ヴィジランテ -僕のヒーローアカデミア ILLEGALS- 4 [Vigilante: Boku no Hero Academia Illegals 4]

ヴィジランテ ―僕のヒーローアカデミアILLEGALS― [Vigilante: Boku no Hero Academia Illegals] #4

by Hideyuki Furuhashi, Betten Court (Illustrator), Kohei Horikoshi (Original Creator)

The sinister Hachisuka continues to haunt the Naruhata district, distributing the Quirk-boosting drug Trigger. Knuckleduster continues to track her and is closing in. Meanwhile, Pop Step receives an unexpected invitation to perform at the Marukane department store’s grand reopening. With Makoto helping out, it’s going to be nothing less than an all-out entertainment extravaganza! But that’s only if she can organize a disorganized group of performers in time for the show!

Genres: Manga, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Fiction, Young Adult, Fantasy, Comics

192 pages, Paperback

First published April 4, 2018

Reviews

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Koichi's fellow vigilante, Pop Step, is Hannah Montana with nuance, and definitely doesn't have the best of both worlds.

Pop Step is introduced as a 16 years old and has a huge crush on Koichi, for very specific story reasons that I won't spoil here. Pop's dichotomy of quiet, reserved girl and sensual, punk idol are great and add layers to an otherwise paper-thin, standard shonen.



I rated this volume 4 stars for its touching approach to a father-daughter relationship. But most importantly, I can see that the mangaka of Vigilantes parodies the problem in Japan where adult men harass minors (especially girls); masses of Pop Step's fans will drool all over her and make lewd comments regarding her body whenever she performs concerts.

[Here's an article if anyone's interested in this phenomenon https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-01-0...]

All in all, not really a favourite genre of mine, but the characters and their development keep me coming back for more.

[Kulwinder Singh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow, that's some crazy turn of events. The story of Geezer kept the manga interesting. I loved the stunning drawing of Knuckleduster by Horikoshi Sensei on Page 154.

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another solid volume but I really think this series is missing something. The father/daughter storyline was solid but the pop show wasn't at all. Always half and half. A 3 out of 5.

[Vail Chester · Rating 4 out of 5]

TV Tropes defines the word Expy as "short for 'exported character.' A character from one series who is unambiguously and deliberately based on a character in another, older series. A few minor traits, such as age or hair color, may change, but there's no doubt that they are almost one and the same."
Instead of reviews, I'll just keep a running tally of Expies per volume. Enjoy!

- Gamera ("That thing's a dead ringer for Ga-" "Don't say it! That's a lawsuit waiting to happen")
- King Kong ("This one's a giant gorilla with, let's say, an AIR OF ROYALTY about him!")

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm SUPER slow at the review because real life sucks sometimes.

So, I don't remember a ton about this book (maybe I should re-read it), but it was another fun installment in the series.

Captain Celebrity was as annoying as ever. :P It's great seeing more of pre-existing characters from the main manga/anime, and I enjoyed seeing more of the characters from this spin-off series, plus the new additions to this volume.

There's a cool twist I didn't see coming, and I'm excited to see where that goes. It makes things all the more interesting and personal.

So, while real life through me for a loop, I remember enjoying this volume, and the twist certainly shocked me.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of a weird volume with the concert of the short chapter at the end with all the UA kids. It was interesting seeing some villain connections and little tiny bit of backstories, but idk it seemed like mostly filler. It was a decent read.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An end to the bee user story?! Man, that was intense.

[Robin Jonsson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall pretty dull but the end made almost made me give it 4 stars.

[Ashish Khare · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another great volume. The story is less gripping than the first Three parts though.The father-daughter storyline was an interesting twist. Didn't understand the point of the whole pop concert. The artwork is fabulous.

[Orion_mp3☆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

So funky

[Blake the Book Eater · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really loved seeing Pop stand out more as a character here with more hints into the wider world!

[Kate (Looking Glass Reads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

The adventure continues in My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, Vol. 4 by Hideyuki Furuhashi and Betten Court. This is the fourth volume in a series following several vigilante heroes set several years before the main series takes place. Wonderful new characters and old favorites grace the pages in this action packed, suspenseful manga.

The quirk boosting drug called Trigger is still being distributed in Naruhata, and our favorite vigilantes (and heroes) are still on the case. This volume balances the vigilante heroism with some quieter moments. More of Knuckleduster’s past is revealed, and his motivations at vigilantism are easier to see.

Meanwhile, Pop Step was invited to perform at the reopening of a new mall in the area. With Makoto Tsukauchi’s she needs to wow an audience in a much more formal venue than her usual street performances. As always with our heroes, things exactly go as planned.

While the chapters following Knuckleduster were very good and, arguably, more directly pertaining to the overarching plot, I found myself enjoying the mall reopening scenes a bit more. These scenes show some good character growth from Pop Step. And, maybe more importantly, show how both the Vigilantes and the Heroes take measures to protect ordinary citizens at large (and smaller) events that have the possibility of being targeted by Villains.

Several pro heroes who normally grace the pages of My Hero Academia make an appearance in this volume. Their inclusion never feels forced. On the contrary, it makes the world feel more fully realized and shows the similarities and differences between the Pro Heroes and Vigilantes in starker contrast.

Fans of My Hero Academia as well as those curious about the world its set in will both love My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, Vol. 4 by Hideyuki Furuhashi and Betten Court. If you haven’t started the series yet, I urge you to give it a try.

This review originally found on Looking Glass Reads.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good installment. Not necessarily my favorite, but it continues to be a decently solid series. I like that we keep expanding more on the backstories of the main characters, and I especially love all of the inclusion of heroes and such from the main series; it really helps to tie everything together. Obviously though, this series takes place several years before Midoriya and all of them go to U.A. Also, the more I read about Aizawa, the more I think he's becoming my favorite character.

[Ben Truong · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, Vol. 4 continues where the previous tankōbon left off and contains the next eight chapters (19–26) of the on-going manga series and one special: "Episode Zero".

The sinister Kuin Hachisuka, student and part-time villain serving the Villain Factory continues to haunt the Naruhata district, distributing the Quirk-boosting drug Trigger. Knuckleduster continues to track her and is closing in. It is revealed that Kuin Hachisuka as Queen Bee has taking over the body of Tamao Oguro – Knuckleduster's daughter. He managed to retrieve the parasite bee from her mind and managed to free her from Queen Bee's control.

Meanwhile, Kazuho Haneyama as Pop☆Step receives an unexpected invitation to perform at the Marukane department store’s grand reopening. With Makoto Tsukauchi helping out, it's going to be nothing less than an all-out entertainment extravaganza.

Hideyuki Furuhashi has written this tankōbon. It is the first tankōbon that focused on one story, it continues Knuckleduster's search for his missing daughter, who happens to be the villain Queen Bee. His backstory is rather interesting, his wife is in the hospital and his daughter has been used by the Villain Factory, which he eventually rescues her from, although her survival is still in question. Betten Court illustrated this tankobon and it was rather well done and similar to those of Kohei Horikoshi – the inspiration of the series.

All in all, My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, Vol. 4 is a wonderful continuation to a series that seems intriguing and I cannot wait to read more.

[Judyth · Rating 3 out of 5]

~3 Stars

While there is a lighthearted plot in this volume—Pop Step joins with a larger group to put on a collaborative concert, something she hasn't done before, and causing a different kind of attention for herself. This is an interesting plot, I suppose. I felt mostly meh, though I guess it was nice to see when Pop was able to use her normal routine to entertain during the crisis, and seeing her grow some more confidence in herself.
But during all this, we see that Knuckleduster has decided to stop avoiding it and confront Hachisuka upfront about all the bugs, only they have a surprising connection. I hadn't really considered this, but I guess it feels a little cliché, and maybe that's why it bothers me.
Now that one potential villain is possibly down, I'm guessing that we'll get to meet a new one in the next volume. We'll get to see where this bug-virus plot progresses to next.


A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

[Aleksei · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't get into this volume as mush as the ones before it. What I probably enjoyed most was seeing Aizawa in the spotlight for a bit with Midnight and Present Mic sharing a couple of scenes. Which honestly doesn't say much since this isn't the series they should be taking a spot light in. Fingers crossed for the next volume.

[Lexine Higgins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another enjoyable volume of this series! In this volume, Koichi takes a backseat, and his two fellow vigilantes, Pop Step and Knuckleduster, take centre stage.

Koichi and the others have had their vigilante identities discovered by Makoto after the events of volume 3, but, thankfully, they use this to their advantage. She helps organise a gig for Pop Step where she’s given time to shine. Instead of street performances, she gets to star in an actual show set up in a local shopping centre. We’ve seen Pop as a very confident and bubbly girl, but like most teenagers she’s very insecure and needs some encouragement. She worries about her skills and talent as a performer as she comes face-to-face with professionals: a band and a dancing/singing duo. She has to prove that she deserves to be there as a part of the show. That she’s not some bimbo who prances around with no brains. Like Koichi, even though she has a different approach, she’s still a hero at heart. Speaking of Koichi, we see her friendship with him blossom even more in this volume too, and it’s utterly adorable. He’s so supportive and encouraging towards her, even if sometimes he naively says the wrong things that turn out to have the opposite effect to what he intended. He’s such a lovable goof.

That’s the lighter plotline of this volume. The other plotline involved Knuckleduster, who goes on his own mission. I can’t say too much because spoilers, but we get a peak into his personal life that he’s kept very private from everyone. We get a look into his family life and who he is outside of vigilante work. He also has an epic battle with a villain and reveals some pretty big plot twists.

Of course, like previous volumes, we get appearances from popular pro-heroes from the main series, such as Midnight, Present Mic, and my personal favourite, Eraser Head. Their parts in the story are minor, but it’s nice to see more about them. Especially since they’re not in the teaching game yet, and we get to see them doing hero work. There’s also a non-canon episode at the end called Episode Zero where Aizawa and All Might teach the U.A. High kids from the main series about vigilantes and who they are, which was fun to read.

Overall, it was another exciting volume. It was left on a cliffhanger, urging you to pick up the next volume to find out what’s going to happen next, which I shall. Although the plot is not as intense or high-stakes as the main series, this is still really enjoyable. It has plot twists and interesting characters, but it’s more of a casual read. One you can read alongside other things.

My Blog

[Rachel Consoli · Rating 5 out of 5]

More insight into Knucklebuster’s past and some fun fluff on the side.

So Pop gets invited to do this cutsie, indie performance for the opening of a store and feels anxious about a real performance since hers are usually impromptu and she’s not comfortable in her singing. Koichi recruits Makoto to manage her and handle the entire event to make it awesome. She gets buzz from representing the sleazy, but popular Captain Celebrity, and organizes the other acts into one cohesive group: the feather hats. When the electric eel quirk villain who was obsessed with Pop from vol 1 returns, but now all souped up from some bad guy meddling, he causes a blackout. Luckily Aizawa was walking by and apprehends him. But to stall, Koichi encourages Pop to step up because it’s basically what she does and she steps up beautifully to everyone’s admiration and is def so pleased by his praise. They’re too cute. Also Present Mic, Midnight, and Best Jeanist come by to keep an eye out and bring publicity, so always fun to see them.

Meanwhile we find out the body of the bee girl is actually Knucklebuster’s daughter Tamao and the bee queen basically invaded her body so this bee thing isn’t fully her quirk, from what it seems. He found her from using bully turned ally, Soga, for recon and basically thwarts her in attempts to fuck up the concert. There was some kind of argument between Knucklebuster, real name Mr Oguro, and his daughter and she left. He regrets what happened but basically uses a shock gun to stop heart so the bee hive mind abandons his daughter and he can kill the queen, but the gun also doubles as a defibrillator so we leave him trying to resuscitate her. We learned he gets his support supplies from Giran, my fav League of Villains supplier/recruiter from MHA love him and fun to see him. We also see Knucklebuster visiting his wife in the hospital and that she has some kind of a “condition”, clearly bad enough that she’s hospitalized but unsure what further is going on there. There’s a lot with him I still don’t get quite yet, but I’m certainly intrigued.

It leaves off with a rando crowd dude I haven’t seen before catching the leftover bee, so he’s probs a part of this villain group. We had seen bee lady talking to some head honcho, but idk who that is yet.

The entry was mostly fluff with the main groups side plot, but interesting development for Knucklebuster! Intrigued to continue on.

[Sunread26 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chronique complète :
https://sunread26.wordpress.com/2020/...

Extrait :
Dans ce quatrième tome de Vigilante se déroule de grands événements en parallèle, le premier un grand concert auquel Pop va participer, le second, le combat de Knuckle Duster contre l’apicultrice qui occupe le corps de sa fille.

Comme dit plus haut, on découvre pourquoi Knuckle Duster est tant attiré par cette histoire de drogue, son but est en effet de récupérer sa fille possédée par un alter nomme « Apicultrice » et n’est rien d’autre que celle qui propage la drogue. A force de recherche, il fini par la trouver dans un lycée, mais attend qu’elle soit seule, avant de l’attaquer, car il n’aura pas d’autres choix que de la combattre et blesser son corps pour récupérer sa fille. On apprend également, que sa femme est hospitalisée pour une raison inconnue, mais elle semble très affaiblie, c’est sûrement la raison pour laquelle il est pressé de récupérer sa fille. Au final, il finit par vaincre l’apicultrice et je pense à la tuer (car il l’a fait péter), quant à sa fille, il essaie de la ranimer après avoir stopper son cœur. Va-t-il réussir à la ranimer ? Et, maintenant qu’il a atteint son objectif, va t-il rester un justicier ou retourner à une vie tranquille ? J’espère que le prochain tome m’aiguillera sur ses question…

En parallèle, un grand événement est organisé pour la réouverture d’un magasin après sa rénovation (il a été détruit lors d’une attaque d’un vilain éclair). Pop fait partie des jeunes artistes invités à faire un concert, à la fois heureuse et stressée, elle finira par monter sur scène et s’éclater avec les autres membres du groupe crée pour l’occasion. Plusieurs scènes humoristiques sont placés durant les passages d’organisation et le pauvre Koichi en prend pour son grade… Malgré l’attaque d’un vilain éclair, le concert se termine avec un franc succès. Est-ce que la carrière de Pop va enfin décoller ? Si c’est le cas, va t-elle, elle aussi quitter les justiciers ? Le pauvre Koichi, je sens qu’il va se retrouver tout seul comme un couillon…

[...]

[La Colección de las Letras · Rating 5 out of 5]

Llevaba un tiempo esperando la puesta en escena de Hachisuka y de Knuckle Duster. Desde que empecé a leer este spin-off ambos personajes desprendían un aire de misterio que siempre me tenía alerta. Al fin, en este cuarto tomo, he resuelto muchas de las preguntas e hipótesis que fui creando a lo largo de la serie, y debo decir que la espera a merecido la pena; no me esperaba este giro de los acontecimientos.

Como siempre nos anuncian las portadas de estos tomos, el cuarto está enfocado a la colegia Hachisuka y al maestro Knuckle Duster. Kôhei Horikoshi desarrolla mucho de sus historias en este tomo que me ha intrigado desde el inicio. A medida que fui leyendo y uniendo piezas, la trama que se empezó a desarrollar hace tres tomos, cobra sentido de un golpe.

No quiero hacer ningún tipo de spoiler, pero si puedo aseguraros que este tomo me ha asombrado por completo.

Por otro lado, a Pop le proponen participar en un evento benéfico. Ella no está muy convencida, a causa de que está acostumbrada a actuar en la calle y a huir cuando es conveniente, pero esto es diferente. Le están ofreciendo un escenario para que cante delante de un público que no la conoce. Kôichi nota su indecisión a la legua, quiere animarla, pero no consigue mucho. Las palabras no son lo suyo, pero sí conoce a alguien que puede ayudar a Pop.

Me ha encantado presenciar la vida cotidiana y relajada de Kôichi y Pop. Actúan como dos jóvenes risueños e inocentes que enfrentan los problemas cotidianos con un poco de inseguridad, pero con ganas. De hecho tiene un desenlace que me ha gustado mucho, con la participación de los héroes profesionales incluida.

En términos generales, la historia sigue desarrollándose con cierto ritmo, ya que en cada nuevo tomo se abren nuevos frentes que harán que nuestros personajes vayan descubriendo un poco más de ellos mismos. Esto también se aplica a que poco a poco me he enganchando más a la historia, porque, siendo muy sinceros, el final de este tomo genera tal enganche que no puedes esperar dos meses para leer el siguiente.

[daniella ❦ · Rating 3 out of 5]

knuckleduster backstory????

- idk rating these is hard because the volumes are always half random boo boo boring stuff that i don't really care about and then the other half is some based father daughter drama with tension and heart and some real grit so i feel like my ratings are trying to absolve both of those things.
- soga is back and as an errand boy looking for the bee user?? SIGN ME UP also he just reminds me of katsuki so im warming up to him
- the bees swarming out from under her skirt....not the vibes
- knuckleduster has a sick wife and is looking for his daughter 👀👀👀👀👀
- i actually dont have an ounce of care for the pop ☆ step storyline in this volume like you go girl live your hannah montana dreams out but other than that i seriously couldn't have cared less,,, and the way they tried to tie that into the bee user storyline with the bee user being "annoyed" about them putting on the concert was a little....it was just weak
- but the reveal of the bee user and their connection to knuckleduster,, the fact that the bee quirk is parasitic and turns the host body into a part of the hive mind is so sinister and so fucking cool. and the fact that the host body's spirit comes through when the hive mind is affected CHEFS KISS
- knuckleduster trying to revive his daughter i just seriously love this plotline
- and a sneak peek of the true bee user? or is that someone else who has the parasite?
- the extra chapter was boring but i love seeing my ultimate babygirl izuku so no huge complaints
- loving where this is going tbh okay byeeee

[Lyly ꩜ .ᐟ · Rating 5 out of 5]

La relación entre Knukleduster y Hachisuka fue algo que para nada me esperaba, mucho menos conocer la historia de Knukleduster como justiciero. Siento que con este tomo terminaron de cerrar los cabos del primer arco de MHA Vigilantes y su primera villana. Solo no se develan más detalles de quién está detrás de todo el negocio del Trigger, pero puedo dejarlo pasar gracias a ese pedazo de plot twist.

Por otro lado, la realización del festival de reapertura se sintió como un desvío, pero fresco. Me gustó el vínculo entre Makoto y Pop, siendo la primera una ayuda y confidente para la segundo, me gustó que no pusieran a los “intereses amorosos” de Koichi como dos entes rivalizados.

Además, la trama del festival —con sus colores y brillos— oculta detrás la oscura realidad del Trigger que se esconde en las sombras para perturbar a la pobre ciudad de Naruhata, y siento que eso en parte puede funcionar como una justificación del inicio de la historia en los primeros tomos: donde las cosas eran en su mayoría “comedia” y una fácil resolución de los problemas con “villanos fáciles”, pero que de fondo escondía un plan que se estaba tejiendo poco a poco como es el paulatinamente potenciado tráfico de Trigger.

[Belinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

We learn a bit more about Knuckle Fist and his shared history with crazy bee girl. From what I understand, crazy bee girl is actually his daughter possessed by a sentient evil queen bee. It takes over bodies and then controls them to do its bidding. Truly devious and lowkey gross. Never thought the old man would have such a sad story, but I guess there’s a reason he got into vigilantism.

Meanwhile, Koichi and Pop are preparing for a live show for a department store. There’s a crazy fan of Pop’s that goes a bit too far, but not too much harm done. We get special appearances from Aizawa, Hizashi, and Nemuri. Pop continues to be a tsundere while Koichi remains oblivious lol.

It’s still a good bit of fun mixed with the occasional fight. I’m waiting for something big to hit. I hope it’s soon.

[Stephen · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is a great abundance afoot as Hachisuka continues to cause damage and mayhem by distributing the quirk-enhancing drug to those in the Naruhata district. We also learn some more details about Hachisuka and her family! Meanwhile Pop Step is invited to perform on stage at a grand opening event! There is a lot going on, and a lot of cameos from teachers in My Hero Academia, which sometimes feel like Easter eggs all around the main story. Fun read but I felt the musical performance took a bit away from the book and consumed more that it necessarily needed to. Still the book has a lot to enjoy about it, but it falls a little short of some expectations I put in place for this latest volume. I wonder if it suffers from comparison to the My Hero Academy volumes I read most recently (volumes 29 and 30) in which maybe this would have received a higher rating.

[rfantasyreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good volume, one in which I think has improved my prior views on the series as a whole. I enjoyed getting to see more of the Pro hero’s that we all know from MHA, especially Present Mic and Eraser. This volume in particular was very reminiscent of the school festival arc in the main series, instead focusing on a mall re-opening. As well, more time is put into knucklduster and his backstory, finally getting a big fight and matchup with the main villain currently for the series. I think as a whole this series is still fun and enjoyable to read, but is still at a disadvantage when it comes to the main series, because a lot of the story arcs feel a lot more rushed, and there often seems to be a lack of the overarching plots.

[Carla Schefer · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3/5) pues nosé que decir, no quiero ser mala porque el universo de My hero academia lo amo mucho y voy a leer todo lo que salga de ahí pero... siento que estos cuatro tomos no pasó nada y hasta pienso que todos los comentarios que leí de "el personaje de esta precuela es mejor que el protagonista de la serie principal" (estos me animaron a comprarme toda la serie, porque obvio quería conocer a ese que dicen que es mejor a mi amado Izuku y que me hiciera sentir como él) pero deben ser haters de él o algo porque no le encuentro sentido... aunque mejore después en los últimos tomos estos cuatro primeros el protagonista pues no hizo nada, sólo el héroe que aparece en la portada que no recuerdo el nombre se viene llevándo todo el manga...

[kel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay this was my favorite volume so far. Seeing Aizawa front and center for a couple of pages was good and there was a present mic appearance as well! But also, pop and knuckleduster got a lot of screen time and their own chance to shine. There was a lot of character building with them and that's something I always love seeing. I was completely invested in knuckleduster's story arc, even if it was a little confusing at times, and completely blown away by that twist ending. Like.... seriously what the fuck.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pop and Koichi get roped into a concert, while Knuckleduster faces off with Hachisuka, but the stakes are even higher than we could possibly have imagined.

Aside from the bees-in-the-vagina and the constant comments on Pop's ass, this was great. The battle between Knuckle and Hachisuka was well realised, and I liked how that turned out far more important than the latest Trigger villain. Pop and Koichi were kind of secondary, but then Knuckle's the biggest mystery of the book thus far, so it was nice to get this focus on him.

[Ambia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Woah, did not expect the final fight to be Ogura and his damn daughter. But it was really cool; he was really cool. Is the bee user that pony tail guy at the end or is it just that giant worm thingy in her eye? A lot of this volume was taken up with the prep for the Shopping Mall show so I wasn’t really interested, but it was sweet to see Pop Step so shy. Mr Ogura was just spectacular at the end. In my head he has a gruff Wolverine voice so he’s just super cool. Even when he was beating up his daughter. I love the panel of him setting the explosion.

[Harrison C · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the more direct additions to the vigilantes series. This novel really focuses on two arks concerning the two supporting characters, Pop-Step and Master, giving the Crawler a bit of a back seat in this one. You see Pop-Step put on a wonderful performance with other fun characters while seeing the dark and creepy life of Hachisuka, and her strange relationship with Master. A very engaging read containing major twists.