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kiegotakami · 2 years

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A Shining Light For Everyone: A Study on Purpose, Moving Forward, and Unity Explored Through Hawks and His Relationships

For reasons that can only be found in my love for this character, I was inspired to write this essay after receiving this ask. I’ve been writing for a few months, the majority of it having been written prior to Chapter 354 being released, and all of it written before the release of Chapter 356. It matters as far as predictions go, but this is an analysis of more than that.

One of the clearest lessons in the story is of the effect that unity can have. From the rescue of Bakugo, to the Yakuza, to the Meta Liberation Army, to the League of Villains, and to One For All. It's Hawks himself who said, "One For All... is a network of power that links people's hearts. It tied All Might... to Midoriya. Then Class A kept Midoriya in the game. And Uravity... linked these people to Midoriya. If everyone... if all of us... are even a little bit capable... of seeing each other as united as one, then... I see a future where heroes have time to kill." They have to unite in order for them to win, for the future to be better. Such understanding is interesting coming from someone who has been avoiding all contact with the person who saved his life, right? It's not like it's a moot point in the story since we see Tokoyami complain about being ignored by Hawks multiple times, which is also a running theme in their relationship. So what is that about? And why is it significant that Hawks is ignoring this kid he happened to mentor while he’s much too busy helping in any way he can after Japan was devastated by destruction?

Hawks did make a joke and tell Tokoyami he chose him in order to gather intel on the LOV. However, Hawks later explained during the work study that while he wasn’t “much for training the next generation, or whatever,” he also wanted to see Tokoyami reach his potential because he could relate to him.

In a similar vein, as Endeavor fought the High End, Hawks thought amid the action, “I was watching you this whole time. I get it. There was nobody else out there... really trying to surpass [All Might]. Only you! You were the one working to surpass him!” He understood and admired Endeavor’s drive.

Even when Hawks was infiltrating the PLF, he understood that Twice had been dealt bad hand after bad hand, that he was a genuinely good person who wanted to be helpful. He was another person Hawks built a relationship with and could relate to.

So what makes Hawks extend a hand toward these people? What shaped him into the kind of hero he’s become?

Keigo Takami was born to broken people. They considered him a burden and let him know it. However, one act of reluctant kindness from his mother gave him something to hold onto: hope. Through every verbal and physical attack from his father. Through being forced to live in a shack, forced to stay hidden. Through homelessness. Through his mother questioning his worth... he had hope.

When his father was arrested by Endeavor, Keigo finally saw proof that things could change for the better. His father couldn’t hurt him or his mother anymore. And it didn’t stop there! The HPSC ended up finding him on the street, giving him a chance to avoid his parent’s fate. He wouldn’t be broken. He wouldn’t be worthless. He could help people. He could become a hero.

They named him Hawks, and Hawks would be fast enough to save anyone in need before it was too late, just like how he was saved. Heroes could enjoy freedom because everyone would already be saved.

Hawks sees potential in everyone. His optimism is born of the hope he had to maintain for himself in order to survive, in order to not follow in his parent’s footsteps. Not everyone can manage that. Like Lady Nagant said to him, “My soul couldn’t take any more... so how... do you still have that look in your eye?” He truly believes that things can get better, that people can do better if they want to, and that they should be given the chance to do so. When he sees that desire—that drive—in others, he lifts them up.

Hawks knew that Tokoyami was capable of greater things, but he needed Tokoyami to show him that he had the determination to keep up and learn. Once he did that, Hawks made more of an effort to show Tokoyami that he could see his potential.

Hawks and Twice kindled a friendship despite Hawks being a spy. Hawks failed at getting Twice to back down for several reasons, but a major one was that Twice had finally found a place to belong with people who accepted and even depended on him. As someone who found his purpose through helping others, Hawks could understand the kind of drive that could give someone after being alone and made to feel like they were a burden.

Endeavor is the embodiment of his hope, so Hawks projects that idea on him even now. He wants to help Endeavor—as a hero and as a father—as long as Endeavor is willing to try. Hawks feels guilty about breaking ties with his family, but after seeing how the Todoroki children are facing their past and their parents, he realizes he can help make a difference for another family.

Hawks has spent his life trying to answer why he was born with his wings. His sense of worth being tied to what he can do for others was perfect for the HPSC to mold him into a hero who’s willing to do anything if he thinks good can come from it. Under their direction—the same direction that threatened Lady Nagant’s life and put her in prison so she wouldn’t talk—he ignored injustice, killed someone he said he would help, and was nearly killed himself in order to get information to the heroes about the PLF and ensure they could be stopped.

Hawks feels a significant amount of personal responsibility to make their society a safe one as fast as possible. It’s a promise he’s determined to keep, no matter how badly he’s injured, and even if he needs to dirty his hands to do it.

There are other heroes with a savior complex. The greatest example is All Might, who “was the act to follow, and everybody cheered him on! But along the way... people forgot about the heart and soul that made the man. The stage is gone now. The theater’s knocked down [...] Think about it. Those ones who’re still left, still fighting... whaddaya think they’re fighting for?” All Might lost all of his power in Kamino fighting AFO, but his lowest moment finally came when he couldn’t help Deku, who had become his whole reason for living. When All Might was convinced that he could only get in the way of others, Stain—a fanatic though he was—forced him to realize that heroes and citizens still looked to him for guidance, still believed in him.

All Might “couldn’t sit back” as people suffered, and neither can Hawks. They both determine their worth by their ability to help people. And Hawks, finally free from the power of the HPSC, given back his name and the burden of judgement that comes with it, is at a crossroad of destiny. He no longer has to hide his true identity nor his true feelings. There’s no need to work around the requirements of the HPSC. And at the end of it, he’s the same man, who wants to make society safe as fast as he can, at any cost.

Hawks just wants to make a difference, and since losing significant credibility among citizens, he resigned himself to keep working toward his goal regardless of whether he had their support. Now, Hawks has nothing to lose except his life, to put it bluntly. While his mother was caring enough in the letter she left him, that tie was severed long ago. He doesn’t have loved ones or a support system (particularly one who doesn’t base all of his worth on whether he’s useful to them). No one even knew his real name until Dabi broadcasted that and more. There is one person, however, who has shown particular concern for Hawks since the war.

Tokoyami, while typically serious and reserved, is defined by his heart. As a hero-in-training, he’s strategic and dependable, and as a friend, he’s fiercely caring and loyal. When Shoji was injured by a villain at the training camp as a result of protecting Tokoyami, “...he just couldn’t take it... the quirk he struggled to contain... started to rampage.”

His quirk becomes more powerful in darkness, but it’s also connected with his emotions. So when he sees his friends get hurt—particularly when it’s because of him—it can become overwhelming, allowing Dark Shadow to go into a frenzy.

The disingenuous façade Hawks masked himself with made it difficult for Tokoyami to like his mentor after his internship. However, once Hawks began to recognize the effort Tokoyami was putting in to keep up with him as well as acknowledge that he hadn’t actually been looking down on him, they started to form a bond. Despite them having starkly different ways of expressing themselves, Tokoyami looks up to his mentor and Hawks cares about his student. After a complicated start, they went on to build sincere respect for each other. So when Tokoyami realized that Hawks might be in danger at Gunga Villa, he didn’t hesitate to help him.

Tokoyami found Hawks in a burning heap on the ground, proving his suspicion of true. Despite Dabi attempting to use psychological warfare in order to distract Tokoyami, if heroes were supposed to save, then Tokoyami had a job to do. When Dabi asked him, “Who is it who really needs saving?” Tokoyami shielded Hawks as Dabi blasted flames at them, making a run for it.

Emotions welled up in Tokoyami as he expressed his steadfast belief in Hawks during their escape, willing his mentor to live through his severe injuries. He intended to help Hawks through whatever came next.

When Hawks woke up less than two days later, he immediately went back to work despite his burns, heavily bandaged and barely able to speak. And through the coming weeks, he avoided all attempts made by Tokoyami to reach him.

Other heroes went right back to work as well, but each hero’s sense of duty was driven by their own motives, accumulating toward one goal. There were also heroes who quit, like Death Arms, who said “...I’ve never felt like this before. I thought I was different. Better. I’m sure we all did once. But nah, I’m no hero. Only human.” And while we can think less of this character for his choice during such an intense time for everyone, his statement echoes the tragedy that affects everyone in their society: Heroes are put on a pedestal. That means an assortment of things, and there are a plethora of reactions to this reality in the series, but I specifically want to focus on how this places great expectations on heroes.

Let’s consider when Deku returned to UA after his solo villain hunt. When Uravity pleaded from the rooftops for the citizens sheltering at UA to understand why Deku should be allowed to rest, there was hesitancy. Could they afford to let such a huge target in a safe haven? Could they trust someone so different from them?

Deku was exhausted, covered in filth from weeks of fighting alone while searching for AFO, but he’s only human. With significant convincing, Uravity opened the door for citizens to recognize Deku as their neighbor, as just a high school kid, as someone just like them.

Deku hadn’t intended to return to UA for rest, nor had he intended to work with his friends, because he feared that would put them in more danger. However, they managed to save him just when he had burned out, and convinced him to stay while a plan was formed for defeating AFO and the rest.

This incredible act by Uravity made Hawks realize that the future they sought could be possible. He saw it in front of him! But Hawks as a hero is different. Groomed as a soldier rather than a typical hero, he doesn’t take the luxury of rest. Hawks is driven by the seed of a savior complex that’s been watered by the adults around him since his childhood, and it has grown strong roots in him.

If evidence in the writing weren’t enough, the truth can be found in the art. Hawks was often drawn with a trait familiar to those afflicted with particular sadness or exhaustion: visible bags under his eyes. Not every panel included them in his design, particularly those in which he was smiling or putting on an act. However, they could often be seen in more detailed panels. This trait has become significantly more visible post-war. Moreover, Hawks is now being drawn almost exclusively from his left side where his burn is visible. However (as I initially saw this pointed out by @/svrcererspidey on Twitter), when this is the case the burn itself is often hidden. One moment it wasn’t was when Hawks jumped to help Deku save Lady Nagant from falling to her death, where his burn could be seen as he affirmed his belief that she still had the heart of a hero.

Hawks has had a significant amount of dialogue lately but his ability to work was hindered greatly by the damage done to his wings. He focused on being support for the other heroes. When a moment came to jump into action, he did so without being certain that his wings could help him, his burn appearing just as he exhibited the hope he has become well known for. Hawks has stopped masking his feelings, but he’s ignoring his own pain and exhaustion. His decisions, however noble his intentions, are reckless to himself. He is ready to die. This behavior is not unlike Deku when he left UA, and later left All Might.

Deku was—and is—stronger than his peers. As long as he was near them, or All Might, they would be in danger. It didn’t matter what state he was in because he had a mission that needed to be completed as soon as possible. He wore a threatening mask that hid the exhaustion and fear he truly felt. Deku and Hawks are similar in this way.

When All Might called Hawks to update him on the hunt for villains, Hawks identified with Deku’s strategy. He understands the responsibility Deku feels and the pressure to get the job done as fast as possible. Tokoyami may have rescued his mentor from being burned alive, but Hawks hasn’t truly been saved yet.

Endeavor was the catalyst that set Hawks and Dabi on their paths toward heroism and rejection of it, respectively. As they used and fought each other in order to secure the futures they sought, the story revealed how Endeavor’s actions as a hero gave young Keigo hope while his actions as a father isolated his eldest son, Toya.

Where Hawks focused on giving back to a society that had saved him from abuse and poverty, Dabi focused on tearing down the same system, which had rewarded Endeavor’s arrogance and showed Dabi that he wasn’t enough, whether he was alive or dead.

Both of them have spent their lives searching for purpose to the detriment of their own needs because of how they were taught to understand their worth. Their paths, though in opposition, reflect the other.

But is it too late? Can they be saved, or have they been destined to fall as hero society falls, representing two extreme ends of its failures?

Endeavor lit the fire in Toya that made him want to surpass All Might. By teaching Toya that he was born for a specific purpose and later withholding his love and attention in an attempt to stop him from hurting himself, Endeavor showed Toya that he would have to prove himself as worthy in order for his father to love him, to be proud of him, to see him.

Dabi made it his purpose to make Endeavor pay for that by taking away everything “that thing holds near and dear.” He’s willing to die for it. However, the way to save him can be found in the words he repeats over and over.

Shoto didn’t have a relationship with his eldest brother, but he understands him. Toya was isolated, given a purpose, told to give that purpose up as the affection he’d come to know through that purpose was withheld, then left to fester in his anger. But what had devastated Toya the most was believing he was left behind by his family.

The struggles of the Todoroki family won’t end by defeating Dabi in battle nor with his death because those things alone won’t bring the Todorokis closure over how their family came to be. By stopping Dabi from sacrificing his life to get revenge on Endeavor, by showing him that his worth isn’t up to Endeavor’s expectations but rather that he has unconditional worth regardless of him—something he should’ve always been made to feel—and the love of his family, they can come together to save Toya. He can be saved.

Endeavor became a shining light for Keigo, giving him hope that he could avoid ending up like his parents. However, the behaviors they exhibited and how they’ve treated him still have an effect on how he understands and manages relationships. Keigo’s father demanded the obedience of his partner and child in order to avoid capture. Representing the paranoia of their household, Keigo and his mother had quirks suitable for surveillance, of which were made necessary for monitoring the man they needed for survival—as Tomie did not have the wherewithal to survive in society—and for avoiding his violence.

When his father kicked him aside for turning his back, Keigo instinctively apologized. It was a strategy he developed with the knowledge that his parents were wrong but, as he was blamed over and over for things he wasn’t responsible for, he learned to take responsibility anyway.

When the Takami Thief was captured, Tomie Takami was left with minimal prospects for survival and a child to care for on her own. Reasoning that the authorities could come after her as well for harboring a fugitive, she chose the only logical option she could find for them: “Gotta run away.” When Hawks went to investigate how Dabi came to know the secrets of the Takami family, he found that his mother had been confronted for the information. Tomie left him the letter in which she apologized and stated that she was once again leaving.

The first time, Tomie had meant to avoid confrontation with the authorities, but having potentially cost Hawks so much that his life as a hero had afforded him, her decision to leave this time had a different motive. Tomie knew she couldn’t provide for Keigo and she even threw the blame of their suffering on him when at their lowest. Broken. Now, having been provided for, separated long enough from both poverty and her son, she could see. Hawks was better off without her, he didn’t need her—if she was there, she would cause him trouble—and if she wanted him to be safe, she’d need to go. It was based in selflessness. It was the only way she knew how to do right by her son. But that lesson is a dangerous one. By leaving, Tomie reinforced the idea that running away—or being faster than everyone else who might want to catch up with you—is the right choice to avoid getting other people hurt. Unfortunately for Hawks, Tokoyami would never abandon a friend who is in danger, particularly one who is a danger to themself.

Keigo’s desperation to have value was exploited by the HPSC. Having grown up without the love of his parents, dedicating his life to public service through which he could give something to the world brought him the closest he could to feeling like he could make up for the absence of it. Helping people was the only thing that made sense, and like many things in his life, the quickest and cleverest choices were the ones he used to achieve that.

As someone whose quirk comes at a great risk to those around him if he can’t control it, Tokoyami could easily understand Hawks’ motivation to keep people at a distance who may get caught in the crossfire with his ventures. However, someone as loyal as Tokoyami would never allow Hawks to face danger alone if he could still help him.

The war against the PLF was the first time we saw Hawks nearly die. Guilt flooded through him as he desperately uttered instructions to his mentee to flee. As he came to see it, Tokoyami nearly became a victim of his inability to fulfill his life’s purpose. He nearly caused the death of the one person who he allowed close enough to teach and try to inspire. It was this sense of failure that moved Hawks to detach himself from Tokoyami.

Hawks is the man who’s a bit too fast. He’s used to working alone, used to dirtying his hands so no one else has to, prepared to sacrifice himself for the greater good. So when the students, especially Tokoyami, showed up to help in the fight against AFO, the guilt Hawks harbored rose in him again.

Hawks fears failing Tokoyami again... feels like he owed it to his student to leave him behind. Tokoyami made him realize that this isn’t the case. He still believes in his mentor. He still values everything he taught him. He knows people are not all black and white. He understands now that even his mentor, whose cleverness was always apparent, is capable of great weakness and darkness. But he also knows Hawks is capable of warmth and empathy.

When Hawks heard that Tokoyami still wanted to work together with him, Hawks was snapped out of his fear. “Am I really... that pathetic?” He knows what Tokoyami is capable of. It’s why he chose him out of everyone in his class.

Hawks accepting the help offered to him is a huge step toward moving on from his propulsion for self-sacrifice. When he rescued Hawks from Dabi, Tokoyami told the smiling villain that, amidst the turmoil, he was “just... concerned about [his] mentor.” While he values Hawks as a hero, no one else knows him better for who he might be without the title. He has known his kindness and his friendship. He values Hawks outside of his quirk, outside of what he can do for society. This isn’t to say at all that Hawks’ well-being should fall on Tokoyami’s shoulders now, but that bit of acknowledgement and understanding—the kind Hawks has never known even from the people who should’ve always given it to him without condition—is a significant step toward healing from his desire to dedicate his life to heroism over living for himself at all. Making Hawks see himself as someone worthy of unconditional acceptance is how he can be saved.

Tokoyami believes in Hawks. Endeavor may be down, but Hawks doesn’t feel like he’s alone right now. There’s a lot to lose in this fight, including their lives, but for the first time he feels the support he’s always giving to others... the unity he believes wholeheartedly they need to win. And in that way... maybe he’s already changed for the better.

#boku no hero academia #my hero academia #keigo takami #hawks #fumikage tokoyami #dabi #tomie takami #mha meta #bnha meta #bnha manga spoilers #mha manga spoilers #kyra speaks #this doesn't even feel all encompassing of his character (or the others) and it isn't meant to be #I just started thinking and making connections and I wanted to understand him as much as I could for even just myself #and the other characters I talk about #also I tried to put alt text but it's not letting me :/

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