Family#
Father#
Keigo shared a very negative relationship with his father. Keigo's father was a criminal who was constantly on the run and took his family with him. Since he was paranoid of being caught, his father forced Keigo to always live in the house, never giving him a proper childhood or interactions with other children of his age. He would often be subjected to physical and emotional abuse by his hands, with his father kicking him simply for turning his back to him while openly stating that his life would have been better if Keigo had never been born. He would also accuse the latter of reporting him to the authorities even when the latter did not.[1]
Keigo recognized that his father, alongside his mother, were both broken and struggling, something that inspired the boy to keep his emotions concealed so he would not suffer the same fate as them. When his mother informed him that his father had been arrested by Endeavor, Keigo felt great joy, re-invigorating his feelings of hope.[2]
Tomie Takami#
Keigo's relationship with his mother was not a very positive one either. Though she did treat him slightly better than her husband, taking him outside, holding his hand and buying him an Endeavor doll he would cherish in his childhood, she still did very little for him as a mother. Tomie never spoke up or prevented her husband from beating their son and would also force Keigo to stay inside per her husband's demands. After her husband was caught and they were forced to go out into the streets, Tomie even asked why she had Keigo and what good his wings were, putting all of her responsibilities and burdens on his shoulders.
However, once he got the assistance of the Hero Public Safety Commission and managed to give Tomie a chance at a new life, it appears she reflected on her past treatment of her son and what she did to him. Though they never interacted after her son was taken to be trained as a hero, she still seemed to think about him. After she told the truth about their past to criminals hired by Dabi, she wrote a note to her son apologizing for exposing the truth and expressing how proud she is of the person he became.
Despite her pride for her son and her presumably better mental state, it is evident that Tomie herself still retained some sense of cowardice towards him but now mixed together with her more positive emotions for him, still not having fully owned up to or talked with her son about her past mistreatment of him. This is seen when after she was threatened by Dabi's thugs and her revealing her family background to him, she chose to flee from her own home in order to avoid directly confronting her son about what happened while avoiding causing him any further trouble due to their relationship and past being leaked to the villains and the general public.[2]
In spite of breaking off ties with her and being content with the choice, he began to re-examine his relationship with his mother, and later felt regret over having abandoned her and his father and moving on with his life.[3]
Hero Public Safety Commission#
Madam President#
As a child, Keigo and his mother were sought out by the Hero Public Safety Commission after the boy used his Quirk to intervene and save the lives of many people during a high-speed car accident. Keigo was then offered to become a special Hero, discarding his own name and taking on the alias Hawks. While warned that the training would be gruelling, the young Hawks accepted, wanting to be like his hero Endeavor. However, it is also revealed that Madam President scouted Hawks from a young age, intending to have him serve as a replacement for Lady Nagant, with Hawks being tasked to carry out the commission's dirty work away from prying eyes.
Madam President and a police official would order Hawks to infiltrate the League of Villains, saying that Hawks' ability to move seamlessly throughout hero society would make him perfect for the job and that by pursuing the League from both the inside and out, the Heroes will be able to close off their retreats and box them in. While discontent at having no say in the matter and knowing that taking on the role of a double agent would be a heavy burden to bear, Hawks dutifully accepts as he remembers how Madam President and the commission took him in, saying that he'll gladly dirty his hands if it means putting everyone else at ease.
Yokumiru Mera#
While not seen together often, it is revealed that Yokumiru was assigned to supervise Hawks and that he became a mentor of to him when he was a teenager. Yokumiru came up with improvements for Hawks' advanced training, leading to him being put in charge of the Provisional Hero License Exam. The two are close friends, and Yokumiru's support was vital in helping Hawks get through the morally dubious tasks that he had to carry out for the sake of the commission.
Following the Final War, the death of Madam President, and Hawks losing his Quirk, Yokumiru advised him to become the new president of the commission, which the latter accepted.
The two are finally seen together eight years after the series, with Hawks meeting with the ministry of education, wanting more funding to go to Uravity's Quirk counselling project, saying that fostering the future generation is more important than ever. Yokumiru chimes in and quips that Hawks' speech makes him sounds like a dodgy salesman.
Pro Heroes#
Endeavor#
Despite Endeavor's temper tantrums, Hawks never seems to be scared of him. Endeavor calls him a "little brat", which implies he still thinks of Hawks as very young.[4] Hawks has been a huge fan of Endeavor ever since he was a kid.[5]
The two get along well, despite Endeavor's brusque attitude and Hawks' constant banter. Hawks even requested a team-up with Endeavor as he needed his help in investigating the concerning sightings of Nomu.[4]
Endeavor and Hawks fought together against Hood and won only due to a combo attack. Endeavor is easily provoked by Hawks but also shows slight affection to him. He even appears solicitous when he tells Hawks he should ask for help and not expose himself to any greater danger.[6]
Hawks felt guilty because of the scar that Endeavor received on his face, although he could hide his sorrow. Endeavor knows Hawks' attitude and facial expressions very well, even to the point where he was able to decipher Hawks' nonverbal warning.
Hawks' admiration for the Flame Hero started after Endeavor arrested Hawks´ father: since he'd always believed heroes to be fictional characters, learning that heroes were real and that Endeavor had been the one to arrest his father was a deep shock for him, since Endeavor had saved him from the neglect and abuse of his father. This event ultimately opened the door to Hawks' life as a Pro Hero. The plushie of him he held on to in his childhood was bought for him by his mother, who told him to be as strong as Endeavor when he grew up, and due to his traumatic and unloving childhood, he would often hold onto this plushie, hugging it tightly and using it as his only source of emotional support.[5]
Even after having learned of Endeavor's past and the trauma he put his family through, Hawks believed that things were different and that Endeavor had changed from the person he was before, and because he wants to help people like that, he decides to help him by addressing his origins, showing that he's even willing to expose deep trauma of his past for Endeavor's sake. Hawks came to visit Endeavor and eavesdropped on the family's situation. He informed Endeavor of the chaos society is in, all of the villains on the loose and the prisons that were attacked, but then offers Endeavor assistance with his problems. The number one hero is deeply touched by Hawks' words and all the help he's receiving, and bursts into tears once again.[7]
During the Final War against the Villains, Hawks teamed up with Endeavor to tag-team the incredibly powerful All For One. While in battle Hawks proved invaluable as a support against the villain, not just physically but mentally, as he was instrumental in keeping Endeavor's mind on point in the battle. Later, once All For One rewinds his body back to his physical prime, he entrusts Endeavor with dealing with his villainous son Dabi, while he holds All For One, boasting to the Demon Lord that the Flame Hero had already bested him once before.
Overall, Hawks is one of Endeavor's most stalwart allies and supporters.
Best Jeanist#
Hawks and Best Jeanist appear familiar with each other, as Hawks visited him after the Kamino Incident. It is implied Hawks was responsible for Best Jeanist's disappearance.[8]
The depth of their relationship was shown later on, when it was revealed that Best Jeanist trusted him enough to undergo a risky medical procedure that would put him in a death-like state in order to properly fool Dabi, a state he was left in for several months until Hawks came in at the right time to retrieve his body and revive him. After the Paranormal Liberation War, Tsunagu went with Keigo to his mother's house, and after learning that Tomie was responsible for leaking the truth about his past, Tsunagu comforted him and remarked on how painful it must've felt for Keigo.[2]
All Might#
Unlike many other people, Hawks did not admire or want to become a hero like All Might when he was growing up, instead choosing to admire Endeavor. Nevertheless, he still understood his value in hero society, and was completely shocked when he announced his retirement.[4]
He formally met All Might during his investigation into the League of Villains, wanting to learn the meaning of One For All. Knowing the stakes, All Might decided to divulge the truth about One For All to Hawks and Best Jeanist, and decided to join the team of the top three heroes. Hawks would contact All Might, asking him how things were on his end and informing him of the upcoming stakes while entrusting Izuku's safety to the former number one hero.[9]
League of Villains/Paranormal Liberation Front#
Dabi#
Dabi is the first one Hawks has contacted in the League of Villains and the first person to make Hawks change his nonchalant behavior for a moment. After the incident with Hood, Dabi was confronted by Hawks asking why he broke their promise regarding the Nomu that was supposed to show up. While doing this, Hawks threatened Dabi by holding one of his feathers close to his face. Hawks was disgusted at having to deal with Dabi as seen when he walked alone, but towards Dabi he keeps a friendly and serene façade.[10]
Hawks knows that Dabi wants to use him and is aware of Dabi's distrust. He allows Dabi to take advantage of him and plays the fool in order to let Dabi forget about the risks and to steer Dabi's focus on the returns.[8] When Hawks offers Best Jeanist's body, he gains a bit more of Dabi's trust, not because Dabi completely believes in the credibility of the corpse, but because he sees Hawks as being able to commit a murder. Dabi would from thereon count on Hawks' "dark side"; the hidden part of his personality that is able to kill in favor of his goals.
As Hawks enters the inner circle of the Paranormal Liberation Front, Dabi states to Hawks that he "looks happy".[11] He subliminally states that he is still observing the hero. Dabi enters Hawks' personal space, which implies Dabi's gesture is simply a display of dominance. Their relationship is based on mutual exploitation.
Once Hawks revealed himself as a mole, Dabi wasted no time in assaulting him with his Quirk and stomping on his face, revealing that he never trusted him to begin with.[12] In the fight against him, Dabi calls out Hawks' real name, Keigo Takami, which had been kept secret since Hawks was a child. After Hawks killed Twice, Dabi forces Hawks to the ground and burns off the last of his wings. When Hawks asks who the villain really is, he answers that his true identity is Toya Todoroki, leading him to stop struggling and go into a state of shock. Dabi tells him that Hawks should have known, since he was a bigger threat to him than any other villain. He then claims that he does not care if Hawks lives or dies, but before he can make his next move, he is interrupted by Fumikage, who saves Hawks from death.
Re-Destro#
Hawks finds Re-Destro to be an obstacle, as after the League of Villains and the remnants of the Meta Liberation Army merge, it brought high chances of destruction for society.[11]
Hawks would put up the façade of being a loyal soldier by reporting about Endeavor's activities.[13] He also pretends to be fanatic by reading one of Destro's liberation books and passing them out to Heroes, something Re-Destro thanked him for. However, it is revealed Hawks was sending his fellow Heroes messages about Re-Destro's organization.[14]
Twice#
The relationship between Hawks and Twice grew very close and complex. Hawks helped Twice understand more complex themes about Destro's ideology, supported him, and gave him friendly tips as to how to speak to his soldiers. As a liberation advocate, Hawks claimed to have feelings of being trapped in the hero system, without really belonging anywhere in order to gain Twice's trust.
Hawks recognized Twice as a kind-hearted person despite being a Villain and developed a friendship of sorts with him. Twice wished he could "get rid of these bugs" on Hawks' wings and showed multiple times how much he trusted the Winged Hero. He stated that Hawks "can't be a bad guy" and wanted to free him from the Hero Society. Hawks eventually reveals that he doesn't enjoy using Twice to gain information, however, as he's usually seen smiling sadly at Twice when the man's back is turned.[15]
Despite seeing the good in Twice however, Hawks also quickly became aware of the immense danger and potential devastation the villain posed with his Double Quirk, especially with him having overcome his trauma. After blowing his cover, Hawks moved in to immediately corner and detain Twice, saying that it was far too risky to leave the villain to his own devices.
Once Hawks confronted Twice during the war, he explained his motives and asks him not to resist so that the police can bring him in. Even after showing his true allegiance, he claimed to understand Twice's tough situation and offered to help Twice get back on his feet after paying his dues, and openly stating that he is a good person, but calls him "unlucky." As Twice refused his offer and prepared to fight back, Hawks told him to stop, saying that he doesn't want to fight the Villain but Twice responded to this by saying that sounds like a "you problem." and prepared to summon more clones to fight him.[16]
After easily defeating Twice's clones, Hawks told him that if neither hero nor villain would give up, then one of them will have to die, being prepared to kill Twice if he couldn't arrest him. Despite this, Hawks purposefully made sure that Twice's injuries were non-fatal so he could bring him in alive. However, due to continued resistance from Twice and Dabi's interference, Hawks ended up killing Twice by stabbing him in the back as Twice fled to join the battle in order to stop him.[12][17]
Despite having been forced to kill him, Hawks still showed that he cared for and respected Twice, explaining to Best Jeanist that he believed Twice to be a good guy because he was desperate to be helpful to the people he cared about, wanting to be someone just like that. He also expressed remorse for not being able to help him during the Top 3's press conference.
During the Final War, Hawks was shocked to see Twice return in the form of Himiko Toga, who took on his appearance through Transform and used his Double Quirk. Fearing the worst, Hawks immediately said that they needed to kill all the Twices, fast.[18] Hawks' original fears concerning Twice would come true as Himiko went on to create countless doubles of him, all with the express intent of murdering any hero in their path, causing the Winged Hero to panic. Even after being defeated by All For One and losing his Quirk, Hawks wielded his katana against the oncoming army of Twice clones, ready to fight and defend Fumikage.
Just after Ochaco Uraraka managed to get Himiko to stand down, a clone of Himiko donning Twice's image managed to slice Hawks with her knife. Despite this, he accepts the knife wounds, telling the melting Himiko clone that Twice was a decent guy and so he deserved the punishment.[19]
Class 1-A#
Fumikage Tokoyami#
Fumikage first met Hawks when he chose him for the internship to train during the Vs. Hero Killer Arc. Hawks likes to joke about them both being birds and has stated he is happy Fumikage was the one who came.
Hawks admitted he took in Fumikage mostly because he wanted information about the League of Villains. The first time they had met, Fumikage could not keep up with Hawks. The Heroes that worked with him told Fumikage that Hawks was just too fast and they would usually deal with the aftermaths of Hawks' fights. But Fumikage gained Hawks' favor due to the amount of potential he had.
After the work studies, Hawks once again asked for Fumikage during the Shie Hassaikai Arc as they trained together. It's shown that Hawks is surprised at how Fumikage keeps up with him during patrolling. After the patrol, Hawks takes Fumikage on a flight to show him how much potential he's wasting. With the help of Hawks, Fumikage devises a new move named Black Fallen Angel.[20]
Hawks comes to trust Fumikage so much that at some point in his internship he does not hesitate to reveal him the major weakness of his Quirk.[21] This act would ultimately end up saving Hawks' life, as Fumikage would spot a barrage of Dabi's flames from a distance during the Paranormal Liberation War and realize that his mentor was in trouble. Fumikage managed to intervene just in time and saved Hawks' life from the villain, carrying the heavily injured hero to safety. Even after learning that Hawks had betrayed and killed a villain who trusted him, Fumikage thought no less of Hawks, yelling at him that his hands weren't dirty while pleading the hero not to die on them.[22]
In return, Hawks has clearly come to value his pupil. During the Final War, when Fumikage and Kyoka Jiro come to aid Hawks and Endeavor during their battle against All For One, Hawks yelled at them to flee due to the danger present. After hearing that the two students were deployed in case things went bad, Hawks instead smiles and accepts their help. At the same time, he refers to Fumikage as his hero, showing his gratitude for the U.A. student saving his life.[23]
Once Fumikage unleashed his ultimate attack Light Of Balder, Hawks thinks that being born with those "dirty wings of his" was worth it for being able to assist such a heroic young man. As the assault against All For One increases even further, Hawks apologizes for not being able to do more to help, though Fumikage assures him that his mere presence is enough. Once All For One's counter attack begins, Hawks leaps in front of his protégé to shield him from the devastating beam of light that nearly eviscerates them both. Once the battle is finished and the heroes lie in defeat at All For One's feet, Hawks still feebly defended Fumikage to prevent his Quirk from being stolen, at the price of losing his own.
Despite being severely injured and having lost his own Quirk in the previous battle, Hawks continued to stand his own ground in order to protect his beloved student from any potential pursuers coming their way.
Shoto Todoroki#
Like many other heroes, Hawks took an interest in Shoto when he saw his performance at the Sports Festival and sent him an offer, though he'd admit to Endeavor it was partly because of the good reputation he'd get having the son of the number two hero interning with him.[24] Months later, he ran into Shoto after assisting with Starservant's minions, asking if Shoto agreed that Endeavor looked as though he needed help.[25]
After the Paranormal Liberation War, Hawks and Best Jeanist came into Endeavor's hospital room, revealing to the family that they'd been eavesdropping to gather information for their investigation. Hawks placed his elbow on Shoto's shoulder and asked if Endeavor was responsible for Shoto's burn, but Rei corrected him and said she caused it. Hawks is shocked by this, coming to deeply respect Shoto for not abandoning his parents in spite of them doing terrible things to him, while he'd left both of his parents behind, and calls Shoto a class act.[7]
Izuku Midoriya#
Hawks ran into Izuku after assisting with Starservant's minions, being impressed that he and classmates were helping Endeavor.[25]
In the time following the Liberation War, after learning the truth about One for All, Hawks forms a team with Endeavor, Best Jeanist and All Might to protect and support Izuku during the collapse of society and pursue All for One and Tomura Shigaraki. The two appear to get along well, and Hawks shows visible concern for Izuku in that time, calling All Might to check on him and recommending to his fellow Pro Heroes to distance themselves from the two in order to keep them away from the public fallout.
Later, Hawks, though reassured in Izuku's skill and having One for All, warns Izuku about his senior, Lady Nagant, an escaped Tartarus convict and implores him to run if he encounters her. Izuku eventually fights and defeats her, and Hawks is awestruck at his heroic spirit after Izuku, though heavily injured from the fight, still attempts to help him when he tries to rescue Nagant.[26]
When Izuku eventually goes rogue after the battle, Hawks laments not being able to follow and fight by his side.[27]
Ochaco Uraraka#
While their on-screen relationship is not really shown, it is know that as the President of the Public Safety Commission, Hawks has invested a great deal of support and funding behind Ochaco's various quirk counseling projects. Thus, they are assumed to have a very successful professional relationship. This support likely stems from Hawks' forward thinking nature and ability to understand the importance of preemptive initiatives aimed at keeping the level of crime down through ensuring that tragedies like those that befell the likes of Himiko Toga and Jin Bubaigawara are less likely to happen through ensuring that proper social supports are implemented for the benefit of the public from a young age.
Other Villains#
Lady Nagant#
Lady Nagant is his predecessor, it is unknown if they ever met but the Pro Hero was aware of her threat level. He prioritised locating her during the war's aftermath and warned Izuku about her, telling him to flee if she had him in her sights.[26]
As chance would have it, Izuku did face her and ended up defeating her. When All For One set off a bomb within her, Hawks arrived and saved her from a long fall.[28] While holding her charred body, he begged her to wake up, pleading for her not to be the villain's pawn and saying she could still redeem herself as a hero. His words got through to her, as she awakes and tells All For One's plan. She then questioned Hawks on how he can still be a hero, despite his actions for the Safety Commission and he jokingly says that he's optimistic to a fault.[29]
Following the Final War, Keigo visits Lady Nagant in prison. Despite being officially pardoned, she refuses to leave out of fear of being exploited again, to Keigo's dismay, as he wanted to ask for her help with some things. Lady Nagant says that she wishes to see the impact of Izuku's actions and how society will change in response, joking that in the meantime, the taxpayers will be covering her meals, prompting Keigo to call her a villain.[30]