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MHA: Vigilanteshas become a hot topic in the anime community, especially among shonen fans. An official anime adaptation by Studio Bones was announced during Jump Festa 2025, and fans are eagerly anticipating the anime scheduled for July 2025.Vigilantesis a spin-off manga by Hideyuki Furuhashi and Betten Court, based on Kohei Horikoshi’sMy Hero Academia.
The story ofVigilantestakes place 5 years before the original series in the same world, but with different characters. During an interview, the writer and illustrator of the manga revealed their inspiration behind different aspects of the story, and here’s an exploration of what they said!
The inspiration behindMHA: Vigilantes
My Hero Academia: Vigilantesis the story of Koichi Haimawari, who defies the law to help those around him. The manga concluded its run in 2022, and has garnered a substantial following. Over the years, the series has tied in withKohei Horikoshi‘sMy Hero Academiawith various cameos by characters like Aizawa and All Might.
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As the manga prepares for its anime debut, which is scheduled for July this year, let’s revisit an interview from Naples Comic Con 2019. During a conversation with Mangaforever (translations via Reddit), the creator of the manga, Hideyuki Furuhashi revealed the inspiration behind the setting and the protagonist ofVigilantes.
Alan Moore’s «Watchmen» and Frank Miller’s «Batman: The Dark Knight» from DC certainly influenced the setting of Vigilantes. Our protagonist on the other hand is obviously inspired from Spider-Man.
Betten Court, the illustrator of the manga further clarified exactly what about the movies inspiredVigilantes. He added:
I don’t think I was influenced by the comics, instead I’m inspired by the aesthetics of the films based on them.
The overall atmosphere ofThe Dark Knight Returns andThe Watchmenhighlights the darkness of the world our protagonists inhabit. The grim feel is a result of the series’ focus on crime and how it affects the day-to-day lives of normal citizens. Similarly, Koichi’s hometown inVigilantes, Naruhata, is plagued with petty crimes far from the focus of the pro-heroes.
MHA: Vigilantesis much darker and explores the world ofMy Hero Academiafrom a critical lens. Over the years, many fans noticed the similarities between Koichi and Spider-Man. From their motivations to their powers, both heroes share some striking similarities.
The Skycrawler and Spider-Man
Spider-Man is the friendly neighborhood hero who is extremely kind and always on the go to save the world. However, his adventures start from his immediate surroundings. Similarly, Koichi or Skycrawler (Koichi’s hero name) has a weird quirk that allows him to slide through surfaces at a rapid speed.
His fighting style is reminiscent of Spider-Man and so are his motivations. He becomes a hero or a vigilante to help those around him. He never focused on the glamor of the hero world. Moreover, he works hard to prove his goodwill to people, as the media doesn’t appreciate his efforts similar to how J. Jonah Jameson is always on the hunt for Spider-Man!
My Hero Academia: Vigilantesis available to read on the Viz Media Website.
Laveena Joshi
Anime Writer
Articles Published :926
Laveena is an anime content writer at FandomWire. Having written more than 800 articles, she’s an expert in mainstream shonen series, ranging from the bizarre world of JoJo’s to the expansive worldbuilding of One Piece.With her formal education in Journalism and Mass Communication, she explores entertainment journalism through the lens of anime and manga, from mainstream and classic titles to niche and obscure ones.
