Summary

Despite appearing in the main series manga, Koichi from Vigilantes only makes a brief cameo.
My Hero Academia author Horikoshi acknowledges Vigilantes, but doesn't seem to factor it into the main storyline much.

The following contains spoilers for the My Hero Academia manga.

Watchers of the newest anime adaptation in the My Hero Academia series will notice many similarities between Izuku Midoriya and Koichi Haimawari. In the Vigilantes series, Koichi also starts at a similarly weak point as a hero until he meets an imposing, older male figure to show him the ropes.

Some may wonder if Koichi is ever seen in the main series, given that Vigilantes takes place several years before the story of Deku and All Might. So far, we have not yet been introduced to Koichi in the series' anime adaptation, and the main series is about to enter its final season. That begs the question of why we have not seen Koichi so far, and will he ever make an appearance in the main show to solidify his canonicity in the world of My Hero Academia?

My Hero Academia Vigilante pop step blushing

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Is Vigilantes Canon?

Though Seemingly Absent, Koichi is Still Canon

My Hero Acaedemia vigilantes koichi worried about knuckleduster

Despite Koichi and his fellow vigilantes being active in the fight against some of the main series’ villains earlier in the timeline, these unofficial heroes have been mysteriously absent from the Deku and All Might story so far. Many of the characters that have appeared exclusively in Vigilantes have also not even been mentioned or hinted at in the main anime, including Vigilantes' protagonist Koichi Haimawari. Early on, this led to speculation among some fans about whether Vigilantes is even part of the main canon of My Hero Academia, or if it is purely its own thing despite connections to the world and references to main series characters.

“The mysterious man with an air of danger… The Crawler!” -Koichi Haimawari

The primary author of My Hero Academia, Kohei Horikoshi, is not in charge of the Vigilantes spin-off. However, he reportedly does have some input on how the story in this separate series progresses. Horikoshi has seemingly made few direct public statements about the series' canonicity and official continuity. However, some see his acknowledgment and approval of the series’ existence as proof of its canon status.

This may seem strange to some fans of MHA, given how interconnected and public heroes are in the universe’s world. In the main series, Horikoshi tries to limit his story's scope whenever possible. He hardly factors in international heroes and the wider world outside Deku and All Might. There is likely a good reason for this. It may be difficult to start including spin-off series or movie series characters without leading to some continuity issues within the main story proper, so Horikoshi tries to avoid it when possible. If suddenly, there is a whole world of capable heroes able to be called upon, then some villain threats might lose some tension in the story. Also, All for One’s primary goal in the series was to regain control of Japan, which a story focused on the wider world might diminish the impact of.

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Kochi’s Appearance

The Vigilantes Protagonist is Acknowledged in the Manga

koichi wide panel shot — Koichi's figure is seen in Chapter 424 of the My Hero Academia manga.

It turns out that, as the main series manga was ending, some Koichi fans got the acknowledgment they were looking for when the Vigilantes protagonist finally appeared in the main series manga. In Chapter 424, a figure who looks like Koichi Haimawari is briefly seen helping with the cleanup from the aftermath of the final war arc of MHA.

While his figure appears to be part of the official canon, unfortunately, he does not speak any dialogue or is ever mentioned by name in the final chapters of My Hero Academia. This makes his appearance more of an Easter egg or a cameo than an actual acknowledgment in the main story. Despite what some Vigilantes fans might have hoped for, Koichi does not truly appear in the main story in an impactful way. This makes sense for Koichi, given the later events of the Vigilantes manga, which have not yet been adapted to anime form. Still, it is nice to have even a subtle acknowledgment of his character, giving fans hope that the MHA world will remain thriving and connected for future series.

My Hero Academia can be streamed on Crunchyroll and Hulu.

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