My Hero Academia: Vigilantes trailer — Anime vs. Manga comparison

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes is perhaps one of the biggest news stories of Jump Festa 2025. It was confirmed that this spin-off of author Kohei Horikoshi's battle shonen manga is getting an anime adaptation. Scheduled to be released in April 2025, this series will be produced by Studio Bones, the company responsible for the original story's anime.

The people at Jump Festa 2025 also released a trailer for the upcoming My Hero Academia: Vigilantes anime, which featured many scenes from the first four chapters of the manga. Some moments are more iconic than others, such as the protagonist Koichi Haimawari wearing his All Might jacket or Kazuho Haneyama as Pop☆Step. So, some fans are already comparing the manga and the anime.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the series and reflects the author's opinions.

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The anime and manga comparisons of My Hero Academia: Vigilantes

One of the first comparisons between the manga and the anime is how faithful Studio Bones has been to the visuals of artist Betten Court, which is shown in both the designs and the way the characters are drawn. An excellent example is the protagonist, Koichi Haimawari, and how he looks almost the same as in the source material.

As mentioned, much of the trailer was focused on scenes from the manga's first four chapters, mainly telling the introduction of Koichi and the supporting cast. Perhaps the biggest difference is the angle of some scenes, such as the one featuring Kazuho Haneyama as Pop☆Step, where she is depicted on a side shot in the manga and a frontal one in the anime.

The My Hero Academia: Vigilantes trailer also features the character of Knuckleduster, also known as Iwao Oguro. He has his classic hero look from the series, and the anime mainly takes a few different angles compared to the manga version. The Studio Bones production adds much more vitality and special effects to highlight certain moments, as evidenced by Koichi's usage of his powers.

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What to expect from the My Hero Academia: Vigilantes anime

The My Hero Academia: Vigilantes spin-off takes place five years before the events of the original series and focuses on the protagonist, Koichi Haimawari, who wants to be a hero despite not having a license. The story focuses heavily on the nature of heroism and how some people operate outside the system to help others, as evidenced by someone like Knuckleduster, who was a Pro Hero until he lost his Quirk.

Additionally, the My Hero Academia: Vigilantes spin-off focuses on some supporting characters of the original series, such as Shota Aizawa, his friendship with Oboro Shirakumo, and how the latter eventually turns into Kurogiri. Another character who gets much-needed development is Nemuri Kayama, most commonly known as Midnight. Because of what is shown here, her resolution in the main series becomes much more poignant.

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Final thoughts

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes has already generated a lot of hype, and understandably so, considering the quality of the source material and how the trailer seems quite faithful to the manga. In that regard, the comparisons are quite clear, and Studio Bones seems to be aiming for that.

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