Koichi is a more unique hero than Deku, and My Hero Academia: Vigilantes proves it

Modified Jun 17, 2024 22:30 GMT

Koichi is a more unique hero than Deku, and My Hero Academia: Vigilantes prove it (image via Sportskeeda)

Fans of Koichi Haimawari rejoiced when My Hero Academia: Vigilantes was finally made canon to the main series in chapter 424 of the manga. Although Koichi's appearance in the chapter lasted only for a single panel, fans were inexplicably delighted to see the spinoff series become a part of a bigger world.

While some may argue that Koichi Haimawari's introduction to the main series may be a bit late, others are excited to see him possibly interact with the rest of the characters. This is because Koichi has proved himself to be a much more unique and endearing hero than Deku throughout the My Hero Academia: Vigilantes series.

How My Hero Academia: Vigilantes made Koichi more unique than Deku

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For a long time, fans have wanted to witness a crossover between My Hero Academia: Vigilantes and the main series. Now that the My Hero Academia manga is in its epilogue, Kohei Horikoshi is tying up all loose ends and working towards providing the readers with a satisfying conclusion. As a result, Koichi Haimawari finally made his debut in the main series, becoming a part of a bigger world.

Despite being the protagonist of a spinoff series, Koichi is one of the most popular characters of the entire My Hero Academia franchise. Throughout his journey in the spinoff series, he often drew many parallels to Izuku Midoriya, aka Deku, the protagonist of the main series.

While the two characters may have similar likable and mild-mannered personalities, many things set the two characters apart. In fact, there have been several instances where Koichi shined brighter as a Hero than Deku, which makes his introduction to the main series all the more exciting.

Koichi Haimawari, as seen in My Hero Academia: Vigilantes (image via Shueisha)

In the Vigilantes manga, Koichi Haimawari was canonically confirmed to be the only character in the entirety of the My Hero Academia series who became a Hero without attending a Hero school or a training program. Furthermore, he is one of the few people whose Quirk got re-classified, as his "Slide and Glide" Quirk became Flight.

Other than these two qualities, Koichi offers a refreshingly unique take on heroism compared to Deku, who represents a traditional shonen protagonist. While Deku's character is mostly involved in large-scale events, Koichi managed to capture the hearts of the readers by being a relatively small-scale hero.

Additionally, Koichi possesses Slide and Glide, a comparatively mundane Quirk as compared to Deku's One For All. In My Hero Academia, Deku's journey was one of rising to the challenge and becoming the greatest Hero of the world with the Quirk that was passed on to him by All Might.

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However, Koichi shared a vastly different fate, as he had to rely solely on his resourcefulness, improvisation, and perseverance to overcome obstacles. As such, his lack of overwhelming power made his victories even more satisfying to witness.

Looking back on the My Hero Academia series, it can be argued that Deku's heroism was rooted in established ideals, as he aimed to take after All Might and become the No.1 Hero one day. Koichi, however, operated completely outside of this framework. Unlike Deku, he wasn't driven by a grand ambition but by a genuine desire to help others.

He originally took on the mantle of "The Crawler," a vigilante assisting the police and addressing less-glamorous, everyday problems. He used his Quirk to perform good and selfless deeds like picking up trash, giving directions to people, returning lost items, recycling, and sometimes even being a cameraman.

Koichi's innate desire to help people with the most insignificant of their problems is what sets him apart from most of the heroes. He doesn't consider these less-glamorous jobs to be demeaning or uncool, as he seems to enjoy all the vigilante work he does, aiming to become a recognized Hero one day.

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Edited by Shreya Das