Space-time manipulation

Space-time manipulation
Hiro meets himself in 1990.
Originally held by:	Hiro Nakamura
Absorbed by:	Peter Petrelli
Ability to:	Alter the space-time continuum
Examples of space-time manipulation

Space-time manipulation is the ability to alter the space-time continuum, including:

• Time manipulation or chronokinesis (slowing down, reversing, or stopping time).
• Time travel (moving through time or "folding time").
• Teleportation (moving instantaneously through space or "folding space").

Characters

• Hiro Nakamura is the only character known to have this ability naturally.
• Peter Petrelli has reproduced this ability. (Unexpected), (The Line)

Limits

Hiro

All of Hiro's space-time manipulation abilities require intense concentration, as shown by the way he typically closes his eyes and furrows his brow when attempting to invoke his power. His control has substantially improved over time, however, and he has far greater command of his abilities now than when he first discovered them.

Hiro can apparently stop time, causing the rest of the world to seem to freeze while he can still move. When time is frozen this way, Hiro can still interact with objects and even people without them being "unfrozen" or aware of his activities. In addition, Hiro can slow time (Godsend), and reverse time (Unexpected). The last is particularly unusual, in that his manipulation caused a gun to actually misfire, as though time reversed for the bullet, but only slowed or stopped for the gun itself. This event suggests that Hiro can cause various objects to move through time selectively.

Hiro can teleport himself and other people through space instantaneously. Such teleports can cover at least intercontinental distances. Each time he has carried "passengers", he has been touching the other individual(s). Hiro has shown the ability to teleport himself, a horse, and the horse's rider simultaneously; Hiro placed his hand on the horse's neck.

Hiro can also move himself and another person through time into the future or the past. If moving into the past, he can alter history, but he apparently cannot alter history in such a way that he would eliminate his original cause for going into the past. Both Hiro and Future Hiro (see below) have experienced this limitation. Nonetheless, Hiro's trips into the past create a variety of alternate timelines. Both Hiro and Future Hiro have mentioned that careless use of time travel could cause a rift.

Hiro had relatively limited power upon returning from his attempt to save Charlie. He was unable to go back in time to try again to save her, and when attempting to stop time at the museum, he only succeeded in slowing it. Upon obtaining the sword of Takezo Kensei, he was immediately able to teleport himself and Ando through both time and space with relative ease. He has since shown that he can use his power normally without a sword for a focus.

According to an interview (see notes below), Hiro ages normally while using his power. Thus, if "he lived a year in the past and returned to the present, he'd be a year older."

Hiro's ability has been subdued by giving off fumes of opium, thus disabling him from stopping time or teleporting. (Out of Time).

Future Hiro

Future Hiro has the same space-time manipulation abilities as his "present" self, but he appears to be able to use them with less effort. He is also much more proficient in differentiating the teleportation aspect of his ability from the time-traveling aspect. He is also able to selectively include others in his time freezing, without maintaining physical contact, albeit with much more concentration. (Hiros, Five Years Gone).

Peter

When Peter mimicked this ability, he seemed able to do so without the intense concentration shown by Hiro.

Peter's first demonstration of the power was to slow time when Mr. Bennet and the Haitian tried to subdue him with tasers. He apparently used the power instinctively to slow time. When time resumed its normal flow, the taser darts fell to the ground instead of continuing their flight. It isn't clear whether this was a side-effect of Peter manipulating time (like Hiro's manipulation of the handgun in Unexpected) or the result of some other power Peter used (like telekinesis). In The Line, Peter teleported and time-traveled with Caitlin without intense concentration.

Future Peter

In the Dark Future, Peter used this power to teleport himself and others as well as to stop time (Five Years Gone). Future Peter must concentrate to use the power, but does not require the intense concentration of present-day Hiro.

Selected Examples

• 
  Hiro makes the second hand on his clock go back one second.
  (Genesis)
• 
  Hiro teleports himself from Tokyo to New York City, arriving five weeks in the future.
  (Genesis, )
• 
  Future Hiro travels back to the past to speak with Peter Petrelli.
  (Collision, Hiros)
• 
  Hiro stops time to save D.L. Hawkins and an unnamed passenger from a car explosion.
  (Nothing to Hide)
• 
  Hiro travels six months into the past to try to save Charlie Andrews.
  (Seven Minutes to Midnight, Six Months Ago)
• 
  On the roof of the Deveaux Building, Peter stops time to avoid being shot with a taser.
  (Unexpected)
• 
  At a Primm parking lot, Hiro stops a gun shot--slowing time, then reversing Hope's bullet. (Unexpected)
• 
  Hiro stops Whitebeard's arrows mid-flight.
  (Four Months Later...)

Hiro's Weakened Power

Hiro believes Takezo Kensei's sword and other factors -- such as his own heroic intent -- are sources of his power. Upon acquisition of the sword, Hiro was immediately able to use his powers with both greater effect and less effort (Parasite). Prior to obtaining the sword, Hiro is sometimes frustrated by his lack of powers. Instances of him being unable to control space-time include:

• when Ando and he are in the bathroom while Jessica wreaks havoc. (Better Halves)
• when he teleports "too far". (Six Months Ago)
• when he accidentally teleports while kissing Charlie. (Six Months Ago)
• when he is unable to use his power to leave the roof of Yamagato Industries. (Six Months Ago)
• when he tries to stop time at the museum; he only slows it. (Godsend)
• at the parking garage, when he stares at the punch clock but is unable to manipulate time. (The Fix)

Following an encounter with his father, Hiro has discovered that his control over his ability depends on his self-confidence, not the sword. (How to Stop an Exploding Man)

Memorable Quotes

"The Yogis in India and the Aborigines in Australia, both can bend time and space."

- Hiro (to Ando) (Genesis)

"No one ever got laid by stopping the second hand of a clock."

- Ando (Genesis)

"Oh, it's okay. I keep secret. I bend time and space. Teleport into future. We are both special."

- Hiro (to Nathan) (Hiros)

"Hiro Nakamura can stop time, teleport by folding space. Theoretically, he can fold time as well."

- Future Mohinder (to Future Matt) (Five Years Gone)

Notes

• According to NBC.com's interactive map, Tracy Chobham possesses "teleportation" as a power.
• When talking about merely slowing down time at the Museum of Natural History rather than actually stopping it, Hiro blogs, "Instead of Stop, I casted Haste."
• In an interview, Aron Coleite and Joe Pokaski explain that Hiro did reverse time with respect to Hope's gun in Unexpected.
• According to an entry in Hiro's blog, Hiro's cell phone's memory isn't affected by time traveling. In another entry, Hiro says he can freeze time for one minute pretty comfortably.
• In an interview, Tim Kring noted, "I didn't start off by saying I want a guy who can teleport. I started off by saying I wanted a guy who felt trapped in a life that was not his dream and what could be a power that would be most wish-fulfilling for that character? And that was the ability to teleport out of that life."

See Also

• For other uses of time travel, see time travel (disambig).

Fan Theories

Please refer to Theory:Space-time manipulation for fan-created theories and other speculation.