How did Hawks get his scar in My Hero Academia? Explained

My Hero Academia is a series with many popular characters, but Hawks stands out because of his design, personality, moral compass, and cunning way of achieving justice. While most heroes in the series follow more traditional approaches to justice, Hawks has no qualms about getting his hands dirty to achieve his goals, which is something that almost cost him his life in the story.

Many My Hero Academia fans noticed that Hawks got a scar on his face during the sixth season of the anime, specifically during the Vigilante Deku arc. This is a detail that can be missed upon first viewing, but it actually has a nice backstory and serves to analyze what makes Hawks tick and the reasoning behind his actions.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the My Hero Academia series.

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Explaining how Hawks got the scar on his face in My Hero Academia

When Hawks was first introduced in the My Hero Academia series, it was fairly obvious that something was up with him because of his personality and the way he dealt with things, particularly during his discussions with Endeavor. This is something that was further confirmed as the manga revealed that he was working as a spy for the heroes inside the League of Villains.

Hawks' plan was to get information about the group and let the heroes know where their base was in order for them to land a surprise attack. It seemed fairly obvious, and he was gaining the trust of the league, particularly Twice. However, Dabi never fully trusted him, which is why he was the one to attack first.

As Hawks was killing Twice, Dabi stepped in and began to fight him. Dabi had the upper hand because of his fire Quirk, and Hawks got some major burns, which remained with him.

The scar on his face is a direct result of his battle with the lost Todoroki child and, in many ways, serves as a reminder of how he killed Twice and the lengths he is willing to go to in order to serve his own kind of justice.

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The appeal of Hawks' character

Hawks killing Twice (Image via Studio Bones)

Hawks made a huge impact when he was first introduced in My Hero Academia because he offered something different to the concept of heroes in the series. Most of these characters were either classic heroes like All Might, albeit with their own flaws and quirks (no pun intended), or deeply flawed ones like Endeavor.

However, Hawks was interesting because he wanted to achieve peace for society and wasn't afraid of getting his hands dirty to do so. This, combined with his extremely tough childhood and his training by the government from a young age, made him an interesting character who had his own philosophy and way of doing things.

Considering that author Kohei Horikoshi wanted to explore hero society and the different routes it had taken, it was a very refreshing approach and one that made Hawks a fan favorite from the get-go.