Koichi Haimawari (Shuichiro Umeda) is not the main character in his own life. He’s a college student who’s adrift in the world, perpetually fumbling opportunities and attracting the attention of bullies. In a world where 80% of humans have Quirks AKA superpowers, his ability to slide along the ground doesn’t get him very far (or anywhere very fast).
But Koichi has half-baked dreams of being a hero—something only a select few with better Quirks ever achieve—so, at night, he cleans up the streets…from trash. Hey, he may not be fighting bad guys but at least he’s environmentally responsible.
It’s a decidedly non-violent way of helping others, so when he runs into someone who actually needs saving, he doesn’t know what to do. That someone is Pop☆Step (Ikumi Hasegawa), a pop-star girl with a Leap Quirk and a charming can-do attitude—basically, the opposite of Koichi. Pop☆Step is attacked by a gang of lecherous villains, who have absolutely no qualms about attacking Koichi too. With nowhere to run, they’re both holding out for a hero…and their wish is granted. Well, kinda.
A vigilante named Knuckleduster (Yasuhiro Mamiya) shows up and wipes the floor with the villains, quite literally. He sees something in Koichi, recruiting him for his investigation into a new kind of drug that’s terrorizing the city. Knuckleduster is a hard-line vigilante who punches first and asks questions later; he needs Koichi to make him see sense instead of red. And they both need Pop☆Step to point them in the right direction. Thus, a strange alliance is born.
My Hero Academia: Vigilantes takes place before the events of the much-loved My Hero Academia anime based on the manga by Kohei Horikoshi. And it’s a great introduction to the MHA world, told with tongue-in-cheek humor and bombastic fight scenes that leap off the screen and punch your eyeballs. Powered by a high-spirited soundtrack, the anime strikes the right balance of tense shōnen-style action and riotous fun, often at the expense of the characters.
Koichi is the hapless but lovable underdog who you can’t help but cheer for as his heart wins out over his foibles. And Pop☆Step is a colorful firework all primed and ready to sparkle. They balance out Knuckleduster well; and as for any other vigilantes that show up, well, you’ll just have to watch and meet them for yourself.
As far as debut episodes go, MHA: Vigilantes has set up a winning formula for a classic underdog story with a side of anti-hero justice—and if that’s the kind of chaotic adventure you’re into, buckle up and get ready for action!
