My Hero Academia: Vigilantes – A Gritty Side Story Worth Checking Out
Okay, so we need to talk about My Hero Academia: Vigilantes — because if you’re anything like us and you’ve run out of main series content to binge, this one’s a sneaky little gem.
We weren’t sure what to expect going in. It’s technically a spin-off, but it’s set in the same world, just from a very different perspective. Instead of bright-eyed teens at UA fighting to be the next Symbol of Peace, Vigilantes follows Koichi Haimawari — a super average college student with a pretty underwhelming Quirk and zero hero license. He’s given up on ever becoming a pro, and honestly? Fair enough. The guy’s Quirk is basically “slightly better gliding.”
But then, bam — he meets Pop☆Step (who’s kind of like if a pop idol and a parkour expert had a baby) and Knuckleduster, this gruff ex-hero who punches first and asks questions… never. Together, they start doing hero work off the books — total vigilante style — helping out the kind of people that pro heroes tend to ignore.
One of the things we really liked? Vigilantes still feels very much like My Hero Academia. You get the familiar setting, the Quirks, and even cameos from big names like Eraserhead and Midnight (which, yes please). But it’s got a grittier, street-level energy. Less school tests, more alley fights and shady villains.
Honestly, it kind of feels like watching what might’ve happened to Deku if he didn’t get into UA and just tried to do good with the Quirk he had — no All Might, no fanfare, just doing his best with what he’s got.
The pacing is faster than the main series too. There’s not as much time spent on long arcs or drawn-out training — things happen quickly, and you’re thrown into the action pretty much right away. We love that for our short attention spans.
Plus, there’s a wider variety of Quirks. Pop☆Step’s power is super specific (she can leap, basically), and Knuckleduster doesn’t even have a Quirk — he’s just pure fists and fury. It makes fights feel more scrappy and unpredictable, which is a cool change from the “massive laser blast” vibes we sometimes get in the main series.
Okay, real talk: the characters can come off a bit flat early on. Koichi is nice, but he’s not the most exciting protagonist at first. Pop☆Step takes a bit to warm up to. And sometimes it feels like we’re being told a lot more than we’re shown, emotionally speaking.
That said, it does get better. The character growth sneaks up on you, and the more you stick with it, the more attached you get.
If you're craving more My Hero Academia content, Vigilantes is 100% worth diving into. Just think of it as a side quest — one that gives you more insight into the world, more Quirks to geek out over, and a bit of a grittier tone.
It’s not going to replace the main series in your heart, but it doesn’t need to. It's like a low-key bonus level with street heroes, messy fights, and some familiar faces sprinkled in to keep things exciting.
