Family#
Enji Todoroki#
Enji is Rei's estranged husband. However, their relationship is not a loving one, as he married her solely to produce a heir who would inherit both her and his Quirks. Rei greatly resented Enji for making Shoto Todoroki go through harsh training and attempted to stop him, but failed and was physically assaulted for her attempts.[1] Her disdain for him, along with the constant abuse she suffered caused her to become mentally unstable, to the point that one day she snapped upon seeing Shoto's left side, which reminded her of Enji. This caused her to throw a kettle of boiling water she had near her over her son's face, burning him.[1]
Though their marriage was not out of love, Rei still attempted to make the best of it and keep smiling through it all.[2] As shown in her husband's memories, despite the initially business like relationship of their union, Rei was shown to have had a much healthier relationship with him during the early days of their marriage. This is seen with her bringing him food and Enji himself noted to have had a good relationship with her and their first born son, Toya, and the three were shown to have been a happy family together. In fact, Rei willingly agreed to have Fuyumi with him not just because of her husband's desire to create an ideal "heir", but because she herself wanted Toya to have a sibling who could support him.[3]
Their relationship began to sour when Enji deemed Toya a failure due to his body's weakness to flames, ignoring him and forcing Rei to watch over him. Rei exclaimed that Toya simply wanted Enji to acknowledge him, and coldly said that he was simply running away from his responsibilities as a father. Enji pushed to have more children, still wanting his ideal heir and claiming it could demotivate Toya's training. Rei said it was too cruel on their eldest son and her face became more guilt-ridden with each passing birth. When Toya ironically became more motivated to train, Enji blamed Rei, yelling at and hitting her when she stood helpless and admitted her inability to stop Toya. The issues she had with her husband only grew worse, as Enji began investing all of his energy into training Shoto, becoming more cruel in training him, while Rei grew more frightened of her husband to the point where she couldn't even stand looking at him.[2]
Because of her unstable state of mind and actions, Enji did not hesitate to send her to a mental institution. Due to his obsession, Enji was initially shown to have no respect nor remorse towards her, as he called her a mad woman. Ten years later, the two had yet to meet face to face, but he appears to have visited her to share small gifts with Rei on multiple occasions. Rei is aware of this, as she noted on him giving her a flower that she told him she liked when they first met. While she admits that she still possesses fear in seeing him, she was touched by the gesture and even told her children, Natsuo Todoroki and Fuyumi Todoroki about it, as well as him facing an internal conflict.[4]
This internal conflict is why Rei believes in Enji's attempts to atone for his past abuse of her and their children.
After seeing Toya's broadcast and the truth about their family exposed, Rei gets over any fear she had of seeing Enji and goes to the hospital to visit him after the Paranormal Liberation War along with Fuyumi and Natsuo. When he expresses the feelings in his heart, Rei interjects and asks him what he's referring to, stating that the rest of his family has carried the same emotions he has for much longer than him. When asked what she was doing there, Rei explains that she came to discuss their family and Toya, carrying the flower he'd given to her before.[5]
Together, the two discussed their marriage, and their failures when it came to parenting Toya. Rei acknowledged that she was ill-prepared to help her eldest son, and Enji confessed that he didn't know what to say to quell the boy's furious ambitions. Despite all that she'd endured, Rei and her eldest children admitted to having failed their family as well, And that for all he had put her through, she made her choice to be with him and was determined to help her husband recover so that he might have a chance at stopping their renegade son with Shoto by his side.[2]
Just as Enji prepares to propel both himself and Dabi into the air, Rei didn't hesitate to intervene in the battle, and save both him and their son from their impending deaths.[6]
Despite everything he has done to her in the past, Rei refused to leave Enji's side, continuing to assist and support him after all the injuries he sustained during the battle, which eventually left him wheelchair-bound as he has now lost his ability to walk in the process.[7]
Shoto Todoroki#
Rei was a kind, caring and loving parent towards Shoto, unlike Enji. She tried to stop Enji from making Shoto go through his harsh training and endured physical abuse due to her attempts.[1] She would constantly support Shoto, saying to him that he is not a slave to his bloodline and encouraged him to become whatever he wants to be.[1]
However, her fear of Enji along with his constant abuse towards her would cause her to become mentally unstable. She eventually snapped and threw boiling water over the left side of Shoto's face. However, she did this out of mental instability and fear of Enji, and not because she hated her son. Once she immediately came to her senses, she quickly used her ice Quirk to try and soothe Shoto's burn while frantically apologizing to him. Realizing the fear she had for Enji and the abuse she endured alongside him, Shoto bore no ill will towards Rei for the incident, instead directing his resentment towards his father.[1]
For ten years after the incident, the two did not meet. After the U.A. Sports Festival, however, Shoto comes to visit his mother. Rei cried and asked for his forgiveness, and smiled as he forgave her for the incident.[8] The two have restored their relationship and have grown close again, as Shoto visits her in the hospital on his days off.[9]
With the Hero course students now living in dormitories on the U.A. campus, it is more difficult for Shoto to visit. The two still maintain close contact through letters. Rei shows great excitement about the letters she has received from Shoto.[10]
When talking with the family about Toya at the hospital, Rei stated that Shoto has suffered more than any of them and had every reason to hate her, but he still called her "mom", explaining that he's made new friends at U.A. High and become a better person. Rei admits that her son has been the one saving them, and that he's become their family's hero, demonstrating not just love, but a deep sense of respect for her youngest son.[2]
Toya Todoroki#
According to Natsuo and Fuyumi, unlike his father, Toya seemed to be very close to his mother Rei as a child. It is also mentioned by Fuyumi that Toya's "death" greatly devastated Rei as she was already gravely mentally ill from her abusive husband. Many years later, Rei continued to think of Toya years after his assumed death.
Rei cared greatly for her eldest child, and attempted to dissuade Toya from continuing training his strong fire Quirk as it burned his solely heat-sensitive body. Later, after hearing about Enji's plan to have more children to end Toya's hero aspirations, Rei was greatly distressed and was against it, knowing the mental anguish it would cause their son. Rei pleaded with Enji to tell Toya anything else and to let him have hope for his dream. Enji insisted however, saying that Toya beared new burns every day and that it was the only way to make him quit.
According to herself, however, Rei was not as close to Toya as she previously believed, even telling Enji that she had also overlooked him.[11] After Toya attempted to attack Shoto, Enji made Rei responsible for watching over Toya and making sure he didn't train his Quirk. She would try her best to talk to and console Toya. One day, when he was prepared to go off to Sekoto Peak, Rei tried to convince him to not focus so much on his father and understand there were different paths in life, not just the path of a Hero. However, Toya refused to listen to her, openly saying that she only married Enji because her family was poor and needed the money and that she was the reason he was born, coldly staring at her while exclaiming that she was guilty of his problems as well before leaving. Rei was deeply hurt and impacted by this, and when Enji would yell at and hit her for not stopping him from training, she said there was nothing she could do or say that could stop him.[2]
Despite Toya's cruel words towards her, Rei was distraught upon learning of Toya's supposed death in hospital, and the news shattered what was left of her already damaged mind, causing a relapse so bad that Shoto couldn't visit her.[12]
By the time the Paranormal Liberation War occurs, Rei is completely horrified when Dabi reveals his true identity as Toya.[13] She is later motivated to leave the hospital, and meet with her husband to discuss Toya. While conversing with Enji and recalling Toya's past, she would admit that she didn't understand her eldest son and had no idea what to say to comfort him.[2]
As seen when Hawks and Best Jeanist came to visit her husband's hospital room, Rei herself still holds a sense of responsibility for her eldest son's actions and apologized on his behalf due to knowing of how he brutalized the two heroes.[14]
During Final War, upon escaping from the crumbling bunkers, Rei notices the battle between both her husband and their eldest son. She then watches on as Endeavor prepares to propel both himself and Dabi into the air, intending to take themselves out in one final explosion. Coming to the realization that the both of them are about to die, Rei propels herself into their direction and uses her ice to cool the both of them down.[6]
After nearly a decade, she is reunited with her oldest son, begging him to stop his disastrous actions. Despite his maniac state, Toya weakly acknowledged his mother and was surprised to see her. Rei's intervention led to her being burned, though she paid it no mind to save her son. After Shoto intervenes and saves all of them, Rei is unconscious, while Dabi musters all of his remaining strength to express his hatred towards his father and his family, and wishes for all them to die alongside him, only for Endeavor to apologize to him and the rest of his family.[15]
Fuyumi Todoroki#
Rei had a happy and loving relationship with her daughter in the past. While Enji still desired a successor with the ideal Quirk, Rei genuinely wanted another child after Toya was born, believing the siblings could encourage each other. While Fuyumi only inherited her mother's ice Quirk, things in the family were happy for a time.
Rei continued looking after Fuyumi and the rest of her children in spite of Enji's neglectful treatment. However, she was forced to spend less time with her daughter in order to defend Shoto from Enji's brutal training. While she was in middle school, Fuyumi witnessed her mother trying to reason with Enji and defend Shoto, but was too afraid to try and help her. Fuyumi and Natsuo were left crying and scared when they heard Enji beat and yell at Rei for not stopping Toya's training.
In the present, the two are shown to have a positive relationship. Like her brothers, Fuyumi visits her mother at hospital and brought her a set of warmer clothes. She also evidently cares about her mental well-being and scolded Natsuo for mentioning Enji.[10]
Fuyumi also expressed concern for her mother when she chose to interfere in Dabi's destructive rampage. When Fuyumi and Natsuo chose to join her, Rei pleaded for the two to leave, but Fuyumi cried out that she couldn't bear losing her again.
Natsuo Todoroki#
While Natsuo was born after Enji's decision to try again for a worthy heir, but failed due to only inheriting his mother's Quirk, Rei cared for her second son like the rest of her children nonetheless. It was only thanks to Rei's care that Natsuo managed to feel loved due to his father's neglect and rejection of him.
However, after Shoto was born, Rei was forced to spend less time with her other children in order to defend her youngest son from Enji's brutal training. Their relationship became briefly strained, as Natsuo couldn't help but feel as though his mother had been stolen from him.[16] Meanwhile, as Rei's mental health began to suffer, she began seeing Natsuo's resemblance to Enji in his face.[2] Following Rei's hospitalization, they both overcame these feelings and didn't let the past overshadow their relationship.
Along with Fuyumi and Shoto, Natsuo visits Rei in the hospital. Like his other siblings, Natsuo has a positive relationship with his mother, with Natsuo recommending that his mother get a phone to better keep in contact with Shoto.[10]
Like his sister, Natsuo didn't hesitate to follow their mother into Dabi's inferno, despite Rei telling them to leave. Natsuo then joined his mother and sister in using his ice to quell Dabi's flames.
Unnamed Parents#
Rei's family arranged her Quirk Marriage to Enji Todoroki. It is unclear if Rei's mother supported the decision or not, unlike her father, who was honored for the one many believed to be the next No. 1 Pro Hero to take a Himura woman as his bride. Rei was aware of the poor state her family was in, and while she had the choice to refuse Enji's offer, she accepted, wanting him to help her family with his wealth.
Rei trusted her mother enough to confide to her on the phone; she confessed that she couldn't handle her marriage anymore, explaining the abuse and being scared of her own children. Rei asked for help from her mother, saying she couldn't raise Shoto anymore. Unfortunately, the phone conversation came too late; seconds later, Rei had a mental breakdown when Shoto walked in on her, scalding him with boiling water from a kettle when his left side reminded her of Enji. Following this horrible incident, an unsympathetic Enji sent Rei to a mental institution. It's unknown if either of her parents ever visited her at the hospital.