As the No. 2 Pro Hero and a major line of defense against the League of Villains, Hawks has cemented himself as one of the strongest heroes in My Hero Academia. With both strength and charisma, Hawks might seem like the picture-perfect hero, yet this optimistic character hides a dark and despair-ridden past behind his smile.

Similar to many other characters in the series, Hawks underwent a string of misfortunes in his childhood, though these very incidents shaped much of the hero’s present-day persona. Hawks’ backstory isn’t merely a show of his history, as the entire ordeal sheds light on the cracks within hero society that are often glazed over for the sake of promoting the notion of an ideal hero world.

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A Household of Fugitives

Before Hawks went solely by his hero identity, his name was Keigo Takami, and he was born into a family hiding from law enforcement. Hawks’ father, Takami, was a lowly villain on the run for committing a minor felony, though his initial criminal charge didn’t stop him as he remained a lowly thief to make ends meet for his family. However, Takami wasn’t the only one in on the crimes, with his assailant being Hawks’ mother, Tomie.

With her quirk, Tomie had the ability to form levitating eyeballs to monitor an area, a power that allowed her husband to evade law enforcement and commit minor crimes. Hawks was conceived during this time, and much of his early childhood was spent inside a run-down shack on the outskirts of town.

A Victim of Neglect and Abuse

Takami’s paranoia of the law enforcement being on his trail forced him to shut Hawks off from the world, essentially locking him up inside the shack where he spent much of his early years. His father feared that if someone came looking for them, Hawks would simply rat him out, a fear that resulted in a string of abusive incidents for the young child.

The neglect and abuse forced Hawks to resent his parents, although it also led to a resolve to never end up like them. This was the first step towards his realization of wanting to become a hero, and the events that followed furthered his dream of serving society as a Pro Hero. Since he had never seen the outside world, the notion of heroes seemed like a fictional concept to him, though that changed once his father was arrested by Endeavor himself.

A Glimmer Of Hope

Hawks’ childhood may have been a hotbed of misery and despair, yet things took a turn once his father was taken away and charged for his crimes. However, this wasn’t the end of his misery, as his mother feared that she would be arrested for being an assailant in Takami’s crimes, forcing them to be on the run once more.

It was sometime before this event that Hawks’ mother bought him an Endeavor toy, albeit only because the flame hero’s doll was much cheaper than All Might’s. However, this doll sparked hope in Hawks, even becoming a major element in his admiration for Endeavor, a sentiment that has even trickled down to the present day. With Endeavor being the one who arrested Takami and freed Hawks from his torment, the Pro Hero became his idol ever since that day.

The Beginning of a Hero’s Journey

Hawks’ actual journey of becoming a hero began sometime during his time on the streets, where he was able to save several civilians in an incident through his Feather quirk. This event brought him to the Hero Public Safety Commission’s attention, followed by Hawks’ mother receiving an offer of indefinite financial support in return for leaving her child in the hands of the commission. This also meant that her past crimes and association with Takami would be overlooked, which meant she couldn’t resist the offer.

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Under the commission’s tutelage, Hawks was molded into a hero that doubled as a spy for the HPSC. His current persona is a result of this meticulous training, as he was able to successfully infiltrate the League of Villains and gather vital information without tipping off any of the League’s members. Despite the training being awfully grueling, Hawks pulled through only to become a hero like Endeavor. His admiration for Endeavor was so great that even after Dabi revealed his heinous actions, Hawks still believed that the man had changed for the better. Even after finding relief, Hawks was still used as a pawn, as he was merely a replacement for Lady Nagant, though he now works as a Pro Hero on his own accord.

The Significance of Hawks’ Backstory

A tragic backstory is the recipe for any compelling character, and Hawks undergoing such a grisly past isn’t unique to him. However, what truly makes his backstory nuanced is the fact that such a past could have easily geared him towards taking on the role of a villain down the line, especially with both his parents being petty criminals. Moreover, his childhood parallels that of Dabi, as the two suffered abuse and neglect at the hands of their father.

Despite these similarities, the two end up on entirely different paths, with their differences becoming even more striking as one admires Endeavor while the other resents him. Hawks’ backstory highlights that no matter how tragic and grim one’s past may be, one can always find their light to break free from the cycle of despair. Knowing that Hawks could have ended up in a place similar to the other villains makes his character all the more layered and profound.

My Hero Academia is available to stream on Prime Video.

My Hero Academia

In My Hero Academia, Young Deku is born into a world where people commonly have something called quirks, also known as superpowers. He himself is born without any, but circumstances lead to that changing. He enrolls at the UA High School, a prestigious academy where the worlds future heroes learn how to use their powers.