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My Hero Academia: VigilantesEpisode 2 picks up where it left off the previous week, with the popular Aizawa Shota tending to an incident while off duty. Although Knuckleduster can be unhinged at times, with violent antics with every move, unbeknownst to him, he hit he mark with the unknown office worker.
With this, we transition into the series' first major battle and Koichi’s first yet exhausting battle. With sleek animation reminiscent of comics, Episode 2 seeks to build more of the Vigilantes' world, providing more insight into why they are considered “illegal heroes” in the superhuman society.
Wrongs are Righted, and Apologies are Given
As Episode 2 begins, we are confronted with a continuation of the previous episode in whichAizawa Shota, or Eraser Head, attempts to get to the bottom of unlawful Quirk usage. As Eraser Head is more of an underground hero, not particularly fond of the spotlight, Pop Step and Koichi are unfamiliar with him. However, unlike the two youngsters, Knuckleduster seems to know of the underground hero.
Even though Eraser Head mentions he is off-duty, he feels obliged to stop any unlawful use of Quirks as a Pro Hero and responsible citizen. Since Koichi and Pop Step haven’t engaged in any conflicts yet, they express their reluctance to be linked with Knuckleduster, who Eraser Head is currently regarding as a villain.
Knuckleduster and Eraser Head quickly begin the battle, with Eraser Head landing multiple blows and swiftly evading all of Knuckleduster’s attacks. As the battle continues, Eraser Head uses his Quirk Eraser to disable Knuckleduster’s supposed enhancement Quirk. However, he is quickly proven wrong as his Quirk is rendered ineffective.
Pop Step and Koichi are distracted by the salaryman suspiciously running away as the fight continues. It’s during this time when Pop Step realizes she saw the man before, during the search for suspicious villain activity. This prompts the two to run after the man and attempt to apprehend him. However, it does take a little coaxing from Pop to get Koichi moving. However, before they make any progress in running after the man, they are soon stopped by the three delinquents from before.
The scene then cuts back to the fight with Eraser Head and Knuckleduster. However, Eraser Head quickly ends the fight, taking accountability for misunderstanding the situation and apologizing for attacking Knuckleduster. As there had been no “improperuse of Quirks,” he had no reason to capture Knuckleduster as he had not broken any laws. This also introduces the fact that Knuckleduster is, indeed, Quirkless.
The Effects of the Trigger Drug
As the two finished their fight and apologized for the misunderstandings, in the meantime, Koichi had been hunted down by the three delinquents as they now had a thirst for revenge. However, as this occurred publicly, Eraser Head was soon notified of the disturbance. Knuckleduster got to the scene first, swiftly landing a brick to Tochi Moyuru and Soga’s faces, while Eraser Head captured Soga after he was knocked down, tongue sticking out, showing the side effects of the Trigger drug.
While this occurred, Pop Step chased the suspicious office worker before Rapt knocked her down, causing Pop to bump into him and reveal the contents of his briefcase. Although the dolls may have seemed like normal action figures, with a pop of their head, it soon revealed itself to be an injector for the Trigger drug, causing the office worker to experience gigantification, towering over several tall buildings and capturing Pop Step, Rapt, and a nearby car. However, while the usage of this drug did enhance the office worker’s Quirk, it also impaired his sense of reason, causing him to “play” with Pop Step and Rapt with his PlaytimeQuirk.
In his effort to rescue Pop Step, Knuckleduster charged at the now-massive office worker. Without a Quirk to aid him, the office worker retaliated, sending Knuckleduster crashing into an LED sign. Fortunately, his determination paid off when the office worker released Pop Step, allowing her to escape. However, this led to a new dilemma: Pop Step could not save herself from the fall. Luckily, with quick thinking, Koichi jumped into the air with the assistance of a nearby building, providing her with a cushion to activate her Quirk: Leap. Although Koichi initially contemplated becoming a hero, with Pop Step in danger, he soon takes the stage.
Unfortunately, that soon leaves Koichi in a predicament as the gigantic office worker soon brings his attention to Koichi. However, this also saves Koichi as he can now use his Quirk: Slide and Glide, to leap into a pile of trash, cushioning his fall. Before Koichi is trampled to death, Eraser Head uses hisErasure Quirkto disable the gigantification, saving Koichi and preventing future destruction.
With the battle finished and the police apprehending the villains, Eraser Head has another word with Knuckleduster, thanking him for his assistance but reprimanding him for his actions. However, at this, Knuckleduster soon confesses that vigilantes are “doing things that Pro Heroes can’t do.” With this interaction between the two, the different sides of justice are soon revealed, bringing more world-building to theVigilantesseries and bringing forth the question of which side is truly correct in their interpretation ofjustice in the hero society.
Koichi and Pop Step take a moment to recover from their chaotic battle. Koichi feels tired and insecure about his abilities, prompting Pop Step to question whether he’s being humble about his actions. With this, Knuckleduster soon makes his way to the two, launching into mentor mode and advising Koichi on the previous battle. At this, Koichi still declines, wanting to become Knuckleduster’s apprentice. All this time, Koichi had been hiding his true feelings of wanting to become a hero; however, with his true feelings now revealed, Koichi faces the truth.
Koichi Takes the Stand as “The Crawler”
No Longer in Denial, Koichi Takes the Stand
With Koichi now onboard with his hero training, with Pop Step and Knuckleduster in his team, we soon transition into Koichi now ready for battle, with new protective gear for motorcyclists, glasses, and even an earpiece for easier communication between his teammates. With this setup, Pop Step provides the information, whilst Koichi swiftly makes his way to the scene, breaking up squabbles between two middle schoolers, though ungracefully, as Koichi still needs some getting used to his new role.
As Koichi had previously taken it upon himself to do good deeds around his neighborhood, many individuals labeled him the “Nice Guy.” As if embodying that spirit, Koichi likely also began acting this way. However, now that Koichi is a hero in training under Knuckleduster,Koichi now introduces him as The Crawler, establishing himself as a new Hero. However, upon responding to the incident with the middle schoolers and attempting to establish himself, he is still, quite literally, walked all over, with Knuckleduster needing to step in to stop the middle schoolers from beating him up.
Knuckleduster, in his quest for information about the Trigger drug, resorts to violence, demanding to see the middle schoolers' tongues. This prompts Koichi to intervene, resulting in a humorous moment where Knuckleduster fails to grasp why violence isn’t the solution here. Frustrated by the lack of progress, Pop steps in, leveraging her popularity to extract the needed answers from the two boys. Just then, a newInstant Villain emerges, prompting Koichi to spring into action as he saves a baby in the process.
Knuckleduster Shows Off His Moves
With the civilians now in safety, Knuckleduster lands a heavy blow to the new Instant Villain with little success. However, Koichi and Knuckleduster, now working together, quickly formulate a plan to subdue the villain while Pop Step explains what theTrigger drugis to the two middle schoolers. However, Knuckleduster takes his attacks too far, leaving the villain unrecognizable. With the villain now unable to move, the effects of the drug are wearing off, and the police are called to the scene, taking in the villain for questioning.
Shortly thereafter, the police and Detective Tsukauchi arrive, providing a briefing about the origins of the new villains and inquiring which hero dealt with the villain. This indicates that the police are already aware of the new villains and the Ideo Trigger drug, even though the public remains uninformed. It highlights the lengths to which vigilantes go to protect others, warning them of the danger and showing up at the scene in the absence of heroes.
Since vigilantism is illegal and considered a crime, they lack the essential training to confront these villains. Detective Tsukauchi points out that the captured villain sustained severe facial injuries, which might result in the arresting hero facing suspension for using excessive force. This highlights thedistinction between heroes and vigilantes,as there are specific protocols regarding violence. Despite their noble intentions, the trio returns to Koichi’s apartment, where they quickly discover that news of their actions has spread online.
The second episode ofMy Hero Academia: Vigilantesbrought more world-building specific to the series, highlighting key details explaining why vigilantism would be considered a crime and providing a clear example of why this is so, thanks to Knuckleduster’s heavy-handedness when it comes to villains. Although it took an episode and a half, Koichi finally follows his dreams. With the climax of Episode 2, there are now forces that may prevent this from happening.
