My Hero Academia: Vigilantes 1×3 Review: “Bee”

My Hero Academia Vigilantes season one episode 3 ‘Bee’ introduced us to the show’s major villain (or at least one of them) as Koichi and his crew tried to find the culprit behind Trigger.

Whether you are a hero or vigilante, you need an HQ and ‘Bee’ showed poor Koichi’s rooftop apartment serving said purpose for Knuckleduster and Pop Step. The two quickly marked out their space in Koichi’s small apartment. And while our young hero felt helpless, he also appreciated being part of such a trio. He had imagined a completely different social life when he began college. However, Koichi had been unable to make a single friend and was stuck in an unsatisfying part-time job. They took some getting used to, but Knuckleduster and Pop Step were indeed Koichi’s friends.

While waiting to head out for their nightly patrol, Koichi went to his job, Knuckleduster stayed in Koichi’s apartment watching TV, and Pop Step got ready to perform. It had taken me some time, but now I know that the two fan boys based on Cyclops and Wolverine were dancing alongside Pop Step in the opening sequence. Named Jube and Ichimoku, the two played a big role in ‘Bee’ as they not only cheered during Pop Step’s latest performance but also tried to help her get to the bottom of how a young fan named Teruo got access to Trigger.

The first confrontation with a villain involved Teruo using Trigger during Pop Step’s performance and transforming into an eel-like creature. He wanted to gain Pop Step’s attention and chased after her around the city. Knuckleduster and Koichi had to use flour to absorb the eel’s moisture and make him slimeless enough for Knuckleduster to knock him out. I laughed at the scene where Pop Step tried to gain some courage by telling herself she was an idol and she had to shake hands with Teruo, who was nothing more than an enthusiastic fan. She’s really serious about her career.

The introduction of the big bad happened while Koichi and Pop Step were on their way to meet Jube and Ichimoku. The two fans had befriended Teruo and thought he might share information about Trigger if Pop Step talked to him. A girl named Kuin Hachisuka stopped Pop Step for a picture. You could tell she was someone to keep an eye on because of her character design. 

It’s revealed that Kuin was a part-time villain. I don’t know about her motives, but she seemed to revel in causing chaos. Her Quirk was called Queen Bee. It allowed her to expel numerous bees containing Trigger. For some reason, she decided to make her bees sting a couple of people and forced them to lose control of their Quirks. A whole bunch of registered heroes, including All Might, Eraser Head, and Endeavor appeared on the scene to handle the situation ASAP. I was kind of surprised to see how the creative team didn’t allow Koichi and his crew to do anything during the attack. But then again, their arrival on the scene might have led the Heroes to want to arrest them.

Having noticed a bee flying around, Knuckleduster seemed to have picked up on a clue. He was disappointed when he couldn’t get to the source and proceeded to squish the bee. Apparently, Kuin felt whenever one of her bees died, and she wasn’t a fan of said feeling.

Another loss was Koichi and Pop Step’s failure to talk to Teruo. The scene where Kuin led Teruo away into a dark alley by stating they were friends and how she wanted to show him her picture with Pop Step was quite eerie. I do want to know more about why Kuin’s into being a villain in such a manner.

Also, from my understanding, Kuin used her bees to spread Trigger, but she didn’t make it. Detective Tsukauchi’s discussion with Detective Tanuma did seem to imply that Trigger had been produced by someone else. It was illegal in Japan, but someone had found a way to smuggle it in and was distributing it for free to send a socio-political message. I’m quite intrigued by the current mystery.     

What did you think of MHA Vigilantes season 1 episode 3 ‘Bee’?

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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