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My Hero Academia: Vigilantesis a spin-off of the popular hit seriesMy Hero Academia, which introduces a new protagonist with a love for All Might and all things heroes. However, with the first episode of the series out, there have been a few changes from the manga, some of which have been seamlessly omitted while others have significant changes.
The series covers the first two chapters of the Vigilantes manga, introducing the new protagonist and providing insight into their Quirks and overall personalities. However, what are the differences between the anime and manga, and how does Episode 1 deviate from the manga? Would these changes be considered significant?
The following contains spoilers for My Hero Academia: Vigilantes Episode 1, “I’m Here”, which is available on Crunchyroll and later manga chapters.
Chapters
1 - 2
A significant part of theMy Hero Academia: Vigilantesanime remains mainly faithful to the manga and source material. However, several modifications and additions can be observed in the anime. LikeMy HeroAcademia, theanime highlights the superhuman society, reinforcing that the story is set in the same MHA universe. This alteration effectively establishes the tone and transitions into introducing the new protagonists of the spin-off.
The change removed from the anime was a battle scene with Koichi, Knuckleduster, and Pop Step against a large Villian. This scene foreshadows a later confrontation near the end of the manga as Koichi takes the stage againstNumber 6 or Rokuro Nomura. However, this villain does show up near the end of Episode 1, much earlier than his manga debut in Chapter 26.
After this, the anime continues as usual, with All Might subduing a villain causing havoc, with the only difference being that in the manga, Koichi lingers longer on the thought of Heroes and the “Tower above us all.” Additionally, in the manga, Koichi mentions that he’ll be late for work rather than university. There is a slight difference here; however, this gives more insight into his character and background. It is also here where, in the manga, Koichi begins to use his Slide and Glide Quirk for the first time and gets reprimanded by aPolice officer as public Quirk usage is forbidden by law.
It is also directly after this interaction that Koichi meets the three delinquents, bumping into them as he is now late for work. However, in the anime, Koichi meets them as he makes his way to university. To make up for Koichi not using his Quirk in the previous scene, it would make sense that his Quirk is explained as he makes his getaway from the delinquents.
Koichi Meets Pop Step
The Start of Their Bantering Friendship
One significant change to the anime from the manga is Pop Steps’svigilante costume design. In the manga, Pop Step shows more skin and is not covered by the dark stocking on her legs. This is not the first time characters in the anime have been censored; a similar instance occurred with Pro Hero Midnight, as her hero costume was too revealing. However, it would make sense in Pop Steps' case as most of her scenes are risqué and revealing at most. It also goes to say that Pop is a high school student. Although it’s merely a design change, it does not impact much of the story as it only covers her up.
Hey, it’s the cops! The cops’re on their way!!
While the anime highlights Pop Step singling out Koichi during her guerrilla performance, it does cut out the interaction they shared as Koichi leaves. During this interaction, Koichi sees a Police vehicle nearing the performance and calls out to Pop, indicating that they are on their way, forcing the performance to end without Pop getting to the “good part.” This interaction in the manga also adds depth to their relationship as the series continues, which is why Pop Step was able to single Koichi out in the first place.
The anime included one addition during Koichi’s travel to his part-time job. In the previous panel, Koichi laments about how life is unfair. In the anime, a new scene was added, which includes Koichi slipping on a puddle in an alleyway, thinking about how unfair his life has been. It’s clear that this was added to really drive home howKoichi feels about his Quirkand his life circumstances up until now.
Koichi’s Vigilantism Begins
Unbeknownst to Koichi, This is the First Step to Heroism
As Koichi begins his good deeds for the evening,Midoriya Inko makes a cameo appearance. In the manga, Inko is currently the same weight as seen inMy Hero Academia. However, Inko is much slimmer in the anime, possibly to show the timeline difference between the two series, as Inko grew in weight as Izuku got older.
As noted earlier, during the guerrilla performance, Koichi informed Pop Step about the approaching police. As stated in the manga, this prompts her to look for Koichi to express her gratitude personally. However, this scene was omitted from the anime. Pop also admitted to watching Koichi get beat up near the convenience store, indicating how long she’d been watching him. As the series progresses, the reason behind Pop Step’s search for Koichi is revealed. Nevertheless, the anime successfully integrated the scenes without difficulty, although it omitted a few dialogue panels between Pop Step and Koichi’s banter regarding her work as an idol. Despite being omitted, Pop Step’s stance on being an idol is clear.
How Koichi Dealt with the Trio
In the manga, Koichi first plans a surprise attack, contemplating his next steps before executing it. In contrast, the anime omits this manga panel, depicting Koichi as launching his attack unsuccessfully. Although excluding this panel from the anime has no significant effect on the overall narrative, this segment in the manga highlights Koichi’s insecurities regarding his abilities.
Another panel within the manga omitted from the anime was the section in which Kugisaki Soga, the leader of the three delinquents, comments on his plans to “have his way with” Pop Step,alluding to his villainous personality. Although the three do outwardly begin as delinquents who showcase villainous tendencies, they play a more significant role during later events within the series, which could be why these panels have been toned down.
I have just the medicine… you need.
Following the altercation, Koichi and Knuckleduster head back to Koichi’s apartment, marking a departure from the manga, where this scene occurred in Chapter 2. Instead, the subsequent panels depict the three delinquents scheming their revenge, as illustrated in the manga. A significant alteration in the anime is the introduction of Number 6, replacing the drug dealer who presented the trio with anew drug named Trigger.
As noted earlier, Number 6 first appeared in Chapter 26 of the manga and primarily assigned his underlings to carry out his dirty work. However, this change was likelyintended to introduce Aizawa Shota, also known as Erasure Head, in Episode 1 of the anime. While there have been a few slight changes to the pacing of the anime, the design, and the early introduction of two characters, it alludes to larger characters at play and likely won’t impact the series much, if at all.
