Theory:Hiro Nakamura

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The following fan theories are about Hiro Nakamura.

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Theories

Theory	Citations	Notes
Hiro's powers resulted from mutations in his grandfather's DNA. These mutations were caused by the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.	Hiro's grandfather was a survivor of Hiroshima and died of cancer. (The Crane)	- In an interview, George Takei strongly implied that Takezo Kensei is Hiro's ancestor. He says that through that legendary samurai, he is bringing a lot of good DNA to this role. This means that Hiro's DNA mutations were obtained from Kensei, not the atomic bomb. • Takezo Kensei didn't turn out to be much of a hero after all. • This could be because of Hiro's manipulation of the past (kissing Yaeko). + Kensei probably did not produce any offspring while in Japan. - He probably did produce offspring in Japan, seeing that he's implied to be Hiro's ancestor, otherwise Hiro may have removed himself from existence due to his interference. + Adam Monroe was Kensei, and it has been confirmed he had only two children, both in Italy. - There have never been any documented cases that mutations from exposure to nuclear energy have been passed on to offspring. + As long as something was changed in the gamets, it can be from the radiation. - This is generally baseless, or at the very least a stretch.
Hiro's powers have not fully developed. When they do he will be able to summon anything from anywhere to any point in time.	None.	+ Many of the powers take practice and time to develop. • Future Hiro did not display such an ability. Had he possessed it, he could have brought Future Peter to him and Ando, rather than traveling to Las Vegas, or simply summoned present-day Hiro from the Homeland Security building. He may have not fully developed his powers in the period of five years, however. • Matt Parkman also did not display the full extent of his powers in the dark future. This may be from not meeting his father. • It might be considered rude to summon someone from their day-to-day business without asking permission. + Future Peter, who is considerably more experienced with space-time manipulation, was able to teleport Matt to Africa seemingly without actually going there himself. - Hiro already seems to have done this, moving Adam in and out of his coffin. + We don't know he wasn't simply stopping time (or rather, slowing it almost to a halt), shoving Adam back in, closing the coffin, and unfreezing time. - Hiro no longer has an ability.
Hiro did not actually change history when he time-traveled to ancient Japan; events as they are unfolding now are exactly the events that occurred in the first place.	None.	• This is a predestination paradox. + In the stories that Hiro was told by his father, Kensei was Japanese, (like Hiro) not a gaijin. It seems he was destined to return to feudal Japan and become the hero. - However, Hiro's first interference in feudal Japan is to disrupt Kensei's planned ambush of the bandits he was hired to protect the village from. We see that this action is directly connected to Kensei receiving his famous sword and meeting the swordsmith's daughter (who was angry at him only for abandoning the village to it's fate, which was Hiro's fault). It seems fairly probable that before Hiro's interference, it was indeed this incident that set Kensei on the path to heroism. Indeed, Hiro himself points out that he 'broke history'. + Yaeko told Hiro that everyone will know the story of Takezo Kensei. She likely took license to make the story the way Hiro remembered it. Plus, in her mind perhaps, Hiro still saved Otsu as the story originally said. + The "Battle of Twelve Swords" fits more into the context of Hiro's time-stop ability than Kensei's regeneration; if Kensei had gone into the battle, it is unlikely he would have simply disarmed the opponents. - Hiro never indicated that the original Kensei simply disarmed his opponents (except by doing it himself.) + This could explain why the depictions of Kensei in the Sword Saint documentaries looks less like Kensei, and more like Hiro. - Hiro had already been shown in 1671 (How to Stop an Exploding Man) when Sword Saint was released. + If a time traveling man in the future goes back to the past, then the present man would already see the changes his future self made in the past, considering they took place in the past. Basically Hiro, before he went to the past, would have to be living in a world in which his future self already ‘altered’ the past, because it took place in the past and would have already happened. So throughout Hiro’s entire life the events that took place with Hiro in the past, had already taken place, and all the effects of that would have already been weaved throughout the current timeline before Hiro even decided to go to the past. • That's basically the definition of a predestination paradox.
Every time Hiro time travels, he causes a catastrophe such as the bomb that explodes in New York and the plague that Peter and Caitlin saw.	None.	+ In the graphic novel String Theory, it shows he went back in time to stop Sylar from getting Claire's power so he could be killed. Doing so may have made Peter the exploding man instead of Sylar. - In the Five Years Gone timeline, Nathan, or Sylar pretending to be Nathan, told everyone Sylar was the bomb, when it was actually Peter. This could have happened in Future Hiro's timeline. + Hiro teleporting forward in time prevented him from stabbing Sylar in the explosion future. + Hiro made it worse when he accidentally teleported to feudal Japan. There he met his childhood hero Kensei/Adam. He couldn't believe Adam was a drunk, pillager, and only thought of himself. So he turned him into the hero he read about but he betrayed him by kissing his princess. During the fight and before the explosion, Adam told Hiro he would pay for what he did. + Bob said Adam was the first and he said Adam wanted to help the human population by ruling them through enslavement and punishment (or something to that degree). Maybe if Hiro hadn't gone back to Japan and met Adam and then accidentally betrayed him, none of the future Peter and Caitlin saw would exist because Adam wouldn't want to seek revenge for hundreds of years. Adam may always have been the one responsible for the release of the Shanti Virus on the world. If Adam can heal from the Shanti virus, then Adam would have nothing to fear from an outbreak. - One of the side effects of the Shanti virus is the inability of evolved humans using their abilities. Thus, Adam would not be able to use his power if he came in contact with the virus. • In the episode Truth & Consequences, Mohinder finds out that Claire's regenerative blood is a cure for the virus. So that means Claire, Adam, and maybe Peter are immune to the effects of the virus. • Claire's blood is only a cure for the virus when combined with Mohinder's antibodies. It is possible that someone with the ability of regeneration could resist the effects of the virus much longer than someone without it (as it is not explained exactly how the virus negates abilities; if it is damaging whatever cells are responsible for powers, constant regeneration may be able to hold it off, possibly indefinitely, in a "dormant" state), but unless we learn more about how both the virus and powers work, it is impossible to say whether Claire, Adam, or Peter could survive. + Adam tried to release the virus in the present-day, in spite of this. • Claire's blood and Mohinder's antibodies were the cure. - Hiro has time traveled many times without causing any such events: going back to save Charlie from Sylar and failing, trying to capture Usutu. + But Usutu was killed. That qualified as a catastrophe. (But that was actually not time travel when he went to get Usutu.) + Hiro traveled back in time, retrieved the catalyst from his mother, Ishi, and then allowed the catalyst to fall into Arthur's hands, thus eventually completing the formula.
Hiro could travel between alternate universes/timelines.	None.	+ Hiro has gone to futures that did not happen. They could be futures of alternate universes. - It is possible that the future that he visited was a product of him being "out of the equation" as he was able to prevent Claire from being killed, but didn't stab Sylar (as he wasn't there in that timeline). - Technically, he would still be out of the equation until he reappeared in the future. Therefore, it makes no sense how Future Hiro would still even exist. - Therefore he had to have then gone back to the past of that future, in order for Future Hiro to exist. + It is possible he could develop this power. Matt has discovered more facets of his ability he didn't realise before; so could Hiro. + Unless he can, Caitlin is lost for good.
Hiro Nakamura is brothers with Nathan and Peter Petrelli.	Hiro's biological mother may actually be Angela Petrelli, since we know she slept with Kaito Nakamura.	- Hiro seems younger than Nathan. Giving birth to an Asian baby would probably have wrecked her marriage. Nathan would remember his mom being pregnant with a second baby. • These three characters seem to interact and affect the future far more than any other character in the entire series. - Hiro does not look anything like Peter or Nathan. + He could be only their half-brother. - Hiro appears to be completely Asian, not half. + There's not way to tell by appearance if someone is completely Asian or half Asian. - Hiro's mother is Ishi. + She may not be his biological mother.
Hiro did not lose his power, despite what Arthur may have said.	None.	+ Hiro did not seem to experience pain like Maya and Peter did. + It is possible that Arthur wants Hiro to believe he can't manipulate time so Hiro won't try to return to the present. + Hiro has 'lost' his ability in the past by not believing he could use it. - Maybe Hiro has a higher threshold for pain. - Maybe there's something inherent to his ability that did not cause pain when it was lost. - He was also immediately thrown through the air by Arthur and we did not see him for a few minutes. Perhaps when off-screen is when he exhibited the pain that he was in. - Maya did not seem to exhibit pain when Arthur took her power. It seemed like she was more uncomfortable. - Arthur was a villain and tried to kill Hiro.
If Hiro did in fact lose his ability, he will gain a new ability, later in the show, when he is injected by a new formula.	None.	• In Peter's case, we don't know if his outright ability is once again Empathic Mimicry, or if it's really flight, like his brother. - Mohinder has stated that the type of abilities a person has/receives are dependent upon the person's DNA make-up. So Hiro should receive the same ability he had prior to Arthur taking it...space-time manipulation. - The serum made with the formula has been destroyed, and so has the Catalyst. + The theory states that Hiro will gain a new ability from a new formula that may or may not require a catalyst. + Some vials of serum still exist, as evidenced by the The Recruit webisodes. - When Peter gave himself the serum and rushed in to get Nathan, he seemed to know exactly what was going to happen. If he knew what was going to happen, that would most likely mean he knew he would get empathic mimicry back, and could absorb the ability of flight from Nathan. It is unlikely that he knew he would get flight as some random ability.
All of Hiro's time travel ventures were predestination paradoxes.	Hiro and Claire were already in Isaac's comic book. (Our Father)	+ Hiro became Takezo Kensei when he traveled to 1671. • Not all of his time traveling instances would be predestination paradoxes; only the trips to the past would be. But this was probably implied in the theory.
Hiro's ability will be restored by Ando.	None.	+ Ando's ability can supercharge those who already have abilities. - This in no way suggests that Ando will be able to give abilities. + When he uses his ability against Hiro in the The Second Coming, it is presumed that he would have the same ability as he does in the present, which is power enhancement, not an offensive ability.