My Hero Academia Reveals a Beloved Hero’s Tragic Past After The Series Finale

While the original My Hero Academia series has already reached its conclusion, the spin-off is focusing on Shota Aizawa’s backstory in its second season. Written by Hideyuki and illustrated by Court Betten, the spin-off series, My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, debuted its anime adaptation as part of the Spring 2025 anime lineup. The story takes place five years before the events of the original manga written by Kohei Horikoshi. After quirks became common in society, more and more people started to use their powers for evil, so much so that even heroes weren’t able to stop all those crimes.

The story introduces new characters who were unable to work as licensed heroes, which is why they wear their costumes during the night and protect the places where the heroes don’t normally show up. The first season of the anime already introduced Shota Aizawa, one of the most beloved characters from the original story. The tragedy that befell his close friend during his high school days was only briefly mentioned by Horikoshi. Since the original story didn’t fully explore his past, the spin-off has an entire arc dedicated to his younger days when he was an aspiring hero.

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes Shed More Light on Aizawa’s Past

After bonding with Koichi over a cat, Aizawa reminisces about his high school days with Hizashi Yamada (Present Mic), Oboro Shirakumo, and Nemuri Kayama (Miss Midnight). They worked together to protect an abandoned cat from the rain and got drenched in the process, but were able to save it thanks to their teamwork. Following the incident, the backstory continues to focus on their lives as aspiring heroes, where they encounter dangerous villains and also participate in hero Work Studies.

The backstory also features the tragic death of Shirakumo, which had a profound impact on Aizawa’s life. After the death of his friend, he forced himself to get back on his feet and become a hero he could be proud of. The origin story behind the birth of Erasure Head and his decision to become a teacher is influenced by Shirakumo, a bright and aspiring hero. Aizawa’s quirk was never suitable for combat, which is why he trained diligently to become a better fighter, and the results were shown in the original. In the main story, Shirakumo’s body was modified to become a Nomu with erased memories, and he served as one of the greatest obstacles in the heroes’ path.

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