My Hero Academia Better Not Waste Its Best Crossover Opportunity to Date
My Hero Academia has the opportunity to create a crossover that elevates its story tenfold. Crossovers add to previously established narratives in a way that standalone storylines simply can’t do. They expand the world, enrich characters, and give fans a deeper insight to the universe the story is set within. My Hero Academia’s concluded manga and its anime reaching the grand finale, along with the upcoming Vigilantes anime, is bringing renewed attention to the stories’ connections with one another.
With My Hero Academia: Vigilantes coming out, there has never been a better opportunity to bridge the two series. The spin-off is set years before the main story's events, and it explores the grittier side of hero society. The manga ended with only a small nod to the parent series, but with an anime on the way, there is plenty of potential for a grander crossover between the two stories.
My Hero Academia Needs To Make the Most of This Vigilantes Crossover
Vigilantes Provides a Deeper Exploration of Hero Society and Its Protagonist Deserves More Recognition
The Vigilantes anime isn’t just another spin-off but rather a rare chance to reinforce My Hero Academia’s worldbuilding in a way that the main series hadn’t fully explored. While this series introduced fans to darker themes and street-level heroism, its connection to the main story always felt rather distant. Key characters such as Eraserhead and All Might play significant roles, but their experiences in Vigilantes were rarely acknowledged in My Hero Academia.
This crossover should do more than reference past events; it should seamlessly integrate them to ensure that the characters’ histories feel more essential rather than optional lore. Koichi Haimawari, the protagonist of Vigilantes, demonstrates a different kind of heroism that thrives outside of official hero society. His journey adds to My Hero Academia’s exploration of what it means to truly be a hero. If the anime fully embraces this crossover, it could potentially provide long-overdue recognition for Koichi’s impact on heroism.
The Vigilantes Anime Is My Hero Academia’s Best Chance for a True Crossover
The Manga May Not Have Offered Much of a Crossover, but the Anime Can Change That
A crossover between Vigilantes and My Hero Academia has always felt just out of reach, but the anime adaptation changes that. Unlike the manga, which wrapped up its story before the original series’ conclusion, the anime is arriving at a time when the main series is still unfolding. This means that the adaptation can be far more intentional in aligning with My Hero Academia by emphasizing how the vigilante world shaped hero society.
A crossover between the series isn’t only about fan service but rather about expanding on the story’s themes. With the anime, there is an opportunity to emphasize Koichi’s story and the flaws in hero society within their world. If done right, it could add to My Hero Academia’s narrative, making moments like Deku’s vigilante phase feel more like an evolution of existing themes rather than a new experiment. The series already focuses on the limits of heroism and flaws in hero society, but My Hero Academia: Vigilantes is a perfect way to expand on it.
- 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
