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The following contains spoilers for theMy Hero Academiamanga.
Watchers of the newest anime adaptation in theMy Hero Academiaseries will notice many similarities between Izuku Midoriya and Koichi Haimawari. In theVigilantesseries, 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 thatVigilantestakes place several yearsbefore 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 ofMy Hero Academia?
Is Vigilantes Canon?
Though Seemingly Absent, Koichi is Still Canon
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 beenmysteriously absent from the Deku and All Mightstory so far. Many of the characters that have appeared exclusively inVigilantes have alsonot even been mentioned or hinted at in the main anime, includingVigilantes’protagonist Koichi Haimawari. Early on, this led to speculation among some fans about whetherVigilantes is even part of the main canonofMy 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 ofMy Hero Academia,Kohei Horikoshi, is not in charge of theVigilantesspin-off. However, he reportedly does have some input on how the story in this separate series progresses.Horikoshi has seemingly made few direct public statementsabout 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.
Kochi’s Appearance
TheVigilantesProtagonist is Acknowledged in the Manga
It turns out that, as the main series manga was ending, some Koichi fans got the acknowledgment they were looking for when theVigilantesprotagonist 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 thefinal 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 ofMy Hero Academia.This makes his appearance more of an Easter egg or a cameo than an actual acknowledgment in the main story. Despite what someVigilantesfans 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 theVigilantesmanga, 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.
