Teruki Hanazawa

About Teruki Hanazawa

Teruki Hanazawa is Black Vinegar Middle School's shadow leader, an esper who used his powers for popularity and treated non-espers as monkeys. Mob's refusal to fight back, and the humiliating haircut that followed, shattered his worldview. Rebuilt with a new wig and new humility, Teru becomes one of Mob's closest allies, a stylish, sharp-tongued fighter who now uses his power to protect others.

Appearance

Teru is a stylish, good-looking boy with blond hair, originally worn long, then, after his first fight with Mob scalps it down the middle, replaced by a tall blond wig that becomes his signature. He dresses fashionably even in uniform and carries himself with a performer's confidence. In battle his aura flares gold and his whole manner sharpens: the charming school idol and the esper supremacist are the same person at different volumes.

Personality

Young Teru is arrogance in its purest form, talented, hardworking in his own way, and completely convinced his power entitles him to run other people's lives. What makes him one of the series' best characters is what he does with defeat: instead of excuses, he accepts that he was a small person with a big gift, and rebuilds. Mature Teru is still vain, flashy and sharp-tongued, but the superiority is gone; he works on himself relentlessly and shows up for his friends without being asked.

Background & Story

Teru grew up an esper in a world of ordinary people and drew the obvious childish conclusion: he was the protagonist of reality and everyone else was a background character. As Black Vinegar Middle School's shadow leader he ran his school through a network of delinquents, using his powers for status while sneering at non-espers. Challenging Mob, a stronger esper who refuses to fight back, apologises mid-battle and still effortlessly overwhelms him, shatters that worldview in a single afternoon, haircut included. Teru rebuilds himself with unusual honesty, becoming a hard-working, loyal ally who re-enters the story whenever Mob needs a fighter who understands exactly what arrogance costs.

Powers & Abilities

• Versatile Psychic Combat: Teru is a complete esper fighter, telekinesis, barriers, flight and energy attacks, polished by constant self-training rather than raw talent alone.
• Technique Copying: After fighting other espers, Teru can reproduce techniques he has seen, steadily adding other fighters' tricks to his own arsenal.

Key Relationships

• Shigeo Kageyama: The esper who humiliated and then inspired him, Teru's whole second life is built on the lesson of that first fight.
• Arataka Reigen: Mob's boss, whom Teru initially dismisses and later treats as part of the strange family around Mob.
• Ritsu Kageyama: A fellow esper of Mob's generation; the two fight on the same side against Claw and share an understanding of living beside Mob's power.

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