to death whilst holding him tightly and trying to take him to Hell with him effectively. Dabi is one of the most deranged, psychotic, monstrous, terrifying etc characters I've seen, Hori has done such a spectacularr job with him imo.
I swear a lot of panels of Horis deserve to be framed seperately and put up somewhere when they can truly be acknowledged and appreciated, like an actual gallery or at least some kind of online major official gallery or something to admire them.
Fucking great chapter anyway, one of the best I've read from MHA and any series I've read honestly! Such a hilarious, ironic and extreme contrast to the current state of OP too even though fire is a MASSIVE theme in that and we've had people getting burned alive in this arc too!
