DESCRIPTION

CAST

MANGA ActionVigilante: Boku no Hero Academia ILLEGALS
ANIME ActionBoku no Hero Academia
MUSICKekka Alright
ANIME ActionVigilante: Boku no Hero Academia ILLEGALS 2nd Season

REVIEWS

• 

  luxray978

  70/100
  An enjoyable entry into the BNH series that I wish was something more

  Animation

  For the majority of the series, a simple style with limited movement is employed, which at times can go down to the level of a motion comic. This is fine for the more comedy and character-based dynamic of the show, but is lacking when used in what should be an action scene. One standout was the good use of color in the night scenes, which is unfortunately contrasted with oversaturated daytime action. The thicker lineart, which is intended to give off an American comic feel, is unique but sometimes makes art feel stilted. The ways characters interact with the cityscape are fun, with good use of height and the various alleyways throughout their neighborhood.

  The largest standout was the art used in the climax. Here there is quick creative camerawork combined with fluid movement to make a unique visual spectacle. I understand the budgetary considerations but it is a shame that the whole series couldn’t have been done in that style.

  Plot

  Vigilantes has a simple plot that serves the show's needs without going much further.

  The grounded plot of vigilantes compared to the main series serves to allow for deeper worldbuilding in theory, but it struggles at times from its simplicity. While the small-time plots support a fun week-to-week watch, they are often thin in thematic content. This isn’t to say that they are horrible to watch, but their ability to make the viewer think is hit or miss. In an ideal world, this could be a draw for the series instead of something good enough to be undistracting, but ultimately only serves to provide a backdrop.

  Vigilantes lightly touches on issues of using policing through the hero metaphor and the ways vigilante justice can be harmful. However, it isn’t deeply invested in these ideas beyond a surface level. This is probably most glaring when there is a significant question raised about the dangers of vigilante violence that is rapidly sidelined after its introduction.

  Characters

  Like the rest of the show, the characters are simple but effective, sometimes leaving you wanting.

  The powers of the main group being mobility-based is a good choice and serves the human level of the story well. They also have good chemistry, and combined with strong designs, you get a feel for their interactions from episode 1. This can sometimes be a hindrance as repetition of jokes and slow development of some relationships can cause characters to feel surface level. However, there are moments where characters are given serious dilemmas that help to flesh out their characters and show change, though I wish there were more.

  In particular, though Pop is one of my favorite characters in the duo, I found the tsundere bit to become grating over time. Visually, I like a lot of the designs, but a lot of the villain transformations feel cheesy and underdeveloped, which is a shame. In particular, Pop and Hachisuka stand out as unique to me, and I love the theming of the latter’s outfit.

  Treatment of women

  If you’ve watched Boku No Hero, then the way Vigilantes handles women will not be much of a shock to you. There are consistent upskirt shots of highschooler pop and a uncomfortable scene where everyone commentates on her butt. Despite this type of behavior being extremely common in anime, it’s still uncomfortable, it’s still creepy, and it still shouldn’t be here. Though, besides this, the fan service feels toned down compared to BNH, and there is a very cool career woman character in Makoto, which I liked.

  Conclusions

  Boku No Hero Vigilantes is an effective action comedy, and existing fans of the series will find it a fun mix-up. Despite the lack of higher aspirations and largely simple animation, I found my time with it enjoyable, and I’ll probably tune in for season 2. However, it’s not something I could find myself recommending to everyone, and despite being fine across the board, there is nothing I found spectacular. 7/10

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• 

  aray

  93/100
  Great worldbuilding, lovable characters, and anti-hero vibes—Vigilantes is a top-tier MHA spin-off worth watching.

  My Hero Academia: Vigilantes Review

  Why Did I Choose To Watch This:

  My Hero Academia: Vigilantes is a spin-off of the popular series My Hero Academia. Although MHA is a great show it wasn’t a lock for me to give this spin-off a shot. What compelled me to watch this anime was the word vigilante. Whether you want to call a vigilante a rogue hero or a hero that plays between the lines of ethics, there’s something about vigilantes that made me excited to give this one a shot. Of course hearing that this series takes place before the protagonist of MHA becomes “that guy”, made me excited to see more world building of the My Hero world.

  Plot Mechanics:

  My Hero Academia: Vigilantes had some of the best plot mechanics for a spin-off series that I’ve watched in a while. The plot is very simple and straightforward however the anime did an amazing job of turning a fun gimmick into a real story line with antagonists that created a real problem. Although it didn’t go down the path I thought it would, the anime still did a great job of portraying the importance of vigilantes in a society that wasn’t fully developed.

  The world building was a great compliment to the actual anime. We had the pleasure to see how a smaller community dealt with smaller criminals but also how smaller criminals could easily lose control of their powers and affect society as a whole.

  My favorite part was being able to see characters that were in their prime and end of their prime in the original anime series grow in Vigilantes. Without spoiling, we got insight into a villain origin story, some more depth on top heroes, and more from characters that were prominent in the main series.

  Plot : 8.75/10
  
  Aesthetics/Vibes:

  I absolutely loved the vibe of this anime. Vigilantes had the perfect blend with elements of action, slice of life, romance, and even comedy. For an anti-hero anime, I’d say that’s pretty impressive. If I had to nitpick, I wish they did more on the romance that they baited us with earlier. The opening and ending songs were bangers. Might be one of the only Spring 2025 anime with bangers for both.

  Aesthetics/Vibes: 9.5/10

  Characters:

  The high energy fun characters made this anime so much more fun. The main core were all vastly different personality wise but all worked well with each other.

  The main character, Koichi Haimawari, is such a loveable character. He has a strong sense of justice but he can be a doofus about it. His happy go lucky attitude made me really root for him throughout the entire series. He’s a kindhearted, loveable guy that can make a lot of mistakes, but he shows up when it matters.

  The supporting characters each had their own little quirks (no pun intended) too. Pop☆Step was an interesting character in her own regard as well. She’s a pseudo idol/vigilante, which is something you don’t see very often. Knuckleduster was the supporting character standout for me though. He’s the badass, mysterious, vigilante that was an important dynamic in this anime. His mini arc was probably my favorite part of the anime.

  Characters: 10/10

  Art/Animation:

  The art and animation was different but fun. They carried through most of the beauty that My Hero had. Of course, it wasn’t at the same level, which you’d have to expect because it’s a spin-off. But, it was still above average. I loved the new take they added to it. There were action sequences that got action bubbles that gave it a comic book feel. For example, you’d see a “boom” or a “whoosh” and that added a cool feel to the anime.

  Art/Animation: 7.75/10

  Overall Rating/Recommendation:

  My Hero Academia: Vigilantes is an easy recommendation. In fact, this was my favorite Spring anime of the season. to almost every anime fan. Firstly, anyone that’s a My Hero fan should be watching this anime. It expands on the original anime’s worldbuilding and storytelling. But even if you’re not a My Hero fan you can enjoy this anime. The fact that it hit every major genre and still delivered makes this a fun watch for almost everyone. If you’re looking for an anime that’s a vibe and isn’t overly complicated, this anime is for you.
  
  Overall Rating/Recommendation: 9.25/10
  #

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• 

  toshasal

  80/100
  A good, fun watch but feels like it's lacking in some areas

  For context. I have watched MHA through season 6. and it's one of my favorite anime of all time, so far. I'm waiting to watch the last two seasons until my husband has caught up with me. I also have not read the manga for either show.

  I'll start off by saying this show is good. At moments even great. There's a lot that I like about what's going on here. The idea of vigilantes in general, and specifically in the MHA universe, is an interesting concept to explore. Some of the new characters are real stand outs. (Knuckleduster is a personal favorite.) It's cool to see what the returning characters were up to before the events of MHA. I like the idea of this show being more "small scale", and exploring how living in a superhero society affects the average person in a day-to-day sense.I also personally like the art style and animation a lot. It's more comic-booky with dark lines and bold, colorful sound effects. The opening song is also a real banger. Not that that matters. But it's been stuck in my head for days, so I figure it's worth mentioning.

  Buuuuuut (and it's a big but), I feel like vigilantes falls short of MHA when it comes to themes, world building, and character motivation. If you're just interested in a more casual watch, with cool action scenes and funny situations, this might not matter much to you. However, I feel like it is a bit of a let down, for me, after coming from MHA.

  I would say that there are two major flaws with the show. First, it does not properly explain how vigilantes function in this society and how society responds to them. We can make some assumptions about what's going on, but I feel like it's a real misstep to not explain it within the context of the show. Either in the beginning, like they do in MHA, where Deku exposition dumps everything to get us up to speed. Or within the first couple of episodes. I feel like this is especially important because, up until what I've watched of MHA, we have never seen or heard of a vigilante before. Not one. So, I would've assumed they don't exist. Or are so rare or inconsequential that it's not a topic worth making a show about. Basically, why should I give a shit about vigilantes or what they're doing? Why is it important? Why is it interesting? And what are the pros and cons of choosing this route vs. being a hero or just a normal person?

  This leads me to my second major complaint about the show. Koichi, in my opinion, is a weak Protagonist. Like, narratively weak. (His character arc so far, in a nutshell.) He wanted to be a hero when he was a kid but gave up because he missed the test to apply for a hero program. After high school he's ok with just being a "nice guy" who uses his power to pick up trash and help people with small problems. Then after he meets Knuckleduster and saves Pop Step, he decides to be a vigilante because there's something inside him that still wants to be a hero. I think?

  I have problems and questions with this character arc.

  1. He missed one test and then totally gives up on being a hero? Really? Couldn't he have just rescheduled the test and tried again? Or something? My man gave up on his dream real fast. Also in episode 4, Ingenium offers to let him work for his agency! Why would he turn that down?!?!?! It's a much better opportunity with a real hero, where he could do real hero work. Also, Ingenium just scouted him off the street. He obviously has enough skill and talent to be a real hero, soooo...
  2. Why would he choose to be a vigilante? He seemed perfectly fine picking up trash before and he doesn't seem too motivated to be a hero because he gave up pretty easily. Being a vigilante is dangerous and illegal, so why would a normal guy like Koichi choose this path? It makes sense why someone like Knuckleduster would do this. Knuckleduster has reason and motivation, while Koichi doesn't.
  3. Koichi's general attitude, along with his penchant for dressing like All Might make him feel too similar to Deku. However he also lacks anything that makes Deku a unique and interesting character. Not to say another cheerful character couldn't work, or that an "every man" type character couldn't work. I think it could. It's just not doing it for me right now. I find him uninteresting and his choices are confusing.

  Final spoiler. Ingenium is cool, hot as hell, and got done dirty. That's all.

  Despite all my complaints though, I think it's a good show that is worth watching. If you like MHA, you'll probably like this. It's fun, and entertaining, with some really great fights and character moments. I do want to see how things evolve and I hope some of my issues get resolved as the show continues.

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