My Hero Academia Season 6, Episode 16, The Hellish Todoroki Family Part 2 gives us some background on Hawks. Keigo Takami (Hawks) father was a villain who committed a murder for frivolous reasons. Hawks mother, Tomie Takami hid his father from the police. The pressure of being on the run caused her to suffer mentally. Tomie had a unknown Quirk that allowed her to create extra eyeballs that float around her body. She used her Quirk to help her husband commit more crimes. Hawks father was an alcoholic and was abusive towards him viewing him. He considered Hawks to be a problem, claiming that he wanted to “be a free man and not waste time around some punk child.”
Hawks later finds out that Endeavor arrested his father for trying to steal a car. This moment triggers something in Hawks that inspires him to become a hero. What I found interesting about Hawks childhood was the abuse. Specifically, I wonder how he feels about Endeavor’s abuse of his children. As a child he would have no idea but now he does. It’s likely that he no longer admires Endeavor the way he did as a child, but I’m still curious. Regardless, things get better for Hawks and his mother after his father’s arrest. Eventually, Hawks gets the attention of the Hero Public Safety Commission when he saves a group from a car wreck, they offer him and his mother safe haven.
In the present, Hawks is still injured, unable to communicate due to his injured vocal cords. Hawks learns later in the episode that his mother was the source of the leak. His mother flees after being interrogated by what I assumed was Dabi. It was probably an unpleasant experience. Hawks doesn’t seem sad at hearing of his mothers departure. I fact he’s relived. Hawks terrible childhood has made him sort of cold and I’m not surprised. Hawks acknowledges that even if the story of Endeavor and his abuse is true he believes that he’s changed. Endeavor keeping his abuse secret (which is understandable) means that when he had his change of heart that also was secret.
This is arguably one of the strongest parts in the whole series, and I’m loving to see it now in the anime form. I do not sympathize with Endeavor and most of the times, to be honest, I find myself very conflicted about his situation (which is the obvious intention behind the way he’s written). Simply put, I love his character, not the person he is.
The situation about the heroes is a nice turning point, but truth be told, MHA never had the courage to push past some of its core themes it’s been stuck too and as such, I feel like the heroes getting the upper hand here in the morality conflict will feel really forced. And don’t even get me started on Deku wanting to “save” Shiggy…