Masi Oka: No More Time Travel For Hiro
But he's not the only 'Heroes' character brought back to Earth
After so long without them, Hiro Nakamura finally got the super-powered kick start he needed on "Heroes" thanks to the littlest Parkman. Too bad, though, that this is the end of his time-traveling shenanigans.
There wont be any more time traveling," actor Masi Oka confirmed to the Official Heroes Magazine. " I think thats a safe assumption. I think we realized that we had a great story arc in the first season and we kind of exhausted it. Time traveling is such a powerful thing because logic dictates, Oh, why dont you just go back in time and fix whatever went wrong?So even with the rules we put on, the characters still need to grow, and so do their powers."
Of course this isn't the first time that Hiro has lost his abilities for the common good of the story. In early Season 1, the Japanese hero-in-training mysteriously lost his powers and subsequently embarked on a quest to recover the sword of the great Takezo Kensei to restore them. This move allowed the writers to keep the series grounded and prevented the show from depending too heavily on Hiro's almighty talents in resolving all of the major disasters the characters come against.
Similar decisions have also been at the core of the fourth volume, "Fugitives," by having Peter Petrelli (Milo Ventimiglia) limited to one power, essentially forcing him to re-discover each power again. And for Oka, that was the main draw to the first year of the series where none of the characters really knew what was happening to them.
Theres something about the magic of the first season," he said. "I loved the Hiro and Peter scene in 'Hiros.' I think so far thats my favorite, because you get to see the future Hiro and I think the tension was great, and knowing that if the explosion in New York didnt stop, then Hiro would become the very dark Hiro. That was like a ticking clock for Hiro, and the impetus for the audience wanting the world to be saved. So I loved that. Also the love story with Charlie in 'Six Months Ago' will always be a favorite of mine.
Despite the transition from genetically empowered to regular Joe, Oka insists that Hiro is still the same without his abilities, and his experiences of the last few years have not quashed his spirit and faith in the human race. "I think his innocence is gone now, but his purity is still there," Oka said. "He still believes in people, he believes in destiny, and hes just like a pure being, in the sense that he can be influenced by good and evil. Hes like a blank canvas. But hes learned a lot in terms of going through tragedies and things that have consequences. I mean, hes a grown-up child still, and he still has that sense of wonderment, but I think hes a little bit more street-smart.ing each other laugh. It was definitely one of the most fun times Ive had on set.
The Official Heroes Magazine is on newsstands now.
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