My Hero Academia: Vigilantes – Who is Stendahl?

The My Hero Academia: Vigilantes spinoff descends into raw, untold origins and highlights the overlooked figures who work in the shadows. While many pro heroes like Eraser Head and All Might appear in familiar forms, there is one character who brings something darker. His philosophy is a sharp critique of the hero society, and his methods are even sharper. So, who is he in this new series?

Stendahl is a sword-wielding vigilante whose actions and ideology echo throughout the series. He isn’t just another masked fighter roaming the series; Stendahl is the unsettling precursor to one of the mainline series’ most infamous villains: Hero Killer Stain.

Stendahl is also the alias adopted by Chizome Akaguro during his vigilante days, years before he reemerges as Stain in My Hero Academia. He’s introduced in My Hero Academia: Vigilantes not as a full-blown villain, but as a seemingly heroic figure who saves Koichi (The Crawler) from the villain Akira Iwako. With his lightning-fast agility and masterful blade techniques, he initially seems like a valuable asset to the Naruhata Vigilantes.

However, his version of justice is far more extreme than our protagonists'. Unlike Koichi, Pop☆Step, and Knuckleduster, who capture villains without killing them, Stendhal believes in deadly punishment for those he deems sinful. He is a complex, driven individual with his own strict code of justice.

With his signature katana and mask, Stendahl moves through the underworld, eliminating criminals who threaten innocent lives. His presence is almost spectral—silent, calculated, and merciless. While he operates outside the legal bounds, there’s no denying that he delivers results, albeit through questionable means.

Even within the world of My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, his threat level remains high due to his ruthless resolve to eliminate anyone he deems evil. His first major act shown in the series is the brutal slaughter of the Abegawa Tenchu Kai yakuza group, demonstrating his ruthless approach.

The blade drawn from My Hero Academia: Vigilantes

The most shocking revelation in My Hero Academia: Vigilantes comes when we learn Stendhal's true identity. After a decisive battle with Knuckleduster that leaves his face severely injured, Stendhal undergoes a profound transformation.

This defeat becomes the catalyst for his evolution into the Hero Killer: Stain, the infamous villain from the main series. This confrontation shifts his focus from killing common criminals to targeting what he considers "false heroes" - professional heroes who lack true conviction.

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes provides crucial backstory that explains how Stendhal became Stain. After his defeat, in a disturbing moment of self-mutilation, he cuts off his own nose, symbolically removing his old identity and embracing his new mission.

The Stendhal Arc has brilliantly connected the spin-off to the main series to give a proper understanding of Stain’s character. It shows the exact turning point as Stendhal embraces his dark path, swearing to dye the world in blood and carve out crimson marks that time can never erase.

At his core, Stendahl is not about murder or vengeance—he’s about exposing the truth. In his own twisted way, he holds up a mirror to society. He’s not afraid to get blood on his hands if it means waking people up to the rot beneath the hero system’s glossy surface.

He’s not entirely wrong. The system he challenges is damaged on multiple levels. The heroes he targets are usually the "false heroes." But his solution—to purge the world with violence—is where he loses the moral high ground.

In conclusion, Stendahl’s ideology in My Hero Academia: Vigilantes is delivered with conviction. He doesn’t sway. He doesn’t crack. Whether he’s known as Stendahl or Stain, he stays true to a code—even when it costs him everything. Stendahl may not be the hero the world wants, but he’s the one it deserves—a symbol of justice twisted by reality.

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