Welcome, readers, to Late to the Party , a column that's right on time when it comes to catching up on anime everyone's already watched. This column addresses a universal truth in regard to being an anime fan: an anime backlog is quite the powerful beast. Many of us have one, where we amass more and more content we have designated in the "planning to watch" category. How and why it takes so long to actually address this task varies from person to person, but the gratification of finally allocating the time is really quite splendid. Occasionally, it’s by watching a classic anime from yesteryear that you’ve had your eye on for quite some time. To ring in the glorious new year, I wanted to be inspired by an unlikely hero. And so, I took to the grimy streets of the urban landscape… and there, I found… The Cruller ! …Erm, that is to say, The Crawler. It’s Your Turn Studio: Bones Film ( Gachiakuta , Daemons of the Shadow Realm (upcoming), Fate Rewinder (upcoming)) First aired: April 2025 (Nine months late to the party! Compared to my usual delay, this is practically Ingenium levels of swiftness.) It’s almost hard to believe, but 2026 marks the first time in more than a decade where we don’t have a new season of My Hero Academia on the horizon. With the courageous tale of Izuku Midoriya and Class 1-A now complete, I’m left reflecting on the aftermath of the epic battle that capped off Season 3’s Kamino Incident arc. Having finally bested All For One, All Might had used up the last of his power. With the world watching and his emaciated form revealed, he pointed a lone finger to the camera — as if to say, the rest is up to you. In a similar passing of the torch, the final season of My Hero Academia coincided with the beginning of a new spinoff, and make no mistake about it: this is a series that really plays by its own rules in more ways than one. It’s ironic that my delayed viewing was caused in part by being so invested in that final season, but it’s fine now. Why? Because I am here!! Set a few years before Deku enrolls at U.A., My Hero Academia: Vigilantes introduces us to another aspiring hero who faces an uphill battle of his own. Koichi Haimawari is a college student whose childhood ambition to become the next All Might has all but escaped him. Owing to a mishap that prevented him from attending the entrance exam for a hero course, Koichi had to settle for a life of quiet mediocrity. He does have a Quirk at least, but it’s not exactly a world-beater. He’s able to skate on his hands and feet along the ground, flitting about with the approximate speed of an average bicycle. Where we typically think of our heroes as soaring through the skies, Koichi is forced to skitter like a cockroach. Even he admits that it’s kind of lame, compounded by his mild-mannered personality. He’s just a nice guy who wants to help out, so he sets out at night to assist the community with minor issues. If you want a rampaging villain to be dealt with, you’d turn to All Might or Endeavor. If you want someone to carry your groceries or pick up litter off the sidewalk, The Crawler is your guy. It’s better than nothing, I guess? The local tourism industry probably appreciates it. On one seemingly average evening, he encounters a group of thugs while they’re harassing the youthful masked idol, Pop☆Step. Predictably, his mighty cockroach powers aren’t exactly much use in a fight, and he looks like he’s in trouble until a burly figure bursts onto the scene. This is Knuckleduster, a vigilante out for justice who lets his fists do the talking for him. Honestly, he’s more of a loose wire than any kind of hero, but his methods are undeniably effective. Thanks for the help! As random and chaotic as this trio’s first meeting is, it pales in comparison to the sinister developments that they soon find themselves embroiled in. There, under the cover of moonlight, the vigilantes band together to prevent evildoers from bringing the city to its knees. Oh heck yeah, it’s time to go rogue, baby!! Into the Darkness Right from the get-go, it is easy to tell that My Hero Academia: Vigilantes has a distinctly different look and feel from the original series. It bears a striking resemblance to illustrations from a comic book come to life, punctuated by on-screen sound effects. It’s almost jarring at first, as we’ve grown so accustomed to how we expect My Hero Academia to be presented, however it is very much to Vigilantes ’ benefit. Not only is it dripping with personality, but it serves to distance the two stories from one another. My Hero Academia: Vigilantes is darker and grittier, dealing with the seedy underbelly of organized crime and showcasing stunning acts of violence. It’s not implied or obscured as we’re used to; it’s right there, ramping up the stakes that much higher. I really, really love when spinoffs take this kind of divergence, because it broadens the appeal for different audiences. One such example is the difference between Pokémon and Pokémon Origins : while both are great in their own right, older viewers such as myself can appreciate a more mature approach. If you’re a long-term My Hero Academia fan and worried that you’ll be left missing the familiar faces of U.A., you have nothing to fear, as several established heroes make a return here. Eraser Head plays a significant role, somehow possessing more aura than ever before. We’ve long been well aware of how powerful pro heroes are, and here, it becomes even more apparent — owing to the fact that being a vigilante doesn’t exactly put our protagonists in a favorable light. Whenever they’re forced to face off against a pro, it’s a real “oh snap” moment of tension. Desperation So how about those vigilantes, then? Can they hold a candle to the memorable natures of Shoto, Froppy, or the legend himself, Can't Stop Twinkling ? I’m happy to say that they can and they do, handily. We often gravitate toward characters that we can see something of ourselves in, and without trying to sound too self-defeatist, nowadays for me that means those who are distinctly downtrodden. Take Kafka Hibino from Kaiju No. 8 , for example. When we first meet him, he’s long past his prime, having failed to become the man he had always envisaged. Koichi is still in college, so he has the potential to do something productive with his life, but it’s almost certainly not going to be as glorious as a pro hero. There’s a moment in the end credits where we see Koichi as a child, adorned in his All Might hoodie while brandishing an action figure of his beloved hero. It then cuts to a modern day Koichi working behind the counter of a convenience store and the look on his face is one of pure dispondence. Oh god, that expression is so real… We’ve all been there, my dude. Sure, he has his nightly patrol. And yet, as altruistic as this is, it’s little more than the last desperate embers of his dreams. If he loses this, then d*mn, it really is all over for him. Then, there’s Pop☆Step. With her mask on, she’s a minor celebrity, performing impromptu street concerts for a small, albeit loyal contingency of fans. Without it, she’s just high schooler Kazuho Haneyama; inglorious, self-doubting, and vulnerable. There’s plenty to unpack here about the pressures of becoming an idol, where the real person can begin losing themselves to the persona they display — another fantastic instance of this being found in ODDTAXI , which I highly recommend. And last but not least, my dude Knuckleduster. I won’t go into much detail about his lore, as it is very much a significant reveal that is worth seeing for yourself, but suffice to say, his is a life of pure, agonizing regret. On the surface, he operates as Koichi’s parallel to All Might, acting as a mentor and guide. Underneath, he’s a brash, impulsive drunkard who lurks in the shadows, effectively the antithesis to every virtue All Might extols. The Thin Line Between Vigilante and Villain Basically, whereas My Hero Academia ’s cast is made up of young upstarts with their lives ahead of them, My Hero Academia: Vigilantes is typified by those whose best years are seemingly in the rear view mirror. And that means something to me. So many times, we’ve seen in this universe how rejection can lead to villainy. The vigilantes are still fighting for what they believe in, though when you think about it, the same could be said of Gentle Criminal or, dare I say, Mr. Smiley (who has the world’s most unstoppable Quirk, and I will not be swayed on this belief). Sometimes, the biggest risk anyone can take is being different. It’s proven time and time again within the world of heroes and villains, and it is equally as true in the anime we watch. I really think that My Hero Academia: Vigilantes ’ shift in presentation, tone and narrative is rather daring. Playing it safe may have been the surer option, leaning into the in-built fandom of its originator. By throwing these conventions aside and leaning into the darkness inherent of being a vigilante, it offers something really fresh and compelling. It’s familiar and yet minacious, with certain sequences proving downright disturbing (hello Stendhal, I like what you’ve done with your face!) It doesn’t so much attempt to fill the void left by Deku, Bakugo, and all of their friends, which would be a tall task for any successor. Instead, it pivots into new, uncharted territory; a world that isn’t quite as glamorous as the veneer of heroism usually presents. As someone who loved My Hero Academia , the expanded worldbuilding helped me gain an even greater appreciation for established heroes and villains. But more significantly, My Hero Academia: Vigilantes put a smile on my face throughout by marching to the beat of its own drum. Even if you never took the time to explore the original, what we have here is a natural entrypoint for new fans, and that’s a really exciting notion.
