My Hero Academia: 5 Things The Anime Gets Right About Hawks (& 5 The Manga Does Better)

Shonen manga has consistently proven to be one of the most popular sub-genre of anime around, with the Big Three dominating manga sales at one point due to just how popular anything even remotely shonen is. However, the Big Three was the product of a bygone era, and modern times have brought about a new batch of manga that have become all the rage all over the world. One such manga that has attained immense levels of popularity over the course of the past few years has to be My Hero Academia. Superheroes are all the rage right now, and My Hero Academia capitalized on this setting at the best time possible to craft a story that is truly brilliant in every sense of the word. The story of Izuku Midoriya as he fights against all odds to become one of the most powerful superheroes around is truly one of the most rousing tales of all time and has been adapted into a popular anime series that pretty much everyone has heard of at this point.

There are several characters present in this series, with Hawks being a notable mention. This character has witnessed a ton of subtle albeit noticeable changes across both the manga and anime adaptations. While there are five things that the anime nails about this character, there are five other instances when the manga is leagues better. Here’s a look at both these cases.

10 ANIME GETS RIGHT: His Appearance During The Hero Rankings Is Quite Memorable

My Hero Academia has been lauded for a number of things — as it rightfully should be — and one such aspect that has received no end of praise is the anime’s visual fidelity.

Introducing Hawks so late into the story could’ve proven to be a disaster, but the visually rich scene that depicts him for the first time is quite a treat to witness indeed.

9 MANGA DOES BETTER: Was Introduced Before, Making His Introduction Less Jarring

However, the entire awkward situation of Hawks’ sudden introduction could’ve been avoided altogether if the anime had just been faithful to the manga.

The manga had shown Hawks way before the Hero Rankings, but the anime decided to save his reveal for later — a move that would’ve caused no end of inconvenience for the animation team.

8 ANIME GETS RIGHT: His Intelligence In Battle Is Quite Apparent

Hawks is not exactly a superhero who relies on his power, since his feathers don’t really have a ton of attacking power.

Instead, Hawks makes up for this physical disadvantage with his massive intellect, which is depicted quite brilliantly in the anime.

7 MANGA DOES BETTER: His Combat Prowess Feels More Distinct

However, this doesn’t mean that Hawks is completely useless when it comes to a head-on confrontation. In fact, the manga has already stuck him in a number of sticky situations that he’s somehow always managed to pull through.

The manga really makes his combat prowess look excellent, which — combined with his agility — make him quite an imposing opponent indeed.

6 ANIME GETS RIGHT: Hawks’ Voice Actor Is Very Well-Suited For The Character

My Hero Academia has pretty much nailed every character’s voice, and Hawks is no exception to this golden rule.

Yuichi Nakamura has done a brilliant job of bringing Hawks’ character to life, with his subtle auditory inflections adding a ton of character to Hawks in the best way possible.

5 MANGA DOES BETTER: Developed Hawks’ Character In A Better Manner

While this has more to do with the fact that the manga has just been running for way longer than the anime, there’s no denying the fact that Hawks has been fleshed out into one of the best characters featured in the entire series.

From introducing him in a deliberate manner to sticking him in amazing fights like the one he had with Dabi, there’s no end to the number of cool moments that Hawks is a part of.

4 ANIME GETS RIGHT: His Feathers Are Animated Beautifully

A big part of what makes Hawks such a unique superhero are his wings, which have feathers that can be controlled individually by the user to great effect. While these feathers are certainly done justice in the manga, the anime truly brings Hawks’ Quirk to life.

The precise nature of these feathers really comes to life in the animation, with their impact feeling all the more palpable due to the brilliant visual fidelity of the anime.

3 MANGA DOES BETTER: Reflecting His Admiration For Endeavor

It has been hinted time and time again in the manga that Hawks always looked up to Endeavor as his role model, even though his behavior generally never betrays this information. This subtle trait of Hawks is never really explored in the anime all that well.

Again, this might just be a case of the manga running longer than the anime, in which case one can only wait to see what Season 5 has in store.

2 ANIME GETS RIGHT: His Lackadaisical Attitude Is Quite Apparent

Hawks is one of the more laid-back and chilled-out superheroes in the series, and this can be seen in his uninterested disposition towards most things in life.

The anime truly brings this character trait of Hawks to life, with the voice acting and character animation combining beautifully to add a whole new layer of depth and complexity to Hawks’ character.

1 MANGA DOES BETTER: Built Him Up To Be The Number 2 Hero

Hawks is initially introduced as the Number 3 Hero in My Hero Academia, before slowly rising up the ranks to the second spot with his heroic actions… and some good luck thrown in the mix as well.

This gradual build-up of Hawks’ power escalation is depicted excellently in the manga, and the anime must pull no punches if they wish to make this transition as natural as the manga did.