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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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My Hero Academia: Vigilantes Ep 12 Review

When you’re a dad, you want to be a good dad to your kid. And since there’s no universal manual for being a parent, that means most of them are going to make mistakes. But no matter what, a good dad will do whatever it takes to make sure their kid is safe. And for Knuckleduster, that means pulling out all the stops to save his daughter from Queen Bee!

Narufest Lives!

Thanks to Queen Bee hopping Pop’s Eel-fan on more Trigger, there’s a blackout in Naruhata, putting Narufest in danger of being shut down. And since the heroes have to prioritize the crowd’s safety, there’s not much they can do to fix things. Thankfully, Koichi manages to come in clutch for everyone by grabbing Pop’s mic. If Pop can keep everyone calm until they get the backup generators (thanks, Captain Celebrity), they can salvage Narufest.

Pop Step's song "My Hero" was so very good #heroaca_a #MHAVigilantes#Anime #ヴィジランテ #ヒロアカ pic.twitter.com/kHhw7vtGJf

— W9AHEE8D (@WAHEE8D_88) June 23, 2025

Its actually a pretty gutsy move having Koichi openly call himself by his vigilante name in front of Mic and Midnight. Then again, they probably know by now that he’s capable and well-meaning. Whats even gutsier is the fact that Pop fights to overcome her stagefright to get in front of such a big crowd. But once she gets past her initial fears, she gets to show off how good she is at working a crowd. And once she starts singing…the magic begins.

Pop☆Step’s singing has always been a highlight of Vigilantes, but in this case, it’s even more special than normal. Koichi and the audience may not understand it, but viewers should know right away that her new song is about how Koichi inspired her as a kid. It’s almost like her love song to him. It’s really sweet, and its only the opening act. The remix of the Marukane Department Store’s theme song turns really good! Who would have thought? Guess J-Pop can make anything awesome!

The real focus of the episode, though, is on the fight between Queen Bee and Knuckleduster. Or rather, the fight between Tamao and her Dad.

Knuckleduster Fullfills his Dad Role

As the last episode revealed, Queen Bee’s true identity is Tamao Oguro, Knuckleduster’s daughter. Or rather, Tamao is the person who Queen Bee is using as a host. Queen Bee is actually a parasitic Quirk that jumps from body to body, turning it into a hive for her bees. She possessed Tamao after the latter stormed off following a heated argument with her dad. Being the good dad he is, Knuckleduster won’t let his daughter stay the puppet of a villainous bee, and he pulls out all the stops to rip it out of her. He was even willing to stop their hearts to make sure that they could make it back together!

👊Knuckleduster Vs Kuin Hachisuka🐝 Pt. 3#MHAVigilantes #MhaVigilanteSeason1 #MyHeroAcademiaVigilantes #bokunoheroillegals #MyHeroAcadamiaIllegals pic.twitter.com/f3ngNnznqT

— PaTTWorks #ReleaseByeByeBunny (@Branion7651) June 24, 2025

Knuckleduster might act tough, but he’s a big softie at heart. He’s a good dad. When his kid was in danger, he did whatever it took to save her. He did have to stop her heart to force Queen Bee out, but he started it right afterward. And the resulting parasite was disgusting to look at! Thankfully, Queen Bee is not going to bother anyone for a long time. And I only say that because a mysterious man manages to capture a single bee and take it away to places unknown.

For now, though, it seems the threat of the Instant Villains has been stopped. Naruhata should become a more peaceful place from now on, but that does beg the question: what will the Naruhata Vigilantes do now? Because it looks as though Knuckleduster might not be sticking around. Only time will tell, as apparently, next week is the final episode of the season, not this week.

I Give “Goodbye to Dad” a 4/5

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