Is was going through some info and I discovered that Kensei is really old at the time Hiro teleports back in time. Kensei is born in 1584 according to Godsend. Hiro teleports back in time to 1671. That means that Kensei, who is riding a horse, wearing a lot of samuari gear, and drawing a sword to battle, is at the age of 87. I think that would be pretty impossible... unless he has a power. According to George Takei, Kensei is a relative to Hiro. Kaito said to Hiro in an episode that we had powers and saved the world but some of use lost our way. We means that he has or had a power. If he has a power, it could possible have something to do with aging and he could be Kensei. That may also explain Kaito's expertise with swords. I dunno if I am right or not, but it would be cool.
Kensei
Kaito (incidentally with Kensei tapestry behind him)

David Anders has been mentioned by Kristen, and TV.Guide, as having been cast in the role of Kensai.

It is also rumored that he's 1,000 years old and may or may not be corelated to the character Kane...who is also 1,000 years old and is supposdly connected to sylar..and Kane may be the one(cockroach theory) who is worse than the boogieman..

This would go against all the things we have been giving/told already. Like G. Takei saying Kensai is a relative of Hiro. All the Kensai tapastrys depicting him as a japanese man, and the armor G. Takei is wearing is the same that Hiro found at the museum.

If Kensai is just some white guy whos a sword saint, ill be ******.

Maybe David Anders is supposed to be playing an Ainu character... Japanese aboriginals that, believe it or not, look Caucasian. They tend to be very fair-skinned, like this Anders chap.. he's a close enough match to the Ainu to play one on TV, in any case. Maybe that's the story.

Though I doubt it. I'm certain the writers have something up their sleeves, and we'll never see it coming.

also don't mention it would be a bit racist. Potential for a non-stereotypical hypermasculine Japanese part like Takezo Kensai who's very important being giving away to the white guy a'la The Last Samurai?c'mon!
Hey Masurgis, what you said about the Ainu is a pretty good idea and maybe the writers are plaining on that.

Not sure where you're getting your information about the Ainu, but they aren't white people. Not even close. So having a blond haired white guy play Kensei won't work even if you try to sell him as Ainu.

In case you were wondering what Ainu look like:

I think Kensei in feudal time will be played by Japanese guy. However, he'll be played by David Anders in the present timeline. I think he can jump from one body to another.

so the two theories are that immortality is his power or he is a body snatcher.

I think the body snatcher power would be a good twist into his character. where he has to transfer his "soul" into another body and Hiro isn't really his son. he was given to Kaito just as Claire was given to Noah(HRG). but since Kaito has been alive for so long; he has learned not to be emotional attached and Hiro is his replacement body for when he has to switch again..which could lead to Hiro not allowing such a thing and the battle begins between the two...

(and since hes a body snatcher he inherits whatever power that body has, and this time around the body he has taken has no special abilities...and could also explain why he always looks the same; his soul ages the body back to his original form)

I like the body snatcher better. Immortality sounds ridiculous for a power. While body snatcher is something that can be dealt with.

He says at one point that he's been waiting a long time for a Nakamura to ascend. That implies he's been waiting a while, and that he's seen many Nakamuras not ascend. In order to do that, he'd have to be really frakking old.

what if hiro is kensei?

Just FYI - Kensei is a Japanese title bestowed upon a great warrior, not an actual name (the actual translation is "Sword Saint"). There have been many Kensei's in the history of Japan, though usually only one person is allowed to carry that title at one time. So, it may be more proper to refer to this individual as Takezo instead of Kensei, it would be somewhat akin to just calling Mohinder "doctor". (though doctors are much more common than Kenseis)

im aware of this, and you ignored what i meant in favour of being somewhat pedantic. bear in mind that this is just a forum, not a piece of academic writing.

what if hiro is takezo kensei?

Hiro isn't Takezo Kensei! They already cast the actor who'll play Kensei... Hiro cannot possibly be Takezo Kensei!

I know they casted David Anders as Kensei, but what I'm personally hoping for is that Nakamura-papa is Kensei and that the princess is Hiro's great great great great great -deep breath- whatever grandmother. Kinda doing a homage to back to the future. Kensei has to get with the princess or no Hiro.. but she is all over Hiro's cookies and he is like 'awwwkwwwaaaaard but woman attention! YATTA!'

I like the body snatcher idea though, but I have a feeling they are gonna keep David Anders around. As he makes girls le happeh.

Sure he can. Maybe Takezo Kensei ends up getting killed early on, and Hiro ends up taking his place or something.

I'm pretty sure that Takezo Kensei is going to end up being a name that David Anders' character has adopted. He's white and English. Lol.

Find out tonight though yes? Lay all these rumours and theories to rest! Woo!

I've read that Kensei is a not very noble hitman-type guy. I think he's gonna get inspired by Hiro and get all heroic like in his legends or something...which is kind of a paradox, since Hiro was inspired by Kensei in the first place. But hey, it could happen...

Hi I am a New Member here and This show is the coolest thing on tv. Loved last season and Now this season is off to a good start. The Guy Playing Kensei I dont know if this was talk about already if so then sorry anyway I was thinking Back to that show Quantum Leap with Scott Baio and Somehow this guy has somthing along the lines of that Character that he can go anywhere and be anyone in history. Looking foward as well as you all for the next episode. Countdown Commencing

Kind Regards,

Mrmac

Quantum Leap actually starred Scott Bakula, although thinking of Scott Baio (Chachi) in that role is funny.

I have a feeling that Hiro may end up becoming the one everyone talks about in the legends. If not, then he'll end up inspiring Takezo to be a hero.

lol
right Chachi

I remember meeting Scott Baio when I was young in New York.

*must repress memory, must...repress...memory...ARGHHHHH!*

Sorry , Could someone please tell me who this Kane is ?, Everyone i ask say's it's 1000 year old Kensai, But could someone here Elaborate ?

I thought that Kensei was Miyamoto Musashi exclusive title. Neat.
I think that the white Kensei and Hiro will pool talents and create the myths. Haku-kensei will take seemingly lethal blows and come out unscathed and Hiro will probably use his powers and pose as Kensei to make him look like the ultimate swordsman.

I did a little research on the title Kensei, and I found it interesting that a picture used in one of the Yamagato Takezo Kensei videos is atcually of a real life kensei named Miyamoto Musashi, I wonder if the character Takezo is based on Musashi, who was also known by the name Shinmen Takezō. He developed a two sword fighting technique, which is interesting considering the character Takezo, who fights with two swords. Musashi is also rumoured to have superhuman powers, though that is, of course, based on myth. Perhaps some of you already noticed this, I just found it interesting.

check it out at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miyamoto_Musashi

I wonder how the part about tearing his heart out will will play out in Hiros adventures with the Takezo Kensei

OMG I just figured it out! Kensi is supposed to be a distant relative of Hiro's - All of the paintings depict Kensi as Japanese - Hiro is in love with the girl that's supposed to fall for Kensi - so obviously... Hiro is his own grandpa!

How 'bout a lesson in not screwing up history from Mr. I'm my own Grandpa!

Love that episode, love that Professor

Yeah, Hiro did the nasty in the pasty. lol
Nibbler: Yes, and it is that past nastification the gives him special abilities..

I'm very intrigued by the entire Nakamura family tree, and how Kensei factors in. Might he even be alive still in the present time? If you consider that he's one fo the few heroes with an ability that would have let him survive a long fall, he might even be a suspect in Kaito's murder..

The other day I was watching Landslide, and for no particular reason I became absolutely convinced that the blacksmith who repairs the sword for Hiro was Takezo Kensei. Something about his cool reaction, I think. I don't know how likely it is.

I recently had the same feeling. Something about a gaijin fixing samurai swords... using the Kensei logo for his ads... and reacting with a look of disbelief on his face that approximates, "You broke my sword?!"

Takezo Kensei is bad. I think the link says it all.

It just makes too much sense. Hiro loves Yaeko. Something is going to have to happen between him and Kensei. We know Hiro isn't going to turn bad, so after the throw down, Takezo is going to go evil. The picture in the blog is also pretty convincing. Pretty sure that is Takezo walking over Hiro.

Kensei isnt bad..I mean he cant be!


If he is that totally ruins it for me. Kensei was going to be the first guy that I liked a lot that wasnt a bad guy.


Actually if Kensei is as good as a bad guy as DA was as Sark in Alias then this will be AWESOME!

Hey, I saw a recap of heroes being shown here and in the second to finale episode in season one, Landslide, the swordsmith, who repaired Kensei's sword, Claremont played by Bart McCarthy has an uncanny resemblance to David Anders...

Could he be Kensei who lived until the present?


Claremont the sword smith


Kensei...


Is this intentional or am I just over imaginative?

Updated blog post. This time, has confirmed picture of Takezo taking out Hiro. That
's too bad. I liked Takezo as well. Hopefully things aren't what they appear to be. That's some mighty good detective work, I think the two scenes total were on the screen for less than 1 second.

I think Kensei knocked out Hiro so Hiro won't get killed.

Pretty much like Hiro ditching Ando so Ando won't killed.

Knocking out a friend so that the hero or the supporting character would face danger alone is a typical manga plot device.

I guess last night's episode answered this debate. Unfolded exactly as theorized, Hiro's love for Yaeko was discovered by Kensei, and thus his betrayal of Hiro and the Swordsmith.

I'm almost positive that David Anders character ages very slowly as a side effect of his regenerating powers. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if he grows up to become Linderman... The characters voices sound similar, and it would explain how Linderman was able to acquire his wealth and power as well as retain posession of his sword.

Some may think, "Well Linderman's power was the ability to heal others." I think what Matt Parkman's father said is true... These characters undergo a primary evolution leap with the discovery of their powers, but as time goes onn, they learn more about themselves and their powers, and what they caa do evolves further. Matt's father started out the same as Matt, could read minds. Later on in life he found that he could force nightmares on people. Takezo (Linderman) started with the ability to regenerate himself, but later learned how to apply it to others.

Just my thinking. I've had several hunches before across multiple TV shows (Hiro becoming Takezo, Jack and Claire being siblings {Lost}) that have come to fruition we'll see if this is another.

Listen to the voices in the following clips...

Takezo
Linderman



Furthermore... the swordman theory... the guy is much taller than Kensei was... I'd wager a buffalo nickel that Linderman is Kensei.

Well, it looks like you owe us a buffalo nickel!

I want that nickel by the end of the month. I think Kensei is Adam Monroe and the founding member of the 12.

Well you totally called that one.

Actually, is anyone here an anime or manga fan?

I was thinking that Adam "Takezo Kensei" Monroe reminds me a bit of Arthur from the "Soul Calibur"
series of games as he's a blonde, foreigner samurai. However, he also reminds me a little of Manji from the manga series "Blade of the Immortal". Manji a samurai who can live for ever without aging a day. He's can take damage and feels the associated pain, but he heals up in a manner exactly like Kensei's and Claire's.

I bet Hiro is still a virgin and the only time he was ever close to anything sexual was that one kiss with the princess.

Hiro's character is getting to irritating.

I thought Kensai was Linderman too now we know this is not the case. I do think Linderman is still alive and involved in this whole story though.

I

Here's my thoughts on Adam Monroe/Takezo Kensei:

It has been suggested that he is the progenitor of the homosuperiors. The rumor mill ran amuck as he was hired to play "Kane". I think ultimately, we're going to find out that he's not an empath like Peter, but that he's been able to adapt his body to have different powers.

How? Well, if he takes a bit of someone's DNA, and then cuts open his arm and slips it in, would he be able to recode his DNA to include that bit, like some sort of Aemoba? His original power was some sort of cellular regeneration which has developed into something quite more over time.

Guess that's sort of strange, but it makes a twisted sort of sense.

I think Linderman is dead because when Nathan said that Linderman talked about everything being connected, Bob replied saying "Linderman was one of Adam's disciples." past tense was..Which made it interesting that Linderman had the Kensei sword in his collection. Coincidence>? I think not.

Kensei is the bomb. 'Nuff said.

ridiculous... hiro being his own grandfather is genetically impossible. you can't create yourself because you'd only inherit half of your own genes, which means you would then only have 1/4 of your genes when you create yourself, which then would result with you inheriting only an 1/8 and so on. it's just impossible... you end up with an ever shrinking fraction.. unless maybe when you go back in time you clone yourself, meaning you are a clone of yourself, which is a clone... but that would probably cause a rift in the space/time continuum, as hiro would say.

and also... why isn't adam that dangerous. i mean i know the writers didn't want it to be too much like X-Men or anything, but with adam's regen abilities he could've been ridiculously strong.. stronger than any normal person. he could've spent some of that 400 years training in hand-to-hand combat and other cupcakes. and he'd definitely be more knowledgable than anyone else. hell, maybe that's how linderman knows so much! he learned all kinds of genetic mumbo jumbo from adam.

Adam isn't that dangerous because regeneration isn't a particularly powerful ability. Yes, he would gain muscle mass incredibly quickly through exercise, but he wouldn't have physical strength beyond a man of his build. He would be an excellent fighter, and would have learned a great deal through 400 years of living, but that doesn't change the fact that there are characters in the show that are a lot more powerful than he is. Peter, Hiro & Sylar, obviously: but also Elle; Parkman, if Adam isn't immune to telepathy somehow; Monica, if she learns enough skills and finishes the fight quickly enough; the Haitian levels the playing field somewhat and completely owns if he's got a gun; maybe Maya; Candice would have caused him no end of problems; Eden could have forced him to stick his head into a wood chipper, etc. Seriously, in a world of superhumans Adam isn't much of anything.