Does Deku appear in My Hero Academia: Vigilantes? Explained

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes is a spin-off of My Hero Academia, expanding on the franchise's world, focusing on the hero society before the ascendance of Izuku Midoriya. The series is written by Hideyuki Furuhashi and illustrated by Betten Court, and is set a few years before the main story, focusing on unlicensed heroes who work outside the law. My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, by diverting the focus from U.A. High School, explores how the hero culture operated prior to the rise of the present generation of Pro Heroes. The spin-off has gained even more canon status in the wider My Hero Academia continuity with an anime adaptation directed by Studio Bones.

Izuku Midoriya, or Deku, is not a featured character in My Hero Academia: Vigilantes. The series takes place just five to six years before Deku goes to U.A. High School, meaning the character is in toddler or early childhood at the time of the events. Due to this, Deku does not feature in any narrative capacity either in the original manga series of 2016-2022 or in the 2025 anime adaptation of My Hero Academia: Vigilantes. His absence is a creative decision to maintain the timeline of the My Hero Academia canon.

The focus of My Hero Academia: Vigilantes is based on the life of Koichi Haimawari, who goes on to be called The Crawler, Pop Step, and Knuckleduster. All their action takes place in the city district Naruhata, which is not always paid attention to by licensed heroes. The novel is concerned with crime-fighting on street level, and it creates a down-to-earth contrast with the giant battles in My Hero Academia. Such a course of narration does not leave much room to Deku whose hero journey had not initiated yet.

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes is set chronologically in a time in which All Might is still working at full capacity as the Symbol of Peace. This period is earlier than the sludge villain event that exposed Deku to All Might in the residence series. Deku was not an heir to One For All and was not engaged in heroic activity at this time in history. It would have gone against the conventional My Hero Academia lore to have included him.

Although Deku is not featured, My Hero Academia: Vigilantes reinforces its canonical connection through the appearance of prominent characters. Shota Aizawa (Eraser Head) also features prominently as this character demonstrates his early life as a Pro Hero. Might, Endeavor, and Stain are also introduced in small yet significant roles. These innuendos support the idea that My Hero Academia: Vigilantes is a valid addition to the franchise rather than an independent spin-off.

An unobtrusive allusion to Deku is established by a brief cameo appearance of Inko Midoriya, his mother. Inko is briefly used in the manga as a civilian who is rescued by Koichi, which confirms the timeline without necessarily involving Deku. This scene is an environmental nod and not a look at the characters. This cameo was also used in the anime adaptation, further confirming its continuity in My Hero Academia.

An anime adaption of My Hero Academia: Vigilantes was released on April 7, 2025, in close accordance to the plot of the manga. Studio Bones did not include some original scenes which would make Deku directly enter the narrative. This move was critical to the continuity of the narration, particularly with My Hero Academia entering its last season. Deku was sometimes featured in marketing promotional materials together with Koichi, though such images were designed with the chief purpose of synergy in marketing, and not to tell a story.

My Hero Academia Enlarging its Canon with the help of Vigilantes

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes is even an improvement of the franchise because it provides historical and thematic background instead of working through its prime protagonist. The show touches upon the lapses in hero control, societal reliance on the Pro Heroes, and the ethical blurriness of the vigilantism. These motifs do not need Deku to realize his future struggles in My Hero Academia. The spin-off is more of a back world-building, as opposed to a parallel hero journey.

Significantly, My Hero Academia also recognizes the existence of Koichi Haimawari in its last arcs, establishing continuity of the series. Nevertheless, there is no scene in the canonical version that portrays a communication between Deku and Koichi. Such division maintains narrative concentration and prevents the retroactive changes to the developed story of Deku. According to present-day announcements, no new season of My Hero Academia: Vigilantes intends to introduce the character of Deku.

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To conclude, Deku does not feature in My Hero Academia: Vigilantes actively or meaningfully. His absence fits into the chronology, enhances the consistency of the canon, and enables the spin-off to have a clear story in the My Hero Academia universe. By selecting characters attentively and making subtle allusions, My Hero Academia: Vigilantes adds to the franchise without distorting the origin or adventure of Deku.

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