As far as anime spin-offs go, it’s hard to get off to a better start than My Hero Academia: Vigilantes. The spin-off of the original MHA series has been one of the highlights of Spring 2025 so far, giving fans an in-depth look at Hero Society five years before Izuku Midoriya’s quest to become the world’s greatest hero. Vigilantes‘ protagonist, Koichi Haimawari, might not be as powerful as Deku, but if his adventures in the latest episode are any indication, then he’s just as much of a hero.

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes Episode 4 — titled “Top Runner” — continues Haimwari, Pop-Step, and Knuckleduster’s investigation of the Trigger epidemic, and like the episodes that have come before it, it highlights the civilian side of MHA‘s Hero Society. Haimawari and his allies are growing more and more comfortable in their roles as vigilantes, and so far, it’s been an absolute blast to watch.

The Return of a Familiar Hero Highlights the Thin Line Between Hero And Vigilante

MHA: Vigilantes Continues Its Examination of Hero Society

For fans of the original My Hero Academia anime, MHA: Vigilantes Episode 4 will likely feel familiar. In the episode, Koichi Haimawari takes major strides to improve his Quirk in a sequence that is highly reminiscent of Izuku Midoriya’s first few months at UA, but even more notably, it also features a pair of faces that played a vital role in My Hero Academia: Tensei and Tenya Iida. Although Tenya Iida doesn’t appear in-person in the episode (instead appearing via a flashback while Tensei recalls a story), it’s impossible to ignore the influence that these two MHA characters have on Episode 4. Luckily for fans, their presence is an excellent example of how an anime can include non-distracting cameos from related series.

Tensei Iida is a major part of MHA: Vigilantes Episode 4, but at no point does he hijack its storytelling. In fact, by the end of the episode, Ingenium is not even the individual who apprehends the fast-moving bat villain that appears throughout Episode 4 — that honor goes to Knuckleduster and Koichi Haimawari, who utilizes Tensei’s advice from earlier in the episode in order to stop on a dime and trip the villain. Altogether, the presence of Ingenium is a fantastic way to incorporate a known hero into Vigilantes‘ story, and it should appeal to both fans of the original My Hero Academia and new fans who are only familiar with the spin-off. That said, Tensei’s role in Episode 4 is far more than a fun crossover; it also highlights one of Vigilantes‘ core themes.

At the beginning of every episode, Vigilantes defines a term like “vigilante” or “villain” as part of an interlude card, highlighting exactly how important it takes the way these terms. However, while both of these words are important, no term is more closely examined in the Vigilantes Episode 4 than “hero.” Hero Society was born from vigilantes who were drove to protect those around them, so it’s only natural that true vigilantes like Knuckleduster and Haimawari would serve as interesting points of comparison for characters like Ingenium.

A desire to protect others is at the core of a hero’s code, and as Ingenium himself points out, it’s clear that Haimawari (and, by extension, Knuckleduster) legitimately cares about saving people. A simple hero’s license is all that distinguishes their actions on many nights, and although this nuance would be easy to lose in the mix for some anime, that isn’t the case for My Hero Academia: Vigilantes — and definitely not for Episode 4. Much of the credit for Episode 4’s comparison of heroism and vigilantism goes to Haimawari and Tensei’s interactions, but another individual makes this examination feel even more earned: Knuckleduster.

Knuckleduster Is the Perfect Point of Comparison for MHA’s Greatest Heroes

Of all the characters who have played a role in MHA: Vigilantes so far, none challenge the traditional conceptualization of heroes more than Knuckleduster. From his thuglike appearance to his questionable methods, Koichi Haimawari’s mentor is a far cry from what fans think of when they imagine a hero, and in many ways, they’d be right to question Knuckleduster’s status as one. He lacks poise, empathy for his enemies, and couldn’t care less about collateral damage, all of which are signs of a character unworthy of being a hero. Still, at the end of the night, it’s often Knuckleduster who is saving civilians from the criminal underbelly of Hero Society, and sometimes (like in Episode 4), he does so in spectacular fashion.

Law, order, and morality are all separate ideas, but in general, a hero — and especially one like those seen in My Hero Academia — generally cares about all three. On the other hand, Knuckleduster is completely uninterested in the fact that he is breaking the law to ply his craft as a vigilante, begging the question: does it even matter that Knuckleduster isn’t following hero regulations? In yet another example of its surprisingly mature storytelling, it doesn’t seem like My Hero Academia: Vigilantes wants to try and give an answer to this question; it simply wants to challenge the preconceived notions of what it takes to be a hero. Between this thematic nuance and the stunning animation featured in Knuckleduster’s fight during Episode 4, it’s no surprise that Vigilantes has won fans over so quickly.

Episode 4 Further Develops a Different Kind of Villain

Bee’s Storyline Continues Vigilantes’ Push for Mature Storytelling

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes‘ episode storytelling has been one of its biggest strengths through four episodes, and it’s opened the door for Koichi Haimwari and his friends to meet a wide range of characters in a short amount of time. However, as evidenced by Episode 4’s continued focus on Bee, it’s clear that a sinister throughline is emerging in the background of the narrative. The Trigger-distributing, insect-controlling villain has now appeared in back-to-back episodes, and, with the help of whatever mysterious benefactor she talks to on the phone, she seems prepared to create a wave of new Quirk-wielding berserkers at the drop of a hat.

Admittedly, Bee’s scenes in Episode 4 are a stark change of pace from the ones that include Tensei Iida and Knuckleduster, but rather than feeling out of place, they serve as a nice contrast to the pleasant interactions throughout the rest of the episode. The entire presentation of the villain shifts away from the fun, comic book-inspired art style of Ingenium and Knuckleduster’s action scenes, abandoning this aesthetic for a much broodier one that wonderfully highlights the mature nature of Vigilantes content. Between Bee’s references to hard drug use and charged innuendos, the series is clearly angling for a more mature tone than the original My Hero Academia — an approach that was already evident in Vigilantes‘ previous episodes.

There’s nothing about Bee’s ability to control bees that inspires fear in the same way as My Hero Academia‘s villains, yet she’s just as terrifying as the majority of figures that clash with Deku and his allies. It’s a testament to Vigilantes‘ ability to depict life as an average civilian that a figure like Bee has loomed as large as she has, and unfortunately, for Koichi Haimawari and his allies, she’s likely to make things a whole lote worse before things are all said and done.

Should My Hero Academia: Vigilantes continue pushing in this direction, the sky is the limit for the series. Its production value is already top-notch, and on many levels, it incorporates the American comic book aesthetic better than the original My Hero Academia ever dreamed of. A satisfying ongoing narrative (which Vigilantes is already building) and a memorable villain will likely be necessary for the series to truly step out of the shadow of its predecessor, but for now, it’s doing a great job of finding its own identity.

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes is now streaming on Crunchyroll.