The world of My Hero Academia is still growing, and the latest chapter of Vigilantes addressed a whole new problem: quirks that drastically change a person’s size.
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My Hero Academia: Vigilantes chapter 37 is a dialogue-heavy installment, focusing on Tsukauchi’s attempts to get information on Pop Step out of his sister. However, along the way he finds himself checking in with Kirihito Kamachi — better known as Kamayan to his friends — the criminal who was transformed into a praying mantis-like monster by the Villain Factory. Kamachi complains that society is not built for people with quirks like his, and he wants to see changes.
“Y’know? I oughta sue,” he declares. “This whole damn society has it coming.”
Aizawa points out that Kamachi has little room to complain, as he did go on a destructive rampage in a populated area. Tsukauchi, in turn, suggests that Kamachi should really be angry with the villains who kidnapped him and forced him to take experimental drugs, giving him a quirk that completely altered his body.
“It ain’t about that,” Kamachi said. “I mean, yeah, screw them too, but… I’m talking about something else.”
The mantis monster then described his day-to-day life after the transformation. He finds himself unable to enter his apartment — or most buildings, for that matter. he cannot even use the toilet, and is forced to sleep in a warehouse. Tsukauchi suggests that he apply for public housing services, which Kamachi seems to interpret as segregation. He says that hero society is “still only half-baked.”
“The needs of minorities ain’t being addressed byy infrastructure, social programs, all that,” he goes on. “Well, I say society’s to blame.”
This discussion adds just one more authentic layer to the world of My Hero Academia. The series offers a unique take on some of the oldest tropes in superhero and fantasy stories, somehow being at once grounded and realistic, yet fantastical and supernatural.
For those that have not caught up with the series yet, My Hero Academia: Vigilantes is a spin-off manga from the main storyline. It follows a team of three “vigilantes,” or people who use their quirks for good without pro hero licenses. It takes a harder look at the social constructs and adaptations of Kohei Horikoshi’s fictional world, while adding a bit of levity to it as well.
The entire series can be read for free on the VIZ Media website. Volume 2 hits shelves in North America on Oct. 2, 2018.
