Summary
- Hawks saw wasted potential in Tokoyami - led to mentoring him.
- Hawks' influence pushed Tokoyami to unlock his potential.
- Hawks inadvertently became a role model for Tokoyami.
Hawks has always given the impression of having ulterior motives. Although Hawks mentioned that he had no interest in nurturing the next generation of heroes, Hawks’ influence on Tokoyami allowed him to reach new heights in My Hero Academia.
As they are both birds of a feather, Hawks recognized that Tokoyami was wasting his potential. Throughout the series, Tokoyami has dedicated himself to proving his potential to Hawks. But what was Hawks’ influence on Tokoyami, and why did Tokoyami go to such lengths to prove himself?
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How Did Tokoyami Meet Hawks?
Two Birds, One Stone, As Hawks Sought Out Information On The League While Mentoring Tokoyami
Tokoyami Fumikage is a UA High School student in Class 1-A in the heroic departments. His bird-like head resembles a raven or a crow, making him a heteromorph with a mutant Quirk named Dark Shadow. Tokoyami has a slightly eccentric personality with a fondness for all dark-related elements.
Tokoyami first met Hawks during his Hero Agency Internships. Previously, UA High School held a Sports Festival where the students would show off their abilities at the prospect of being noticed by a popular Hero Agency. The Sports Festival was also a means of testing their abilities with various obstacles in their way.
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Tokoyami showed off his abilities during the Sports Festival with his Quirk: Dark Shadow. He was fortunate to team up with Midoriya Izuku during the Cavalry Battle, increasing his chances of being noticed by top Hero Agencies. To further emphasize his battle abilities, he placed third at the Festival. As a result of the Sports Festival, Tokoyami then received 360 offers from various Hero Agencies, which he chose Hawks'.
Like many aspiring Heroes, Tokoyami was excited about interning under Hawks. He quickly accepted the offer to intern at Hawks' Agency; however, it was different from what he expected. Unfortunately, Tokoyami’s first experience interning at Hawks' Agency was not what he expected and was a reality check on his current abilities.
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Although Tokoyami had great respect for Hawks, during his weeklong internship, he felt frustrated with his current abilities. He could barely keep up with them during patrols and would only handle the cleanup alongside the other sidekicks. Tokoyami felt frustrated with his lack of improvement and thus began to doubt himself, so he questioned Hawks about why he chose to invite Tokoyami to the agency.
Hawks had always had ulterior motives; however, Hawks saw the wasted potential in Tokoyami. There are three reasons why Hawks invited Tokoyami to intern with him. First, they were both birds, and the second and most important reason was that the Hawks wanted more information on the League of Villains. Finally, the Hawks noticed the potential within Tokoyami.
How Has Hawks Influenced Tokoyami?
Tokoyami Has Immense Respect For Hawks And No Longer Wants To Be Seen As A “Carrier Pigeon”
Unbeknownst to Hawks, the Hero Agency Internships lit a fire beneath Tokoyami, and Tokoyami gained even more respect for Hawks after he became the Number 2 Hero. Hawks' influence on Tokoyami pushed him to surpass his limits and no longer waste his potential. Although Hawks' primary motivation for picking some from the Sports Festival was to gain more information about the League of Villains, he unknowingly lit a fire beneath Tokoyami.
Although Tokoyami has always been reserved and polite, he is also competitive, and his inability to produce results during his Hero Agency Internships caused his frustration to boil over. Previously, Tokoyami acted similarly to an errand boy for Hawks, helping the other sidekicks clean up after Hawks caught the villains.
As Tokoyami walked away from the previous internship without learning much, he vowed to himself that he would prove himself to Hawks. Tokoyami’s determination to prove himself to Hawks caused Hawks to notice the effort he put in to cover his weak points; however, there was still something that Tokoyami was missing.
Hawks and Tokoyami are fellow birds; however, Hawks naturally could fly thanks to their wings, while Tokoyami could be seen as a wingless bird. Hawks' influence on Tokoyami was to step out of the box and look further than his current abilities. Ultimately, Hawks encouraged Tokoyami to take flight with Dark Shadow and no longer waste his potential.
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Through the internships, Tokoyami gained more respect for Hawks as his mentor. As a result of Hawks' influence, Tokoyami believes that as Hawks' mentee, he carries the burden of representing the Number 2 Hero, giving him another reason to improve his skills and not disgrace his mentor.
Although Tokoyami previously had some reservations about Hawks and why he allowed Tokoyami to intern at his Agency, after the second internship, Tokoyami began caring for Hawks. However, as the series progressed, the Hawks gained respect for Tokoyami and sometimes called him his hero.
This showcased Hawks' faith in Tokoyami’s abilities. After the Paranormal Liberation War arc, Hawks also began to value Tokoyami after he saved him from being killed by Dabi. Although Hawks has mentioned he had no interest in nurturing the next generation of Heroes and his motivations for seeking out Tokoyami were merely a means to gain information, Hawks’ influence on Tokoyami allowed him to become an asset during the Final War against All For One, as Tokoyami was able to deal swift blows that kept All For One incapacitated. While Hawks did not intend to become a role model to Tokoyami, he was the aspiration that allowed Tokoyami to unlock his potential.
My Hero Academia is now available to stream on Crunchyroll.
- Release Date
- 2016 - 2025-00-00
- Network
- TBS, MBS, Nippon TV
- Directors
- Shouji Ikeno, Tsuyoshi Tobita, Ikuro Sato, Takudai Kakuchi, Masashi Abe, Tetsuya Miyanishi, Kazuma Komatsu, Yoshifumi Sasahara, Masayuki Otsuki, Daisuke Tsukushi, Takayuki Yamamoto, Yohei Fukui, Takuro Tsukada, Masatoyo Takada, Naomi Nakayama, Sayaka Morikawa, Takanori Yano
Cast
-
Daiki YamashitaIzuku Midoriya (voice) -
Kaito IshikawaManga Fukidashi (voice)
WHERE TO WATCH
In My Hero Academia, some humans have superpowers called quirks. Izuku Midoriya, nicknamed Deku, is not one of them. Deku has always idolized heroes like the number one hero, All Might, and since he was a child, he has always wanted to be a hero. However, his lack of a quirk has always held him back, but a chance encounter with All Might after discovering a classmate in danger sets Deku on the path to becoming a true hero. My Hero Academia centers around Deku and a class of heroes-in-training at UA. This school shapes young quirk users into future heroes through fake rescue missions, combat training, and other hero-tempering tasks. With young Deku inheriting the "One-For-All" quirk, he will learn what it means to be a true hero while facing off with dastardly supervillains.
- Seasons
- 8
- Studio
- Bones
- Number of Episodes
- 159
- Streaming Service(s)
- Hulu, Crunchyroll
