Hiro Nakamura

This character from the tv series Heroes cracks me and makes the series endearing, for me at least.

For one, its his screen character. Hiro is a nerdy otaku who can bend space and time and teleport himself. His childlike characterization of an innocent guy to the point of stupid is simply hilarious. He gets taken for a ride a lot, especially by his colleague and best friend Ando Masahashi who convinces him to use his powers to do things like cheat at the gambling table.

Although Hiro trusts strangers easily, he is not above doing naughty things like swiping a comic book from an NYC newsstand after paying the proprietor in Yen. And when the situation demands it, he will put up a stubborn argument. But despite getting punched up, thrown from a moving van, bullied and insulted, he's never glum for long. This guy doesn't have a malicious bone in his body.


My biggest respect for Masi Oka, the actor who plays Hiro, goes to his language ability. He speaks flawless American (common), flawless Japanese (common), and his piece de resistance: English with a thick genuine Japanese accent (not common for a native American speaker). His half-past-six Inggurisu beats James Kyson Lee's half-past-six Inggurisu any time. James is the guy who plays his best friend Ando who in real life is a true gaijin - a native New Yorker.

Here's some things you may not know about Masi Oka.

He graduated in 1997 from Brown University with degrees in mathematics and computer science and a minor in theatre arts.

He has a 180-plus IQ. (IQ of an average adult is about 105)

Was as a child featured on the cover of Time Magazine with the title "Those Asian-American Whiz Kids".

Speaks fluent Japanese. (obviously)

Resides in Los Angeles.

Still drives a 2000 Honda Accord.

Produces CGI special effects for George Lucas's ILM and worked on special effects for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006), War of the Worlds (2005), the three most recent Star Wars movies, and The Perfect Storm (2000).

Has a blog.

Source: Wiki and IMBD