Masi Oka is aware of the criticism Heroes has received over the last year.

In a new interview, the man that portrays Hiro responded to it:

The last cycle of episodes, the "Villains" arc, got a bit of a critical beating, though most fans thought it was redeemed by the last couple of episodes. What can we expect with the new volume?
Pretty much, to be exact, we're going to go back to the fundamentals that made the show really great and what's kept it grounded, with it going back to the central characters and trying to tell smaller stories, but with big action. There's going to be more character-based [stories] as we see them finally come together towards the end to try to save themselves.

What will Hiro be up to in this new arc?
What's interesting about Hiro is he starts off powerless. I find it actually interesting to play a powerless character, because you kind of get the joy of rediscovering that power and what it means to be a hero without powers. So having someone who had had powers and going to someone who's powerless is an interesting character mindset. You kind of fall from grace in many ways. So it's about adjusting to that, and how do you live your life knowing that once you were a hero and that you can still be a hero by helping others ... and possibly trying to get the powers back?

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.