Summary
Koichi Himawari is the young and plucky protagonist ofMy Hero Academia: Vigilantes, and despite having a heart of gold, he’s not always the easiest guy to get close to. Koichi is known for being very clumsy, and he often has trouble expressing exactly how he feels, but considering he’s always up for helping someone out, especially if they’re being targeted by a villain, the vigilante has still formed more than a few close bonds over the course of his wild adventures.
As a vigilante, Koichi still needs to try and keep his distance from most people in order to ensure his identity remains a secret, though this hasn’t stopped several people from taking a liking to him, becoming close companions in the process. To get a better picture of his circle, here’s an overview ofwho Koichi considers to be his best friendsinMy Hero Academia: Vigilantes.
8Midnight
The Po-Hero Recognizes That Koichi Is Fighting For Justice, Despite Not Being A Fully-Fledged Hero
There are a fewPro-Heroes from the mainMHAserieswho show up inVigilantes, and while many simply make small cameos, Midnight actually gets a pretty big focus. The seductive Pro-Hero would play a very big part in fending off the villains in the Osaka incident and Sky Egg attack, and considering Koichi was also a major player in both events, Midnight would begin to quietly admire the young and heroic vigilante for his actions.
When Endeavor came close to burning Koichi alive in a frenzied rage, Midnight would even go as far as to lie about where he was hiding, potentially saving his life in the process. This isn’t something a stranger or simple accomplice would be willing to do, since it puts Midnight’s position in jeopardy, so the fact that she decided to further emphasizes how close she had really become to the young vigilante.
7Soga Kugisaki
Soga Is A Rotten Punk Who, Unexpectedly, Develops A Bond With Koichi
Soga starts off the series as little more than a good for nothing punk, but he does eventually start to grow and mature over the course of the series, and he surprisingly develops a fairly close bond with Koichi. This is especially apparent after Pop Step becomes corrupted by the Killer Bees, with Soga being the one to rescue Koichi after he was blown to bits during his first encounter with the evil side of Pop.
Soga even helped to train Koichi leading up to the second fight, giving him a few tips and pointers on how to best use his awkwardSlide and Glide Quirk. They definitely got off to a rocky start, but Soga would eventually become an unlikely friend to Koichi.
6Shota Aizawa
After Koichi Saves Aizawa’s Life, The Hero Starts To See Him As More Than A One-Note Vigilante
Koichi ends up running into the infamous Aizawa, also known as Eraserhead, during one of his very first patrols as a vigilante. At first, Aizawa fails to see Koichi for who he truly is, blinded by the fact he’s acting as a vigilante who’s seemingly up to no good. However, after Aizawa finds himself in a desperate situation facing the dangerous Instant Villain known as Octoid, Koichi jumps to his rescue, showing the hero that he’s not as selfish as he may have initially seemed.
Aizawa would bump into Koichi on several occasions after this intense encounter, with Koichi even being there when Aizawa reflected on his past life with Oboro when he was still in school. They should technically be directly opposed to one another, but it didn’t take long for Aizawa and Koichi to eventually become friends despite their different affiliations.
5Captain Celebrity
After Witnessing How Far The Captain Is Willing To Go To Save Others, Koichi Comes To Greatly Respect Him
Captain Celebrity,the top hero of America, doesn’t exactly make a great first impression. As someone who would rather show off his muscles to the cameras than prevent a nearby bank robbery, Koichi didn’t initially seem all that fond of Celebrity, considering he appeared to care very little about actually saving people.
However, his perception of the top hero began to change after the Sky Egg Tower incident, where Celebrity put his own life on the line in order to save the skyscraper from collapsing all while being beaten to a bloody pulp by a dangerous villain. Koichi would come to hold a deep respect for Captain Celebrity as a result of the fiasco, even going as far as to call him a friend after everything the two had been through together.
4Tensei Ida
Despite Koichi’s Status As A Vigilante, Tensei Still Comes To Harbor Respect For Him
Tensei, the older brother of Tenya in the main series, and Koichi have a pretty bizarre first meeting. After chasing down a runner-type villain whose powers had been juiced up with the Trigger drug, Tensei and Koichi find themselves having a pretty heartfelt chat with one another, where Tensei gets the opportunity to explain just how much of a big shot he is within the Pro-Hero ranks.
In all honesty, someone needs to be amaniacal villain or evil psychopathto not end up becoming friends with Tensei, since he’s presented as one of the friendliest characters in the entire series. As a result, Koichi finds it easy to warm up to him, despite the fact that this should technically be forbidden considering he’s a vigilante and Tensei is a well-known hero.
3Knuckleduster
A Mentor Figure To Koichi Who Cares Deeply For His Student
The whole reason Koichi decided to become a vigilante in the first place is thanks to Knuckleduster, who shows up out of nowhere to give him the inspiration he needs to embark on the life of an outlaw. ConsideringKnuckleduster comes off as a cranky older manwho seems less than willing to let people in on his business, his relationship with Koichi remained strictly professional for a while, but this would slowly change over time.
Knuckleduster and Koichi take down countless villains as a tag-team duo, so it’s only inevitable they would come to form such a close bond. Despite Knuckleduster being so closed off about his family and his past, Koichi still has a ton of respect for his rough-around-the-edges mentor.
2Makoto
The Curious Reporter Quickly Becomes A Close Ally And Friend Of Koichi’s
When Makoto enters the series during the Vs. Bee Queen arc, she honestly seems likea one-off side characterwho would only be sticking around for an arc or two at most. In contrast, Makoto ends up becoming a hugely important member of the cast. As a reporter, she is always aiming to dissect the core of hero society, which is why she becomes so fascinated by Koichi and his persona as The Crawler.
This eventually develops into a warm friendship, to the point where Pop Step even begins to get a little jealous. Koichi can always rely on Makoto to give him a helping hand when he needs it, and in exchange, he’s happy to come sliding to her rescue if she ever finds herself surrounded by a group of villains.
1Pop Step
At first, Koichi and Pop Step can seem like a rather odd duo, but it doesn’t take long before their relationship starts to get pretty complicated. Early on in the story, Pop realizes that Koichi was the one who saved her from drowning as a child, but by doing this, he also flunked his hero exam. As a result, she would come to develop a strong affection for the protagonist, but it admittedly took a lot longer for Koichi to catch on to Pop’s true feelings.
It was really when Pop became possessed by Number Six and his Bee Quirk that their relationship took another step up, though. Koichi puts everything on the line to save Pop from danger, even mustering up the strength to outmaneuver an attack from the mighty Endeavor to prevent Pop Step from being scorched alive. This is just one example of the many times these two have saved one another’s behinds, which they are always willing to do because of the fact that they arethe best of friends.