History#
In Junior High, Hitoshi Shinso was constantly told that due to the nature of his Brainwashing Quirk, he was more suited to becoming a villain. Many were wary of Hitoshi's Quirk and how he could control others with it, potentially against their will, and he was self-conscious over this. Despite this negative perception of him and his Quirk, Hitoshi held onto his dream of becoming a Pro Hero regardless of what others thought. However, this also led to him gaining a strong envy and resentment to those who had more "heroic" Quirks that were accepted by society.
Hitoshi enrolled into U.A. High School and took the Hero Course's Entrance Exam. Because of his Quirk's drawbacks however, Hitoshi knew that him passing was not guaranteed and made a separate application to U.A.'s General Education Department. Hitoshi ended up failing the Hero Entrance Exam, likely because his Quirk had no effect on the Villain Bots, and instead made it into General Studies. Nevertheless, he kept his hope that he could earn his way to the Hero Course.[1]
Synopsis#
U.A. Sports Festival Arc#
When a crowd blocks Class 1-A's exit, Katsuki Bakugo claims the crowd is there to scout the competition since they were the ones attacked by villains during the U.S.J. Incident. Hitoshi walks to the front of the crowd. He confronts Katsuki directly and explains that although he desired to be in the Hero Course, he was forced to take a different path. With the U.A. Sports Festival approaching, Hitoshi and other students will have the opportunity to usurp students in the Hero Course. After explaining this, Hitoshi says that he is not there to scout, he is there to declare war.[2]
Weeks later, Hitoshi and his General Studies Course classmates take the field for the opening ceremony. Afterwards, Hitoshi participates in the Obstacle Race, avoiding Shoto Todoroki's ice while being carried by other kids,[3] and places twenty-seventh.[4]
Having qualified for the Cavalry Battle, Shinso teams up with Nirengeki Shoda, Yuga Aoyama, and Mashirao Ojiro and brainwashes them as well.[5] By the end of the Cavalry Battle, Team Shinso places third after Hitoshi uses his Quirk to brainwash Team Tetsutetsu and steal their points. Afterwards, he thanks his "teammates" for their hard work.[6]
The final round of the festival is revealed to be a One-on-One Fighting Tournament. Hitoshi tries to confront Izuku Midoriya, his matchup for the first round, but Mashirao warns the Izuku not to respond to the Hitoshi's provocations.
When the time comes for their match to begin, Hitoshi and Izuku walk out into the arena and meet each other on the fighting stage. As their match begins, Hitoshi insults Mashirao, calling him an idiot for throwing away his chance to be in the finals, just because his pride would not allow him to compete because he felt like he did not really earn it. This provokes Izuku, who starts charging toward Hitoshi and yells at him not to insult Mashirao. This response is more than enough for Hitoshi to active his Quirk, allowing him to brainwash Izuku, who suddenly stops in his tracks due to being put in Hitoshi’s trance.[7]
Now that he has taken control of Izuku with his Quirk, Hitoshi tells him that he is lucky to have been blessed with a heroic Quirk. Hitoshi then orders Izuku to turn around and walk out of bounds. Izuku obeys and starts slowly walking toward the edge of the ring. However, just before taking a step out of bounds, Izuku uses One For All to break his own fingers and free himself of Hitoshi's control. Hitoshi tries to get Izuku to speak, but eventually realizes that Mashirao must have warned him before the match. Izuku tries to push Hitoshi out, but he punches Izuku twice to break his hold.
He continues to try and force a reaction out of Izuku by talking about how his Quirk puts him at a disadvantage and how Izuku is blessed to have a heroic. Then Hitoshi goes to push Izuku out of bounds, but Izuku counters and shoulder throws Hitoshi out of the ring.[8] Having lost, Hitoshi appears to be greatly irritated. Izuku tries to console him by asking what is driving him to become a hero, but Hitoshi says it is simply what his heart longs for and leaves the ring.
Despite his loss, Hitoshi is greeted by his classmates' praises, as well as the praises of several viewing Pro Heroes. Having been encouraged, Hitoshi tells Izuku that even though he lost, he will still become a better pro than everyone in the Hero Course. When Izuku responds, Hitoshi brainwashes him temporarily and then stops to warn Izuku not to let his guard down. Hitoshi then tells Izuku not to lose and walks away.[1]
Once the festival concludes, Hitoshi joins Class 1-B in watching the award ceremony.[9]
Forest Training Camp Arc#
At some point following the Sports Festival, Shota Aizawa approached him and offered to secretly train him in his personal fighting style.[10] One day, Izuku spots Hitoshi walking along with Shota in the hallways and waves to him, but he ignores the greeting and continues walking.[11]
Provisional Hero License Exam Arc#
As all the students head toward Ground Beta for the second semester opening ceremony, Hitoshi complains that Classes 1-A and 1-B are holding up the back of the line. Hanta Sero comments that Hitoshi seems a little rougher than he did before.[12]
U.A. School Festival Arc#
Hitoshi assists his class in setting up their Haunted House exhibit for the U.A. School Festival. On one day, he reflects to himself over his guilt about preparing to transfer into the Hero Course, his training with Eraser Head, and how his classmates would feel about him leaving.
Spending his time walking around the school and checking out Classes 1-A and 1-B's set-ups, he stumbles upon a group of 1-A students, including Mashirao and Izuku, hanging out in a classroom. He overhears their conversation which leads into discussing the Sports Festival, where Mashirao brings up Hitoshi, to his shock, making fun of Izuku for getting Brainwashed by him despite his warning.
He starts to feel a little guilty hearing Mashirao bearing no ill will toward him over the incident, and ecstatic when he hears Izuku talk about all the great uses a Hero with a Brainwashing Quirk could have. He realizes he needs to get stronger until he can properly face them. He heads back to his class ready to tell them about his transfer, only to overhear them and learn they already knew about it and are planning a party to light a fire under him, which helps to gain more confidence for himself looking into the future.[13]
During the Festival itself, he participates in his class' Haunted House by dangling from the ceiling, with blood dripping on his face to scare his fellow students. One such group included 1-A's Mina, Denki, Minoru, and Toru.[14]
Joint Training Arc#
At the beginning of December, Class 1-A and Class 1-B gather at Ground Gamma for their first Joint Training Battle exercise. Vlad King and Shota settle down the classes and introduce Hitoshi, revealing he's a special guest participating in the exercise, and that he hopes that he can join the Hero Course. [15]
The class enthusiastically greets Hitoshi, while commenting on his outfit, noting his mask and the Capturing Weapon he's wearing. At Shota's urging, Hitoshi introduces himself to the class. He tells everyone that his goal is to become a great hero who can help people with his Quirk.
As Shota and Vlad explain the rules of the exercise, and that Hitoshi will participate in two battles; one with Class 1-A, and one with Class 1-B. After Class 1-A and 1-B draw lots to determine their teams, Hitoshi draws his own lots. He's placed into Class 1-A's Team 1 and Class 1-B's Team 5.[16] As Class 1-A prepares for the first match, Hitoshi explains his Quirk to his teammates, going over the strengths and weaknesses of the Quirk. He explains that the Artificial Vocal Cords allow him to change his voice, helping against those who know his weakness.
The match begins shortly afterward, and Class 1-A's Team 1 laments they didn't get to form a proper plan. They decide that regardless, they'll have to fight to win. [17] Class 1-A begins to move forward through the battlefield.
Suddenly, Jurota Shishida, carrying Kosei Tsuburaba on his back, ambushes them by smashing both Eijiro and Tsuyu. After a short scuffle, Hitoshi uses his Ultimate Move: Persona Chords, to mimic Kosei's voice and brainwash Jurota.[16] Hitoshi tries to restrain Jurota with his Capturing Weapon, but Kosei quickly traps him with Air Prison.
During the following skirmish, Tsuyu Asui managed to capture Kosei, but Jurota captures Eijiro Kirishima and Koji Koda before retreating. Hitoshi is released from the Air Prison and apologizes for his lack of battle readiness, but Tsuyu counters with her own apology as Denki Kaminari tries to cheer Hitoshi up.
The remaining trio devises a plan to defeat Class 1-B. With her mucus, Tsuyu manages to fool Jurota's sense of smell, Denki uses his Sharpshooting Gear to locate Class 1-B' team, and acts as bait, helping Tsuyu and Hitoshi get into place unnoticed. [17] Hitoshi gets into position within the maze of pipes and waits for his opportunity to strike. He calls out to Ibara Shiozaki with his voice changer, mimicking Hiryu Rin's voice. Ibara responds, falling victim to Hitoshi's Brainwashing.
Jurota identifies Hitoshi's location, and eventually reaches his hiding spot. Hitoshi uses his Capturing Weapon to bring down a large pipe on Jurota's head. His plan fails to knock out Jurota, but Tsuyu throws Hiryu at him and knocks them both out, saving Hitoshi. Thanks to this, Class 1-A wins the first round.[18] Despite the victory, Hitoshi expresses his frustration at being unable able to apply much of his training, but Shota assures him that it will take time for him to become a pro. The other teachers expresses their admiration of Hitoshi's skills.[19]
After rounds two, three, and four are finished, Hitoshi prepares for Round Five, with his teammates from Class 1-B. Hitoshi and Neito Monoma agree to take care of Izuku, while the rest of the team take care of Izuku's teammates.[20] After the battle begins, Hitoshi hides near Neito, and spots Izuku. He uses his Artificial Vocal Cords to imitate Ochaco Uraraka's voice, startling Izuku.[21]
Soon after, he witnesses Blackwhip's power exploding out of Izuku, and his struggles to contain it. The black tendrils begin to latch on to objects in the area, pulling Izuku through the maze of pipes to where Hitoshi's hiding. He yells for Hitoshi to run, terrifying him. He later witnesses Ochaco grabbing Izuku. She yells for Hitoshi to brainwash him, in the hope that the out of control power will subsequently stop.[22] He removes his mask and says, "Let's fight!" to Izuku. Izuku replies by agreeing, and falls under Hitoshi's Brainwashing once again.[23]
After the mysterious power of Izuku's comes under control, the match continues.[24] Izuku confronts Hitoshi directly, who tries to counteract him, and then tries to flee when he realizes that he can not deal with him. However, Izuku ends up capturing him, while the rest of the team members of Class 1-B are defeated and captured by the 1-A team.[25] Hitoshi expresses his surprise and frustration with his loss but nonetheless smiles, musing that the Hero Course is rather impressive.
After the match, Hitoshi expresses to Shota and Vlad that he knew the exercise was meant to serve as his entrance exam for the Hero Course, also saying that he was disappointed in his performance. When Izuku thanks him for helping him, Hitoshi declines Izuku's gratitude, claiming that he acted on his own desire to have a rematch with his old rival.
Shota scolds him, telling him that it's okay that he acted selfishly, noting that Heroes can't help others if they can't find the strength to drive themselves forward.[26] Hitoshi is bewildered by all the kind words and gets even more shocked when Vlad King announces that he'll be joining the Hero Course starting from his second year, to everyone’s excitement. Several students even ask him whether he’ll be in Class A or B, but they say the time will come for that.[27]
Final War Arc#
Over the following months, Hitoshi continued to train and perfect his Quirk so that he can keep up with the rest of the Hero course students once he gets admitted at the start of the second year. During this time he pushed through the limits of his Quirk to the point that he could get other people to speak while brainwashed, as well as also having created his own Hero costume.
However, in March, the Paranormal Liberation War occurs, resulting in the fall of hero society, as All For One and many prison escapees roam the streets causing terror, with trust in heroes diminished. Due to all this, classes at U.A. were suspended, meaning the Hero students were still in their first year, and Hitoshi's transfer was postponed.
Despite this, Hitoshi was given the chance to greatly assist in the upcoming Final War against the army of villains led by All For One. Taking advantage of his newly gained ability to get brainwashed people to talk, he is enlisted by Eraser Head with the goal of using him to brainwash Yuga Aoyama and his parents, who it turns out were unwilling spies for All For One, and get them to speak to him, allowing them to hide any deception or emotion in their voices, and thus manipulate All For One.
On the eve of the War, All Might brings Hitoshi to Class 1-A to explain the plan, with them all greatly excited to see him again. Tsuyu is surprised to hear about the plan, given the supposed limitations of his Quirk, leading Hitoshi to explain his developments to the class. This garners praise from Class 1-A, who ask which class he will be joining next year, followed by even more applause when they learn Eraser Head trained him.
Shortly before the day approaches, Hitoshi brainwashes the Aoyama parents and successfully deceives All For One into dropping his guard, as he asks them for Yuga's phone number. Hitoshi then uses his Brainwashing on Yuga to contact All For One on the day of the operation, luring him to meet at an abandoned parking lot, which is where the final battle will be set.[28]
As the fighting commences, while the Heroes utilize the Warp Gate Quirk to warp the Villains all over Japan, Hitoshi is warped to the Jaku Hospital Ruins where Gigantomachia is being held in a containment unit facility, so that he can brainwash him in case of an emergency. He meets up with the rest of the Heroes stationed to protect it from Villains attempting to free him, with Eijiro helping to find him a spot to hide in the meantime.
Hitoshi remains in the shadows and avoids direct confrontation with the Paranormal Liberation Front, however, the battle starts to fall to the villains when a Liberation commander activates a high frequency recording of All For One's voice in order to re-awaken Gigantomachia, which he successfully does breaking out of his containment. It is also around this time that Hitoshi is found by the Sludge Villain, who stumbled upon him while trying to hide from the fighting, and proceeds to take over his body.
Eijiro runs toward Hitoshi so that he can brainwash Machia, only to find the Sludge Villain gleefully proclaiming how much of a better hiding spot he is. Eijiro tries to free Hitoshi but is unable to get a grip on the sludge, all the while Machia is pounding away at Mt. Lady. Just then, Mina appears, using her Acid at maximum output, throws a piercing shot at Machia and shoves her hand into the Sludge Villain, causing the acid to mix with his sludge, forcing him to flee from Hitoshi.
Hitoshi calls out for the Sludge Villain to wait, which he responds back to, causing him to fall under his Brainwashing, halting completely in place. Just as Machia is about to attack Mt. Lady again, Hitoshi uses his Capturing Weapon to swing on top of the beast, calling out to him mimicking All For One's voice using the Persona Chords. Gigantomachia responds to his "master", putting him under his control. Hitoshi commands him to attack the villains in the air, leading him to swipe all the Villains away.
With Hitoshi now in full control of Machia and the villains defeated, they prepare to apprehend all of their foes, when they receive an update on the battle against All For One at the Gunga Mountains, requesting assistance.[29]
Hitoshi orders Machia to take the Heroes from Jaku toward Gunga, riding ontop of him where they intercept All For One, who is rewinding faster into his younger body, attempting to flee. All For One notices Machia and commands the behemoth to attack the Heroes chasing after him. Unbeknownst to him, however, Hitoshi already has Machia brainwashed, and instead, orders him to throw a giant part of the mountain at All For One. As they reveal their presence to the rest of the Heroes, they join the assault throwing everything they have at All For One.[30]
As Hitoshi continues to keep his Brainwashing on Gigantomachia, All For One figures out that it was him who was taking control of his behemoth and how they were able to get the Aoyamas to deceive him, commenting that it is his tactic. He attacks Machia with a giant blast to break his Brainwashing, with Eijiro standing in front of Hitoshi using his Unbreakable to protect him.
Despite the attack seemingly breaking control away from him, Machia responds toward is master asking why he left him behind. He vents about how even after waiting for him for so long, when he finally came back in Tomura's body, he still abandoned him and ran away, so filled with rage and anger, Machia turns against All For One and viciously attacks him.
Hitoshi notes how both Izuku and Machia are the only two to resist his Brainwashing, and reveals how even with him under his control, he kept muttering about being betrayed. He declares that he is just along for the ride as a safety measure alongside his rage, adding that while a lot of people say his Quirk seems villainous, it has no control over a person's heart. The Heroes plus Machia throw their full assault on All For One until he vanishes for good.[31]
Even despite the Heroes and Gigantomachia's relentless assault, All For One gains the upper hand using his Quirks at their full power, completely decimating Mt. Lady, Gigantomachia, and Dark Shadow, leaving everyone in fear and shock. As the dust settles, all the Heroes, including Hitoshi, lie battered, broken, bleeding to death, or dead, leaving All For One as the victor, before blasting away from the battlefield.[32]
Hitoshi barely survived the onslaught and was wounded, but he, along with some of the Heroes that can stand are teleported to Mt. Fuji where the final battle between Izuku and "All For One" is occurring.[33] He and all the heroes and students gathered there help Izuku fight against "All For One", and thanks to their efforts, he manages to defeat him once and for all, just before Tomura's body succumbs to his injuries and dies as his body disintegrates into ashes.[34]
Epilogue Arc#
Weeks after All For One's defeat, after he was able to return to U.A. after recovering from his injuries, a graduation ceremony is held and class 1-A students moves on to the next grade.[35] However, not all of them become 2-A students.
Despite being a great help in the final war against All For One, Yuga Aoyama says goodbye to his classmates as he has decided to leave U.A. to atone for having been his spy. Even so, he wants to be a hero and promises them that that someday he will be worthy of standing beside them all, as everyone reacts to his words, he begins emotionally blasting his Navel Lasers all over.
Yuga then reveals another surprise to the class, that Hitoshi will be taking his place as Class A's newest member. Feeling a little reserved about his introduction, Hitoshi enters the classroom to announce his final transfer into the Heroes course. He is immediately overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of his future classmates, who starts swamping him for questions. Jealous of the attention he is receiving, Yuga blasts some more light again asking about a farewell party.[36]
As the new semester begins, fangirls and first-year students swarm all over Shoto and Katsuki, much to their annoyance.[37] Both run to their class and hides behind Tenya, who reprimands the new students for the ruckus they have caused. The first years apologize for crowding around Shoto and Katsuki, saying how excited they were and that they were both inspirations to them.
Hitoshi is confused since he assumed that Katsuki Katsuki is the type to crave adoration by fans, which Hanta replies that even he gets flustered with that many people. Izuku then tells him that maybe it's because he's not used to so much attention, since girls always kept their distance from him since he was little.
Hitoshi replies he finds that explanation unexpected, a jealous Minoru and Denki tell him it isn't, explaining that punk like Katsuki doesn't deserve so much popularity among girls. When he sees Katsuki angrily yelling at the new students to leave, Hitoshi admits that they are right, it's not unexpected.
Later, Class A join up with some Heroes in a city on reconstruction duty, assisting Fat Gum, Suneater, and Best Jeanist in demolishing and repairing a section of buildings. As reconstruction treks on, local civilians provide food for the students to eat for lunch, as a thank you for their help and hard work.
At that moment another bus arrives, bringing the first-year students. Their homeroom teacher, Cementoss, explains they insisted on helping with the reconstruction efforts in order to be of use and to make up for their earlier misgivings. They are given minor tasks to assist while class 2-A rest.[38]
At night, because they eased up on dormitory requirements, students who wanted to go back home could, Ochaco decides to go home for a bit. Tsuyu had noticed that Ochaco was trying to pretend everything was fine, and she tried to contact her, but Ochaco wasn't responding to her text messages. Corcerned, Tsuyu decides to tell the rest of the class about what's happening, and immediately everyone goes out to look for her.[39]
Hitoshi and the rest of Class A head over to the hillside of former Troy to check on her, only to see that Izuku had come before the class and Ochaco seems to be doing well. While they comfort her, Katsuki asks Izuku about the embers of One For All he just used up. The class freaks out upon hearing Izuku only has embers remaining of One For All, and swarms over him to get the details and scolding him for leaving them out on this important development, which the boy quickly agrees to fill them in on.
Later, Class 2-A celebrate their goodbye party for Yuga, with Eri singing for the first time in front of the entire class while Kyoka plays the guitar.[40]
As time passes, Class A becomes Third Year and focuses on their reconstruction efforts while doing Hero work. Finally, it was time for Class A's graduation ceremony, and all Third Year Students from Class A, B, and Support Course are prepared to have their diplomas ready. After receiving his from Principal Nezu, Hitoshi listens to Tenya's farewell speech about their hard work, which ends with a bang with an huge explosion caused by Katsuki and Monoma.[41]
In the eight years following his graduation, Hitoshi becomes a fully-fledged hero known as Nighthide. He participates in covert operations against organized crime and occasionally collaborates with Fumikage on these missions,[41] although unlike him, Hitoshi isn't particularly well-known among the general population, to the point that he doesn't even appear on the hero rankings, though this is something he doesn't care about.[42]
In other matters, Izuku is now a teacher at U.A., and due to his loss of One For All, Hitoshi and his former classmates funded the creation of a mechanical armor similar to Armored All Might for him. They have to pool a lot of funding from their Hero Work to help making the suit with the aid of Melissa and Mei.
Once the suit was done, All Might delivers the surprise gift for Izuku, who tears up and smiles to be able to be a hero again. When Hawks mentions traffic being backed up because of a landslide on WarStar Road and requesting Heroes who can respond, Izuku puts on his new "Armored Deku" suit and is joined by the rest of his former classmates. As they head to the landside, Tenya joins the rest of his fellow Heroes of Class A.[41]
At a restaurant, the former students of Class A celebrate Shoto's new Number 2 Hero ranking on the Hero Billboard Chart JP. The classmates discuss amongst themselves the differing nature of the hero rankings nowadays, and joking around about each other's placements and their current statues as Heroes and Sidekicks. Rikido mentions his surprise everyone has been able to get together once again, which Mashirao states is due to the decreasing number of Villains every year. Fumikage remarks on the Heroes both old and new that have continued fighting all this time, thinking that eventually Heroes are headed towards extinction. Suddenly, everyone receives a notification of a criminal's Quirk causing alot of damage, as the former classmates blast off together.
The incident is quickly resolved, as the criminal is arrested, noting that it was just a "sudden impulse". The group decide to split up for the night, with all of them going their separate ways.[43]