Who is Knuckleduster in My Hero Academia: Vigilantes? Explained

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes getting an anime proves that the world is still in a superhero frenzy. TV shows and anime have tapped into this frenzy, as more and more shows with Superhero themes have become regular. Last year, TV show enthusiasts were fed with Creature Commando, The Penguin, Batman: Caped Crusader, and Agatha All Along. Anime also joined the fray with Suicide Squad Isekai, the anime’s take on the titular DC group.

Last year, My Hero Academia made huge waves in the anime world, and its last season enjoyed critical and public acclaim. Season 8 of the series is meant to come out later this year, but as fans wait, a new show from the universe will satiate their hunger. That show is My Hero Academia: Vigilantes.

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes started in the mid-2010s and finished in 2022. It is renowned for one of its underrated but amazing characters, Knuckleduster, the protagonist. He is a perfect foil to All Might and one of the main reasons people read the manga. Now that the manga is being transformed into an anime, his draw will only increase tenfold.

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Who is Knuckleduster in My Hero Academia: Vigilantes?

Knuckleduster without his mask (Image via Shueisha)

Knuckleduster, real name Iwao Oguro, is the protagonist of My Hero Academia: Vigilantes. Before he became the Knuckleduster, Iwao worked with the police and was a hero named O'clock. He was married and had a daughter named Tamao Oguro. His wife later died, and his daughter went missing. These events and others led him to become a vigilante.

He later meets Koichi Haimawari, another main character, and adopts him as his disciple. He trains him in martial arts and in using his quirk more efficiently. He and Koichi Haimawari become a team, along with idol, Pop Step. Together, they plan to stop a gang transporting a drug called Trigger. The gang is also speculated to be involved in Iwao's daughter’s disappearance and his wife’s death.

He is aggressive and very impulsive. This is seen in the way he does vigilante work — hit first and ask questions later. He deeply cares for those around him despite not telling them.

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What are Knuckleduster’s abilities

Knuckleduster fighting against Kendo (Image via Shueisha)

This is the beautiful thing about My Hero Academia: Vigilantes. Unlike My Hero Academia, where quirks are somewhat venerated, Vigilantes does the opposite. Knuckleduster is quirkless but is still able to contend with superpowered villains.

Though Knuckleduster is quirkless, this wasn’t always the case. During his stint as a Pro Hero, he had a quirk named Overclock. This quirk accelerated his brain’s perception of stimuli and allowed his physical body to respond and dish out attacks faster.

His quirk gets taken from him by All For One, but that doesn’t stop him from fighting for what is right. He employs the use of weapons, especially his brass knuckles, to fight against weapons, and his skill in hand-to-hand combat also makes him a formidable opponent for most villains.

He is also proficient in using firearms and has been seen using them in the manga. Another aspect of Knuckledusters that makes him a difficult opponent to beat is his ability to improvise. In the manga, he is shown creating strategies on the spot to defeat opponents with ease.

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Final thoughts

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes works well because it shows viewers the gritty world of the My Hero Academia universe. Because there are no systems in place to chase small-time criminals, so vigilantes like Knuckleduster exist.

Knuckleduster is a quirkless hero living in a quirk-filled world. The only way he beats the villains is by operating outside the confines of the law. He is a bit like Batman in how he tries to be a detective and similar to Rorschach in terms of brutality. Like Stain from My Hero Academia, Knuckleduster cannot be viewed as a Hero. The best way to define his activities is by calling him an Antihero.

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