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With the filming for Season 5 having come to a close, Behind the Scenes comes to you now with an exclusive interview with a fan-favorite character that is rumored to be getting a big feature this season! With the next part of the manga finally shining a spotlight on Shinsou and his struggles, young actor Hitoshi has faced his fair share of adversity as well.
My Hero Academia is Hitoshi’s debut role, originally featuring as a relatively minor character that had a moment in the limelight during Season 1’s Sports Festival arc. There, he won over many fans with his passionate performance as the neglected General Studies student with a villainous quirk who nonetheless dreamed of being a hero. As we spoke to Hitoshi, we learned that the role meant even more to him than ever expected.
So, Hitoshi, we hear that Shinsou is getting a lot more screen time this season. As a relatively new actor, how do you feel about the focus your character is getting?
Hitoshi: Ah, well, first of all, thank you for having me. I’m a little nervous, to be honest—I’ve never done something like this before, and I’ve heard of a lot of interview horror stories.
Hitoshi: Oops, I probably shouldn’t have said that. Anyways, I appreciate your consideration. Shinsou has been a fun role so far. Being new to acting, it was nice to have a low-pressure role that had his time being featured, but wasn’t part of the main cast every episode. It was definitely intimidating to learn that he was going to be so much more present in Season 5, but it turned out that I didn’t have anything to worry about. His level of involvement in the show has increased pretty gradually, so it felt natural. Plus, I do relate a lot to the character, despite our differing circumstances.
Can you tell us more about that? You seem very serious for a teenager, and many fans are excited to learn more about you!
Hitoshi: Sure, of course. So, like you mentioned, a lot of Shinsou’s motivation in the show is about feeling judged for something he can’t control—his ability to brainwash people who respond to him. He wants to be a hero, but he’s seen as villainous for this inherent ability he has for purely genetic reasons. In comparison… I don’t think this has been made public yet, but I actually used to live in a group home. My guardians always did their best, but group home staff are overworked a lot of the time, and your schools and stuff are always informed about your living situation, so… I am definitely used to being judged preemptively for the circumstances I come from. A lot of people think that kids in foster care are there for a reason, or that they won’t ever amount to anything.
Hitoshi: I always wanted to make something of myself. In a way, I think that’s really similar to how Shinsou feels.
It sounds like foster care did make certain things more difficult for you. Did it ever get in the way of your acting career?
Hitoshi: Wow, I’m still surprised to hear it called a “career” sometimes.
Hitoshi: I think I’m only supposed to talk about the positives in this interview, and how adversity helped me grow as a person, but to be honest, it definitely wasn’t easy. The other group home kids have usually been pretty supportive, but with how busy the staff are, the logistics of going places to film and getting permission can be really complicated. A lot of the reason that so many foster kids “wash out” is because we don’t really get a lot of individual support. I want to say that I worked hard to get to where I am, but frankly, I think a lot of it really does come down to luck. In this situation, I’m actually the Deku to a lot of people’s Shinsous. Someone gave me a chance that a lot of others don’t get.
Thank you for your insight. The interview definitely does not have to be all positive, and it’s nice to shed some light on your struggles. If you do want to talk about positives, though, how about you tell us about your favorite thing about playing your role?
Hitoshi: I would say that it’s definitely the autonomy that it gives me.
Hitoshi: Having my own income and a certain amount of legally-established self-sufficiency made life a lot easier, especially when I already had to be self-sufficient a lot of the time already. Getting this role felt like I was finally receiving permission to look after myself the way I had already been doing. Plus, I was really surprised by how many people love Shinsou—it felt like once his Sports Festival episodes aired all the way back in Season 1, people suddenly started paying me a lot more attention. I expected it to die down since he was such a minor character, but I was still getting fan letters even before my role in Season 5 was announced. And, of course, there’s always…
The coworkers?
Hitoshi: Haha, yeah, that’s one way of putting it.
Well, then, let’s get to the question I’m sure everybody has been anticipating: the adoption?
Hitoshi: Yeah. Yeah, that…
Hitoshi: Christ, sorry, give me a second. It’s still weird to talk about.
Hitoshi: Did you know, I’ve actually been watching Shouta’s movies since I was really little? Probably younger than I should have been, for some of them. He really inspired me to get into acting, and I was really excited when I learned that I’d be working with him on My Hero Academia. I couldn’t even talk straight around him at first.
Hitoshi: But I really did need a lot of support early on, as someone new to acting and without anyone that was able to be there for me all the time. Shouta ended up really stepping up, first in helping me get over my nerves, and eventually even stuff like making sure I had food and a place to hang out when my social worker was late to pick me up—it wasn’t her fault, she’s really busy and they’re always understaffed. Anyways, he never made me feel like I was a nuisance or trouble to take care of, which actually made me cry when I realized it. And I guess… I really got to know him over the last few seasons, and then his other kid, Eri, too.
Hitoshi: I never expected for my life to change like this, and it’s still a little hard to talk about, but… yeah. Yeah, that’s definitely my favorite part of playing this role.
That’s absolutely incredible to hear about, and I’m sure that I speak for all of your fans when I say that I’m so happy on your behalf. I noticed that you call Shouta by his first name. Is that normal, not to call him ‘dad’?
Hitoshi: Oh, wow, that’s a question. Um, I think it depends on the person. I’m sixteen, and my parents are still alive—that’s all I’ll say on that, sorry—so it would feel a little weird to call him ‘dad’ on my own. I’ve actually done it a couple of times, but only when I was hanging out with Eri, because I kind of have a habit of taking my social cues in a home from the other kids there, and, well, that gets a little weird when the only other kid is half your age? I was super embarrassed, but he was really cool about it. I don’t know if I’ll ever do it independently, but I definitely see him that way now.
And Shouta’s collection of co-stars-as-his-children increases! Thank you for sharing your thoughts and perspectives with us, Hitoshi. Is there anything else you’d like to add before we wrap up the interview?
Hitoshi: Just ‘thanks,’ I guess. I didn’t expect to get so emotional talking about this—I’m not really an emotional guy in general—but it’s a really big topic for me and I’m happy to be able to finally talk about it and share it with someone other than my therapist. Everything about playing Shinsou has been, in the end, really great. Thank you.
