This article contains spoilers from My Hero Academia Season 6, currently streaming on Crunchyroll.
Hawks, previously known as Keigo Takami, is officially the youngest Pro-Hero to earn himself such an esteemed status, and he made it onto the Top 10's radar before he was even of legal drinking age (in the US, anyways).
Regardless of how epic Hawks' Quirk may be, it is his down-to-earth personality that makes him so popular with the civilians (and My Hero Academia fans alike!) Unlike many of the other Pro-Heroes, Hawks is disinterested in wealth and status and simply wants to do his job to the best of his ability (while applying the least amount of effort possible!)
The Famous Fierce Wings
As most are aware, Hawks' magnificent crimson wings do much more than gift him the power of flight, as each and every feather adorning the Hero's back can be individually manipulated with seemingly little difficulty. Through the power of thought alone, the No 2 Hero can telepathically communicate his intentions to his plumage and send them traveling through the air to do his bidding, with the swarm of scarlet almost appearing to have a sentience of their own.
These feathers are exceptionally fast and robust, each possessing enough power to lift and carry a fully-grown adult and they can also team up to bear much heftier weights together. If required, the red projectiles lose their fluffiness and turn into razor-sharp blades of various sizes, ranging from little lethal daggers to sleek swift swords. In terms of reconnaissance, they can be used to ascertain the enemy's location or even eavesdrop on conversations. Hawks possesses such a deep connection to his Quirk that he can pick up on changes in the surrounding air of each feather and uses this as a form of echolocation or translate the soundwaves into dialogue.
This speed demon's extensive short- and long-ranged capabilities do have their limits; as there is only a certain amount of feathers at his disposal before he is virtually rendered useless. The scarlet missiles can return to their owner and reattach to his wings, however, if they are damaged in any significant way, the plumage has to be regrown from scratch. It takes a couple of days for Hawks to replenish and recharge, and flying is rather difficult during this stage, so he has to pay close attention to his feather distribution to avoid running out. As amazing as Fierce Wings is, there is little it can do against fire, which can burn up Hawks' entire arsenal in a flash, essentially leaving him defenseless.
The Beginning of the End
Assessing Hawks' preadolescence shows how he had the perfect set-up to become the next biggest villain, but thankfully, the great Endeavor made a long-lasting impression on the young boy, essentially changing his life forever. As a child, Keigo was not very well acquainted with the concept of "love," as his abusive parents treated him as more of a burden than anything else. His criminal father resented many things, particularly how conspicuous his son's wings are and, for the sake of decretion (which every miscreant requires), the poor boy was forced to remain indoors, hidden away, and ostracized from the world.
Keigo escaped his dystopian reality by watching the Heroes hard at work on the television and was instantly (and ironically) captivated by Endeavor's mighty flames. As it turned out, the man that he idolized was the very same one to eventually arrest Keigo's good-for-nothing father and free him from his clutches. Unfortunately, the remaining family was subsequently cast out onto the streets and Keigo's bitter mom continued to dump constant soul-destroying criticism into his lap, but somehow, even this did not break the boy's resolve.
Determined to do some good in the world, the attentive young lad managed to rescue many innocents from a near-fatal road accident by elegantly removing everyone from danger in the nick of time. Keigo's heroic deeds were not overlooked by the Hero Public Safety Commission, who wasted no time in recruiting the youngster into their ranks. His mother (who needed little convincing in cutting ties with her son) was paid a handsome sum of money for her "efforts," and thus, Keigo Takami was no more.
The Hero Public Safety Commission saw a world of potential in the Fierce Wings Quirk and proceeded to spend the next few years training Hawks to be the perfect hero. Not only did he work on his Quirk's versatility, but Hawks also received specialized coaching to perfect his espionage skills, making him the top-notch double agent that he is today. Whether or not the Commission's training regiment is morally sound or not is highly debatable, but it is evident that (in this particular case) they produced immaculate results.
Hawks' Heroic Hope
" I want to make a world where heroes have time to kill. "
In a truly peaceful society, there will be little need for Heroes, but being out of the spotlight might be a hard pill for some to swallow. Keigo was never interested in the top position and would prefer to not be inundated with responsibilities, but will gladly take up the task of keeping the streets clean for the sake of others. Even when the No. 2 Hero has a selection of side-kicks by his side, he doesn't sit back and take the easy way out (although it is clear that he would much rather be relaxing!) and singlehandedly takes down the criminals, one after the other.
Hawks makes a great impression on Fumikage Tokoyami during his internship and helps the wary student to embrace his Quirk to the fullest to unleash all the versatility that Dark Shadow may possess. Without even meaning to, Hawks has become a role model to prospective heroes and one of the few to emphasize the professional aspect of being a Pro-Hero. Ironically, however, he does break the ultimate Hero Code by killing a villain as opposed to just incapacitating and arresting them, but this particular decision is not made lightly.
The No 2 Hero may be good at lying, but he does not seem to relish doing it. It becomes evident that the undercover Hero enjoyed the company of his entertaining villainous buddy, and he was able to see past the mask (so to speak) to find the goodness in Bubaigawara's heart. Instead of prioritizing his self-preservation, Hawks goes to great efforts not only to cause minimal injury to Twice but does all he can to convince his new friend to turn over a new leaf. Murdering Bubaigawara must have been one of the toughest things Hawks has had to do, but the Hero Public Safety Commission conditioned him to selflessly prioritize the mission above all else, and there would be no coming back from the Sad Man's Parade.