Ok right I’m sorry no.

Among all the things that are INFURIATING ABOUT THIS CHAPTER. Todoroki Enji has physically abused his partner and children to the point of complete mental breakdown.

That’s not a question of whether he’s ‘proud’ of them. That’s causing real, lasting physical and psychological damage.

He hasn’t apologised. We have no evidence that he’s changed his behaviour. He’s had one, one-sided conversation. Now he’s skipping right to the good bits – the ego stroking part where he deigns to tell his son he’s proud of him, and expects him to be grateful. The part where he tells his son he’s planning to change and expects Shouto to care and be impressed.

This whole thing is STILL all about Enji. He doesn’t care about making amends for the past; or ASKING SHOUTO what HE wants, what HE needs. No; instead Enji has identified the thing that will make HIM feel better, decided how best his relationship with Shouto can be used to achieve that, and chosen to do it.

To be very clear – this is NOT a redemption arc. Shouto has NO reason to feel safe with his father, or to forgive him. I know Horikoshi is trying to write it that way (and that sucks) but just to be clear: this is classic abusive behaviour. The abuser feels guilty or like they’ve been in the wrong, and they try to shift or skip the blame and learning part, and move into something that makes them feel better. The relationship is still defined by how they feel, not empathy or sympathy with their victim.

They manipulate their victim into thinking they’ve changed in a way that makes the victim do all the emotional labour while the abuser learns very little and changes even less. Enji has just thrown the ball into Shouto’s court and implied that he should be the ‘bigger person’ by recognising Enji’s efforts to change. FUCK THAT. Enji has done nothing to redeem himself. Shouto has EVERY RIGHT to be angry.

Enji has not earned his forgiveness in any respect, and it is NOT Shouto’s job to find that forgiveness for his father and give it to him, while Enji continues to do exactly what he wants to be doing (being a hero) exactly the way he wants to do it.

If you’re an abuser and you want to change, you know the first thing you do? You give people space. You learn to listen to them. You work at THEIR pace, NOT yours. You recognise that their feelings are as important as yours – if not more important. Why? Because they have been suffering for years – and in all that time how you feel – your anger, your good mood – has defined how they’ve been allowed to feel. You’ve been in control. Step one? Give it back. Ask them what you need to do. Don’t TELL THEM WHAT THEY NEED FROM YOU. Ask them. Back up. Listen to them.

And let’s be very clear: if you’ve been physically beating your child since he was 5, it is NOT YOUR TURN to get sympathy and empathy. Enji does NOT deserve Shouto’s pride, and it’s possible he never will. Certainly not before he makes some fucking amends.