My Hero Academia Fans Had to Wait for the Finale to Get the Best Cameo (2024)

Warning: Spoilers for My Hero Academia, chapter 424 and My Hero Academia Vigilantes

Fans of My Hero Academia's spinoff series My Hero Academia Vigilantes rejoiced with the release of chapter 424, as that series' protagonist, Koichi Haimawari, finally made his main series debut. Koichi's appearance, while brief, has finally cemented once and for all that the events of Vigilantes are indeed canon to My Hero Academia.

My Hero Academia Vigilantes is a prequel/spinoff which is set several years before the main story of My Hero Academia. While the main cast is very different, a great number of familiar faces, including All Might, All for One, Endeavor and Eraser Head all have a role to play in the story of Vigilantes, with Eraser Head in particular a fairly major character.

Vigilantes ran for 126 chapters and ended in 2022, making it quite successful for a spinoff series. The series was written by Hideyuki Furuhashi, and illustrated by Betten Court.

Koichi's Cameo Ensures Vigilantes is Treated as Canon

My Hero Academia's Successful Spinoff Deserves Recognition

Koichi, also known by his hero name Skycrawler, appears on the fourth page of chapter 424, one of the heroes called in from abroad to help with the restoration of Japan following the final battle. Koichi was last seen at the end of Vigilantes beginning a hero career in the US, working alongside former #1 American hero Captain Celebrity, so it made some sense that he wasn't able to contribute to the final battle itself.

Despite being so far away, many fans were eagerly hoping for some acknowledgment of the side series in My Hero Academia's final chapters. While Vigilantes has expanded on events from the main manga, such as Aizawa's past with Shirakumo and Present Mic, no original characters from Vigilantes had yet appeared in the main story. By including Koichi in the post-war clean-up, even if it's only one panel, the entirety of Vigilantes is reinforced as being canonical.

Koichi, of course, wasn't the only international hero seen; a few characters who primarily appeared in the third movie, World Heroes' Mission, were also seen aiding with the rebuilding process. In these final chapters, My Hero Academia creator Kohei Horikoshi has made sure to reference each of these side stories, both movie and manga, making it clear what he considers to be canonical to the manga. Vigilantes is widely considered to be an excellent addition to the My Hero Academia canon, so there was every reason to ensure it was without a doubt canonical.

With My Hero Academia itself coming to an end very soon, those who haven't yet read Vigilantes now have a good reason to do so if they're craving more My Hero content. It explores a very different side of the series' world, one that's occasionally talked about but never seen in the series proper. It also feels a bit more mature, with a slightly older protagonist who is in many ways like Deku, but is very much his own character. Hopefully, with all the buzz surrounding this little cameo, fans who have yet to read My Hero Academia Vigilantes will be prompted to give it a try.

My Hero Academia (2016)

Action

Superhero

Animation

In My Hero Academia, some humans have superpowers called quirks. Izuku Midoriya, nicknamed Deku, is not one of them. Deku has always idolized heroes like the number one hero, All Might, and since he was a child, he has always wanted to be a hero. However, his lack of a quirk has always held him back, but a chance encounter with All Might after discovering a classmate in danger sets Deku on the path to becoming a true hero. My Hero Academia centers around Deku and a class of heroes-in-training at UA. This school shapes young quirk users into future heroes through fake rescue missions, combat training, and other hero-tempering tasks. With young Deku inheriting the "One-For-All" quirk, he will learn what it means to be a true hero while facing off with dastardly supervillains.

Cast

Aoi Yuki , Ayane Sakura , Christopher R. Sabat , Yûki Kaji , Nobuhiko Okamoto , Luci Christian , David Matranga , Justin Briner , Kenta Miyake , Clifford Chapin , Daiki Yamash*ta

Release Date

April 3, 2016

Streaming Service(s)

Hulu , Crunchyroll

Website

https://www.funimation.com/shows/my-hero-academia/

Franchise

My Hero Academia

Production Company

Bones