‘Some men just wanna watch the world burn,’ – My Hero Academia’s Dabi might have taken it too literally. This psychotic, staple man was introduced during the First War arc as a sadistic killer without any real motivation.
However, as the story progressed, fans drew parallels between DC’s Joker and Dabi.
1. Initial Impressions of Dabi
Dabi was initially introduced as a secondary villain character who just showed up, burning people just for fun and joy. Despite being pretty badly burnt, he did not seem to be afraid of his powers.
He was a simple character without much motivation. However, Dabi’s implied connections to the Todoroki family and the “fire” superpower made Jim the focus of attention among the fans.
2. The Mystery of Dabi’s Origin
My Hero Academia answered the mystery of Dabi’s origin, close to what we expected. Dabi is Toya Todoroki, and he was just a failed project of his father.
It was All For One, and Dr. Garaki who saved him from death and transformed him into a monster. It is also revealed that Dabi holds an insane grudge against his family and the only thing keeping him alive.
3. Drawing the Parallels
After the revelation of Dabi’s past, fans noticed an uncanny resemblance between the ex-Todoroki and the Joker. The Joker is an anarchist, psychotic masterpiece who seems to revel in causing misery to society and simply wants to test the limits to which “heroes” are willing to go for their sense of justice.
Similarly, Dabi joined the League of Villains after being inspired by Stain, the Hero Killer. He simply wants to expose the falsehood of heroes and crumble society’s notion of peace.
Secondly, both Dabi and the Joker seem to be masochistic, mass-murdering maniacs with little regard for human life. They also seem to have little tolerance for anyone who “comments” on their appearance.
The Joker is a slender man with an appearance that can only be described as disturbing and seems to have a very unhealthy slender man, and Dabi follows the same trope.
Dabi and The Joker seem obsessed with taunting the heroes and are constantly seen trying to break them. However, Dabi’s obsession with Endeavor stems from a personal connection as opposed to the Joker’s fixation.
3. Kohei Horikoshi’s Easter Eggs
Horikoshi is a massive fan of Marvel and DC Comics. He made clear references to these comics on multiple occasions, and Dabi’s moment of triumph during the First War Arc was no exception.
The way he dances so freely after unleashing chaos is reminiscent of Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker movie.
My Hero Academia’s Dabi has definitely won the hearts of many and is Horikoshi’s exceptional ode to the Joker.
4. About My Hero Academia
My Hero Academia is a Japanese superhero manga series written and illustrated by Kōhei Horikoshi. It has been serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump since July 2014, with its chapters additionally collected in 37 tankōbon volumes as of February 2023.
It follows a quirkless boy Izuku Midoriya and how he backed the greatest Hero alive. Midoriya, a boy who has been admiring heroes and their ventures since the day he was born, came into this world without a quirk, where almost everybody is born with one.
On one fateful day, he meets All Might the greatest Hero of all time and discovers that he was quirkless as well. With his diligent attitude and unwavering spirit about being a hero, Midoriya manages to impress All Might. He is chosen to be the heir to the power of One for All.
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