Angsty Aizawa [My Hero Vigilantes 59]

Whoa! I don’t think anyone could’ve guessed what would happen in this chapter. And, some people say Vigilantes isn’t canon. Yeah, right.

Character. Character. Character. This is what My Hero Vigilantes excels at. It’s not about the punching punches, it’s about who these people are. See, this chapter, and probably the next one too, is all about Aizawa. Midnight is already a teacher at U.A. and Present Mic will start teaching next semester. She calls wanting to get Aizawa on board too but he’s not having it. So…Midnight claims Aizawa’s been avoiding something? Is he worried he’s not a popular enough hero to teach kids? Or, could it be a who that’s he’s avoiding? Ms. Joke’s a teacher. Could she be the one he’s avoiding? Maybe, she’s the one who’ll finally convince Aizawa to start teaching?

After a run-in with a small-time baddie, Aizawa and Koichi talk about the responsibility of taking care of an abandoned kitten and we hit…a flashback!

We meet a 16-year-old Aizawa stewing in his insecurities. He considers himself weak, probably doubting he can be a good hero, let alone help an abandoned cat he found on his why to U.A. Aizawa has always been a laid back guy, but seeing him so unsure about himself is really interesting, especially because we know how capable he’ll become even without a flashy quirk. Hm. Maybe this flashback leads to him deciding to use that steel cloth whip thingie he’s got. It took him years to master it, after all. He’s gotta start eventually.

Oboro Shirakumo! Yeah, you heard me. That Shirakumo. The one mentioned by Present Mic in the main series who went to U.A. at the same time as he and Aizawa. The same person who quit trying to be a hero according to what Nejiro Hado once said in the main series. Something happened and Shirakuma left U.A., that’s all we really know. At least, it was all we knew until now!

No shadowed out profile, no back of the head camera tricks hiding his face. Oh, no, my friends, we’re introduced to Shirakumo in all his glory, Y’all! He got a face, we even learn his quirk, it’s Cloud. And, yes, he can generate a cloud. And, yes, he can ride on it like Goku in Dragonball. This is huge news! Never in my dreams did I think a character hinted at in the main series will be fully introduced in Vigilantes. Bravo to everyone involved in this decision. It was bold. It was unexpected. And, it was awesome.

We learn Shirakumo is a pretty positive guy and a bit of a joker. He’s a definite polar opposite to Aizawa at this point in his life. I can’t wait to see these two interact more.

Great chapter! I knew the plot would slow down again after the Sky Egg incident, but I wasn’t expecting Aizawa development. Vigilantes is a great way to show it since it’d be harder to fit this into the main series. And, because Aizawa is a supporting character in this series, it doesn’t seem out of place. My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, don’t sleep on it. It deserves all the respect in the world. And, more cats. More cats are always welcomed.