My Hero Academia: Vigilantes Season 2

Episode 17

For the first time in a while, it feels like the anime called Vigilantes is actually being a little bit about vigilantism as it finally pulls Koichi into the main plot. I love the way that this episode establishes how abrasive and maybe socially awkward Eraserhead is. I can't tell if he is just messing with the bug guys to keep an eye on them or if he genuinely means it when he says that he enjoys starting his day with a cup of coffee presented by them. I'm sure he's mostly keeping tabs on them in case they do anything else illegal, but this guy is so subdued that there's a little part of him that may enjoy the company. If there's one thing Vigilantes excels at, it is those little quieter character moments between everybody. Also, the praying mantis guy might genuinely be one of my favorite characters in the entire franchise. Not only is the dub actor, Jean-Luc Hester, fantastic because of the accent that he gives him, but it's really funny hearing him lecture people about how wrong profiling is while he looks so big and intimidating.

All those moments already made the episode entertaining enough on its own, but I'm really glad the episode brought Koichi back into some aspect of the main plot. It feels like the show is still in setup mode, especially when it comes to his character, because while he did help, he didn't really contribute nearly as much as it felt like the episode was building him up to do. Everything regarding his special projectile quirk felt a little underwhelming. I'm sure that it will have a better payoff later on in the season, so this was more of a misdirect. I think the idea is to show that Koichi is still very much in over his head compared to the other heroes, but I like that his actions did contribute to actually helping out.

Putting Eraserhead in an unfortunate situation where he was going up against a roided quirk user that he could not stop unless he was forced to rely on the actions of good Samaritans was smart. It also helps that the show really hammers in some of the rules of the society, like how Koichi can't use the projectile element of his quirk because it is inherently more dangerous unless he has a license, compared to him just zipping all over the place. However, he is also allowed to use those quirks in self-defense, and his being chased by a giant monster that has broken the arm of a registered hero can constitute self-defense. I wish the show had established rules like this a bit earlier, but better late than never.

This is sort of what I wanted in the first season, if I'm being honest. Put the heroes in situations where they were forced to rely on the vigilantes. The idea should be that you don't need a license to help people out. Again, it feels like the show WANTS to do something with that idea, but this is the first time in a while I feel like it has done anything with it outside of everything with Knuckleduster. Even then, it feels like the show is moving at a snail's pace with the plot. Things are getting revealed, but not a lot has definitively happened. The most interesting thing about this episode from a plot perspective was the ending when our mysterious speedster threw a tantrum after talking about how he wants to be known as his master's true successor, which further adds credence to my belief that All For One probably gave him his masters quirk and this guy is trying to master it because he's got a massive inferiority complex. I'm curious if this will create any stronger parallels with Koichi growing as a hero moving forward.

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My Hero Academia: Vigilantes Season 2 is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.