#that's also why I caught that one frame of everyone side-eying Edgeshot. I was rewatching s6 to figure out exactly what he was doing

[awkwardtuatara]

The thing about Edgeshot is that he's a man of few words in a show where the climactic moments are more-or-less about who can declare their opinions and beliefs the loudest and with the most force, which makes trying to figure out his motivations and beliefs about heroism extremely difficult.

While he does his job extremely well - in fact, he's laser-focused on his job to a degree that even seems to unnerve his colleagues at times (look at how the other three heroes in this frame are all glancing at him, looking slightly concerned) - his pre-battle reminders before the Gunga Villa battle are entirely focused on their objectives. In fact, he's almost brutally efficient during the entire Gunga Villa scene, never stopping to say anything but the pragmatic and even taking down Re-Destro. His only personal declarative moment is when he's preparing to sacrifice himself for Bakugou's sake. Even then, the two key points in that brief speech are "Keep trying," and "The heart that stopped just now is a life we must not lose," of which the former is fairly self-evident and the latter is so specific that it doesn't fit into the typical speeches more notable characters tend to give about heroism, heroes vs villains, etc.

His vagueness is especially evident when contrasted with Best Jeanist's approach to heroism, who is immediately before him in terms of rankings. They frequently appear in the same scenes, most notably in the Coffin in the Sky, but Jeanist has an ironclad conviction that the purpose of being a hero is to provide hope and reassurance to others, which is constantly being demonstrated in almost every one of his appearances. From his first notable appearance as Bakugou's mentor he is constantly talking about his viewpoints regarding heroics; Jeanist's crucial return to duty during the Gigantomachia fight is basically one big opportunity for him to make a dramatic speech. He's not a worse hero for his dramatics - they never impede his actions or take too much of his attention in critical moments, and they even seem to bolster him. I think it's fair to say that Best Jeanist's dedication to his work stems primarily from his personal beliefs about what a hero should be.

On the other hand, Edgeshot never expresses any particular personal sentiments about his role as a hero. He does express some opinions during the hero rankings reveal, where he says "I am not doing this for the fame; I believe my job is to bring about peace." On the surface is fairly similar to what Jeanist says to Shigaraki in season 7 about how "we are just doing this because we want to protect the future," but Edgeshot's words onstage are entirely calculated for the viewers. He's not expressing a heartfelt belief, he's just playing it safe. (Hence why Jeanist's statement rings much more true - never mind the public, it's barely even for Shigaraki, it's more for himself and his allies.)

Going back to his sacrifice to resurrect Bakugou, that particular decision seems largely motivated on two things: the unwillingness to allow Bakugou to die (at such a young age, with so much potential, at such a crucial point in the fight, etc.), and Best Jeanist's distress at his death. And as shown in the flashback to their high school days, what Edgeshot is mainly thinking about when he chooses to exchange his life for Bakugou's is his friendship with Jeanist. His choices in this scene are much more about Edgeshot's regard for and relationship with Best Jeanist than any particular sentiment about Bakugou Katsuki. Therefore, although we do find a personal motive for Edgeshot's heroic sacrifice, it's still not based on a stance about being a hero. We are no closer to a definitive conclusion about his moral/personal beliefs as a hero.

In short, Edgeshot's dedication to his career seems to come from a general sense of duty, and less from any personal conviction. He's an incredibly pragmatic hero who doesn't tend to express any strong opinions, but still works with precision and dedication.