Why Did I Choose To Watch This:
My Hero Academia: Vigilantes is a spin-off of the popular series My Hero Academia. Although MHA is a great show it wasn’t a lock for me to give this spin-off a shot. What compelled me to watch this anime was the word vigilante. Whether you want to call a vigilante a rogue hero or a hero that plays between the lines of ethics, there’s something about vigilantes that made me excited to give this one a shot. Of course hearing that this series takes place before the protagonist of MHA becomes “that guy”, made me excited to see more world building of the My Hero world.
Plot Mechanics:
My Hero Academia: Vigilantes had some of the best plot mechanics for a spin-off series that I’ve watched in a while. The plot is very simple and straightforward however the anime did an amazing job of turning a fun gimmick into a real story line with antagonists that created a real problem. Although it didn’t go down the path I thought it would, the anime still did a great job of portraying the importance of vigilantes in a society that wasn’t fully developed.
The world building was a great compliment to the actual anime. We had the pleasure to see how a smaller community dealt with smaller criminals but also how smaller criminals could easily lose control of their powers and affect society as a whole.
My favorite part was being able to see characters that were in their prime and end of their prime in the original anime series grow in Vigilantes. Without spoiling, we got insight into a villain origin story, some more depth on top heroes, and more from characters that were prominent in the main series.
Plot : 8.75/10
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Aesthetics/Vibes:__
I absolutely loved the vibe of this anime. Vigilantes had the perfect blend with elements of action, slice of life, romance, and even comedy. For an anti-hero anime, I’d say that’s pretty impressive. If I had to nitpick, I wish they did more on the romance that they baited us with earlier. The opening and ending songs were bangers. Might be one of the only Spring 2025 anime with bangers for both.
Aesthetics/Vibes: 9.5/10
Characters:
The high energy fun characters made this anime so much more fun. The main core were all vastly different personality wise but all worked well with each other.
The main character, Koichi Haimawari, is such a loveable character. He has a strong sense of justice but he can be a doofus about it. His happy go lucky attitude made me really root for him throughout the entire series. He’s a kindhearted, loveable guy that can make a lot of mistakes, but he shows up when it matters.
The supporting characters each had their own little quirks (no pun intended) too. Pop☆Step was an interesting character in her own regard as well. She’s a pseudo idol/vigilante, which is something you don’t see very often. Knuckleduster was the supporting character standout for me though. He’s the badass, mysterious, vigilante that was an important dynamic in this anime. His mini arc was probably my favorite part of the anime.
Characters: 10/10
Art/Animation:
The art and animation was different but fun. They carried through most of the beauty that My Hero had. Of course, it wasn’t at the same level, which you’d have to expect because it’s a spin-off. But, it was still above average. I loved the new take they added to it. There were action sequences that got action bubbles that gave it a comic book feel. For example, you’d see a “boom” or a “whoosh” and that added a cool feel to the anime.
Art/Animation: 7.75/10
Overall Rating/Recommendation:
My Hero Academia: Vigilantes is an easy recommendation. In fact, this was my favorite Spring anime of the season. to almost every anime fan. Firstly, anyone that’s a My Hero fan should be watching this anime. It expands on the original anime’s worldbuilding and storytelling. But even if you’re not a My Hero fan you can enjoy this anime. The fact that it hit every major genre and still delivered makes this a fun watch for almost everyone. If you’re looking for an anime that’s a vibe and isn’t overly complicated, this anime is for you.
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Overall Rating/Recommendation: 9.25/10__
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