Following the success of Season 6, Studio Bones is reportedly working on a My Hero Academia prequel. The spinoff and predecessor to the main MHA story will be based on a manga that was released in 2016 and features ‘normal civilians’ as the protagonists.
The reported My Hero Academia prequel is going to be adapted from the manga My Hero Academia: Vigilantes. Given that it is written by Kōhei Horikoshi and comprises a world of ‘Quirks’, it will be a canon anime. Vigilantes consists of 15 volumes and it took the mangaka five years to complete the whole story.
My Hero Academia Prequel Will Tread In Similar Waters as Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice
Zack Snyder‘s Batman vs Superman movie explored the aftermath of ‘heroes versus villains’ and the destruction that they left in the wake for civilians to tidy up. Lex Luthor subsequently developed an obsession with bringing down Superman because the dangers the alien brought with him, such as Zord, endangered the safety of humans. The mastermind then blackmailed Supes to do his bidding until the latter teamed with Batman.
Similar to BvS, My Hero Academia prequel focuses on individuals who develop sympathy for civilians affected by the ‘superhero-supervillain’ fights and despite possessing no unique powers, try to make a difference in the world. They try to save as many people as possible from villains and keep the readers emotionally invested in their struggles.
Also Read: Not Dragon Ball or Bleach, My Hero Academia’s Kohei Horikoshi is Obsessed with Another Iconic Anime
In the My Hero Academia: Vigilantes manga, Koichi Haimawari and Kazuho Haneyama are taken under the wing of Knuckleduster after the latter saves them from a gang. Knuckleduster has no Quirks while Koichi and Kazuho don’t know how to utilize their Quirks more aggressively. Together, they train themselves and dispense justice as Vigilantes of Naruhata.
Koichi Haimawari possesses the ‘Slide and Glide’ Quirk, which makes him zip along the ground at high speeds. He gives himself ‘The Crawler’ as a superhero name. Meanwhile, Kazuho Haneyama is nicknamed ‘Pop Step’ after her Qurik, which makes her jump at high distances and even cushion her fall like that of a bee.
When will My Hero Academia Prequel Anime Be Released?
As of October 2023, there is no official release date for the animated version of My Hero Academia: Vigilantes. The only reliable leak that ‘confirms’ that the anime is in development is a post shared on X by BoJi.
My Hero Academia: Vigilantes Will gets TV anime. (Confirmed) pic.twitter.com/msy968coAl
— BoJi (@BoJJJJi) June 25, 2023
Koichi, Knuckleduster, and Kazuho are termed vigilantes because they don’t possess a Pro Hero license due to a statute that limited the distribution of hero passes to academy members. The manga takes place five years before the events of the My Hero Academia but still has characters like All Might and Aizawa in the spin-off.
MHA fans are certainly over the moon. Season 7 is expected to be released sometime in 2024 and finish the long-running series. That being said, it will be a wise decision to follow it up with a My Hero Academia prequel.
