- This page is for Hiro Hamada, the protagonist from Disney's Big Hero 6. For the Marvel character this character was inspired by, see Hiro Takachiho.
| “ | We could be way more. | ” |
Hiro Hamada is the main protagonist of the Big Hero 6 franchise, as well as the leader of the organization, Big Hero 6.
Background
Hiro Hamada is a half-Japanese, half-Caucasian boy who was raised by his older brother Tadashi by their aunt Cass following the death of their parents when Hiro was only 3 years old. Hiro was a born genius, being greatly advanced and surpassing all of his peers including his own brother on a variety of intellectual planes to the point where he found himself regularly skipping grades in order to continue his own "education." By the age of 13, he had graduated high school and subsequently tapped into and mastered a large mass of information and complex world concepts that most students enrolled in college were only just being introduced to.
Sometime in the past, Hiro became involved in bot-fighting that soon evolved into an outlet for his intellect, despite the negative social connotations the sport was notorious for.
Official Description
- Robotics prodigy Hiro Hamada has the mind of a genius—and the heart of a 14-year old: his state-of-the-art battle-bots dominate the underground bot fights held in the dark corners of San Fransokyo. Fortunately, big brother Tadashi redirects Hiro's brilliance, inspiring him to put his brain to the test in a quest to gain admission to the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology. When a tragic event changes everything, Hiro turns to a robot named Baymax, and they form an unbreakable bond—and two-sixths of a band of high-tech heroes on a very important mission.[1]
Personality
Hiro Hamada is a carefree and free-spirited young man with intelligence and understanding far beyond his years. Because of this, he can be a bit brazen and cocky, but never to the point of arrogance. He is easily accepting of other people and doesn't seem to have much of a problem forming positive connections with those he comes into contact with.
There is a certain sincerity Hiro harbors that allows him to cohesively, effectively and firmly convey his feelings and ideas on a matter at hand to whoever is within earshot. The fullest extent of this sincerity comes out perhaps most predominantly around his brother, Tadashi Hamada. Despite their scuffles and brotherly banter, the words exchanged between them are always filled with their true and barest thoughts, concerns, insecurities, and intentions. They never pull any punches when it comes to relating to each other what they think and feel on either the current situation or the topic at hand and their bond is only stronger because of it.
Despite his cool, carefree, yet hot-blooded and bold nature, Hiro has been shown to have a much softer disposition that hasn't been shown willingly displayed to anyone save for Baymax and Aunt Cass. Even so, his caring and sympathetic disposition are evident both in the way he interacts with and handles his relationships with his family and team members. He is generally always looking out for the safety and welfare of those around him and taking into consideration their individual and personal conditions before finally focusing on himself, even if he suffers a bit as a result of it. Even when Hiro is shown to have been wronged, he takes it in starkly collected stride, taking the adequate time to handle the situation with a calm, level and yet fiercely determined and driven head.
However, underneath this heart of gold lies a darker and more ruthless potential. On the flip-side of this caring, loving, direct and to the point disposition, Hiro has maintained a very staunch no-nonsense policy when it comes to those who intentionally cause harm and misfortune to those he cares for and loves. At one point, the full force of this sentiment would come to a frightening culmination if the act was particularly heinous. In the case of such an event, Hiro for all intents and purposes would lock down on immediate retribution for said crime and it would take a certain intervention to truly calm his rage. This has now altogether ceased to be an issue, with Hiro perhaps becoming even more level-headed and considerate than he was before.
Appearance
Hiro is a young adolescent boy of Japanese descent and is approximately five feet tall with a lean and slender frame. He has tousled, jet-black hair, almond-shaped brown eyes, somewhat thick eyelashes and eyebrows, light skin and a slight gap in his teeth.
He can be most consistently found in some combination of casual shirts, capris, and Converse sneakers all likely topped off with a blue hoodie.
When geared up as a superhero, Hiro dons a battle-ready outfit showcasing indigo armor. Under this armor, he wears a black protective suit that covers most of his body down to his knees along with black knee pads and steel-toe black sneakers, both of which have red magnetic circles which allow him to link to magnetic ports on the back of Baymax. On his hands, he wears thick, forearm-reaching, black and indigo padded gauntlets that sport the same red magnetic circle on the palms.
Powers and Abilities
- Genius-level intellect: Hiro's true potential lies within his genius. He is highly innovative, and has the power to create inventions from inspiration; from small but powerful battle-bots to state-of-the-art super suits. He also has intimate knowledge of his inventions and can coordinate on a complex level of thought. Hiro's intelligence is so high that he was even able to recreate items with impeccable detail, such as Baymax.
- Martial Arts Skills: In a picture of Hiro and Tadashi as children, it appears that Hiro learned martial arts at a young age, though he is never shown using it in battle. Although he does seem to recognize its codes and rules as shown when training with Baymax.
- Magnetism: When wearing his suit, the magnetic pads on Hiro generate magnetic waves to help him cling to metallic surfaces. Although this is used primarily to hold onto Baymax whenever the robot takes flight, Hiro can use it for offensive purposes, such as attracting or deflecting metallic objects.
Equipment
While his suit does not enhance his natural abilities, it does enable him to ride Baymax in flight, as well as partial protection from destruction. His helmet is also equipped with a communication device, enabling him contact with the rest of the team members despite their distance.
- Computer interface: Integrated into his suit's gloves, Hiro uses a miniature computer to hack, track down and program anything.
History
When Hiro is 14 years old, he challenges champion Mr. Yama and effortlessly claims victory. Out of spite, Yama and his goons attack Hiro who is immediately rescued by his brother, Tadashi. Despite their efforts, both parties along with everyone else involved with the event are caught, arrested and subsequently thrown in jail. Thanks to their Aunt Cass, Hiro and Tadashi are released that same night with Cass scolding them as the Hamadas return home. The two are able to bypass punishment, but a frustrated Tadashi scolds Hiro on his bot-fighting obsession and insists that he put his intelligence to better use, recommending the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology.
Hiro scoffs at the idea, jokingly noting the pointlessness of the effort and makes an attempt to join another bot fight, his ample winnings from the night's victory having been confiscated by the police. Tadashi apparently gives up and asks if he can give him a ride, but ends up taking him to the university. Relenting to his brother's wishes, Hiro meets Tadashi's closest friends — Honey Lemon (a hyperactive chemistry expert), Go Go Tomago (a sassy adrenaline junkie), Wasabi (a neurotic neat freak) and Fred (a hopeless fanboy with a love of comics and Japanese Kaiju). Despite his reservations over what he had initially dubbed the "Nerd Lab," he finds himself shamelessly impressed and enthralled with the diverse projects and inventions of the quirky band of scientists. Tadashi takes Hiro to his lab where he introduces him to Baymax, an inflatable white robot, programmed to be a personal healthcare companion and created as a means to heal the sick and injured. Tadashi explains that Baymax was a healthcare nursing product meant to help people around the world. Baymax functionality relies on a green card which houses all of Baymax's healthcare programming, which, according to Tadashi, makes Baymax who he is. Immediately after leaving the lab, the two run into the school's Head of Robotics, Professor Callaghan. With his help, Tadashi finally manages to convince Hiro to enroll in the Institute, Callaghan claiming that a school is a place where the boundaries of robotics are pushed and geniuses put their brains to the test in order to shape the future. Realizing that this is the very same Callaghan who invented the base technology comprising the robot that he uses for bot fighting, his words instantly strike Hiro and after departing the school, he confesses his burning desire to join the Institute.
According to Tadashi, the school holds an annual convention where up-and-coming geniuses are meant to showcase new creations. Of course assuming that they haven't already applied, been accepted and enrolled, those who impress Callaghan will be immediately accepted into the school. Tadashi advises Hiro to concoct a creation to do just that. Hiro runs into a creator's block as he aspires to create something specifically brand new, jaw-dropping and ground-breaking. Comically over-exaggerating his unfortunate predicament, Hiro takes a mental break of sorts to mull over his thoughts before Tadashi reminds him to look for another angle, eventually leading to Hiro's breakthrough a bit sooner than later. Noticing something about his battle-bot, Hiro instantly gets an idea and immediately gets to business. After a period of work and planning, Hiro invents the Microbots--miniature robots capable of forming anything that comes to one's mind via the use of a telepathic headband transmitter. Confident in his creation, Hiro takes his invention and showcases them at the convention. Though nervous at first, Tadashi silently helps ease his nerves, resulting in a fantastic showcase that thoroughly impresses both Callaghan and famous tech-guru Alistair Krei. Krei offers Hiro vast wealth in exchange for ownership over the Microbots, an idea Hiro seems visibly hesitant about considering. Callaghan interferes with the offer by accusing Krei of using technology and science for selfish reasons, advising Hiro to deny the offer, which Hiro does. A frustrated Krei leaves the scene while Callaghan congratulates Hiro on his success by granting him admission into the school.
In celebration, Cass offers to take Hiro, Tadashi, and their friends back to the cafe for a free dinner. Before they leave, Tadashi and Hiro spend time talking out Hiro's recent success. Tadashi congratulates his brother on his success, proud to see him use his genius for bigger things in life. Suddenly, the school's fire alarm goes off, prompting the two to investigate. Upon arrival, they find the Showcase Hall in flames. They run into one woman fleeing the blaze who tells the boys that Professor Callaghan is still inside. Tadashi attempts to go help get him out, but Hiro stops him, silently urging him to think about the situation. After a moment's consideration, Tadashi insists, claiming that someone had to help. Not seconds after he rushes into the building, the fire reaches its peak and the facility violently explodes, rendering Hiro, who had attempted to go after his brother, unconscious and killing both Tadashi and Professor Callaghan. A funeral and memorial service are held, and Hiro falls into depression at the loss of his brother and best friend. As such, he remains largely secluded in his room, appreciative, but mostly unreceptive of his Aunt and friends' comforting messages.
Hiro accidentally stubs his toe and his outcry of pain summons Baymax, Tadashi's healthcare companion. Baymax explains that he heard the sound of distress and offers assistance. Hiro waves off his offer assuring the robot that he can deactivate, only to accidentally stumble upon one of his Microbots. Hiro is surprised to find it still active and curiously trying to reunite with the other bots. Hiro, believing that the rest of his Microbots and the transmitter were destroyed in the fire, ignores the bot's activity and dismisses it as a malfunctioning. Baymax claims that the robot wanted to go somewhere and takes Hiro's offhanded suggestion to find where to the extreme, actually leaving the premises of Hiro's room and taking to the streets. Hiro chases the wandering Baymax through the city and the two eventually find themselves in an abandoned warehouse. The two break in and they soon stumble upon a machine creating millions of Microbots. As Hiro investigates and ponders over the mysterious discovery, the Microbots rise and attack. Hiro and Baymax evade them and eventually encounter a dark, masked figure. The masked man pursues the duo, but they eventually escape at the last minute, immediately heading to the police station to report the attack.
The two give their claims to Desk Sergeant Gerson, who finds their story to be rubbish, thus denying them lawful assistance. Just then, Baymax begins to run low on battery power, forcing Hiro to leave the station and return home to have the robot charge. After sneaking past an oblivious Aunt Cass, Baymax begins to charge and Hiro takes a breather from the exhausting day. Just then, Baymax acknowledges Tadashi's disappearance, asking his whereabouts. Hiro reveals Tadashi's unfortunate demise, but the mention of the fire being an accident sparks an epiphany. After the encounter with Yokai, Hiro realizes that the fire was no accident and recruits Baymax into helping him take down the masked culprit, wanting to avenge his brother's death. As such, Baymax is given a few upgrades, including a super-suit equipped with martial arts battle programming and a new chip which gives him such abilities. After his new upgrades are put to the test, the two head out to find and capture Yokai. They arrive at the warehouse, only to find it vacant. However, using the last Microbot to track him, Hiro and Baymax are led to the docks, where they find the Yokai emerging from the fog with a massive piece of technology. The two go into silent hiding until Honey, Go Go, Wasabi and Fred arrive, having followed the two thereafter spotting them snooping about the city.
Hiro urges them to leave for their own safety before the group is attacked by Yokai. Baymax tries to battle the masked villain, only to be thrown onto the top of Wasabi's van. The gang retreats from the scene with Yokai immediately following behind them, leading into a chase throughout the city. Yokai makes several attempts to kill the team, but between Hiro's command of Baymax and Go Go's reckless driving, they manage to escape by driving off a ledge and into the bay, having Yokai believe them to be dead, prompting him to vanish once again. Baymax manages to rescue the team and bring them back to shore and Hiro suggests they needed a place to rest for the night and recover, at which point Fred welcomes them into his mansion. There, they discuss the true identity of Yokai and how to track him down and bring him to justice for his crimes against Hiro's brother. Baymax reveals that he scanned the man's body, but Go Go notes that with Baymax's scanner, it would take forever to scan every person in the city. Hiro agrees but notes that he only has to upgrade it. The team is apprehensive at first, bringing up the fact that they were all just "nerds." Hiro then doubles back, saying that in order to bring in a guy the caliber of Yokai, they would all need to be "upgraded." Reassured, the team bonds together under hero in order to capture who Hiro believes to be responsible for the fire. True to her character, Go Go was the first to vocally resonate with him, buckling down and getting ready face fear and help Hiro bring the supervillain to justice.
After some scientific modifications and training, the group of friends becomes the "Big Hero 6," bent on taking down Yokai. To do so, the team believes his mask is his source of power and the objective is to retrieve the mask to cease his control over the bots. Baymax is the last to be upgraded and after his new super-suit is revealed, he and Hiro take a test flight for the first time throughout the city, eventually landing on one of the air balloons towering over the city and overlooking a sunset. Hiro and Baymax take the time to relax and bond for a short moment, which brings happiness to the boy. Realizing this, Baymax asks Hiro if he's satisfied with his care, as his true objective throughout their adventure is to ensure Hiro's happiness and satisfaction, claiming Hiro to be his patient. Hiro denies Baymax's suggestion and returns to the matter at hand.
After scanning the city to find a match to Yokai's health information, Baymax discovers a match on an island not far from the mainland. The team heads to the area, which is revealed to be an abandoned facility. There, they find a machine in the process of restoration but are unable to uncover what it is exactly. Soon enough, their snooping leads to a room with recordings taking place in the facility. After watching, they learn that the facility originally belonged to Alistar Krei and the machine was a portal meant to enhance transportation. The test subject, a woman named Abigail, was the first to try it out, but as she did, the machine malfunctioned. Instead of calling off the procedure, Krei insisted that they move forward, resulting in a tragic accident that left Abigail lost in the portal and apparently killed by the machine's destruction. The incident results in the closure of Krei's facility and the team then comes to the conclusion that Krei is responsible for stealing the Microbots in hopes of rebuilding his portals.
Just then, Yokai returns and attacks once more. A battle follows and in the process, Hiro accidentally removes the villain's kabuki mask. Yokai's true identity is then revealed to be Professor Callaghan. Callaghan confesses his crime of stealing the Microbots and reveals that he used them to escape the fire alive and unharmed. A heartbroken Hiro reveals that Tadashi died trying to save the professor, but Callaghan merely responds by blaming Tadashi for his own death. Furious, Hiro orders Baymax to kill Callaghan. Baymax denies such an action, explaining he's unable to bring harm to a human being, but Hiro, blinded by hatred and grief, removes the robot's healthcare chip, leaving only his programming of battle and destruction, thus sending him on a violent, mindless rampage in an attempt to kill the professor. Seeing this, Go Go, Fred and Wasabi try to fend off the bot and, in the mix of the chaos, Callaghan manages to escape.
Luckily, Honey recovers Baymax's healthcare chip and restores the robot to his original peaceful settings. Realizing what he's done, Baymax apologizes to the team for causing harm, but Hiro berates them, blaming them for Callaghan's escape. The team retorts by explaining that the plan was never to kill Callaghan, but instead, to merely apprehend him. Leaving the team on the island out of anger, Hiro and Baymax return home to recover Baymax's suit. Baymax talks to Hiro about the situation of killing Callaghan, asking if his death would appease the boy. Instead of answering, with his mind clouded by thoughts of fury, revenge, sadness and the loss of Tadashi, Hiro breaks down in tears. Baymax comforts him by showing him videos of Tadashi, which he recorded during his creation process. Tadashi's presence and loving words bring enlightenment to Hiro, who thanks Baymax for his comfort. Honey, Go Go, Fred and Wasabi soon arrive as well. Instead of being upset with Hiro, they, too, comfort the boy, he says he is sorry for yelling at them and they understand that his actions were only out of grief and vow to bring Callaghan to justice and his four teammates forgive him. Before they set out, the team shows Hiro a recording they found, which reveals that Abigail was the daughter of Callaghan and the entire goal behind his villainy is to extract revenge on Alistar Krei.
The next day, Alister Krei is in the middle of an important showcase, just as Yokai arrives and captures him. Yokai reveals himself to be Callaghan, and the villainous professor subsequently reveals his plot to use the newly-recreated portal to destroy both Krei's new building and Krei himself. Alistar tries to talk sense into the villain, explaining the incident with Abigail was an accident, but Callaghan ignores him and proceeds with his plot. Just then, Hiro and the team arrives on the scene. Instead of immediate attack, Hiro tries to sympathize with the professor, explaining the fact that extracting revenge isn't the way to handle his daughter's death, but Callaghan's fury gets the better of him, and his plans proceed. Hiro and the others battle the villain, aiming for Callaghan's mask, but Callaghan soon gets the upper hand with the help from the Microbots and leaves the team members to die as his plot is set in motion. As Hiro is being pulled towards the portal, his distressed team members call to him for help, while at the same time, he sees some Microbots being sucked into a portal, giving him a new idea. Hiro then uses the words of wisdom from Tadashi to successfully guide each of his friends to safety.
After being rescued by Baymax and rejoining the others, Hiro relays his new plan, instructing the team members to take out the Microbots and get them sucked into the portal to eliminate Callaghan's source of power, whilst he and Baymax take on the villain, themselves. Hiro and Baymax fly to attract Callaghan's attention, making him fire towers of Microbots in their direction. Dodging the Microbots, the two fly the point where they are almost sucked into the portal, from where Hiro orders Baymax to dive and break apart the Microbot formations to send them into the portal. Eventually, Callaghan captures the duo and prepares to make the killing strike, only to find that he has run out of the remaining available Microbots, thus rendering him powerless and vulnerable. With this revelation, Hiro and Baymax break free of their confinement and launch towards the villain. Fearfully, Callaghan prepares for his supposedly oncoming demise, but much to his shock, Hiro decides to spare his life, wanting to follow the moral code set by Baymax. Instead, Hiro and Baymax swipe the mask of Yokai and smash it into smithereens, causing Callaghan to finally (and permanently) lose control of the Microbots.
With his plans foiled and power-stripped, the team apprehends Callaghan, but Baymax senses life within the portal, though the being is said to be in hyper-sleep. Hiro realizes that it must be Abigail and the young boy journeys inside to save her, along with Baymax. The two soon find Abigail, asleep in her capsule, and as they make their escape, some of the debris from the destruction of Krei Tech strikes them, causing Baymax to lose most of his armor. Hiro reaches out for Baymax, who manages to grab ahold of his hand, but they both find that the portal is soon closing. Baymax decides to use his rocket-fist to send both Hiro and Abigail to safety, and requests deactivation at Hiro's command. Realizing that this will result in the robot's permanent imprisonment within the portal, Hiro denies such a plan, not wanting to lose him. Baymax disregards his own safety to help of Hiro, reassuring his friend that he'll always be with him. Without a choice, Hiro tearfully hugs Baymax as he bids him farewell, telling the robot that he is satisfied with his care. With these words, Baymax sends Hiro and Abigail off, leaving himself trapped in the portal and eventually destroyed. After Hiro and Abigail manage to make it out of the portal, seconds before it explodes, Hiro reunites with the others and reveals Baymax's demise. Soon afterward, the police and paramedics arrive to care for Abigail and arrest Callaghan.
Following these events, Hiro has made a tremendous recovery from his depression as he spends his days hanging out with Honey, Go Go, Wasabi, and Fred. Finally joining San Fransokyo Tech as an official student, Hiro settles in Tadashi's old lab, where the young genius stores Tadashi's hat in his memory and Baymax's last piece of armor: his rocket fist, reminiscing of their time together fondly as he comes across it. Within the grasp of the fist, however, Hiro discovers Baymax's original programming chip (which contains both his personality and memories). After some work, Hiro is able to restore the robot, reviving him from his demise and reuniting at long last. The two rejoice in their reunion with a loving embrace and Hiro reassembles the Big Hero 6 team, dedicating themselves to protecting the city from any and all problems, thus finally putting his incredible potential to great use as Tadashi had always wanted.
During the credits, Hiro, along with Baymax, is seen hanging out around the city with his friends and watching television with Cass and Mochi. Newspapers show that Hiro has been awarded a grant from the university and the Big Hero 6 team performing heroic deeds around the city. Another newspaper shows a ceremony of a building dedication in Tadashi's name taking place, in which Hiro accepts the honor on behalf of his late brother.
Relationships
Tadashi Hamada
Tadashi is Hiro's older brother and was the most important person in Hiro's life, even after his death. Because their parents died when he was at a young age, Hiro has always looked to his older brother for guidance and advice. They were best friends and even had a set of rules they came up with that only they knew (according to the book, Hiro and Tadashi). They've shared a bedroom since they moved into their Aunt Cass's cafe but don't seem to mind and enjoy each other's company. Tadashi has always been there for Hiro whenever he needed him and the two balance each other well, as Hiro is more creative with his inventions while Tadashi is more practical and by the book, as shown in Hiro and Tadashi. Tadashi sees the potential in Hiro and feels it is wasted when, after Hiro graduates from high school, he chooses to engage in a career in bot-fighting rather than continue his education and use his knowledge to improve the lives of others. Because Hiro is cut off from other people and because Tadashi has been with Hiro since the moment he was born and practically raised him, Tadashi understands Hiro the best out of everyone and was even the one to interest Hiro in robotics. He is also more able to persuade Hiro to do things, as shown when he manages to persuade Hiro to apply to San Fransokyo Institute of technology. He is kind and caring towards Hiro, but is also capable of being stern, demonstrated when he lectured Hiro about how he would get into trouble eventually for his bot fighting obsession and wanted him to stop. He was also goofy, as shown when he grabbed Hiro upside down to shake some ideas into his head. Nonetheless, he was encouraging of Hiro's intelligence and the pursuit of robotics and was always there to protect him, as shown when he saved Hiro from Mr. Yama and his henchmen.
Tadashi's death had the greatest impact on Hiro, who fell into depression and refused to leave his room or eat after the incident. He also refused to attend the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology, despite his initial excitement to join. The death of his older brother also hardened Hiro's heart, and led him down a path of murderous vengeance, as seen when the boy manipulated Baymax's programming in hopes of killing Yokai, only to be stopped by his own friends.
When he tried to pursue the path of vengeance again, Baymax refused, as the latter knew this would not help Hiro and wouldn't be what Tadashi wanted. Hiro then watches clips of Tadashi building Baymax on the robot's video monitor and realizes Tadashi's goal was to help people and that he should do the same. This inspires Hiro to seek justice rather than revenge on Callaghan, makes up with his friends, and continues to do good for the world by becoming a hero.
Aunt Cass
Cass is Hiro's aunt. Hiro tends to stress her out and cause her to 'stress eat.' due to his illegal bot fighting but she loves him nonetheless and vice versa. She is very supportive and proud of his abilities and was overjoyed when his Microbot exhibition won him an invitation to attend San Fransokyo Institute of Technology. Like Hiro, she also mourned the passing of Tadashi. She would bring food to Hiro after Tadashi's death as Hiro fell into a severe depression and wouldn't leave his room for two weeks. She tried to encourage him to go to college because Tadashi would've wanted it and she wanted him to recover, but he remained silent and she decided to give him space. When Hiro left his room for the first time in two weeks and he lied about going to register for classes (he was really going to catch up to Baymax), she was overjoyed and hugged him. Overall, the two have a positive relationship and are close, especially since now they are the only known close relatives each has. However, it is interesting to note that Hiro did not want to tell her about Baymax and that he seems to be keeping his superhero persona a secret from her. This is most likely because she has been shown to worry about Hiro and disapproves of him doing dangerous activities (such as bot fighting) and after Tadashi's death, she might forbid him to continue being a superhero as it would put him at risk.
Baymax
Their relationship started out basic. Hiro was impressed with Baymax when first introduced, but when they reunited, he was less than thrilled as Baymax served as a reminder of Tadashi's death. However, because Hiro unintentionally summoned Baymax when the former expressed pain, the robot viewed Hiro as his patient, becoming solely devoted to him and unable to dismiss himself until the boy was satisfied with his care, vocally expressing that fact. This led Baymax to carry out every small order given by Hiro, no matter how literal or sarcastic, in hopes of improving the boy's health, as a result of his programming.
As time went on, however, Baymax's treatment towards Hiro began to change. As the robot began learning and understanding the basics of human emotion, a personal bond with Hiro began to form. His dedication towards his "patient" was no longer due to programming alone, but also because of a mutual love. In turn, Hiro grew to care for Baymax, who served as his ultimate form of comfort, a loving reminder of Tadashi and a nurturing companion. This is powerfully showcased when the duo found themselves trapped within Yokai's portal while trying to save Abigail. While Baymax was willing to sacrifice himself, Hiro strongly refused, as he didn't have the strength to lose him too. Nevertheless, he fought through his emotions using Baymax's lesson of overcoming loss, but not forgetting, allowing him to bid farewell to his companion, in addition to expressing his love for the first time through a hug.
Following these events and Baymax's eventual revival, the duo remains as close as ever, forming a brotherly relationship and spending their days beside one another through all events, including their mission to protect the world in Tadashi's honor.
Honey, Go Go, Wasabi, and Fred
Hiro was first introduced to the rest of his team (including Fred, Go Go Tomago, Wasabi, and Honey Lemon) when he was tricked by Tadashi into visiting his college. He got to meet each of Tadashi's best friends and understand their individual quirks. He was impressed with all their inventions and was surprised by Fred with his mascot costume. Hiro then proclaimed his desire to apply at the institute and immediately began working to develop Microbots. During the time of and before the convention, he had become good friends with everyone.
After the death of Tadashi, the team members took Hiro under their wings, comforting him, supporting him, taking care of him and protecting him throughout the film in place of Tadashi, creating a close bond. This continued even after Baymax's undesired abandonment near the end of the film, as his friends helped him cope with yet another tragic loss. Honey and Fred serve as enthusiastic supporters, Wasabi often watches out for Hiro's health and physical well-being and Go Go is arguably the closest to the boy, eventually taking on the role of a protective older sibling figure to him.
Yokai
Being a world-renowned scientist and personal mentor of Tadashi, Hiro initially looked up to Professor Callaghan, showing great respect and admiration towards him. Impressed by Hiro's knowledge, Callaghan was able to slyly convince the boy genius to give up bot-fighting to join the Institute to "challenge himself." It is possible he did this knowing of Hiro's intelligence and wanted him to apply to the school in hopes of stealing one of his inventions (though this is up for debate). Hiro impressed Callaghan at the convention with his Microbots and Callaghan warned him against accepting Krei's offer, manipulating him to say no. When Callaghan was "trapped" in the burning building, Tadashi went in to save him, losing his life in the process. When Hiro discovered Callaghan had started the fire to steal the Microbots and refused to save Tadashi (showing no concern for Tadashi's life or the fact he tried to save him) Hiro was willing to kill the professor as revenge and was only stopped by his team's intervention. However, after Baymax calms him down, he realized his beloved brother wanted to help people, not hurt them, thus realizing he needed to bring Callaghan to justice without harm.
Hiro soon learned from his teammates that Callaghan has suffered the loss of his daughter Abigail (thanks to Krei's misuse of the portal technology that led to her apparent death) and that Callaghan only stole the microbots as part of his true plan to get revenge on Krei. When Hiro confronted Callaghan once again, he tried to reason with him, admitting that he does feel sorry for him and understands the pain of loss and wanted to give the same support his teammates provided him with. However, a bitter Callaghan, while he did show a hint of regret, refused to back down and battled the boy genius, in hopes of killing him. After destroying the Microbots, thus leaving Callaghan powerless, Hiro made the ultimate decision to spare the former professor's life, having set aside his thirst for vengeance in exchange for the moral codes of Tadashi and Baymax. Not only that, he also made the choice to risk his own life to successfully save Callaghan's daughter, after discovering she was still alive within the portal. Though Callaghan showed no forward gratitude towards the hero, he met his defeat through imprisonment, and presumably permanent separation from his only loved one, finally receiving punishment for all the damage he's done, as well as granting Hiro closure. However, Callaghan's expression at the end implies that he shows remorse for what he had done, ultimately realizing that what Hiro said is right about the consequences of getting revenge.
The emotional core of Big Hero 6 is driven by four key characters, their arcs, and the relationships they share with one another, being Hiro, Tadashi, Baymax, and Callaghan. As such, Callaghan serves as an omen of what Hiro would have become if he allowed his pain to consume him. However, unlike Callaghan, Hiro had friends and family who supported him through the ordeal and reminded him justice, not vengeance, is the answer.
Alistair Krei
The two have a basic relationship and are good acquaintances by the end of the film. Hiro first met Krei at the convention where he was showing off his Microbots and Krei immediately took an interest, hoping to buy the Microbots. However, Callaghan warned Hiro that Krei was known to cut corners and subtly manipulated Hiro to refuse. Krei was clearly disappointed.
Later when Fred assumes that Krei was Yokai, Hiro dismissed it, saying that he's too high profile, possibly implying that he is highly respectful of Krei's public image. When Hiro went to an abandoned Krei lab to track down Yokai, he initially grew to believe Krei was Yokai but was proven wrong after taking Yokai's mask and learning it was Callaghan. He also learned that Krei's teleportation experiment resulted in an accident that presumably killed Abigail which eventually turned Callaghan into Yokai. Despite finding this out, Hiro didn't seem to hold a grudge against Krei for indirectly creating Yokai as he tried his best to protect him from the masked villain. This could be because he knew it was an accident or because he wanted to stop Yokai's plan for vengeance. Krei was ecstatic when the Big Hero 6 team came to rescue him and even openly stated his love of Baymax, apparently growing a true liking for the team following these events.
When Hiro goes to save Abigail, Krei objects, likely showing concern for the boy's safety. However, Hiro assures him by telling him the same words that Tadashi had told him "Someone has to help." Krei seems to have learned his lesson and even built a showcase hall in Tadashi's honor, possibly as a way to make amends since he indirectly created Yokai and therefore was linked to Tadashi's death. Hiro accepted the honor on behalf of his late brother.
While the two don't have much interaction, it can be presumed Hiro holds no hard feelings against Krei and Krei is thankful for everything Big Hero 6 has done for him.
Etymology
- Hiro - Hiro has many meanings depending on the kanji characters used, but one of the common ones is "generous" or "abundant." Hiro is also a Japanese masculine name. When written in Japanese, Hiro's name is "ヒロ." The transliteration of the English word "Hero" in Japanese is ヒーロー (Hīrō). According to a birth certificate, Hiro's name in kanji is 浜田 飛呂 (Hamada Hiro); 飛 means 'to fly' while 呂 can mean 'backbone.'
Gallery
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An Image Gallery is available for Hiro Hamada.
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Trivia
- Hiro and Tadashi seem to share a few traits in the film, such as the usage of "unbelievable" as an expletive when exasperated as well the tendency to solve problems by looking at things from a different angle.
- Hiro and Baymax's flight through the city could be looked at as a reference to Iron Man when Tony Stark took his first flight in his first cinematic film.
- The 2013 Rotoscopers video and early information regarding the plot depicted Hiro with a slightly different backstory: He was already attending classes with Tadashi and could not fit in with the other students due to his intelligence, a fact that he doesn't seem to mind. The Rotoscopers video also depicted Hiro as part of a "science club research team" lead by Tadashi (most likely consisting of Honey, Go Go, Wasabi and Fred) in which each individual would make different things and would eventually lead up to a competition. Like Tony Stark, Hiro felt pressure over using his intelligence for good or just building battle robots in the basement (garage in the final film).[3]
- Also, in early stages of the story, Hiro was responsible for the creation of Baymax, as opposed to Tadashi, just like in the comic book.[4]
- According to Baymax's first scan, Hiro has a slight allergy to peanuts.
- Hiro apparently likes Gummy Bears, as he enthusiastically told Baymax to retrieve the said item in a flurry of consistently successful test commands with the said robot.
- Hiro has a Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) controller connected to his computer in his bedroom.
- He also has a poster of the deleted villain "Mr. Sparkles" in the same area.
- Hiro is ticklish.
- Along with Hiro's gap in his front teeth, he has a slight overbite. In addition, in one scene, Hiro was seen sticking his tongue out to bring a straw up to his mouth before sipping, a habit common among people who sucked their thumbs as children.
- Hiro appears to be a Whovian (a Doctor Who fan) judging by the Dalek-like action figure spotted on his shelf in his room.
