My Hero Academia: Vigilantes has been gaining steam due to its anime debut, a perfect addition for fans of the main series who are itching for more from thissuperhero-manic, Quirk-filled world. The show centres on the Naruhata Vigilantes: The Crawler, Knuckleduster, and Pop Step.
At first, it seems as if the trio is tracking down cases of the illegal Quirk-enhancing drug, Trigger, only for it to be an elaborate scheme orchestrated by All For One and his cronies. In this article, we will be looking at all nine of the manga’s story arcs and ranking them from worst to best.
9Vigilantes Beginnings Arc
This arc is the introduction of our three main characters, who later became known as theNaruhata Vigilantes. Koichi Haimawari moonlights as the neighbourhood good guy, before being picked up as a mentee by Knuckleduster after trying to save Pop Step.
The trio begins investigating and tracking the source of Trigger, which had been used either purposefully or inadvertently by the civilian population. Villain Kuin Hachisuka is introduced, while Number 6’s presence is hinted at. Meanwhile, Koichi begins using the alias ‘The Crawler’, gaining traction among the locals and even drawing eyes from noted Pro-Heroes like Ingenium.
8Stendhal Arc
The Stendhal Arc presents a backstory to one of the most notorious Villains in the main series, Hero Killer: Stain. Even as the vigilante Stendhal, he didn’t hesitate to kill Trigger-laced villains, though he doesn’t realise he’s being deceived and used by Kuin Hachisuka.
Although a brief arc, it was an impactful one, and enough to establish Stain’s origins. After Soga Kugisaki was injected with Trigger by Kuin without his consent, Stendhal attacks him, intending to kill him. Koichi and Knuckleduster intervene, though it was Knuckleduster’s words that prompted Stendhal to adopt a new ideology as Stain, now believing false heroes were more harmful than villains.
7Osaka Incident Arc
This is a more lighthearted arc that opens with Pop Step participating in the Narufest. Although there was a slight incident in which Koichi was taken away by the Bat Villain, Captain Celebrity saved the day by rescuing Koichi.
While Koichi and Pop Step move on to Osaka to attend another idol event, Detective Tsukauchi speaks to Eraser Head and Midnight about the Villain Factory and asks for Eraser Head’s help to gather intel. Naturally, Number 6 targets the event that Koichi and Pop are attending, though the duo escapes with the help of other heroes on the scene.
6School Days Arc
Although the main show has given us glimpses of Aizawa’s (Eraser Head) backstory, Vigilantes devotes an entire arc to it. The arc explores Aizawa’s second year at UA High and his friendships with Yamada, Shirakumo, and Midnight, and shows his struggles with his Quirk.
Aizawa manages to overcome his insecurity and take down a major villain, motivated by Shirakumo cheering for him. But when the dust settles, Aizawa realises that his friend had died, crushed under rubble, and that he had been by himself the entire time. The arc shows how Shirakumo’s death impacted Aizawa and how he turned out as a hero and an adult later on.
5Underground Masquerade Arc
This arc delves more into Knuckleduster’s background, specifically when he was the Pro-Hero, O’Clock. The arc shows him going undercover even then to track down the source of Trigger and its distribution, joining as an Underground Fighter in an illegal fighting ring called the Underground Masquerade. Not only did this demonstrate his skill in fighting Quirkless, but it also highlights characters like the future hero, Mirko, who was a hero student at the time.
Without their knowledge, All For One had been monitoring the fight, eventually stealing the Quirks of almost everyone there, though he didn’t manage to get his hands on O’Clock’s Quirk then. Just as a veteran police detective was making the connection between the Villain Factory and the Underground Masquerade, Number 6 shows up and uses one of his Quirks to set fire to everything in the room.
4Vs. Queen Bee Arc
As you might guess by this arc’s title, the fated showdown against Kuin Hachisuka is what’s in store. While Knuckleduster attempts to pin down the villain possessing his daughter’s body, Koichi meets American Pro-Hero Captain Celebrity for the first time, and Pop Step takes a leap of faith to pursue her idol dreams.
Kuin plans to foil Pop’s group performance by unleashing the Electric Eel, Teruo Unagisawa, into the event. Before she could completely proceed with her plan, Knuckleduster confronted and clashed with Kuin. He’s able to outwit and outmatch her, extracting and killing the parasiticQueen Bee Quirkfrom his daughter’s body, finally getting his child back in one of the most touching moments in the manga.
3Final Performance Arc
Number 6 had been posing as a talent manager to get close to Pop Step, which he uses to trick her into becoming the unwilling host of Kuin’s Quirk. Now turned into Bee Pop, Kuin uses Pop’s body to sow widespread chaos around the city. Determined to save her, Koichi trains and develops his Quirk to be able to keep up with Kuin after being blasted away the first time.
During the confrontation, Pop Step breaks past the mind-control aspect of the Queen Bee Quirk, only to be shot by Number 6. Number 6 intends to frame Koichi, save Pop, and paint himself a hero, but is burned severely by Endeavour. The Flame Hero tries to capture Koichi, but he unlocks another aspect of his Quirk, flying away with Pop in his arms.
2Sky Egg Arc
The Sky Egg Arc has a lot going on and ends with a decisive bang. Not only is the police investigating and slowly connecting the dots about Number 6 and the Villain Factory, but Koichi also encounters Eraser Head again, and the two pair up to take down a Trigger villain. However, the arc also reveals Knuckleduster’s backstory and how he used to be the renowned hero, O’Clock, but had his Quirk stolen.
The biggest event in this arc is the attack arranged by Number 6 on Tokyo’s Sky Egg, where Captain Celebrity is holding his farewell party. An army of Bombers created by the Villain Factory blew up the building, and in a gorgeous fight sequence involving The Crawler, Captain Celebrity, All Might, and other Pro-Heroes. The arc concludes with Knuckleduster battling Number 6 in a fast-paced, rooftop fight.
1Naruhata Lockdown Arc
In the manga’s final arc, things finally come to a head against Number 6. There are several bombastic fight sequences, with some of the best being Number 6’s clash with The Crawler and being forced to evolve to keep up with Koichi’s versatile Quirk.
Despite an initial clash with Pro-Heroes and police, Koichi clashes against Number 6 in a long, city-wide fight, with the villain transforming multiple times. Number 6 splits himself into several smaller forms, only to be defeated by All Might and Endeavour. With his life force seeping out of him, Number 6 finds an injured Koichi, but instead of killing him, he chooses to self-detonate and remove himself from the picture, ending their conflict.
