Although NBC has recently been announcing many new faces who will be appearing in the upcoming miniseries Heroes Reborn, so far there hasn’t been any new information on characters from the original series who will be appearing…until now. Returning for another round of superpowered action later this year is the geeky time traveller Hiro Nakamura. Yatta!
NBC has announced that Hawaii Five-0 star Masi Oka will reprise Hiro for a “guest-starring arc of episodes.” Oka is the second Heroes alumnus to reprise his role from the original series. Jack Coleman is also returning to the 13-episode event series to play Noah Bennett, or as he was commonly nicknamed in Heroes Season 1, H.R.G. (Horn-Rimmed Glasses). Although their roles haven’t been disclosed, the new actors who have been cast include Zachary Levi, Robbie Kay, Danika Yarosh, Gatlin Green, Ryan Guzman, Judith Shekoni, Kiki Sukezane and Henry Zebrowski.
Hiro Nakamura was one of the lead characters for all four seasons of Heroes. Originally an office worker from Japan, he discovered he was able to bend time and space. This allowed him not just to teleport to any location on the planet, but also travel through and stop time. As a comic book and sci-fi fan, getting superpowers was a dream come true for Hiro, and with them he went on several adventures to “save the world,” usually accompanied by his friend Ando. When we last saw Hiro in the Heroes series finale “Brave New World,” he, along with Peter Petrelli, Sylar and many others, watched as Claire Bennett showed off her regeneration powers to a group of reporters, exposing people with special abilities to the public.
While it’s unclear what role Hiro will play in the miniseries, it wouldn’t be surprising if he acted as a mentor to several of the new heroes. Unlike most of the main characters from the original series, Hiro embraced his powers from the beginning (though there were moments when he considered them a curse), so if there’s anyone who can convince people the upside to suddenly gaining superpowers, he’s the guy who can get the job done. Regardless of what he ends up doing, it will be worth it just to see him scrunch up his face with concentration before using his powers. I always got a kick out of that.
Heroes Reborn is scheduled to premiere on NBC in fall 2015, and an online prequel series will debut on NBC digital platforms, Hulu and video-on-demand before the miniseries airs.
