My Hero Academia: Vigilantes manga marked its debut in 2016 and swiftly became one of the more popular pieces of media related to the My Hero Academia series. While My Hero Academia: Vigilantes manga is a spin-off of the original series, it also serves as a prequel, preceding the events of My Hero Academia by five years.
While the story mainly follows Koichi, a character completely contained within the Vigilantes series, it also features numerous cameos from other pro heroes, such as Midnight and Ingenium. Given the spin-off connection and the use of pro heroes in its chapters, many fans have raised questions inquiring whether Endeavor has appeared in the story or not.
While Endeavor did not directly appear for a significant portion of the story, he made frequent appearances during the Final Performance Arc. In this arc, he served as one of the key background figures.
Disclaimer- This article contains spoilers for the My Hero Academia: Vigilantes series.
Endeavor's significance in My Hero Academia: Vigilantes
Enji Todoroki, popularly known as Endeavor, is one of the most prominent characters in the My Hero Academia series. He serves as one of the most hated yet discussed characters in the entire series. While in the original series, Endeavor sparsely appeared throughout the initial arcs, his appearances became commonplace once the Todoroki family storyline was integrated into the main narrative alongside Dabi.
Endeavor in the original series is a character who has reached his prime while pursuing the standard set by All Might. He is portrayed as a problematic yet highly competent hero. His later appearances attempt a redemption of his character, addressing the abuse he subjected his family to. However, his character remains that of a rather analytical and highly competent hero, second only to All Might.
The Vigilantes series, being set five years prior to the main story, reflects a time when All Might was at his prime. Endeavor was still building his way up to his own prime. Endeavor's appearances in My Hero Academia: Vigilantes paint a very different picture, with Endeavor himself being very brash as well as incompetent in some manners.
Endeavor appears once in the Vigilantes Beginnings Arc as part of the hero conference, once in the Sky Egg Arc, and has his most frequent appearances toward the end of the Final Performance Arc.
While Endeavor's characterization in Vigilantes is logical given the timeframe of the story, the numerous displays of his incompetence have led this iteration to be hated among fans. This is especially true since Endeavor was mainly portrayed as a problematic but highly competent individual.
Final Thoughts
My Hero Academia: Vigilantes manga concluded its story in May 2022 with a total of 126 chapters spread across 15 volumes. The series was recently confirmed for an anime adaptation by Studio Bones. It is expected to be released in April 2025.
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