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 won’t be any more time traveling," actor Masi Oka confirmed to the Official Heroes Magazine. " I think that’s 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 don’t 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.
“There’s something about the magic of the first season," he said. "I loved the Hiro and Peter scene in 'Hiros.' I think so far that’s 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 didn’t 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 he’s just like a pure being, in the sense that he can be influenced by good and evil. He’s like a blank canvas. But he’s learned a lot in terms of going through tragedies and things that have consequences. I mean, he’s a grown-up child still, and he still has that sense of wonderment, but I think he’s a little bit more street-smart.”ing each other laugh. It was definitely one of the most fun times I’ve had on set.”
The Official Heroes Magazine is on newsstands now.
About the Author:
Alan Stanley Blair is the news editor for Airlock Alpha and assistant news editor for its sister site, Inside Blip. Contributing from his home in Scotland, he is currently studying for a diploma in freelance journalism and feature writing.