My Hero Academia: Vigilantes has sparked a debate with the introduced of the new anime’s main hero, Koichi Haimawari, because of his differences from Izuku Midoriya, and that’s kind of the whole point of this new story. My Hero Academia: Vigilantes has officially started its run as part of the new wave of anime hitting for the Spring 2025 anime season, and with it has revealed what Japan’s hero world looked like years before Izuku and the rest of the Class 1-A students started their journeys at U.A. High School. And it’s been a remarkably different look than what was seen thus far.
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My Hero Academia: Vigilantes reveals a world where heroes aren’t as prominent as they are later. Those with quirks have started to become pro heroes in order to help throughout Japan, but All Might’s heroic power means that there just aren’t as many heroes that are as readily available as they are seen during Deku’s time. It means that someone like Koichi isn’t all that interested in becoming a hero that saves others at first, and it’s caused a debate for fans as he’s seen to both share some key similarities with Deku. But in one area, Koichi’s anything but heroic.
Koichi Isn’t Supposed to Be as Heroic as Deku
My Hero Academia: Vigilantes‘ anime premiere introduces fans to Koichi, a young college student who idolizes All Might just as much as Deku does. He’ll even don a special All Might hoodie in order to help those around his neighborhood to blow off some steam. He’s got a quirk that gives him some better mobility, and uses that to help pick up litter, give directions and more in his down time. It’s far from having the same ideal of becoming a full hero, and it’s just something that he just happens to do because he likes doing it. He’s got no dreams of being a licensed hero.
He’s a much different kind of character than Deku in many ways. He didn’t idolize All Might from as a young age as Deku, and is therefore gotten to have a much more realistic look on heroes overall. He knows that those who are heroes have quirks that can actually do something in the field, and has thus always saw himself as not reaching those same kinds of heights. His inner nature doesn’t even steer him towards the same kind of heroism either, and that’s where the clear distinct between Koichi and Deku truly starts. This is highlighted by a critical point in the anime’s premiere.
There’s a point where Koichi has a clear parallel with Deku as we watches a couple of thugs rough up Pop Step and hesitates to intervene. In fact, he’s frozen stiff until it gets to uncomfortable that he’s essentially forced to step in. This sparked a debate over the fact that when Deku was put in the same kind of situation in My Hero Academia’s premiere, he didn’t hesitate to blindly rush in. It’s why All Might chose him to be his successor, and it’s why Deku goes on to save the world. But that’s not Koichi. His story is supposed to be much different than Deku’s. That’s the point of this spinoff.
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My Hero Academia: Vigilantes Tells a Vigilante’s Story
The main draw of My Hero Academia: Vigilantes is this constant push and pull between Koichi’s realistic outlook of the world and his abilities, and his fight to go beyond those expectations. It’s a story about how he’s essentially roped into being a hero despite his wishes, but then becomes a fully fledged hero that is worthy of saving the world. He’s not like Deku where it’s something that he’s always dreamed of. He’s already lived so much of his life to this point that a hero was the last thing he wanted to be. This is why he hesitates to save Pop Step despite how bad it looks on the outside.
It’s supposed to be a poor first impression of his character. You’re supposed to see him hesitate to help because it gives him a place to grow. He’s not trying to absorb a legendary power like Deku. He’s supposed to be growing into a proper hero that can actually save others. He’s supposed to work his way up from the grimy streets, supposed to grow from his “cockroach” like presentation into someone that both wants to and does actually save others. Because at the end of the day, this isn’t a story about how Koichi becomes the world’s greatest hero.
Koichi’s just a guy who helps out and soon finds himself needing to help out on a scale he had never imagined before. He’s a plucky fighter who learns to believe himself and push his abilities to a point where fans can see how much he grows through the course of the series. That’s the whole point of My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, and fans of the anime will see soon enough as it continues well beyond its first episode.
