My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, Vol. 1

ヴィジランテ ―僕のヒーローアカデミアILLEGALS― [Vigilante: Boku no Hero Academia Illegals] #1

by Hideyuki Furuhashi, Betten Court (Illustrator), Caleb Cook (Translator)

Koichi Haimawari couldn’t make the cut to become an official hero, so he uses his modest Quirk to do good deeds in his spare time. Then one day a fateful encounter with some local thugs leads him to team up with two other unlikely heroes. None of them really know what they’re doing, but they’ve got the courage—or foolishness—to try. But they soon discover fighting evil takes more than just being brave…

Genres: Manga, Comics, Superheroes, Action, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Fiction

208 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 4, 2017

Reviews

[Artemy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't expecting much from this My Hero Academia spin-off, but ended up really enjoying this first volume. It's set in the same world, but the story is focused on a group of unlicensed heroes with crappy quirks who still want to do good. It's fun! Actually, more fun than the recent HeroAca volumes. I really enjoyed the team dynamic here, it's basically a story of a young Spider-Man like kid who became a sidekick to a Batman-type older guy. The character concepts all feel really derivative, but there's enough unique personal traits in all of them to make this book read like something more than just a straight rip-off. All in all, I was pleasantly surprised by Vigilantes, even though their first spin-off totally should have been about Uraraka, who never gets enough attention in the main series. I'll be keeping up with this series for at least a couple more volumes.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely love MHA: Vigilantes. A friend of mine recommended it when I told him I wish the anime had more grey-area-type characters. It definitely steers away from the typical hero's journey shonen trope. Absolutely love Pop Step.

[Chad · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was OK. There wasn't much story to it. A few people with quirks (superpowers) but who aren't licensed band together to help people. There's not really much story here. Each issue is kind of the same. They walk down the street until someone confronts them and then get in a fight. Like a lot of manga, the art didn't have much detail outside of the characters. In this circumstance, I had a really hard time following the action with figures just kind of floating on the page. For some reason, Wolverine and Cyclops from the X-Men keep showing up.

[Elizabeth (Elzburg) · Rating 2 out of 5]

(Read right to left. Mouse-over images to view sources)

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes is a fanfiction spin-off manga of the fantastic My Hero Academia series, and I'd say it was a pretty bold move to try something like this since it has such an amazing behemoth to live up to. So? How does Vigilantes compare to its predecessor? Well, if you noticed my rating you might have guessed that I didn't think it did a great job.

Vigilantes was a mixed bag for me. There were certain parts that I liked, but then other parts that just soured the whole experience.

The concept is a plus, for me. It takes a look into a new aspect of this hero society that the main series doesn't show: The underground heros who act illegally without a license, who help out with slightly smaller crime like street fights and whatnot, and who help tackle bigger busts like drugs from different angles that pro heros can not. They're not restrained by the law or by society's rules like the pros are, and as their thanks they have to stay away from the cops so they don't get thrown behind bars. A bit ungrateful, them.

The main character is Koichi, a 19 year old first year in university. His introduction paints him as a pretty big dillweed loser who bows at people's feet and whose first instinct is to agree and walk away when told to do so by someone currently sexually assaulting a girl...



Ahem. But yenno, what makes a true hero isn't how you act automatically in the presence of evil, it's about how super-awesome-sick your superpower is! Right? Or... Wait. Did I get that backwards? It sure seems like Furuhashi-sensei (the author of this manga) did when he wrote that scene... And then consequently forgot he wrote it because...



Yeah, uh, you can just move right along, masked guy, there's no one here that has the right answer to your question. Except then they act as if Koichi does... Am I missing something here??? He acts EVENTUALLY, yes, but I thought the whole point was that you act IMMEDIATELY and without prompt or thinking about it. This was just a specific thing that I thought was really dumb.

Another main character is someone who I don't have anything negative to say about personally, but who plays a big role in the worst part of this first volume. Kazuho Haneyama, vigilante name: Instagram Ass Model Pop☆Step. The contents of his volume include introducing and setting up the angle of the story, the characters, and Pop getting captured/sexually assaulted not once, not twice, but THREEEEEEEEE times!!!!! Come on!! It was the same damn thing over and over again, the only difference being Koichi getting slightly better at using his quirk to save her each time. I was actually shocked at the lack of creativity, and at Furuhashi's audacity of milking the ever loving shite out of what should be a dead trope.

That honestly killed this volume for me. How could I enjoy a volume that plays its readers for fools who wouldn't mind just reading the same thing THREE times in the span of FIVE chapters? Really? Huge disappointment. The things that happened between these dumb kidnappings were definitely entertaining, but got super ruined and overshadowed by said dumb kidnappings. Way to really bring home the fact that your main heroine is fucking useless, and to only use her as ass-service and as a prop to make your main male leads look better. Honestly disgusting. I wasn't mad at this book during or right after reading it, but damn has it got my blood boiling thinking back on it.

I don't even want to say anything else. I've said enough. Is Vigilantes as good as My Hero Academia? TLDR: No fucking way. Not even fucking close. Horokoshi NEVER and WOULD NEVER pull this kind of fucking bullshit.

If you shut your brain off and just read it for the thrills and detective aspects of it then you'll have an entertaining and fun read. Heck, even I mostly enjoyed myself while reading it. It's just that if you turn your brain back on during or after reading it, you'll realize it's actually pretty shit.


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Read my My Hero Academia Reviews:
✪ Volumes 1-10
✪ Volumes 11-20

[L. McCoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is fun... but I still don’t get the hype for My Hero Academia...

What’s it about?
This book follows a young man (Koichi) who has a weird superpower but he uses it to help people. Well, he ends up fucking with some more vicious folks and meets some people that help him be an unlicensed hero... a vigilante.

Pros:
The story is fairly interesting. I can’t say too much without spoilers but it ends up being a pretty interesting tale.
The art is well done. Nice, cartoony manga art.

The action scenes are frequent and fun! There’s a lot of cartoony manga superhero fighting.
This book is often very humorous. Especially when Pop-Step and Knuckleduster start going to Koichi’s house without permission, using it as their headquarters . A few jokes got kinda old (example: “It’s Crawler, not Cruller”) but overall I chucked quite a bit throughout.
Some of this is pretty unpredictable.

Cons:
Some of this comic seems kinda jumbled and confusing.
The dialogue is often kinda dumb.
The characters aren’t very interesting. Knuckleduster has potential, I’m interested in the idea of the character but his actions and behavior are often ridiculous, he seemed sorta like a rejected Watchmen character. Pop-Step is cute but annoying. Koichi is kind of a pussy who cares too much about what others think TBH.
The ending is a bit weak and anti-climactic.
This book is not as gritty as I hoped it would be. Maybe I just have it in my head that vigilante characters are meant to be the more dark and/or twisted side of superhero tales when this was pretty much if anti-heroes were more PG. It didn’t work.

Overall:
This is a fun comic... but it doesn’t make me understand the MASSIVE hype for My Hero Academia any more than the first volume of the main MHA series did (hell, I gave that a 4 star rating).
It’s fun and worth reading if you want a comedic superhero manga set in an interesting universe where most (but not all) people have powers but there are quite a few flaws too.
Not bad but not particularly good either. It’s a fun read and I will add volume 2 to my reading list.

3/5

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Hero Academia is a super fun anime so I was pretty excited to try the spin off. However, I'm always weary. I tried spin-off for Attack on Titan and that...was less than stellar. However, I said screw it, and picked it up. Is it good? Yeah...it is pretty fun!

So this is focused on the heroes that don't become certified. We have a guy who's like a roach who has the power of...crawling. Yes. I'm serious. With that he teams up with a old man who likes to punch bad people and a pop-star high school student who jumps around and has her ass hanging out all the time. Together they decide to fight evil!

It's full on fan service, with cameos from our favorite heroes from the main series. However, the focus is without a doubt on the three main characters. Their relationship grows throughout and the dialogue is surprisingly well done. The storyline loses the stakes the main series has and it doesn't do anything brand new, but for what it is, I'm having a good time. A 3 out of 5.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure if I was going to like the spin off as much because it's written by a different person, but it's still a lot of fun! It's a bit chaotic, but it's kind of cool that it slightly ties in with the regular BNHA timeline a little with the drugs and all. It's also nice seeing more from the pro heroes. I'm definitely interested to see where this goes.

[Lucy Tonks (the invisible life of a reader) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was really boring... I did not expect it to be nearly as good as Boku no Hero Academia, but I at least expected it to be entertaining which it wasn't. I will probably slowly continue this series, but it will take me a while.

[Macarena Yannelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soy re mil fan de esta serie. No leí la original pero me encanta la idea de los héroes ilegales

[Gabe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Súper divertido!

[sage · Rating 4 out of 5]

AHHH I’ve been putting this off for so long but I actually loved loved loved it !!! Really recommend !

[Subham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good start, and taking place in the past of the main MHA when All might was still there, it focuses on koichi haimawari who tries to do the right thing but is bullied by others and can't take villains down on his own until he meets this guy named Knucklehead and together with another one named Pop-star they take down villains who are getting sudden powers by using some drug, they are vigilantes not exactly registered heroes. They encounter many bullies who have gained these powers, and this volumes pits them against some of them and also focuses on the personal relations between these characters and how they interact and exploring them and its good to see Eraserhead and some other heroes! Its a good start and their next big threat seems to be: Quinn Hachisuka aka the Bee Queen! Great start, simple premise and intriguing villains and the art is just gorgeous!

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely, positively love My Hero Academia and, for that reason, I wasn't quite certain if I should give My Hero Academia: Vigilantes a try.

A part of me was afraid it wouldn't live up to the hype. That it wouldn't hold a candle to the origin source.

Oh, how wrong I was.

So far, it's exceeded my expectations, and I cannot wait to see what happens in the next volume.

[Dani St-Onge · Rating 5 out of 5]

For more reviews and bookish content: http://literarylion.ca/

I picked this up purely out of curiosity. I love the original series and wondered if the spin-off would be any good. It definitely is.

I love that this series is going to be focusing on older characters because I'm pretty burnt out on everything taking place in a high school. I also really enjoyed the slightly grittier batman-esque vibe I was getting from a certain vigilante. It's neat to see a different side of the world that Horikoshi is exploring in the main series. To see people whose quirks are pretty simple and not quite pro-material.

Speaking of pros this first issue already has some great cameos from the pros we know and love. I have a feeling there's going to be a lot of good backstory for the pros or at least more insight into their careers outside of how they affect the students of UA. It's so much fun to see Erasehead and Endeavor fighting in their prime.

There's also some good worldbuilding in a way I feel like the main series won't have a chance to touch on. We get to see what life is like for people who aren't heroes. Who live in a dangerous society but maybe don't have the quirks to follow their dreams, and this time All Might isn't there to make their dreams come true. The contrast between All Might & Midoriya and Knuckleduster & Koichi is fantastic.

There are also some characters who parody a few of everyone's favourite X-Men and they are fantastic recurring characters.

The protagonist is suffering from a case of protagonist syndrome. He's not really anything. He's an average looking, average skilled guy who is very nice. He doesn't seem to have much of a personality. Pop Step is also a bit of a disappointment. My Hero Academia has never been entirely free from sexualization but Pop Step is taking it a little far. Especially when she's the only significant female character.

Despite how much I loved the direction this story is taking the characters are definitely lacking the life of My Hero Academia's characters. There's someone for everyone to love in just Class 1-A alone, but here I'm struggling to really connect with any of our vigilantes.

That said I'm definitely going to continue on. I'm excited to see if any of the events from this series will actually end up mattering in the main. I'm thrilled to see a quirkless character get to be powerful despite their lack of a quirk and I think, with some more fleshing out, the characters could be just as bright as the main series cast.

[Cammy Back? who knows · Rating 4 out of 5]

My hero academia was my first anime other than Sailor moon and now that the manga for mha has come to an end I thought it would be cool to read the spin off series and see if it was any good then I had binged the anime that released this previous spring and I really enjoyed it so I am now gunna read the manga.

4 stars ⭐️

if you have seen mha you should be fine reading and or watching it but i’d say like 10+ because of violence and popstep’s costume. :D

Spinoff series’s of popular series are almost always good (we don’t talk about boruto) examples: this series, kimetsu academy for demon slayer, Naruto Shippuden and others I can’t even think off.

Koichi is a college kid just trying his best and Honestly I love him for it, he gives me Tadano vibes from komi can’t communicate. Boring but still funny and has a personality of some sorts.

Popstep aka Kazuho who is a street idol in high school doing what she enjoys. I love her and her design it’s just kind of upsetting for how sexualized her skirt length is when she’s a high schooler but her personality is so silly, she’s kind of a tsundre but she isn’t always like that.

Knuckleduster he’s such a mystery It’s kind of cool how we know nothing about him.

Those two middle schoolers are so funny even though they aren’t really important to the story. 😭😭

[Victor The Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having caught up with “MHA”, I decided to get into this spinoff series that’s less about official heroes and more on those without the license to fight crime.

Koichi is a young adult with a gliding quirk and even though he’s not a official hero like All Might, he still strives to be everyone’s friendly neighborhood “Crawler” He soon meets two other vigilantes like him: the lively Kazuho, who is the leaping idol Pop Step and Knuckleduster, the strong hulking muscle. Together, they will form a unlikely team when they find unfriendly crooks and fight to protect, licensed or not.

“MHA” with vigilantes is a cool concept and a bit of fresh air for those who want to wean from law abiding supers. There’s still plenty of similar action and storytelling like the original series, but a bit more edgier. For now, the story is only building up yet it’s only getting more exciting. A (100%/Outstanding)

[Kulwinder Singh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Koichi Haimawari is a good-natured college student who supports heroes by doing nice deeds around the city, however small. Like Izuku, he's a fan of All Might. Kazuho Haneyama is a self freelance Idol with a modest fan base who gives illegal live performances. Knuckleduster is a quirkless middle-aged dude who becomes the master of Koichi forcefully. All three of them team up to make society a better and safe place for everyone. They fight for justice from the shadows and are called Vigilantes.

"𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝!"

Vigilantes' concept is what would have happened if Izuku had never met All Might. It's a spin-off series set in the world of MHA. This volume explores mostly the powers of Marvel superheroes. It's nowhere near MHA's level, but it's fun!

[Apollo Mul · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was okay. It’s nice to see familiar faces with some of the pro heroes, but I don’t care that much about the main trio. They’re entertaining, but 🤷🏻

Additionally, I don’t really mind that Pop Step is dressed “scandalously” (with her wholeeee ass out), but my problem lies in two things: 1) she’s a high schooler with her entire ass out and apparently has a crush on a college student (Koichi) and 2) she’s drawn to make sure you KNOW her whole ass is out. It took up a whole panel with her ass out, and I’m just a little baffled by that.

The art was pretty, the action sequences are good, and the banter between the main trio is fun (albeit a lil creepy sometimes since an old guy is telling a teenage girl to let an adult squeeze her boobs), but I’m not too interested in seeing more of them. I want more stories about the existing pro heroes. 🙃

[Brittany · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love my hero but this was just okay for me. I enjoyed the cameos, especially the one with Eraserhead. I liked the idea of these vigilantes who have weaker quirks standing up for what's right. But the whole thing just wasn't amazing. Also a lot more butt shots than I expected and the female of the group seems to just be there to be starred at. I did like the part time villain with the bees at the end I thought she was cool looking. Don't think I will bother continuing.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this volume, but I feel like I didn't connect with as many of the characters as I did at the beginning of the original series. But I really do like Knuckleduster, and I hope to see The Crawler and Pop Step develop more in the next installments. I also thought all of the random fandom references and cameos were amusing.

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

I really enjoyed this! Feels like a natural progression of the MHA universe (even though it’s technically a prequel). When I started watching MHA I really wanted Deku to be more of an underdog character and these vigilantes are really scratching that itch!

[Jeffrey Greek · Rating 3 out of 5]

A promising start.

[Mizuki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Knuckleduster really does look and feel like Batman!!!! Plus the author admits that in a sense, All Might is more like Superman. Hehehe.

I think this one is "so far so good", the concept is interesting and the characters are funny and reliable so far.

The story takes place in the same universe with My Hero Academia, but this time the story is focused on the vigilantes, and two teens who had just recently found themselves getting into vigilantism.

The story is interesting and entertaining so far, although I don't practically like the MCs but I think their motives and how they react to the crisis of a drug that can make people into "instant villains" understandable. I will cross my fingers and see what will happen next!

PS: Knuckleduster rules!

More to come.

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable for MHA Fans!

I like that Vigilantes doesn’t take itself too seriously. Also, the end pages and behind the scenes info are my fav!

[Charlotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

I am... not sure how to feel about this spin-off series. On one hand, I appreciate the fact that it is a spin-off and how faithful it is to the original series, whilst still bringing something fresh and new. On the other hand, I don't think I'm a fan of the story or the characters. At least not yet. It might be because I've only read the first volume, but it also might be because two of the characters were too much of an X-Men rip off (and I say that as a huge X-Men fan) and the fact that the opening 'plot' was sexual harassment of the only female character - who is a high school student and yet constantly gets upskirted and who's drawn in a gratuitously sexualised costume. Wasn't a fan of that.

I'll give volume two a try, but I think I'll just stick with the main My Hero series.

[Vail Chester]

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."
What with this being a spinoff of a much more popular Shonen Jump title, I guess they let themselves run a little wilder as each volume of Vigilantes has a fair amount of Expies in them. Either that or the creators are colossal nerds and just like throwing those references in the book.
So instead of reviews, I'll just keep a running tally of Expies per volume. Enjoy!

- Inko (Midoriya's mom)
- Luffy (with a mustache no doubt)
- Cyclops (with one eye at that!)
- Wolverine (with bokken popping out instead of metal claws)

[Gustavo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vigilante es un manga divertido de leer, más que nada si uno puede sacarse esas voces constantes de la cabeza que te dicen "amable-man es Miles Morales con el traje de Spider-Gwen" o "¿Este es Knuckleduster o es Batman o Rorschach o Marv o el Punisher?". Ni hablar de las desvergonzadas copias de Cyclops y Wolverine... en fin, otros comics lo han hecho y nadie se ha muerto, y en este caso todo parece indicar que es a modo de homenaje/parodia asi que todo bien.

Al fin y al cabo no deja de ser un buen manga para pasar el rato, pero hasta ahora no es mucho más que eso.

[Tib · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gonna be honest, I'm only really reading these because I hear there's some backstory on Aizawa and I want to get hurt. That being said, the trio of vigilantes are fun to read about, but I don't love them as much as the main story cast, but there is still time to fall in love with them. This arc does kind of parallel the main story which I find interesting. I think it's a touch before Midoriya and the gang actually get to UA, but it is focused on finding the quirk enhancing drug that is right now minorly important in the main story's manga. I'm interested in seeing where this one goes.

[Amanda · Rating 1 out of 5]

Still not good after a second read

Let's see, pop step is just there to be a fan service woman in distress. Koichi is a less interesting Deli. Knuckle duster is just annoying. I am interested in the drug related plot , but the main three could be removed entirely, and the book would've stronger. This non canon book is not worth it. It is dull as heck.

[Ottery Chocolat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't know what to expect reading My Hero Academia Vigilantes, except that the hero from the story, as you can clearly see on the cover, was heavily inspired by All Might just like Deku. Well, the same formula that worked for My Hero is very clearly being employed here, as the main character is Nice Guy. Unlike Midoriya he's in college, but outside of his age, he's a well meaning kid with a pretty weak quirk. Essentially, Koichi Haimawari is what might have happened to Deku if All Might had not shared his power with him.
Just like Deku, Koichi has an older mentor, the one who shows him how to be a real vigilante and goes by the cool name of Janitor of the fist: Knuckleduster. God, I love their names. If All Might is Superman, then Knuckleduster here is Batman. He has no powers except his fists. It's kind of cool. Knuckleduster doesn't have much time for heroes, and like Batman he spends his time trying to take down drug related criminals and finding a kindred soul in Koichi decides to take him under his wing. And of course there's Pop Step, a self-styled pop idol who finds herself involved and somehow or other the three decide to form a team of vigilantes.
Its all very cool and neat and organic, and though this may change later, unlike My Hero Academia is not buried in too many characters that you can't keep track of or two giant armies of villains with odd quirks and all manner of insane plots and stuff. All of which I love, I'm not criticizing MHA. If I didn't like it, I wouldn't be here, or reading this now would I?
Characterwise and plotwise, the story is awesome and I love it. It isn't too heavy, at least for now. And it serves as a kind of palate cleanser for MHA and cool enough takes place in the same universe so cames from the heroes in MHA are not out of the ordinary. All of which just makes this story that much cooler.
Moving on to the artwork Bettencourt is a very good artist. Not unlike Kohei Horikoshi he can draw characters well and distinctly. I love that about his work. But unlike Horikoshi-sensei you don't get too many crowded panels and like a million things going on at any time. As I said, this may change in the later volumes but for now, it is pretty cool and sparse with just our regular heroes and the occasional villain turning up. Where Horikoshi-sensei uses a lot more crosshatching Bettencourt tends to use more solid blacks and graytones but otherwise his art would not look out of place next to Horikoshi. All of which helps, because it seems like just another volume of MHA. Albeit, a lighter, funnier and more carefree version of it.
Overall, Marvel and DC Comics would do well to study these manga, as they are a lot more popular among adolescents and adults than their weak fare. These comics are less about heroes looking cool and protecting IPs and more about actual characters who live and breathe and have mortal lives, making them that much more real and easy to love.
MHA and Vigilantes are easily THE BEST comic book superhero series being published out there in any language. And I love it.