
Set to debut in April 2025, the much-anticipated My Hero Academia: Vigilantes anime will bridge the gap during the hiatus before the eighth and final season of My Hero Academia. The new series, which takes place several years prior to the events in the main storyline, follows three vigilantes as they engage in their own brand of crime-fighting while occasionally crossing paths with familiar heroes and villains from the original series.
As the release of My Hero Academia: Vigilantes approaches, a crucial question arises regarding its connection to the original My Hero Academia series. While it is tempting to categorize this new anime as a straightforward prequel, its narrative largely operates outside the main story’s events. This leads to a common inquiry among fans: is My Hero Academia: Vigilantes considered canon within the My Hero Academia universe? Understanding its status is important, but fortunately, the answer is relatively straightforward.
How My Hero Academia: Vigilantes Fits into My Hero Academia‘s Canon
The Canon Status of My Hero Academia: Vigilantes

The canonical status of My Hero Academia: Vigilantes may seem perplexing at first glance, but its connection to the main series is more evident upon closer examination. Numerous characters from the original series, such as All Might, Ingenium, and Eraserhead, appear in significant supporting roles. Moreover, a central aspect of the Vigilantes narrative involves “Trigger, ”a substance capable of amplifying an individual’s Quirk, which was introduced in the Shie Hassaikai arc and referenced in My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission. This shared groundwork in characters and plot devices unmistakably links both series.
Additionally, there are specific references to Vigilantes in the main series that further assert its canonicity. While My Hero Academia generally does not make many references to Vigilantes—particularly when compared to its numerous nods to the films—Koichi, the lead character from Vigilantes, makes a cameo appearance in the series finale. This moment solidifies Vigilantes as part of the canon, despite limited overt references. Thus, while My Hero Academia: Vigilantes does not frequently intertwine with the main storyline, its connections are strong enough to affirm its canonical status.
Why Is the Canon Status of My Hero Academia: Vigilantes Even Questioned?





Despite the concrete evidence supporting My Hero Academia: Vigilantes as part of the canon, the underlying questions concerning its status remain. The two narratives, while belonging to the same franchise, operate largely independently of one another, with Vigilantes exerting no direct influence on the main series and minimal acknowledgment beyond Koichi’s cameo. This lack of regular references to Vigilantes within the main series certainly contributes to the confusion surrounding its canonicity.
This uncertainty only amplifies the significance of the upcoming My Hero Academia: Vigilantes anime. Not only will the anime likely enhance the visibility of the Vigilantes series within the larger franchise, but it also offers an opportunity to strengthen ties to the main storyline. As the original Vigilantes manga has concluded, the anime adaptation could effectively reshape the narrative to forge clearer connections with My Hero Academia, addressing lingering questions about its canonicity. Looking ahead, the impact of the My Hero Academia: Vigilantes anime promises to significantly influence its overall reception and public perception.
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