So as we know, Kensei (or as my friend and I like to call him, Sark) has healing powers like Claire. Was he the first, or were there others before him who've had powers too? How many freaking people in the universe have powers? It seems like there might be tons.

Well, we all saw the eclipse and Hiro's father suggested his family line have some sort of birth right involving the whole power thing. So do people back in the day have powers, some do just like the past generation with Hiro's father, Peter's/Nathan's father & mother..etc.

Think of it like this, mutants in the Marvel Universe have existed for quite awhile in history.

i was thinking the same thing he might be the first but i think he
is Peter's/Nathan's famaly from the past and hiro was saposto go back and do what he is doing thats what his pops was going to tell him every hero is intertwind in one way or another

I wonder why we are all assuming that Kensei is actually FROM the 1600s? I'm just as guilty of it as everyone else seems to be, but we have a perfect example of time travel staring us in the face, what if he is a "modern" who either went back himself, or was sent by by someone else? That seems a little more plausible than "humans actually evloved super powers several hundred years ago and have just kept it a secret until around the time of the Vietnam War" (when the older generation apparently developed and honed their powers).

I'm sure I'm totally wrong and the writers will surprise us with their explanation, but it's just a thought I don't see many people considering right now...

Mutation can happen at anytime and in any person. It would happen more now in modern times since there are more people on the earth today then their were hundreds of years ago. Their were probably individuals like kensai but in much smaller numbers.

It's all dependent on what the writers create.

Just because people had power back then and the rest of the heroes-universe doessn't know it in the present, doesn't mean they had deliberately hidden it... Given the relative low population back then, the number of such individuals may be much lower (as far as we know, Kensai could have been the only one in the entire Japan, or continent, or even the entire planet that had manifested power in the 17th century)... Given the rarity of such event, as well as the lack of an efficient international communication system (unlike today where news of any remotely interesting occurrence would spread half-way across the planet in half a day), it wouldn't be very hard for them to hide their powers from the world... especially if they live in the countryside like Kensai where the people would interpret any display of superhuman abilities to be divine or magical in nature --> beliefs they already subscribe to, instead of making a big deal about it... (and even in the present Heroes universe, apparently people like Maya's "healer" still exist under the radar... she probably never tried to hide her power, given that she showed no reserve in using it in front of total strangers... people like Maya's aunt believes in her power, but treated as no big deal, as a regular part of life... and anyone with a scientific background looking at her would only dismiss it as superstitious belief, not as a genuine superpower...)

In fact, judging from the show's treatment of "legends = distorted truths of history", it seems that these few specials that existed back then not only did not hide it, but instead blatantly used it publicly to achieve great things that are recorded... it's just that in the current science dismissed these accounts as mere made up stories, and any events not explained by the modern science (ex: like how Kensai can rip his heart out and still survive) are believed to be embellishments made up by the folks...

Who knows where the writers are going in terms of how long humans have had abilities, but my guess is that for at least the current bunch of heroes it has something to do with the swordmaker. Somehow he "awakened" the immortal power with Kensei, perhaps.

Well I think only in recent times did Specials get organized or meet each other.

Otherwise known as the Company.

The whole bag and tag or recruit or eliminate has led them to be aware of each other.

Since this volume is called Generations I wonder why or under what circumstances did the original 12 had to create the Company 30 years ago.

Go back and read the graphic novel that deals with Linderman and Papa Petrelli in Viet Nam. You may be able to glean a few hints from that.

Looking at the Tales of Takezo Kensei could it be that Hiro and Kensei may have to face others like them?

Notably the Black Bear and the Snake Twin Girls.

Black Bear from the description could be shadow manipulator.

The twins control snakes.

This of course explains Ancient Gods, miracles, witches, magic, curses, and great heroes like Kensei. At least in historical terms as it applies to the Heroes universe.

Exactly... and if you think about it, a lot of people who would manifest powers would be classed as Witches and definitely be burnt for it, for example, by Kensai's time, the Salem Witch Trials are still 21 years in the future...

Unless you went somewhere where your power would be seen as "a gift from the Gods" you'd have to be pretty careful about how you used it and where.

Kensei could very well be the first, in fact, I would bet on it (origin of the symbol). The question is if the powers really started to show up in the 60's, and if so, why?

'Course, there is the possibility that Kensei was the only for many years.

Well somebody postulated a theory that the powers manifested because of the virus.

The same virus that killed Shanti, infected Molly, the Haitian and Niki.

Hiro could be linear time wise patient zero infecting Kensei.

Making him the Dragon sort of. Giving Kensei power and teaching him to become the Kensei of legend (morally wise).

We don't know yet the mode of vius transmission. Is it herditary or airborne?

Chandra may have created the list as a by product of his reasearch to cure Shanti.

And where is the spoiler about Niki? Some people haven't watched the Previews!

Well in one of the previews Niki asks If she can be cured.

She'll show up in the third episode.

edit: In "Six Months Ago" Chandra Suresh meeting with Noah said most human mutations turn out as cancers.

Now this is interesting. It has been known that some cancers are triggered by viral infections.

Also Sylar said to the guy he stole the TK ability that he is broken.

Now Charlie's blood clot could very well be an undetected cancer.

Blood clot = dead cells (ex: platelets, clotting fibres, and some trapped red blood cells), tumour = living cells (mutant cells with defects in the mechanisms that regulate cell proliferation), so they are two very different things...

Though it is possible that the blood clot may be more than a "blood clot"... Going by your virus theory perhaps a viral infection can damage the endothelial linings of a blood vessel in the brain, triggering blood coagulation there? But I don't know enough to say whether that's physiologically possible though for a virus to trigger blood clotting that way...

Linderman had paintings going back to Kensai, Medevial Europe, and other times/places. I'd have to go view that epi again to get the details. But, from that epi it would seem that he (and maybe the 12 origional members) knew somewhat about this genome in the past and those with the mutation.

I am thinking that Kensei = Linderman. Point in case, we really don't know how old linderman is or if he is really dead and gone. Also, the Company seems to have been started by someone, but who or whom. If Linderman can heal then he could still be alive and is part of the Founders (the members that are being killed off) and why the helix is kensei's flag and and is still found in the present. It would also explain why it is Linderman who has the sword along with many other "old" items. I also think that Linderman could speak Japanise as well as have some type of power to heal. Just some thoughts i had from watching Episode 201 and with the manifestation of Kensei "healing" himself in Episode 202.

Er no.

The graphic novel features a young Linderman with Papa Petrelli at a mission in Vietnam.

Used to be moralist but got twisted in the end by his experiences.

Where he began his, the end justify the means.

My mom thinks that eclipses trigger the sg's powers. Since there was an eclipse shortly before Hiro met kensai, and kensai seemed pretty shocked when he healed himself (as if he had not had those powers previously), i guess that theory makes sense. I'm not totally convinced, but she makes a valid point.

And since eclipses have happened for a really long time, there could be a new bunch of sg's that pop up after every eclipse.

Tim Kring said that people have had powers for milenia, but the number of people who had abilities had just started to increase exponentially in the present day. Which is when the story takes place.

Its not so hard to believe in the Heroes realm if you take into account old stories of Witches and wise men that would know what would happen before it does and they were 1000's of years ago, so you always have a basis for it.

If you watched the kensei videoes from Yamagato Fellowship, you see that there are other heroes of the past that are listed.
they are:

crazy horse,sir gawain, thor, beowulf, and jason of the agronauts