Number Five's Best and Worst Traits in Umbrella Academy

Key Takeaways

Five is the smartest Hargreeves child, excelling in various fields from math to time-travel.
Despite his arrogance, Five is the deadliest time assassin, boasting unparalleled skills and leadership qualities.
Five’s love for his family is his greatest motivator, ensuring their safety and protection above all else.

As a fan of the Umbrella Academy, I can confidently say that Number Five is undeniably one of the most formidable members of the team. His time-traveling abilities and assassin training have made him an unparalleled force in the series, capable of taking down multiple adversaries with ease, akin to speedsters like Quicksilver and The Flash.

Although small in physical size, his character and abilities are vast, encompassing flair, personality, intelligence, arrogance, and ruthlessness. Unlike his older siblings who are grown adults with established names, he remains a 58-year-old trapped in a teenager’s body, still known as “Number Five.

In 2019, Five Hargreeves swiftly claimed the spot as the most adored sibling in The Umbrella Academy on Netflix, with Klaus being the only character who occasionally contests this title. Among his numerous traits, both admirable and less so, it’s some of these that truly set him apart as one of the series’ most intriguing characters. However, certain characteristics stand out more than others.

Best – His Intelligence

Five Is The Smartest Hargreeves Child

Number Five's Best and Worst Traits in Umbrella Academy

Five, among the Hargreeves children, is widely recognized as the most intellectually gifted. Through flashbacks and notes about the siblings, it’s clear he was the quickest learner and the one who often pushed boundaries with their father. This was evident in his frequent defiance and challenges towards him. His unique ability to traverse through space and time necessitates a keen understanding of complex equations, particularly when utilizing his time-traveling skills.

A simple, easy-to-make mistake in his calculations was what made him appear in the prime timeline as a 13-year-old with an older man’s consciousness. Who knows what could have happened to him had he made an even bigger mistake in his mathematics? Five constantly proves to have a formidable intellect and a great understanding of not just Math but Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Psychology, Time-Travel, Superhuman Abilities, and general Commission-based activities.Throughout the show, Five is shown as the man with the plan. He is a capable strategist and tactician, and he is always the first person to come up with a plan to deal with a dilemma and think of ways to save the world.

Worst – His Arrogance

He Knows That He’s Better

In “The Umbrella Academy” Season 1, Five tells Luther something along the lines of, “I don’t consider myself superior to you.” However, his actions suggest otherwise as he often comes off as arrogant and boastful about his abilities. This was confirmed by Luther when he pointed out that Five has always believed himself to be better than others, a trait that dates back to their childhood days together.

Five openly acknowledges his arrogance and believes it to be warranted, given his abilities as a versatile time-space assassin who has traversed various points in time and space. He refers to his actions as ‘unfathomable’ to characters like Luther, but prior to his temporal displacement, this self-assuredness was already evident. This is hinted at in flashbacks where we see him growing impatient with his father, Sir Reginald Hargreeves, for restricting his time-jumping practice. His father voices concerns about safety and readiness, but Five defies these warnings to demonstrate his abilities, ultimately getting stranded in a future apocalypse, thereby establishing an intriguing origin narrative.

Best – His Skillfulness

Five Is The Deadliest Time Assassin

Although Five may come across as arrogant and hard to tolerate due to his prodigious intelligence, he justifiably thinks highly of himself as the most skilled member of the Umbrella Academy. It’s no surprise that this seasoned individual within a youthful frame is viewed as the default leader of the team despite being Number Five.

His experience in the apocalypse and working as an assassin for the Commission have made him one of the most skilled individuals in the Umbrella Academy universe. He is easily the best at using his superhuman abilities. At one point, he teleports through a room of assassination targets and kills a few so quickly that he could even be compared to speedsters like Quicksilver and The Flash.

Among five other notable characters like Diego and Allison, he stands out as one of the top hand-to-hand combat specialists on the show, consistently demonstrating unmatched prowess in lethal situations. His unique blend of natural talents and acquired skills allows him to evade bullets and effortlessly neutralize groups of armed adversaries with ease.

Worst – His Bloodthirsty Nature

Five Has A Sadistic Flair

For five long decades, he’d been alone amidst a wrecked world. Then, he was discovered by The Handler who recruited him as an assassin, tasking him with adjusting timelines across various universes. In exchange for this service, Five had the freedom to settle in any era he desired. The psychological toll of surviving independently for years and the necessity of taking lives for work have distanced him emotionally from the act of killing.

In a certain part of the series, he labels Luther as both foolish and simple-minded for adhering to ethical principles against taking lives in pursuit of larger objectives. He’s unfazed by the prospect of ending innocent lives if it advances his objectives, be it adjusting timelines or rescuing all his siblings. His methods are ruthless and devoid of compassion.

It’s plausible to suggest that Five’s propensity for killing stems from his frequent efforts to save the world and shield his siblings from the darkest aspects of the space-time continuum. However, instances like the one where he slays the board members in 1982 give the impression that he sometimes crosses a line, with his required killings bordering on gruesome massacres that hint at a degree of sadism.

Best – His Love For His Family

Pure Sibling Love

The Umbrella Academy’s Handbook details potential careers for some beloved characters if they hadn’t dedicated their youth to hero training and saving the world in later years. For instance, Luther works as a firefighter, Allison is involved in politics, while contrary to expectations, Five usually resides peacefully as an ordinary family man in Dublin, Ireland.

This demonstrates the essence of Five’s personality – it’s all about family. No matter what tasks he must undertake, with unwavering determination and strength, he ensures the safety and security of his loved ones. His long years spent alone during the apocalypse might have driven him crazier than he actually became if not for the hope of returning to his family that sustained him.

For Five, family serves as the strongest driving force in his life. Although he may not always demonstrate it in his interactions with them, his actions consistently reveal that the welfare of his dear ones is his utmost priority. Indeed, focusing on their happiness and well-being can be an admirable sole commitment to have.

2024-09-19 01:35

Number Five’s Best and Worst Traits in Umbrella Academy