Did My Hero Academia: Vigilantes Just Sneak in All For One?

Written by Hideyuki and illustrated by Court Betten, 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 by Kohei Horikoshi. After quirks became common in society, more and more people started to use their powers for evil. Heroes are those who have powerful quirks and use their abilities to fight against villains. They are licensed by the government and are allowed to freely use their quirks as much as possible if they are using them to defeat the villains. They are admired by the people for their efforts in keeping the society safe.

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes centers around Koichi Haimawari, a college student with an ordinary Slide and Glide quirk, who wasn’t able to become a Pro Hero. However, just like others, he always looked up to All Might, the greatest hero in Japan. He decided to use his quirk to perform simple tasks and help the locals. However, his life turns upside down when he meets Knuckleduster, a vigilante who fights villains from the shadows while the Pros get all the limelight. Together with Kazuho, Koichi, and Knuckleduster, try to uncover a major scheme happening in the city.

[RELATED: My Hero Academia Reveals Hilarious New Side to Knuckleduster]

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes Might Introduce All For One

Currently, Koichi and his friends are investigating the source of the booster drug, known as Trigger. Several villains are using it to temporarily enhance their abilities and wreak havoc in the streets. However, the users lose self-control and turn violent as a side effect. Kuin Kachisuka, an ordinary-looking high school student, is secretly distributing those drugs while working with a mysterious figure. In Episode 4, she’s on a call with a man who is calmly criticizing her for creating a disturbance.

Kuin was introduced in Episode 3 as Kazuho’s fan, but she later turns out to be a villain. She uses her quirk to inject Trigger into the citizens, thereby wreaking havoc in the city. The man, upset by her actions, also tells her that while she’s permitted to use and distribute Trigger as she sees fit, it’s too valuable to be used recklessly like that.

However, Kuin is unable to understand the problem since the man wanted data on the drug users. They need people with powerful quirks to use the drug. Several villains are involved in the scheme, all working for the mysterious man. Not only that, but his voice sounds a lot like All For One, the main antagonist of the real show. Since Vigilantes is a prequel, All For One is still alive and working from the shadows. He should still be in the shadows, scheming something evil as always.

Not only that but the scale at which they are producing and selling Trigger couldn’t be done by an ordinary mastermind. Since the series introduces several characters from the original show, such as Shota Aizawa and Tensei Ida, it wouldn’t be surprising if it introduces the main antagonist as well.