Warning: The following article contains spoilers for My Hero Academia season six, and the manga chapter 299.

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Episode four of My Hero Academia has continued treating its audience to more Hawks content, something most fans greatly appreciate.

In the aftermath of Twice’s demise, Hawks and Dabi are ready to go all out in battle and exchange aggravating words toward each other. While that goes on, Hawks thinks back to how Dabi called out his real name moments before and remembers a bit of his own childhood. In a flashback, we see a very young Hawks clutching a plushie of Endeavor in his hands, symbolic of his admiration for heroes. We also learn that the child had to leave his name behind to start his hero training, leading to speculation regarding his life prior to that point. While the anime can’t provide all the answers just yet, we can…with help from the manga, of course. Needless to say, spoilers to follow.

What is Hawks’ backstory?

As we’ll come to find out in the current season, Hawks’ childhood was a very tough one. The Takami family lived in poverty on what might be closer to a shack than an actual home, and Hawks seemed to be the only one caring to clean up their surroundings. The child’s abusive father was on the run after killing a man, so he forbade Hawks from leaving the home, fearful that the child would lead authorities to him. Hawks’ mother, Tomie, wasn’t much better. She provided shelter to her husband after the murder and showed little care for how her son was treated. While Tomie did buy the Endeavor plushie for Hawks and took him out of the house sometimes, she did so to stop the child’s whining, not out of genuine care.

One day, Tomie told Hawks that his father had been arrested by Endeavor after being caught stealing a car. While the child rejoiced and saw the hero as his savior, Tomie feared being arrested for harboring her husband and ran from home with Hawks in tow. With no roof over their head, she persuaded her son to get some money in any way he could, so he put his wings to good use.

At some point, Hawks grabbed the attention of the Hero Public Safety Commission, which saw potential in him. The Commission offered Tomie money for her son, intending to train him as a pro hero, and she accepted. From then on, Hawks is left in the hands of the Commission, with his family name being as good as erased. The rest, as they say, is history.

One backstory down, a few more to go. My Hero Academia returns next Saturday with a new episode that will be available for streaming on Crunchyroll.