Hitoshi Shinso, also known as the Hypnosis Hero: NightHide, was a student at U.A. High School, attending Class 1-C of the Department of General Education before being transferred into Class 2-A of the school's Hero Course.[5]
Eight years later, Hitoshi has graduated from U.A., and becomes a Pro Hero.[2]
Appearance#
Hitoshi is a relatively tall young man with messy, indigo-colored hair that flares out in large tufts around his head, notably straight teeth. His eyes are purple with white pupils and are thin and somewhat triangular, pointing downward, with no visible eyelashes. They're usually half-closed, and he has dark eye bags underneath them.
By the time of the Provisional Hero License Exam Arc, Hitoshi was noted by the students of 1-A to have bulked up quite a bit since they last saw him at the U.A. Sports Festival.
During the Joint Training Arc, Hitoshi wears a prototype hero costume consisting of the long-sleeve winter version of the U.A. PE uniform: a dark blue shirt and pants with thick white lines over his upper body and down his legs, which form the letters "U" and "A", and a white marking framed by a red line on each sleeve. In addition to this, he wears a detachable mask-like device over his mouth, known as the Artificial Vocal Cords, which aids him with the activation of his Quirk, a Capturing Weapon, the same as the one worn by Eraser Head, around his neck, and a pair of green and white sneakers.
After the Paranormal Liberation War, Hitoshi's hero costume has been finalized. He wears a short-sleeved black shirt, fishnet-like undershirt, four mini speaker-like buttons and belt around the waist, grey shoulder pads, purple elbow pads, fishnet arm sleeves, and knuckle guard gloves, which are fingerless only on the index and thumb. His pants are also black, white boots with purple tips and soles, and purple straps around the thighs and calves, with a mini speaker-like device on the side. In addition, Hitoshi wears his Artificial Vocal Cords on his face and Capturing Weapon around his neck.[6]
Eight years after the end of the Final War, Hitoshi has grown taller and his hair is much longer and wavy, out of respect for Eraser Head.[7] His hero costume has become more streamlined and ninja-like, his boots being fully white with purple soles, black with purple edges gloves that are now fingerless only on the index and middle, Vocal Chords being slightly redesigned, and his Capture Weapon is now significantly longer.
Personality#
Hitoshi is a stoic and straightforward person with an innate ability to spark conversation with anyone despite holding a reserved and quiet attitude most of the time. He is shown to be rather clever, knowing just the right words to manipulate others into replying to his comments, allowing him to activate his Quirk. He does not mind doing something underhanded to claim victory in a fight.
Due to having his Brainwashing Quirk perceived as evil throughout his life, Hitoshi has been somewhat feared by those aware of his power and has been discriminated against solely because of the Quirk he was born with. This persecution led him to become resentful of those who had Quirks more associated with hero work, using Izuku Midoriya as an example by stating that someone "as blessed as him" would never understand what it's like to have an ability like his own. Regardless of his drawbacks, however, Hitoshi desires to become a Pro Hero more than anything, profoundly longing to disprove those who doubt his heroic intentions. Not only does he want to refute those who shame his abilities, but he also aspires to usurp students who walk the path towards becoming a Pro Hero, as he always wished to.[3]
While he stated he had no interest in making friends, Hitoshi has been surrounded by many students who see him as a friend, including Izuku, Denki Kaminari, and Neito Monoma.
Abilities#
Overall Abilities: Initially, Hitoshi lacked direct combat abilities, choosing to rely on the power of his Quirk in battles. However, after deciding to transfer to the Hero Department of U.A. High School, he underwent training by his mentor, Eraser Head. Hitoshi displayed the results of his training when he, Class 1-A, and Class 1-B took part in the Joint Training Battle. During the two rounds of the said training in which he partook, Hitoshi also showcased excellent camaraderie, using the voice-modifying function of his Artificial Vocal Cords, as well as his Ultimate Move, Persona Chords, to confuse his opponents, blindsiding them into being left wide open to the surprise attacks of Hitoshi's teammates. Despite complaining that he couldn't use half of what he learned during his training, his aptitude is noted by those such as Denki Kaminari and Tsuyu Asui. As pointed out by Midnight, Hitoshi replayed the fight in his head, wanting to pick up on areas where he fell short or could improve upon, further demonstrating his great battle practice and determination.
- Binding Cloth: As he saw himself in Hitoshi,[8] Shota decided to train him in secret, with the latter learning the fighting style he developed that involves the use of Capturing Weapon. After several months of training, Hitoshi can use this style for the first time in the Joint Training Battle. At the beginning of the first round, Hitoshi successfully brainwashes Jurota Shishida and attempts to demonstrate his skill with the Capturing Weapon, but his reaction time is too slow as he needed to employ the cloth at a much faster rate to make his attack more effective. After Denki's plan to divide the opposing team's attention succeeds, Jurota seeks out Hitoshi, who effectively uses his Binding Cloth technique to blindside and daze the rampaging student long enough for Tsuyu Asui to fling Hiryu Rin at the behemoth, securing victory for Hitoshi's team.[9] Despite the triumph, Hitoshi is frustrated because he could not apply much of his Hero knowledge to the fight. Shota tells him that he would not need to be present if he could already do everything and says it took him six years to master his capture weapon from absolute scratch.[10]
Keen Intellect: Even before training for his enrolment into U.A.'s hero course, one of Hitoshi's best assets is his smart utilization of his useful yet underpowered Quirk. During the U.A Sports Festival's Obstacle Race, he brainwashed and ordered some students to carry him to move forward without wearing himself out or using any stamina.[11] Hitoshi is also willing to push people's buttons to provoke them into responding, allowing him to brainwash them. He did this with Izuku Midoriya during their match, deriding Mashirao Ojiro's choice to withdraw from the final round matches because of his pride while also mocking him for his Tail Quirk and calling him a "monkey." Izuku fell for this taunt, and Hitoshi would have likely won by ordering him to walk out of bounds if Izuku had not managed to use his Quirk subconsciously.[12]
- Observational Skills: Hitoshi has shown to be very good at reading people, as seen during the robbery at Got-It All Mall when All Might's April Fools buckle was stolen. Hitoshi spotted a security guard nearby, noticing through his body language that he was on-guard and cautious of being watched. Soon after, when the security guard was talking on the phone, Hitoshi read his lips and confirmed that he did indeed have the stolen item and was ready for his partner to prepare the getaway vehicle, showing his great observational skills.[13]
Quirk#
Brainwashing: Hitoshi's Quirk allows him to put someone in a state where they are forced to obey whatever he commands. He can only activate this power when his target verbally responds to something he says. Brainwashing must be intentionally activated and will not take effect if Hitoshi doesn't want it to.
Though he can have multiple people under his control at once, he can only activate his power on one person at a time. He was also initially unable to have his victims do things that require some advanced brain function, like talking or writing a name from their memory. However, to keep up with his future classmates in the hero course, Hitoshi trained hard and developed his Quirk to a point where he could command people to repeat what he says. This worked in a successful sting to draw in All For One.[14]
Using a megaphone or anything that makes his voice artificial will not allow his Quirk to activate, as the said devices would transform his voice into an electronic signal.
Ultimate Moves#
- Persona Chords: Using his Artificial Vocal Cords, Hitoshi can modify his vocal tone to imitate the voices of other people, deceiving his enemies so they respond and subject themselves to his Brainwashing.[15]
Stats#
Equipment#
Artificial Vocal Cords: A non-electric device that allows Hitoshi to mimic another person's voice. He uses this in conjunction with his Quirk to trick opponents into answering him, creating an opportunity for Hitoshi to activate his Quirk.
Capturing Weapon: Like Eraser Head, Hitoshi uses a long cloth scarf made from steel wire alloy woven with carbon nanofibers. This scarf is excellent for grabbing things, restraining enemies, and enhancing his mobility.
Battles & Events#
U.A. Sports Festival Arc U.A. Sports Festival Obstacle Race Cavalry Battle Izuku Midoriya vs. Hitoshi Shinso U.A. School Festival Arc U.A. School Festival Joint Training Arc Joint Training Battle Round 1 Round 5 Final War Arc Final War Operation Troy Jaku Ruins Team vs. Paranormal Liberation Front Pro Heroes, Trainees & Gigantomachia vs. All For One
Chapter Appearances#
debut
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Anime Appearances#
debut
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Trivia#
- Hitoshi's name is comprised of the kanji for "heart, mind", "manipulate, operate", "person", and "use".
- The kanji that makes up his surname can also mean "chastity" and "honest" when written together, as well as "to rig into one's favor".
- Hitoshi's surname is also pronounced similarly to the Japanese word for "heart" in biological terms, and both words are also written with the same first character.
- Hitoshi's rankings in the Popularity Polls are as follows:
- Ranked 12th in the First Popularity Poll.
- Ranked 14th in the Second Popularity Poll.
- Ranked 10th in the Third Popularity Poll.
- Ranked 23rd in the Fourth Popularity Poll.
- Ranked 17th in the Fifth Popularity Poll.
- Ranked 13th in the Sixth Popularity Poll.
- Ranked 10th in the Seventh Popularity Poll.
- According to Hitoshi's Volume 4 profile:[16]
- He likes cats and enjoys cycling.
- He shares his liking of cats with Shota, his mentor.
- Kohei Horikoshi first came up with Hitoshi's Quirk before going to bed, wondering how he would use such an ability. Upon waking up later that night, Hitoshi's character was born.
- According to Hitoshi's Ultra Analysis profile:
- After getting cleared to join the Hero course after the Joint Training Battle, his class started planning a send-off party that he was initially unaware of.
- He would then learn about the party in My Hero Academia: School Briefs IV.
- His personality describes him as "stoic."
- Horikoshi finds Hitoshi's hair difficult to draw.[17]
- Eraser Head is the Pro Hero that Hitoshi respects the most.[18]
- During a Jump Festa 2017 interview with Horikoshi, he stated Hitoshi was expected to have some interesting development in the future, likely referring to his role in the Joint Training Arc and, later, his graduation to the Hero Department.
- Hitoshi's purple hair and mind control abilities may be a reference to the Marvel Comics supervillain The Purple Man.
- Furthermore, upon the reveal of his hero costume, Hitoshi's pose while dangling from his binding cloth strongly resembles one of Spider-Man's.
- Hitoshi shares his birthday with Natsuo Todoroki.
- Hitoshi's hero costume was initially unveiled during the My Hero Academia: Drawing Smash Exhibition in 2021, almost a year prior to its official reveal in the manga.
Quotes#
- (To Izuku) "Maybe I failed this time, but... I'm not giving up. I'll show them I've got what it takes to make the hero course, and I'll become a greater hero than all of you."[19]