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the darkness of hawks my hero academia
I remember when Hawks was first introduced and opinions were kinda split since we were still trying to figure him out. Even with a bit of a shaky start, I think some people were enamored with him from the get-go. Anyhow, you’re right to say that he was designed to be a fan favorite, Horikoshi admitted that himself when he said he wanted him to be popular!
Hmm. That’s kind of interesting to point out. “A rags to riches story?” And the “opportunity of the hero system” ooh that makes me think, and once again I am wishing we got more on Hawks’ side of the HPSC story and how his debut went. I can definitely see them pulling a “with hard work, you too can be a hero!” and “the hero life offers you many great opportunities and grand splendor” to reel people in, but I think that happens naturally because of the All Might craze. Hawks’ history was kept private so nobody’s gonna be saying he went from rags to riches, and certainly not Hawks himself with how little he shares.
Woah 😂 Oh my god, the spooky music came out of nowhere! That surprised me, and what a dramatic explanation, “crafted on an empty conveyor belt by men in suits and empty office rooms” and you called him a chameleon HELP- but apt description. I feel like I’m reading a fanfic by a theatre kid, this is neat. Really poetic in a serious, looming darkness kind of way. And then everything playing in the background??? Haha, really cool way to design a video and with the sound effects.
I’m glad you acknowledged that while Hawks’ theatrics COULD have been bits and pieces of who he might’ve turned out to be without HPSC interference, it’s mostly trained acting. Which is part of why he became my favorite. I think it’s really cool to analyze what he does and try to figure out the intentions behind them, and how he switches from one personality to another.
And…there’s where I’ll have to disagree. Lady Nagant might’ve been a hired killer, but Hawks isn’t. The HPSC stopped the whole “killing” thing after the last Chairman was killed. And he’s never tried to enable them? He was really upset about that, not wanting to turn a blind-eye to the League’s victims, didn’t let anyone die during the High-End incident despite the HPSC clearly saying “you can, and you will” even if it could’ve convinced Dabi. He’s not the HPSC’s blind puppet. And he definitely doesn’t like them or working for them. Otherwise he wouldn’t have said, “there’s nobody to give me orders anymore, I’m free of my shackles.” When they got shut down.
The spy gig wasn’t the first time he expressed disliking their ideas. The HPSC loves putting up appearances, past and future, with “false sweetness” and he ruined their elaborate little public showcase of the top heroes. They wanted polite PR lines? They called it a “critical turning point?” he threw that line back in their faces. “If this is a critical turning point, then what I don’t want to hear is all these PR-friendly soundbites.” You know, the same thing that annoyed Nagant for it being a lie to the public to save face. Perfect, “safe words” but not real, honest heroics. He sounds rude, but he shoots down the idea of “clinging to the past” by making a counter-point to every line said during that. The HPSC was very frustrated with losing All Might, this was their way to make up for it. But society shouldn’t cling to that old system. Hawks is the first hero to ever say that. Otherwise pretty much everyone is trying to cling to the old ways and become the next All Might.
It’s funny. They expressed frustration over “this is what we get for relying on one man.” But the HPSC continues their old habits of relying on one man when they sent Hawks in alone to spy on the villains with no way out for him, forbidding him to tell anyone of his mission and hiding how he was undercover even during the raid. He could’ve gotten help, he wouldn’t have thought killing Twice was his only option if he had back-up. But nothing. They sent him to deal with the consequences alone, and they got their karma from making the child of a villain, pretend to be a villain and do things he hates, thinking he’d do it easily, but Hawks drew it out for so long that Twice’s clone of Re-Destro destroyed their HQ and killed the Chairwoman. And might I add it was really stupid of them to invite Re-Destro to talk teaming up with support items or whatever when there’s no way they wouldn’t have known he was dangerous. Hawks would’ve warned them. And he knows they’re manipulating him. Isn’t it sad that he says “calling it a proposal when I can’t refuse? how malicious of you” when Nagant tried to refuse killing, she got a gun pulled out on her and got dumped in Tartarus. Hawks likes being a hero, and helping people. And they’re providing support for his mom, and hiding his family history. They’ve got blackmail on him, and Hawks himself can’t refuse if saying yes means someone else won’t have to dirty their hands in his place. He’ll take on the burden so people can rest easy.
And as funny as the sentence “what is Wash’s body count?” is, Hawks and Nagant are the only ones of their kind that were created in this way. Horikoshi’s said it, I’m not just pulling everything out of thin air.
I don’t view heroes killing villains or criminals as “dark” at all
sometimes when a villain is dangerous you have no choic