My Hero Academia: Vigilantes is on the way, and the series will introduce some fascinating new characters - among them a character who could easily be described as the franchise's take on Batman. Entering a Batman-style powerless hero gives Watchmen a distinctly different feel from the main series and offers some interesting new avenues for character exploration.
An anime adaptation of the spinoff/prequel series My Hero Academia: Vigilantes was announced at Jump Festa on December 21, 2024 and is scheduled to premiere in April 2025. The manga by My Hero Academia: Vigilantes ran from August 2016 to May 2022, spanning 126 chapters before concluding. The story takes place a few years before the start of My Hero Academy itself, and features several returning characters, especially among the pro heroes. Although All Might himself appears in the series, he has a rather secondary role overall, and his shoes are actually filled by this Batman analogue known as Knuckleduster.
How My Hero Academia: Vigilantes' Knuckleduster is inspired by Batman
Knuckleduster takes heavy inspiration from the Dark Knight
Knuckleduster has some characteristics that make a very direct comparison to Batman. Firstly, Knuckleduster operates as a vigilante, just like Batman, and as such must hide his true identity. Knuckleduster's real name is Iwao Oguro, and he is a quirkless middle-aged man who insists on fighting crime by any means necessary. This means that, like Batman, Knuckleduster has no superpowers to his name, which makes him quite strange in My Hero Academyuniverse, where powers are present in the majority of the population. Without powers, Knuckleduster relies on martial arts prowess, some brass knuckles to really hurt enemies, and his general stamina to do the hero's work.
Hideyuki Furuhashi, author of Watchmenhe even made the comparison directly, stating that if All Might were Superman, Knuckleduster would be comparable to Batman. He also said that one of the biggest influences for the establishment of Watchmen It was Frank Miller. The Dark Knight Returnsa seminal Batman series in which the Caped Crusader is at his darkest. Knuckleduster is certainly somewhat similar to this particular iteration of Batman, as he is quite bulky and muscular, and is not afraid to use deadly weapons when the situation calls for it. He even has his own complex past with All for One.
Like Batman, Knuckleduster has some compelling reasons for being a vigilante, though it takes a long time for those reasons to be fully revealed. He's also a bit like Batman in his willingness to take on teammates; Knuckleduster meets young protagonist Koichi Haimawari and decides to train him as a vigilante, similar to Batman's training of Robin. He also takes care of Pop Step, Koichi's love interest and another vigilante, although much less violent than Knuckleduster himself.
Knuckleduster is also the My Hero Academia Vigilantes counterpart to All Might.
Knuckleduster takes on the role of All Might's mentor in the story
Knuckleduster effectively takes over the role that All Might fills in the main story of My Hero Academy: He is a mentor to the next generation and a figure who is looked up to with great respect by most, yet feared by those with ill intentions. In many ways, he is a dark mirror of All Might, in the same way that Batman is a dark counterpart to Superman. This is easily seen by comparing the two heroes' catchphrases: All Might arrives declaring, “I’m here!” while Knuckleduster uses a more casual means of speech, introducing himself with a simple "I'm here".
Obviously, putting a Batman-type character in the role previously held by All Might really changes how the story plays out. Knuckleduster is a frequent user of darkness, like Batman, using it to hide and defeat enemies without them being able to retaliate. This is quite different from All Might's bombastic appearances, where he typically attacks villains before they even have a chance to react. While All Might's praises are sung from the rooftops, Knuckleduster is only spoken of in whispers, almost as if he were a myth that people are superstitious about.
Knuckleduster brings raw violence to My Hero Academia
Knuckleduster's quirklessness means he is much more violent than most
Due to the prevalence of Quirks in My Hero AcademyIn the world of Knuckleduster, Knuckleduster is quite notable for not having one, perhaps the most important Quirkless character besides Deku himself. Knuckleduster's Quirkless status means that when it comes to facing villains, who mostly have Quirks, he has to be exceptionally cruel to stay safe. Knuckleduster takes his name from the brass knuckles he uses and has no qualms about using other types of weapons when necessary.. For him, taking down a villain quickly is the only way to avoid retaliation, and that requires some exceptionally realistic violence.
This makes Knuckleduster stand out greatly from officially recognized professional heroes, who often fight using more fantastical means based on their Quirks. Even characters like Aizawa, whose Quirks aren't capable of harming villains, still mostly fight with less realistic weapons like his "capture gun." This additional level of violence gives the entire series a darker tone than the main one. My Hero Academy series and do Watchmen stand out from its predecessor. By going through the experiences of these vigilantes, the series manages to show a very different corner of the My Hero Academyworld.
In short, Knuckleduster is a very interesting character who is much more than just My Hero AcademyBatman's response, even though he is too. Her relationship with Koichi is central to the premise of Watchmen how All Might's relationship with Deku is My Hero Academyand in some ways it is arguably deeper. He makes a fascinating counterpoint to All Might and his way of doing things, and shows that even in All Might's heyday, things weren't perfect. There are many reasons to be excited My Hero Academia: Vigilantes finally being animated, and the character of Knuckleduster is pretty close to the top of the list.