WARNING: The following contains spoilers for My Hero Academia Season 5, Episode 14, "Off to Endeavor's Agency!" now streaming on Funimation, Hulu, and Crunchyroll.
The most carefree hero in My Hero Academia sure is having a rough go of it as of late. As Hawks continues his double-agent act in Season 5, Episode 14, the laidback hero's life is becoming increasingly tense and complex. While doing everything in his power to make a convincing traitor without actually becoming one, the #2 Hero has become isolated from the very society he is fighting to protect.
Hawks' goal is still to locate the remaining Nomu as well as learn what he can regarding the League of Villains' plans. After he failed to gain their trust when Endeavor foiled their plans by defeating the Nomu that attacked him, the pressure is on to prove that he really intends to betray his fellow heroes. In his mission to pretend to be a turncoat, he has discovered actual traitors, such as Slidin' Go, meaning Hawks no longer knows who he can really trust.
Hawks is also forced to carry several micro-devices that are recording everything he says, does and sees. As a result, the young hero is forced to fly solo in the skies where only his thoughts can be his own. One of the most popular heroes, it is also difficult for Hawks to maintain a low profile. His fans even spot him on the phone with Dabi and speculate who he may be talking to, and though he plays it off with disarming charm, he can finally be honest by saying that it's a secret.
Hawks' goal as a hero has always been to create a world where heroes have nothing to do. But currently, in a cruel twist of irony, he is forced to use this very reason as his motivation in his cover story of wanting to join the League of Villains. He has always been the most carefree hero in My Hero Academia, and now has the most difficult and delicate task of anyone. However, his determination is clearest in his visit with Best Jeanist, where he appears to have done what Dabi ordered him to do.
Endeavor, Hawks' childhood hero and the #1 Hero, is also the only person that Hawks knows he can trust. This trust is why Dabi forbids Endeavor from being the hero that Hawks kills to prove his loyalty, as their partnership is well known. Yet, thanks to the many devices tracking his every move, Hawks still cannot speak openly with his only ally. Fortunately, the two are such efficient partners in hero work that Hawks is able to tip off Endeavor despite being so heavily monitored using a coded message.
Hawks' mission has forced him to fundamentally change who he is -- even Deku notes in the episode that he acts much older than his 22 years when he arrives to help Endeavor take down a villain. However, during this interaction, Hawks is able to use this change to his advantage by enthusiastically giving his new, fake point of view in a way that won't raise the suspicion of anyone other than Endeavor. To the credit of their partnership, Endeavor does indeed note the contradiction with what Hawks has said in the past.
Unfortunately, Hawks has no choice but to put his faith in Endeavor's ability to decode his message. Given this mission, because he was the only one who could carry it out, he was doomed to walk this road alone from the start. Being the #2 Hero makes him invaluable to the League of Villains for the information he could acquire, but it also comes with so much responsibility that he is struggling to play both sides as effectively as possible.
Hawks has only ever wanted to do nothing and now has the most responsibility of anyone. Gone are the days of running his agency, as he expresses regret that he is unable to be there to train Tokoyami during the work study. His kinship with the U.A. student is another relationship he has had to sacrifice for his mission. Everywhere he goes people are either traitors or think that he is, making it impossible to trust anyone. If only his life could be so simple that he actually was just flirting with someone on the phone.
