My Hero Academia: Vigilantes
At times, the boundary between good and evil can be fragile, easily crossed without anyone noticing. Whether it is bound by laws, rules, justice, morality, or so on, there are many situations where taking action would seem more critical than evaluating which side you’ll end up on. This is why life is hardly ever black or white, with most of us living in the gray now and then, where we're always the villain in someone else's story. Regardless, all actions have consequences, and it is best to think everything through beforehand if given the luxury. However, we are often not granted this grace period in many situations.
“My Hero Academia: Vigilantes,” also known as “Vigilante: Boku no Hero Academia Illegals,” is a 13-episode TV Anime series that aired from the 7th of April until the 30th of June in Spring 2025. It was produced by Bones, Dentsu, Yomiuri Telecasting, Movic, Sony Music Entertainment, and Shueisha and brought to life by Studio Bones Film. The main staff behind it includes Suzuki Kenichi as director, Mima Masafumi as sound director, Morikawa Sayaka as episode director, and Hirota Kouhei as episode director and key animator. Each episode has a runtime of 23 minutes and features the genre of Action alongside the theme of Super Powers. Targeted at the Shounen demographic, it earned a rating of PG-13 for teenagers 13 years or older.
It is based on the Manga series of the same title by author Furuhashi Hideyuki and artist Betten Court, which ran for a total of 12 volumes from the 20th of September 2016 until the 28th of May 2022. Getting serialized in Shounen Jump+, it was also published digitally as an English simulpub via VIZ Media. They then proceeded to release the series in printed format between 2018 and 2023. Between 2019 and 2023, a Spanish release through Planeta Cómic came next. The sequel anime series “My Hero Academia: Vigilantes Season 2” is set to release in Winter 2026, thanks to Bones and TOHO animation. As expected, the parent story of this series is “My Hero Academia,” based on the original Manga by author and artist Horikoshi Kouhei. Also done by Studio Bones, the main anime series began airing in Spring 2016 and is still ongoing to this day.
Set in the same world as the Parent Story, the world of Vigilantes is one full of individuals possessing superpowers termed as “Quirks.” The protagonist, Kouichi Haimawari, is also one such gifted person who dreams of one day becoming just like the valiant heroes he admires. However, this college student’s quirk is quite bland because all it allows him to do is slide at the speed of a bicycle. Naturally, there’s not much he can do with this ability in a society full of such flashy and OP skills. As a result, he takes on simple yet "illegal" jobs in the area that usually exceed the responsibilities of the police and licensed "legal" heroes. But the usual rhythm of his vigilante lifestyle takes a turn following a fateful encounter with two more misfits: a super brash brawler by the name “Knuckleduster” and an online sensation called “Pop☆Step.”
Meanwhile, a highly dangerous drug that acts as a Quirk enhancer begins to run rampant in society, instantly turning everyday folk into villains. Thus, our MC finds himself teaming up with the odd duo on a challenging quest to stop the drug from spreading before it causes irreversible damage. Having received the opportunity he has always dreamed of, Kouichi gives his all to get to the bottom of this case, because this chaotic team outside the law is perhaps the only group capable of stopping the villains that are overlooked by the legal forces.
Whether you have watched My Hero Academia or not, do not expect this show to be a low-effort copy like I initially did. It has an entirely different feel and execution style despite being set in the same world, and I honestly found it to be a very grounded story that focused on the little people in such a high-profile society. The plot is simple and helps the unique characters do their thing while fixing the parent story's missing worldbuilding. But here’s the thing: complex worldbuilding in an overly simple story is a problem in itself, so you have to give priority to one over the other to fully enjoy the watch. I suggest disregarding the majority of your knowledge about the parent story and immersing yourself in this episodic narrative about a group of misfits. Each episode is a small plot on its own, so there’s a lack of an overarching story with impactful themes.
This means you don’t need to think much or contemplate the complex moralities of the characters, but just enjoy the rides for what they’re worth. There are some nice easter eggs and familiar characters appearing too, but whether you get them or not is largely irrelevant. The only theme they somewhat tackle in this tale is the form of policing heroes' conduct in this world and how harmful vigilante activity can be in such a society. In this world, individuals who utilize their quirks in accordance with the rules are considered "heroes," while those who do not, regardless of their intentions, are considered "villains." Therefore, where does that put vigilantes who are using their quirks for “good” outside the law? Sadly, they don’t delve too deep into this subject, and the possible dangers of vigilante violence get sidelined way too soon.
The character department is what I would consider the strongest aspect. They're all simple characters, but they do their jobs well and leave me wanting more. First off, the quirks of the main trio are all mobility-based, which is impactful because these aren’t over-the-top abilities that are incomprehensible to normal people. It makes them feel more human and grounded, all while having extremely solid chemistry. Honestly, I never expected them to play off each other so well, and it’s safe to say I enjoyed a majority of their interactions. But all that enjoyment comes at a cost: some jokes get overly repetitive and lead to slow character development. While their slow-paced relationships frequently appear superficial and lack development, there are some notable exceptions. There were a handful of times where certain characters were faced with serious dilemmas that truly fleshed out their individuality and even fostered development, but these events were just too scarce. Consider the lead female character, Haneyama Kazuho, who is a tsundere and can be annoying at times for unclear reasons. I’m not particularly a fan of this stereotype either, but at least I didn’t actively dislike her. Meanwhile, Knuckleduster is a quirkless vigilante possessing a lot of street smarts. This man’s ability to stay on par with superpowered people makes him quite endearing.
When discussing the Art and Animation department, the quality is not particularly impressive. The art style is basic and easy on the eyes, with very limited movement for an action series. There were times it looked like a motion comic, but in a good way, since it just goes with the anime’s style. Visuals like these really enhanced the humor and the character dynamics of the show, but were a real downer during action sequences, though. Most of the events happen at night, where they have employed a muted palette with darker undertones, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Unfortunately, all the daytime scenes were oversaturated with color and overly bright, badly contrasting the more mellow night scenes.
They employ thick lineart, most probably because the parent story was inspired by American Superhero Comics, but it doesn’t hit the mark all the time as things start to look silted. Meanwhile, the backgrounds are engaging and vibrant cityscapes, where they have effectively used height and depth to showcase the environments. I need to praise the visuals for the climax, though, which employed super creative camera angles and fluid animations to make a stunning sequence that I will remember for a while. Lastly,. The character designs are simple yet effective at conveying what each character stands for, with the sole exception of the Villains, who have cheesy and half-baked transformations for some reason.
The Sounds and Music department is also decent, but there is nothing noteworthy to speak of. The Opening theme is "Kekka Alright" by Kocchi no Kento, and the Ending theme is "Speed” by yutoriare, both of which match the series’ vibe pretty well, almost like they were made for this. Even in the latter case, the OSTs don't necessarily ruin the moment. The Voice Acting is outstanding across the board, especially for the main trio, which played a big part in my growing to like them.
Overall, “My Hero Academia: Vigilantes” is a show strong enough to stand on its own with or without the parent story. It works with a clear purpose in mind and does not deviate, and you will be spared from cringy moments here as well. My recommendation is to apply the 3-episode rule, because this series deserves a chance regardless of what the parent story did. If you find it at least somewhat satisfactory, continue watching, and you’ll likely be satisfied with the climax as well.
