The Endeavor Agency Arc, explained

Key things

• Endeavor's journey to redemption through mentorship and personal growth with its interns.
• Hawks acts as a double agent gathering critical information about an impending villain threat.
• Interactions between Endeavor, its trainees and family lead to personal reflection and change.

Most fans, if not all My Hero Academia are familiar with Endeavor; they may not love him, but at least they know him. In a world full of heroes, Endeavor becomes the #1 hero in Japan after All Might retires. For the longest time, Endeavor fought for this position, hoping to defeat All Might, and if not him, then his descendants. Unfortunately for Endeavor, neither happened and he won the title because All Might is retired. This angered Endeavor, but he accepted the position because he had sacrificed so much for it.

The Endeavor Agency Arc in My Hero Academia begins in season 5 episode 13 and ends in episode 18. This arc represents a major turning point in this anime. It takes place after the Meta Liberation Army Arc, and more importantly, follows the experiences of Midoriya, Bakugo, and Todoroki as they embark on their internship with Endeavour. In addition to their training, this arc delves deep into Endeavor's journey to redemption while also exploring the changing dynamics within the heroes' society as they prepare for the war planned by the Paranormal Liberation Front.

Heroic work studies continue

Todoroki invites his friends to his father's agency

With the Hero Work Studies program back in effect, UA high school students have the opportunity to work at a hero agency throughout the school year. This program is put in place so that students can build their skills and be prepared for their lives as pro-heroes and the dangers they face.

Midoriya and Bakugo, like their peers, were looking for places to intern, and most students had an idea of ​​where they worked, but these two didn't. Some students were returning to the agency they previously worked at, while others, like Midoriya, wanted a change. Bakugo could not return to the Best Jeanist agency because the pro-hero is still missing. Fortunately for the two, Todoroki invited them to intern with him at his father's agency, which they accepted.

When Todoroki brings Midoriya and Bakugo to his father, he pretends to be happy for the decision Todoroki made without consulting him, but agrees with him anyway. Endeavor is glad that his son tried and has the impression that Todoroki wants to work on mending their relationship, but little does he know. Endeavor plans to give Todoroki his full attention and ignore Midoriya and Bakugo. But as this arc progresses, Endeavor has a change of heart.

Hawks as a double agent

Building trust with villains

In this arc, fans see Hawks in action as a double agent. The Hero Public Safety Commission convinces Hawks to infiltrate the League of Villains following their alliance with the Meta Liberation Army, which later became the Paranormal Liberation Front under the leadership of Tomura Shigaraki.

Hawks happens to be the perfect candidate for this dangerous assignment due to his calm demeanor, intelligence and ability to manipulate situations. The Paranormal Liberation Front has something big planned and the company of heroes must be ready for what they have in store or it will be a disaster. Staying in the dark isn't an option these heroes can accept, so they send out Hawks with the hopes of gaining the villains' trust and gaining critical information that can help them plan a counterattack against the growing threat.

The Paranormal Liberation Front tracks Hawks' movements, but still manages to find a clever way to inform Endeavor of their plan. Hawks gives Endeavor a book written by Destro, revealing how relevant the book is to Destro's ideology. Endeavor picks up the book and while reading it pays close attention to the parts Hawks highlighted because there is a message Hawks is trying to convey.

Once the Endeavor receives a message from the Hawks, they realize that the impending danger is great and would be serious if they were not prepared for it, and more hands must be on board for the coming war. With only four months left, Endeavor's change begins as he has a change of heart and decides to train all of his trainees, Bakugo, Midoriya, and Todoroki, leaving no one behind and making them stronger.

Life In Endeavor Agency

Training begins

The fans have the Hawks to thank for changing Endeavor's mind. Endeavor begins training his trainees and fans discover that he is quite a good teacher as he gives individual attention to his students. Before training began, he asked Bakugo and Midoriya what they planned to accomplish. Midoriya hopes to be able to better control the One For All and all the powers within it, especially the Blackwhip. Bakugo, on the other hand, believes he has mastered his wit and just wants to know what Endeavor lacks as the number one hero so he can overcome him. Endeavor accepts their reasons and is about to continue training when Todoroki confronts him.

The biggest mistake Endeavor made with his students at this point was not asking Todoroki what his goals were, showing that for the longest time he didn't care about what his son wanted and only what he wanted or felt he wanted is the best for him. son. Endeavor wants Todoroki to master Flashfire Fist, his ultimate move, but Todoroki has other plans. Todoroki tells his father that he is only in his agency to use him and learn from him. He adds that he has no plans to forgive him and tells his father that All Might is his inspiration and not him.

This confrontation with Todoroki broke Endeavor's heart. He thought that Todoroki came to his agency because he wanted to forgive him. Endeavor reaps the rewards of his past actions, but accepts it and continues his training. Endeavor takes his trainees for training, taking them on patrols and teaching them how to effectively use their quirks to quickly catch a bad guy. As the arc progresses, fans see the three trying to outrun Endeavor as the villain is on the run.

Endeavour's Redemption

A difficult but necessary journey

Things can't be good overnight because the damage Endeavor has done, especially to his family, is great. Fortunately for Endeavor, his daughter Fuyumi is passionate about fixing their broken family. In this arc, fans are invited to Todoroki's abode while Fuyumi cooks dinner and gathers her entire family, including Midoriya and Bakugo.

This dinner led to a can of worms being opened, especially in front of non-family members. Deeply angry at his father for all his previous actions, Natsuo blames him for Toya's death and abruptly leaves the dinner because he can't stand him. Todoroki also has reservations about his father and is unsure if forgiveness is the right decision. Midoriya tells him that he is ready to forgive his father and he shouldn't fight it.

Throughout the Endeavor arc, he struggles with his past mistakes, especially how he treated his family. His previous obsession with surpassing All Might caused the death of his son Toya and his rude and controlling behavior, especially towards Shoto. He neglected his other children, Fuyumi and Natsuo, but is trying to make amends. Endeavor got what he wanted by being the number one hero, but he lost a lot in the process.

Fans see that despite Endeavor's tough demeanor, he is only human and tries to fix his mistakes and try to be a better hero and father. Dinner at the Todoroki residence reveals Endeavor's intentions to want better for his family. He feels honored that his daughter Fuyumi organized a family dinner and included him, much to the annoyance of his other son, Natsu. Endeavor tries to right his wrongs and wants his family to be happy, even if it means without him.

The final incident

It represents the growth of Endeavor's students and his lost relationship with his son

Before this arc wraps up, a villain named Ending tries to get Endeavor's attention and kidnaps Natsu in an attempt to force Endeavor to kill him. As Endeavor rushes to save his son, he is unable to act as usual due to the terrified look on his son's face. Fortunately, his students he was training stepped up and stood up to the villain.

Midoriya, Todoroki and Bakugo work together to stop the villain and save Natsu without needing Endeavor's help. The successful rescue strengthens the bond between the three students and shows that they can handle real dangers as a team.

Endeavor is reminded of the personal cost of his past actions by the situation. After reuniting with Natsu, she realizes that she holds a deep grudge against him. He has an honest conversation with Natsuo where he acknowledges his past failures and accepts responsibility for neglecting his family, especially him, Fuyumi, and their mother Rei. He also accepts responsibility for Toya's fate. Natsuo expresses his anger and says that he will never forgive Endeavor, and Endeavor accepts that forgiveness may never come, but he still wants to make amends. Endeavor, the villain, witnesses this heartfelt conversion and opposes Endeavor's character shift, proving that Endeavor is indeed on the road to redemption.

What should come next?

This arc ends with Midoriya, Bakugo, and Todoroki stronger and more confident in their abilities, showing that interning with Endeavor was a good choice. On the other hand, Endeavor begins to gain redemption in the eyes of his family and society, although his journey is far from complete.

The arc also sets the stage for an impending full-scale war between heroes and villains, with society's trust in the heroes hanging in the balance.

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