Knuckleduster Bids Farewell for Now
My Hero Academia: Vigilantes Ep 13 Review
Queen Bee has been defeated, and Naruhata is supposed to be safe. Pop is starting to gain traction as an idol. And Koichi is starting to get the hang of being a vigilante, even if he still needs help. It seems like life is going well for everyone in Naruhata! Except Knuckleduster suddenly goes missing. Where did he go?
Life Goes On…
Ever since Narufest, POP☆STEP has been doing better than ever. Her performance has been going viral on social media, and she is loving it! She’s gotten plenty of fan mail (actual mail!) And the festival was so successful that the department store has decided to make it a regular event, with POP☆STEP and the others recurring performers!
As for Koichi, he has been continuing his work as a vigilante. Given how what he’s doing is technically illegal, it can seem weird that he’s now doing it so openly in the public eye. However, it feels like the Pro Heroes give him leeway because he’s proven capable in situations, and they know he means well. It also helps that he knows when to leave things to the professionals. Case in point, when a certain bat-villain returns to get revenge on him, Koichi lets himself be saved by Captain Celebrity. It just so happens that this helps Pop keep a promise to bring a Pro Hero to the next Narufest. Needless to say, this helps the performance remain a success.
At the same time, though, the fact that the bat villian reappeared is a worrying sign. One would think that the fall of Queen Bee would help make Naruhata safer. Instead, things are only getting worse.
But Knuckleduster is Nowhere to Be Found
Despite Queen Bee no longer able to distribute Trigger, the Instant Villains aren’t going away. In fact, they’re only getting stronger. In the aftermath of Pop’s Eel fan, Teruo, going on another rampage, he didn’t turn back to normal. He’s stuck in his more monstrous form, meaning the change is permanent. The authorities are already calling these new Villains “Next-Level Villains,” and they are on a wholly different level from what the Naruhata Vigilantes have been facing. So it would seem that All for One’s experiments with Trigger haven’t been slowed down at all.
Things are going to get more dangerous for Koichi and Pop from here on out, and if they want to continue being vigilantes, then they’ll have to step up their game. However, they’re going to have to do it without relying on their mentor, because Knuckleduster is nowhere to be found.
After saving his daughter’s life, Knuckleduster rushed her to the hospital where his wife was being treated. During his earlier pursuit, he had gotten a call saying that his wife’s condition had gotten worse, but he had managed to keep that out of his mind long enough to save Tamao. Tragically, by the time he makes it to the hospital, his wife is already at death’s door. He only has enough time to let her know that Tamao is safe before she…goes.
This is a genuinely sad moment for the story. Knuckleduster had fought so hard to try and put his family back together, and now he’ll never have the chance. His daughter will never have the chance to say goodbye to her mom. He doesn’t even have the heart to directly tell her that her mom is Dad, yet you can tell that she already knows.
Time to Go it Alone
Not long afterwards, Knuckleduster disappears altogether. He leaves behind his mask and knuckles at Koichi’s place. Presumably, he’s gone off to continue fighting the people behind the Instant and Next-Level Villains on his own. As for Koichi and Pop, they plan on continuing to live their lives.
Thus, the first season of My Hero Academia: Vigilantes comes to an end. I’m sorry that it took so long for me to watch the season, but once I got started, I was reminded why I fell in love with MHA in the first place. No matter how old I get, I love superheroes and what they represent. And while the main series is ending this fall, I can rest easy knowing that Vigilantes will return next year to keep the fire going. Going Beyond, PLUS ULTRA!!!
I Give “What a Man Takes With Him” a 4/5
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Animanga, Blog Posts, My Hero Academia, My Hero Academia: Vigilantes
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