A collaboration visual between the TV anime "Vigilante - My Hero Academia ILLEGALS -", an official spin-off of Kohei Horikoshi's popular manga "My Hero Academia (Hiroaka)", and "Hiroaka" has been released. The visual features "Hiroaka's" protagonist Izuku Midoriya(Deku) and "Vigilante's" protagonist Koichi standing side by side, with the tagline "A connecting 'Hiroaka' story!" The visual will be on display at the TOHO animation booth at "Anime Japan 2025", which will be held on March 22nd and 23rd at Tokyo Big Sight (Koto-ku, Tokyo).
Along with the release of the visuals, Daiki Yamashita, who plays Deku, and Shuichiro Umeda, who plays Koichi, held a discussion. They talked about the similarities between the two works, their impressions of the main characters they play, and their feelings before the series began airing.
"Vigilante: My Hero Academia ILLEGALS" is a manga written by Hideyuki Furuhashi and illustrated by Arata Betsuki, which was serialized on Shueisha's manga app "Shonen Jump+" from 2017 to 2022. It is an official spin-off of the "My Hero Academia" series, and has been gaining popularity not only in Japan but also overseas.
Set in Japan several years before the events of the main story of "My Hero Academia ," the series depicts the drama of illegal heroes known as vigilantes who, behind the scenes of the heroes who are recognized by the people and do great things, cannot help but save people even if they are not recognized by anyone.
The anime will be directed by Kenichi Suzuki , known for " Cells at Work" and "JOJO'S BIZARRE ADVENTURE Adventure: Stone Ocean," and produced by Bones Films, the same company that produced " My Hero Academia." It will be broadcast on TOKYO MX, Yomiuri TV, and other stations starting April 7. The "FINAL SEASON" of the TV anime "My Hero Academia" will also be broadcast this fall.
Below is the conversation between Yamashita and Umeda.
--Please tell us what your impression was when you first came across the story of "Vigilante."
Yamashita-san : This is a spin-off of "My Hero Academia", but the story takes place several years before "My Hero Academia". It depicts the past of the pro heroes who are active in "My Hero Academia", such as Professor Aizawa, and it was very interesting to read it when I thought about the time when the professors and heroes were still inexperienced and worked so hard.
--Please tell us your impression of Koichi.
Yamashita: Although he lacks confidence in himself and at first glance appears to lack courage, I think he is a character who already possesses the most important trait of a hero: wanting to do his best for someone else. I think the highlight of this series is how he gradually develops the courage to move forward as he gets caught up in various problems through his encounters with Knuckle and Pop. I think many viewers will be inspired and excited by his ability to get back up despite hitting obstacles over and over again.
--I'd also like to ask Umeda-san about his impression of Deku.
Umeda: When you hear "a protagonist who aims to be a hero," you tend to imagine a strong, egoistic character, but Deku was the complete opposite. Looking back, Deku was initially treated badly by Bakugo, right?
Yamashita: That's right. It's a scene that sends a strong message that the person who did it must never forget, and the fact that it happened can't be changed, but that they will have to carry all of that burden from now on. But it must have been really hard at first...
Umeda: If I had been treated like that by my classmates, I'm sure my character would have been twisted. But that wasn't the case with Deku. Yamashita-san mentioned earlier about his impression of Koichi, that "I want to do my best for someone," which is an important part of a hero, and Deku also had that. I think it's not easy to not compromise your beliefs even when you've been treated badly. I get the impression that he's a character that's encouraging to watch.
-How do you feel when you see him in action as a hero?
Along with Umeda-san's treatment of Deku, there was also something that made an impression on me in the beginning of "My Hero Academia" - the line "This is the story of how I became the greatest hero" that appeared in the first episode. The hard work that Deku has accumulated is the history of "My Hero Academia". With each episode, he gets closer to being a hero, and now I think he has become a symbol of heroism for us who live in the modern age. He's so cool!
--It's said that "Vigilante" is "the story of Deku who never met All Might." Instead, Pop and Knuckle lead Koichi down the path of Vigilante, but how do you feel about the relationship between these three?
Yamashita-san is very unbalanced. When I read the original work, I thought at first, "Is Koichi being fooled? Is it okay?" (laughs). However, as I read on, I began to feel that although they seem unbalanced, that is exactly why they complement each other's shortcomings and work well together. Everyone, including Koichi, gives the impression of being "not straightforward," and it's exciting because you don't know what they'll do. I'm curious to see how the bond between the three of them will develop and what kind of relationship they will develop, and I feel that it adds spice to the story. Especially with Knuckle, if you just look at his appearance, you can't tell if he's a friend or foe (laughs)! I never thought he'd be the character who becomes the protagonist's mentor (laughs). If I were to compare it to an American superhero work, I feel that it's DC-like.
Umeda-san, that's true!
--What about pop?
Yamashita: To me, Pop seems the darkest out of the three. His character may appear bright at first glance, but I think it's the character that he shows that is actually dark. I think Pop has to endure a lot because he creates his own character and lives by that. I think it must be hard to continue living hiding your true self, and I worry that you might lose sight of who you are. However, making yourself appear strong is also an effort, and some people can become truly strong by doing so. I felt that he was also a character with the guts to push himself and go even higher.
--Please give a message to the fans who are looking forward to the broadcast.
Yamashita: The new company "Bones Film" is in charge of this, and the story is woven with the visual beauty inherited from Bones, so I was convinced that "This is going to be a great work!" The opening theme sung by Kocchi no Kento was also announced, and since Suda Masaki was in charge of the theme songs for the third season and the first movie of "My Hero Academia", I felt an emotional connection there as well. The story is designed to make you curious about what will happen next, so I hope you will watch the first episode and enjoy the excitement.
Umeda's background music is also handled by Hayashi Yuki, who also worked on "My Hero Academia," and while you can feel the worldview of "My Hero Academia," a new "Vigilante" story will unfold. Another element unique to this work is the relationship between Koichi, Knuckle, and Pop, which I mentioned earlier. From the first episode, there are unusual encounters and crazy battle scenes. I hope you will watch it with excitement and suspense, and look forward to seeing Koichi grow as a hero.
