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My Hero Academia: Vigilantes is a spinoff/prequel to the main My Hero Academia series, which is now officially receiving an anime adaptation of its own, set to begin airing soon. Here's everything you need to know about the next series to expand My Hero Academia's world.
My Hero Academia: Vigilantes was originally a manga, drawn by Betten Court and written by Hidedyuki Furuhashi, which ran from August 2016 to May 2022, lasting over 100 chapters. The series is set a few years before My Hero Academia, and features many returning characters, from All Might to Aizawa. The series was praised for its high quality writing and darker tone, showing a very different side of My Hero Academia's world of heroes.
The Latest News on My Hero Academia: Vigilantes
What's New For My Hero Academia: Vigilantes?
An anime adaptation of My Hero Academia: Vigilantes was announced on December 21, 2024, at Jump Festa. The series is being animated by Bones, like the main series, and is considered canon to the main My Hero Academia continuity. The announcement included a poster and a brief teaser trailer, showing series protagonist Koichi Haimawari perched atop a building. Along with the teaser, a release window of April 2025 was announced.
On January 22, 2025, an X (Formerly Twitter) announcement gave an official release date of April 7, 2025. A new trailer for Vigilantes was also released at that time, giving a brief overview of the premise of the series and an introduction to the main characters, including hearing their voices for the first time. The trailer helped to establish the series' darker tone than My Hero Academia proper, and showcased some of the differences that Vigilantes will have from its parent series.
The Story of My Hero Academia: Vigilantes
Vigilantes Follows Koichi Haimawari's Journey as an Unlicensed Hero
The main character of Vigilantes is Koichi Haimawari, a university student who still dreams of becoming a hero and admires All Might greatly. Koichi performs low-level hero work, such as giving people directions and helping old ladies cross the street, wearing an All Might hoodie as a costume. Koichi eventually finds himself in a more dire situation, where he's saved by another vigilante, known as Knuckleduster, who encourages Koichi to join him in his crusade against crime. Together with a wannabe idol known as Pop Step, they become known as the Naruhata Vigilantes.
As low-level vigilantes, Koichi and Knuckleduster primarily deal with street-level crime, such as drug dealers (including the Quirk-enhancing drug known as Trigger), muggers, and so on. The story focuses on Koichi's journey of becoming a real hero, and what it means to be a hero in a world that's so tightly regulated. When an outbreak of suped-up villains occurs, the vigilantes try to get to the bottom of the situation, without stepping on the toes of the pro heroes. They must tread a careful path to avoid being arrested, so life as a vigilante is far from an easy one.
The Characters of My Hero Academia: Vigilantes
Vigilantes' Main Heroes Are Very Different
Koichi Haimawari is the main protagonist, who uses his Quirk, Slide and Glide, to skate around town, helping people where they need it. He looks up to All Might greatly, but didn't have what it takes to get into a hero school like UA. Koichi, who calls himself "the Crawler," has his heroism noted by Knuckleduster, who takes him on as an apprentice/sidekick vigilante. Knuckleduster trains Koichi in how to fight, and gives him the tools he needs to really succeed as a vigilante, and perhaps one day, as a real pro hero.
Knuckleduster is an older man with no Quirk whose identity is something of a mystery. Despite the common belief that no one without a Quirk could possibly be a hero, Knuckleduster proves that a Batman-style vigilante can succeed in My Hero Academia's world. He knows a lot about hero work, and isn't afraid to tussle with a pro hero if the situation calls for it. Knuckleduster takes his duties as a vigilante very seriously, and expects the same of Koichi.
Related
My Hero Academia: Vigilantes Shares First Look at Aizawa, Teasing the Hero's Early Career
The upcoming My Hero Academia: Vigilantes series has offered its first look at a young Aizawa, highlighting Class 1-A's teacher's early hero career.
Pop Step is the last major new character. Dreaming of being an idol, Pop Step gives guerrilla performances on the street in costume, using her Quirk, Leap, to perform atop buildings and jump from streetlamp to streetlamp. After Koichi saves her one day, she falls in with the other two, typically aiding them by helping evacuate citizens when a villain does strike. Pop Step isn't one to fight, so she's not your typical vigilante, but she does provide some valuable help to the team.
Many returning characters from My Hero Academia will make an appearance in Vigilantes as well. Notably, Shota Aizawa plays a prominent role in the series, as he is assigned to the same area that Koichi and friends operate. Fans can also expect to see the original Ingenium, Tenya Iida's older brother Tensei, in action, as well as characters like Midnight and Present Mic. All Might himself has some role in the series as well, although he rarely interacts with the Vigilantes themselves. Many other pro heroes will make appearances later on, and even some villains from the original series will be expanded upon.
My Hero Academia: Vigilantes is Due Out April 7, 2025
The New Series is Just Months Away From Premiering
As was clarified on January 22, 2025, the official premiere date for My Hero Academia: Vigilantes is April 7, 2025. This is a typical start date for My Hero Academia's anime historically, but it seems season 8 is demanding more time, opening the April window up for Vigilantes. While there is, as of yet, no word on an international release, it can be expected that the series will be picked up by a major streaming service in the next few months, given My Hero Academia's popularity. An English dub has not yet been announced, but fans can assume a dub will be produced eventually.
Check back here for the latest My Hero Academia: Vigilantes news as it's released.
My Hero Academia
Movie(s) My Hero Academia: Two Heroes (2018), My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising (2019), My Hero Academia: World Heroes' Mission (2021)
First Film My Hero Academia: Two Heroes (2018)
Cast Daiki Yamashita, Kenta Miyake, Nobuhiko Okamoto, Ayane Sakura, Yûki Kaji, Aoi Yuki, Kaito Ishikawa, Toshiki Masuda, Marina Inoue, Yoshimasa Hosoya
TV Show(s) My Hero Academia
Video Game(s) My Hero Academia: Battle for All, My Hero One's Justice, My Hero One's Justice 2
English (US) ·