'Heroes Reborn' is understandably one of the most highly-awaited series reboots this year, and star Masi Oka may have a lot to do with the hype. The 'Hawaii 5-0' star is returning to the show to reprise his role as Hiro Nakamura, a computer programmer who can bend space and time and eventually becomes a samurai-wielding time traveler.
Masi Oka recently attended the San Diego Comic-Con, where he spoke to Comic Book Resources about how his character has changed since his hiatus.
"Five years have passed, so Hiro has matured in some sense," Oka said. "We're not going to see him as future Hiro because he's not going to be as hardened as future Hiro, but he is going to be more mature. He's a mix between the original innocent Hiro and the future Hiro."
How can fans tell that this Hiro is not the future Hiro?
"That future Hiro was in an alternate universe and he also had a goatee," Oka said.
SDCC: Masi Oka Discusses Hiro's Time-Bending Return in "Heroes Reborn" https://t.co/gHaC5ZNhf2 pic.twitter.com/mtefp2QPRT
— Comic Book Resources (@CBR) August 5, 2015
Masi Oka also confirmed that Hiro has now grown into his time-travelling powers, but that still doesn't help him too much.
"The problem is Hiro's powers are so powerful, and it really screws everything up because you could always go, 'Oh, he could have just stopped time and done that,'" he said. "There's always going to be a solution. If Hiro was super super-smart, we wouldn't have a show, so you have to nerf him either metaphysically, mentally or physically. He definitely has control over it, but you'll see him nerfed again."
The one thing that Hiro Nakamura had going for him was his best friend Ando (James Kyson Lee), who has helped him throughout the original series. Masi Oka was asked what happened to Hiro's trusty sidekick and whether he will be back in 'Heroes Reborn.'
"I don't know. That is a sad thing," Oka said before adding, "Maybe. Maybe in the scripts I haven't read. I haven't done anything with Ando. I hope it's not bad news."
'Heroes Reborn' will premiere on NBC on September 24.
