True or False: Is My Hero Academia: Vigilantes Actually Canon?
Starting in April 2025, a new My Hero Academiaanime, My Hero Academia: Vigilantes will premiere in the waiting period for the eighth and final season. Taking place a few years before the main story, the series follows a trio of vigilantes fighting crime and saving the day in their own way, all while occasionally crossing paths with heroes and villains alike from the original series.
With the premiere of the My Hero Academia: Vigilantes anime so close, it invites the obvious question of its exact relation to the original series. While it’s easy enough to label it as a straightforward prequel, Vigilantes’ story is largely removed from the events of the main series, especially with how the main series treats it, and because of that, a common question people have had about My Hero Academia: Vigilantes is whether it’s supposed to be canon to My Hero Academia. It’s an important question to ask, but fortunately, it’s fairly easy to answer.
How My Hero Academia: Vigilantes Fits Into My Hero Academia’s Canon
My Hero Academia: Vigilantes' Canon Status Explained
While My Hero Academia: Vigilantes’ canonical status might seem confusing at first, it’s easier to figure out than one might think. Not only do characters from the original series frequently appear in supporting roles, most notably All Might, Ingenium, and Eraserhead, but much of Vigilantes’ story revolves around Trigger, a drug that can boost the power of a person’s Quirk that was featured in the Shie Hassaikai arc and My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission. As such, it’s impossible to deny that My Hero Academia and My Hero Academia: Vigilantes have common ground in terms of characters and plot devices.
Another point is the few direct references the main series makes to Vigilantes. While the main series is largely devoid of references to Vigilantes, especially compared to its references to the movies, Vigilantes' protagonist Koichi cameoed in the series finale, and that, alone, firmly reestablishes it as canon. Overall, My Hero Academia: Vigilantes has plenty of connections to the main series to establish it as canon, even if there aren’t that many, so the question of its canonicity is ultimately moot.
Why Is My Hero Academia: Vigilantes’ Canon Status Even A Question?
With how easy it is to reaffirm Vigilantes as canon, that begs the question of why it’s considered an issue, to begin with. The two stories, despite being in the same franchise, are largely removed from each other, with one story never having a direct impact on the other and the main series never acknowledging Vigilantes outside of Koichi’s brief cameo in the final arc. As such, the lack of attention My Hero Academia typically gives My Hero Academia: Vigilantes is a major part of why some people question its canonicity, even if its canon status should be fairly obvious.
That issue, of course, is a big part of why My Hero Academia: Vigilantes getting an anime is so great. Not only will the anime help better bring the series into the mainstream, but with the manga having ended some time ago, My Hero Academia: Vigilantes’ anime can rework the story to have stronger connections to the main series to further clear up the issue. Whatever the case, the upcoming My Hero Academia: Vigilantes anime will do wonders with its reception and general perception, and it will be great to see how that all plays out.
- Movie(s)
- My Hero Academia: Two Heroes (2018), My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising (2019), My Hero Academia: World Heroes' Mission (2021)
- First Film
- My Hero Academia: Two Heroes (2018)
- Cast
- Daiki Yamashita, Kenta Miyake, Nobuhiko Okamoto, Ayane Sakura, Yûki Kaji, Aoi Yuki, Kaito Ishikawa, Toshiki Masuda, Marina Inoue, Yoshimasa Hosoya
- TV Show(s)
- My Hero Academia
- Video Game(s)
- My Hero Academia: Battle for All, My Hero One's Justice, My Hero One's Justice 2
- Character(s)
- Izuku Midoriya, All Might, Katsuki Bakugo, Ochaco Uraraka, Shoto Todoroki, Tsuyu Asui, Tenya Iida, Eijiro Kirishima, Momo Yaoyorozu, Fumikage Tokoyami
