Welcome to Manga Unmasked! In this series, we'll be taking a deep dive into the various manga series available in our collection. So, whether you're already a fan of manga or just a curious reader, we hope you might learn a little about your next potential reading obsession. In this edition, we enter a world of superpowered humans with heroes and villains... and those in between, illegal heroes called vigilantes.
Check out the previous manga explored with the Manga Unmasked series—My Hero Academia, Spy x Family, Sailor Moon, Wolf Children: Ame & Yuki, One-Punch Man, One Piece, Delicious in Dungeon, Apothecary Diaries, Witch Hat Atelier, Kaiju No. 8, Mob Psycho 100, and Frieren: Beyond Journey's End.
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Don't see your favorite manga, anime, or author in this list or our collection? Suggest materials to add to our catalog.
It's a Spinoff!
My Hero Academia: Vigilantes is a shounen* prequel spinoff of Kohei Horikoshi's My Hero Academia, written by Furuhashi Hideyuki and illustrated by Betten Court. It was first serialized in August 2016 in Shueisha's Jump Giga and later moved to the online Shounen Jump+ in October 2016. The completed 126 chapters were collected into 15 volumes.
* Shounen means "young man/boy." For manga/anime, shounen is the term used for stories generally marketed to a younger male audience but is a genre anyone can enjoy.
In addition to My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, Furuhashi Hideyuki has worked on Spider-Man: Octo-Girl, K: The First, K: Return of Kings, K: Side Blue, Fuyu no Kyojin, and others.
Bones Film has announced the My Hero Academia: Vigilantes anime will begin airing in April 2025.
My Hero Academia: Vigilantes won Best New Manga for Kids/Teens during the 2018 Comic-Con International and "Underrated by Awesome" category during the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con.
A Familiar World
Return to the world of My Hero Academia, five years before Chapter One. MHA: Vigilantes explores the wider world of My Hero Academia as a semi-canon prequel series. It follows Koichi Haimawari, a street performer named Kazuho Haneyama, and a vigilante called Knuckleduster as they try to do good around the city without Pro Hero licenses.
Delve deeper into the Quirk Enhancing Drug (Trigger) plotline from My Hero Academia and the history of characters from the main series. Learn what All Might—I mean, "Secretary" Toshinori Yagi—was doing before he met Izuku Midoriya, and get to know the work of his friend Detective Naomasa Tsukauchi. Meet pre-U.A.-homeroom-teacher Shouta Aizawa a.k.a. Eraserhead as he works as an underground Pro Hero, and get a sneak peek at his history with his peers Hizashi Yamada, a.k.a. Present Mic, and Nemuri Kayama, a.k.a. Midnight, and an important look into their shared past with a certain Oboro Shirakumo, a.k.a. Loud Cloud, a.k.a. ... If you know, you know. Shh, no spoilers.
Not An Ordinary Group
Koichi Haimawari, a.k.a. The Crawler
Quirk: Slide and Glide
Easy-going, mild-mannered Koichi Haimawari is determined to use his Quirk, Slide and Glide, to help out around his community. Sure, he comes off as a little creepy crawly since his Quirk requires him to use a minimum of three limbs to slide around—basically on his hands and knees—but he's a genuinely nice guy.
While he doesn't have a Pro Hero License allowing him to officially use his Quirk in public, he does what he can in near-deserted areas and in disguise, wearing one of his many collector's edition All Might hoodies. He has a heroic heart and is willing to do less glamorous work like picking up trash, giving directions, and returning lost items.
Kazuho Haneyama, a.k.a. Pop☆Step
Quirk: Leap
Street performer vigilante Pop☆Step is vivacious, talented, and intelligent. When she isn't performing in a pop-up performance, she is mild-mannered, shy Kazuho Haneyama, a regular student.
She's always wanted to be a pop idol, and her Quirk allows her to leap high and great distances. She has a small but dedicated fan following, thanks to her freelance performances around the Naruhata area.
Iwao Oguro a.k.a. Knuckleduster
Quirkless...
Despite having no power, Iwao Ogura puts on a mask and brass knuckles and hits the streets—and super-powered villains—as a vigilante.
What are his motives? Well, you'll have to read the series to find out.
- My Hero Academia: Vigilantes Volumes
**This list includes a brief summary of the events in each book. Here there be spoilers, so read the later summaries at your own risk.
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My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, Volume 1
Not everyone needs a license to fight for justice!
In a superpowered society, there is nothing ordinary about evil anymore. Heroes, trained and licensed to protect and defend the public against supervillains, stand above all the rest. Not everyone can be a hero, however, and there are those who would use their powers to serve the people without legal sanction. But do they fight for justice in the shadows, or for reasons known only to themselves? Whatever they fight for, they are called…vigilantes.
Koichi Haimawari couldn’t make the cut to become an official hero, so he uses his modest Quirk to do good deeds in his spare time. Then one day a fateful encounter with some local thugs leads him to team up with two other unlikely heroes. None of them really know what they’re doing, but they’ve got the courage—or foolishness—to try. But they soon discover fighting evil takes more than just being brave…
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My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, Volume 2
Koichi and his “friends”—Kazuho, a.k.a. Pop Step, and the mysterious Knuckleduster—have teamed up to protect their neighborhood (unofficially of course). But even petty criminals with Quirks can be dangerous, and taking them on shows Koichi that he’d better not underestimate them. Sizing up the opposition is important, especially when some of the villains are definitely out of Koichi’s league and more sinister threats lurk in the shadows…
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My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, Volume 3
When you’re not a licensed hero, sometimes you need all the help you can get. For Koichi, unexpected—but not entirely unwelcome—assistance comes in the form of Makoto Tsukauchi, one of Koichi’s friends at school. Makoto’s got a self-confident vibe that makes Pop Step more than a little anxious and…jealous? Meanwhile, out in the streets of the Naruhata district, the scheming bee user Hachisuka continues her distribution of the “instant villain” drug, Trigger…
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My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, Volume 4
The sinister Hachisuka continues to haunt the Naruhata district, distributing the Quirk-boosting drug Trigger. Knuckleduster continues to track her and is closing in. Meanwhile, Pop Step receives an unexpected invitation to perform at the Marukane department store’s grand reopening. With Makoto helping out, it’s going to be nothing less than an all-out entertainment extravaganza! But that’s only if she can organize a disorganized group of performers in time for the show!
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My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, Volume 5
Disaster at the Marukane department store’s grand reopening was averted thanks to the efforts of Koichi, Pop Step and their band of low-end idols. But a greater calamity was prevented by the clash between Knuckleduster and Kuin Hachisuka, who was possessing Tamao, Knuckleduster’s own wayward daughter! In the end, Knuckleduster nearly had to kill Tamao to free her from the villainous entity possessing her. Now that he has achieved his goal and saved her, is Knuckleduster through with his life as a vigilante?
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My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, Volume 6
After returning from an eventful trip to Osaka, Koichi starts experimenting with his Quirk—does he have more potential than he thought? Detective Tsukauchi continues to investigate the instant villain incidents, quietly enlisting the help of Eraser and even consulting All Might. And with Hachisuka out of the picture, the shadowy figure behind the Trigger drug deploys a new and even more dangerous agent…
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My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, Volume 7
Knuckleduster has saved his daughter Tamao, but for now, he’s not letting anyone else know that he’s back. That’s just as well, since Koichi and Pop Step have their hands full getting ready for an all-out entertainment extravaganza—Captain Celebrity’s final appearance in Japan at the Sky Egg stadium! Unfortunately, the high-speed villain from Osaka is also preparing to initiate a major catastrophe at the event. When the chips are down, Captain Celebrity and Koichi may not be the heroes we want, but are they the heroes we need?
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My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, Volume 8
Captain Celebrity and Koichi gave it all they had to hold off the explosive attacks set up by the mysterious high-speed villain. But now, as the Sky Egg stadium plunges earthward, can anyone save the day? And just who is the sinister speedster? What is his connection to Knuckleduster? Koichi’s mentor still has a lot of secrets he hasn’t told anyone. Later, Aizawa helps Koichi deal with a minor villain and the encounter triggers a memory from his youth…
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My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, Volume 9
A villain incident when Aizawa was a student at U.A. changed him forever. Who could have known that fateful encounter would someday have an impact on the present? But as time goes by, life also changes for Koichi, Pop, Makoto and everyone else. The glory days of Narufest are over, and it’s time to move on. Makoto puts an important question to Koichi, and Pop struggles to find herself. But Pop’s decision to go it alone may lead her down a dangerous path…
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My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, Volume 10
Pop has emerged as the new Queen Bee, her transformation forced upon her by the villainous Nomura, a.k.a. Number 6. At his direction, Pop begins to rain destruction down on Naruhata. With a villain on the loose, it’s only natural for heroes to be called in to deal with the situation, but Koichi knows his friend’s life and soul are at stake. Will inspiration from his old master and training with past foes help him find the hero within?
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My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, Volume 11
With Pop possessed and wreaking havoc as Bee Pop, Koichi must push his Quirk to the limits to try to save her. The pressure is on, because if Pop won’t fulfill the duplicitous Number 6’s plans, this evil villain is more than willing to sacrifice her. The chaos downtown has also drawn the attention of Endeavor, the fiery number two hero, and his scorched-earth methods of dealing with trouble make no distinction between villain and vigilante!
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My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, Volume 12
As O’Clock and his accidental allies Tiger Bunny and the Rapper try to escape the underground arena, shadowy figures observe the chaos from afar. O’Clock takes on a hooded fighter who seems to be targeting him specifically. Back in the present day, Pop has been rescued, but Koichi and his friends have only a brief respite before the villainous Number 6 puts a terrifying new plan into action. In true vigilante fashion, Koichi must evade the law in order to protect Pop…
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My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, Volume 13
Number 6 has enacted his plan to bring Naruhata to its knees, releasing dozens of faceless anon drones into the streets. With Koichi still on the run from the authorities, he’ll need to come to an understanding with Eraser Head in order to stay free. When Number 6 goes after Pop in the hospital, the police and Koichi’s friends may not be able to stop him, and Koichi will have to face the deranged villain alone…
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My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, Volume 14
The nightmare in Naruhata continues as Koichi goes toe-to-toe with Number 6, who has transformed into a horrific predator bent on ending the Crawler’s life! When the situation gets a little too hot to handle, Koichi realizes this may be a job for real heroes. Until they arrive, though, the battle is up to him—with an assist from Knuckleduster! But the evil looming behind Number 6 is still spurring on the vengeful villain, who has yet to unleash his final form…
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My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, Volume 15
The final showdown in the streets of Naruhata reaches its climax as the monstrous Number 6 goes all out to destroy Koichi. All his life, Koichi dreamed of being a hero. When he realized that wasn’t going to happen, he moved on. But now, fighting against the terrifying Number 6, his dream is all he’s got to hold on to. If Koichi can tap into the real source of his power, he may at last become the hero he always wanted to be.
Anime
The anime is coming out in April 2025!