My Hero Academia Vigilantes Episode 1 Review: Koichi's heroic journey offers promising start with room to grow

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes premiered its first episode on Monday, April 7, and fans have been eagerly awaiting this spin-off. Created by Kohei Horikoshi, the series is written by Hideyuki Furuhashi and illustrated by Betten Court. Published on Shonen Jump+, the series is set to be adapted into an anime by Bones Film. Fans were curious to see how the series would handle this Shonen manga.

The trailer for the anime set up high expectations of the show to dive into the dark side of becoming a hero and paint a clearer picture of the events that occurred in the main series. So, did the first episode live up to the hype?

Also Read: Devil May Cry ending explained: Will Dante have to fight the US Army next?

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes Episode 1 Review

The first episode titled “I’m Here” of the prequel which is directed by Kenichi Suzuki begins with the very basics of the world where 80% of the population is born with the special abilities which are known as the Quirks. The viewers are introduced to most of the key players of the series right off the bat including Koichi Haimawari, Pop Step, and Knuckleduster along with their Quirks explained, to name a few. The episode also reveals the drug in question from the trailer that the Vigilantes are looking out for.

While it doesn’t give us too much to chew on, it sets up some interesting stakes for future episodes. There’s enough mystery and tension to keep you hooked including a few characters that appear in the episode with partial or no introductions. Honestly, the characters aren’t fully fleshed out yet, but there are some good starting points. To begin with, the protagonist of the show Koichi Haimawari also known as The Nice Guy in the first episode is instantly likeable.

He is not just about becoming a hero but the kid is also self-aware at his age. While the 19-year-old has his dreams of saving the city from the big bad villains like the heroes he admires, Koichi has made peace with being the little do-gooder of society until he meets Knuckleduster. Like any other teenager, he has yet to identify the true power he holds and develop it into the greatest weapon.

Moreover, Viewers are sure to enjoy Knuckleduster and Koichi’s dynamic which is set to evolve even more in the upcoming episodes. Meanwhile, Pop Step can be liked to a certain degree but did not make much of an impact in the first episode. Visually the anime is clean, however, there were no moments in the first episode that would leave fans in awe of the animation yet. The voice acting is solid as Koichi is voiced by Shuichiro Umeda and Knuckleduster being voiced by Yasuhiro Mamiya has to be one of the finest decisions of the anime.

Pacing-wise, the episode takes its time setting things up. Some might find it a bit slow, but it was clear they were trying to establish the world and the stakes before throwing viewers into action. The episode will keep the audience engaged even if not much happens and there are hopes that things pick up a bit in the next episode.

The tone is still a bit unclear—it is dark and dramatic at times, but also has its humorous moments and brief flashes that hint at deeper, emotional themes. The plot has the potential to get more intense as the story unfolds. The storytelling is straightforward, but it is a little too early to tell how deep it will go. The director sets up the basics without getting bogged down in too much exposition which is appreciated.

Also Read: The White Lotus Season 3: Is the poisonous fruit real and deadly? Here's what we know

Final thoughts on My Hero Academia: Vigilantes Episode 1

The first episode of My Hero Academia: Vigilantes titled “I’m Here” lays the foundation for the series and is solid for the beginning but with no big explosive reveals yet. It does a good job introducing the world and the main character, though there’s still a lot left to explore. It’s worth watching for fans of Shonen manga, but viewers should not expect a wild ride just yet. While the first episode sets things up well, there’s hope that the next episode will ramp up the pace and deliver more. For now, it is a promising start.

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes Episode 1 is available to stream on Crunchyroll now.