Hitoshi Shinso.

Hitoshi Shinso (心しん操そう人ひと使し, Shinsō Hitoshi?), also known as the Hypnosis Hero: Nighthide (ヒプノシスヒーロー ナイトハイド, Hipunoshisu Hīrō Naitohaido?), was a student at UA High School, attending Class 1-C of the Department of General Education before being transferred into Class 2-A of the school's Hero Course.

Hitoshi is a relatively tall young man with messy, indigo-colored hair that flares out in large tufts around his head, notably straight teeth. His eyes are purple with white pupils and are thin and somewhat triangular, pointing downward, with no visible eyelashes. They're usually half-closed, and he has dark eye bags underneath them. Hitoshi wears a prototype hero costume consisting of the long-sleeve winter version of the UA PE uniform: a dark blue shirt and pants with thick white lines over his upper body and down his legs, which form the letters "U" and "A", and a white marking framed by a red line on each sleeve. In addition to this, he wears a detachable mask-like device over his mouth, known as the Artificial Vocal Cords, which aids him with the activation of his Quirk, a Capturing Weapon, the same as the one worn by Eraser Head, around his neck, and a pair of green and white sneakers.

Hitoshi is a stoic and straightforward person with an innate ability to spark conversation with anyone despite holding a reserved and quiet attitude most of the time. He is shown to be rather clever, knowing just the right words to manipulate others into replying to his comments, allowing him to activate his Quirk. He does not mind doing something underhanded to claim victory in a fight.

Due to having his Brainwashing Quirk perceived as evil throughout his life, Hitoshi has been somewhat feared by those aware of his power and has been discriminated against solely because of the Quirk he was born with. This persecution led him to become resentful of those who had Quirks more associated with hero work, using Izuku Midoriya as an example by stating that someone "as blessed as him" would never understand what it's like to have an ability like his own. Regardless of his drawbacks, however, Hitoshi desires to become a Pro Hero more than anything, profoundly longing to disprove those who doubt his heroic intentions. Not only does he want to refute those who shame his abilities, but he also aspires to usurp students who walk the path towards becoming a Pro Hero, as he always wished to. While he stated he had no interest in making friends, Hitoshi has been surrounded by many students who see him as a friend, including Izuku Midoriya, Denki Kaminari, and Neito Monoma.

Overall Abilities: Initially, Hitoshi lacked direct combat abilities, choosing to rely on the power of his Quirk in battles. However, after deciding to transfer to the Hero Department of UA High School, he underwent training by his mentor, Eraser Head. Hitoshi displayed the results of his training when he, Class 1-A, and Class 1-B took part in the Joint Training Battle. During the two rounds of the said training in which he partook, Hitoshi also showcased an excellent camaraderie, using the voice-modifying function of his Artificial Vocal Cords, as well as his Ultimate Move, Persona Chords, to confuse his opponents, blindsiding them into being left wide open to the surprise attacks of Hitoshi's teammates. Despite complaining that he couldn't use half of what he learned during his training, his aptitude is noted by those such as Denki Kaminari and Tsuyu Asui. As pointed out by Midnight, Hitoshi replayed the fight in his head, wanting to pick up on areas where he fell short or could improve upon, further demonstrating his great battle practice and determination.

Binding Cloth: As he saw himself in Hitoshi,[9] Shota decided to train him in secret, with the latter learning the fighting style he developed that involves the use of Capturing Weapon. After several months of training, Hitoshi can use this style for the first time in the Joint Training Battle. At the beginning of the first round, Hitoshi successfully brainwashes Jurota Shishida and attempts to demonstrate his skill with the Capturing Weapon, but his reaction time is too slow as he needed to employ the cloth at a much faster rate to make his attack more effective. After Denki's plan to divide the opposing team's attention succeeds, Jurota seeks out Hitoshi, who effectively uses his Binding Cloth technique to blindside and daze the rampaging student long enough for Tsuyu Asui to fling Hiryu Rin at the behemoth, securing victory for Hitoshi's team.

Keen Intellect: Even before training for his enrolment into UA's hero course, one of Hitoshi's best assets is his smart utilization of his useful yet underpowered Quirk. During the UA Sports Festival's Obstacle Race, he brainwashed and ordered some students to carry him to move forward without wearing himself out or using any stamina.[11] Hitoshi is also willing to push people's buttons to provoke them into responding, allowing him to brainwash them. He did this with Izuku Midoriya during their match, deriding Mashirao Ojiro's choice to withdraw from the final round matches because of his pride while also mocking him for his Tail Quirk and calling him a "monkey." Izuku fell for this taunt, and Hitoshi would have likely won by ordering him to walk out of bounds if Izuku had not managed to use his Quirk subconsciously.[12]

Observational Skills: Hitoshi has shown to be very good at reading people, as seen during the robbery at Got-It All Mall when All Might's April Fools buckle was stolen. Hitoshi spotted a security guard nearby, noticing through his body language that he was on-guard and cautious of being watched. Soon after, when the security guard was talking on the phone, Hitoshi read his lips and confirmed that he did indeed have the stolen item and was ready for his partner to prepare the getaway vehicle, showing his great observational skills.

Brainwashing (洗せん脳のう, Sen'nō?): Hitoshi's Quirk allows him to put someone in a state where they are forced to obey whatever he commands. He can only activate this power when his target verbally responds to something he says. Brainwashing must be intentionally activated and will not take effect if Hitoshi doesn't want it to.

Though he can have multiple people under his control at once, he can only activate his power on one person at a time. He was also initially unable to have his victims do things that require some advanced brain function, like talking or writing a name from their memory. However, to keep up with his future classmates in the hero course, Hitoshi trained hard and developed his Quirk to a point where he could command people to repeat what he says. This worked in a successful sting to draw in All For One.[14]

Using a megaphone or anything that makes his voice artificial will not allow his Quirk to activate, as the said devices would transform his voice into an electronic signal.

Hitoshi was not immediately accepted into the Hero Course due to the nature of his Quirk. The entrance exam required fighting robots, and Hitoshi's Quirk was not suited for this. Due to his failure on the exam, he was placed in the general education course instead of the Hero Course that Hitoshi so desperately wanted to be in. However, this failure did not stop Shinso from his dream of becoming a hero. He worked tirelessly, training with Aizawa to become stronger and learn how to use grappling tapes. Shinso also received a voice modulator, which helped him better control his opponents in battle.

80% of people in the world possess a so-called "quirk"—a special ability that grants a certain advantage in battle. As a rule, it is unique to each user, and except for genetic transmission, it is not replicated. The remaining 20% without a quirk have no special abilities; in other words, they are ordinary people. Heroes (ヒーロー, Hīrō) are people who use their quirks to protect civilians from villains or natural disasters. People who have chosen heroism as a profession are called professional heroes (プロヒーロー, Puro Hīrō). Heroes began to appear among ordinary people after the birth of a glowing child. The size of their government-provided salary, fame, and glory depend on how successful they are in the heroic field. There's a whole hero rating system. It's based on three components: popularity (approval of the hero's actions by civilians, merchandise, style), effectiveness (number of prevented crimes, list of victories and solved cases), and contribution to the heroic society. Hawk mentions that heroes ranked 20-30 get less work than the top ten and more free time. Each hero has their own hero nickname. Most heroes came up with their names back in school. A hero's name is considered extremely important for their career, as it's believed to bring ordinary people closer to the image they project and also reflects their true character. You can even take the name of an existing but currently inactive hero, but such a choice comes with great responsibility.

Villains are a general term for people with Quirks who commit crimes and endanger the lives of civilians. Villains were originally people who chose to use their newfound abilities for their own benefit instead of others, unlike heroes. Currently, the crime rate is quite low due to the superior number of heroes guarding law and order. UA Academy (雄英高校, Yūei Kōkō) is an academy where high school students are trained to become heroes. It is also one of the main locations featured in the heroes' story. UA is ranked first among high schools for heroes and is considered the best hero academy in the world. Students are divided into specific departments and classes – A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, and K. At the entrance to the academy there is a security gate called the "UA Barrier," which automatically closes if a person trying to enter the academy does not have a student ID or special permission. Such measures were taken to prevent criminals or representatives of the press from entering the school premises.