My Hero Academia: Vigilantes 1×12 and 1×13 Review: “Goodbye to Dad” and “What a Man Takes with Him”

My Hero Academia Vigilantes anime episode 12 ‘Goodbye to Dad’ and episode 13 ‘What a Man Takes With Him’ concluded the first season on an emotional note while setting things up for even bigger threats to come.

I knew it was here, but I still didn’t expect to feel so bummed over MHA Vigilantes anime season one ending this week. I highly enjoyed watching and reviewing what Koichi and his crew got up to as they tried to navigate a world that wanted to keep things very black and white by painting people as Heroes and Villains. And this is no shade to the OG My Hero Academia anime, but I personally enjoyed the spin-off MHA Vigilantes more.

A second season has been confirmed, ready to debut sometime in 2026. I’m already hyped!

Coming to episode 12, ‘Goodbye to Dad’, it continued to focus on Knuckleduster’s confrontation with Kuin. I liked how prepared Knuckleduster was for said fight. Even though Kuin tried to drop a couple of surprises on him, Knuckleduster’s analytical prowess and his stubborn motivation to keep fighting Kuin (even though she was basically his mind-controlled daughter) helped him be victorious in the end.

Again, as mentioned in my review of the previous episode, I really enjoyed seeing Knuckleduster going all out against his daughter. Most narratives have parents and other characters hesitate when fighting their mind-controlled loved ones. And it’s kind of eye-rolling for me (depending on certain circumstances). Like, do you want to save your beloved or not? PUNCH THEM HARD!

Knuckleduster cornering Kuin forced her to not only use Trigger on herself but also to begin using Tamao’s body without worrying about preservation because the Queen Bee had made up its mind to find a new host after the battle. The loss of control allowed us to learn that Knuckleduster and Tamao didn’t get along over Tamao’s love for music. Their last argument led to Tamao leaving home and being used as Queen Bee’s new body, with Knuckleduster experiencing regret over how he didn’t handle the situation as a reasonable parent should. No wonder Kunckleduster was hellbent on getting Tamao back. In a way, Tamao dying during the process was still a better option than allowing her to continue being used by Queen Bee.

Also, Knuckleduster’s past with Tamao added context to his being supportive of Pop Step’s singing. I can see Knuckleduster also supporting Tamao’s interest in music down the line.

Even though I speculated that Kuin was going to cause trouble at the event that Pop Step and others were performing in, I appreciate the creative team keeping Knuckleduster vs Kuin separate. Koichi and Pop Step had no idea what he’s been up to all that time. However, I do hope the second season allows them to learn more about Knuckleduster’s personal life. 

With Tamao recovering in the hospital after being saved by her father, episode 13, ‘What a Man Takes with Him’, focused on Koichi and Pop Step continuing their work without Knuckleduster around. I think the upcoming season will be about Koichi needing to face even more threats on his own. And I’m here for a mature version of Koichi.

Captain Celebrity did mention how Koichi’s vigilantism played a role in escalating certain villain situations, with Captain Celebrity needing to rescue Koichi while also needing to defeat the villain. Pop Step also recommended that Koichi stay away from threats that appeared too dangerous and call a Hero to the area instead of creating a distraction. I get where Captain Celebrity and Pop Step were coming from, but knowing Koichi, there’s no way he’s not going to jump in to save someone in peril. And with the villains becoming more powerful than before, Koichi needs the experience to level up. There’s still so much potential in his Quirk that he has to unlock.

Talking about the villains becoming more powerful, we got a scene where Eraser Head, Tsukauchi, and Midnight discussed the existence of a mysterious organization experimenting on individuals. Apparently, they were making people immune to overdosing and dying because of Trigger, forcing their bodies to permanently transform instead. These Instant Villains were useful at causing a lot of chaos, but they were nothing more than pawns because they lacked the ability to formulate plans and work as a team. They also seemed to be focused on fulfilling a specific personal goal. Teruo still wanted to go and meet Pop Step in episode 12, while the Bat Villain in episode 13 wanted revenge for what Knuckleduster and Koichi did to him. 

Something sinister was at play as far as the endgame was concerned. Kuin did use one of her bees to inject herself with a sample of Teruo’s blood, allowing her to use his Eel Quirk. If I were to speculate, I think the experimentations are being done to unlock a Quirk’s full potential and then using particular samples to create a being capable of unleashing numerous OP Quirks at once. But, yeah, answers will be provided in the already confirmed second season. The key visuals feature the mysterious sample-collecting man.

A major emotional beat during the finale involved Koichi and Pop Step slowly realizing that Knuckleduster might be on hiatus (and possibly gone for good) from their lives. Koichi reacted to the realization in a mature manner. The scene where he thought Knuckleduster left behind his items because he needed them cleaned, and then proceeded to wash them for his Master… my heart!

Knuckleduster’s influence was ever-present. Koichi did learn a lot from him, but since his surprise absence, Koichi’s been coming into his own, capable of handling situations himself or with Pop Step as support around the city. Again, the upcoming sophomore season is going to be about an “older” Koichi. He already sounds “older” in the narration featured in the teaser trailer. I can’t wait to see Knuckleduster re-enter Koichi’s life and react to his growth. It has to happen. There’s no way Knuckleduster’s been written out of the narrative. There are a bunch of questions surrounding him, especially the one about a Quirk-less man’s ability to showcase his level of skills. 

But yeah, I’m sad the first season of MHA Vigilantes only consisted of 13 episodes. But, then again, what a fun 13-episode run it was to watch and review. In a way, I’m okay with shorter seasons with tighter storytelling.

What did you think of MHA Vigilantes anime episode 12 and episode 13? Are you excited about season 2?

Let us know.

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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