The highly anticipated second season of the My Hero Academia: Vigilantes anime is officially slated to premiere in January 2026. The announcement, accompanied by a new teaser visual, has set fans abuzz following the conclusion of the first season in June 2025. Crunchyroll has confirmed that it will stream the new season globally, excluding Asia, ensuring broad access for international viewers.
The Rise of Unlicensed Heroes Continues
My Hero Academia: Vigilantes serves as a gripping prequel and spin-off to Kōhei Horikoshi’s immensely popular My Hero Academia series. Set five years before Izuku Midoriya inherits One For All, it delves into the grittier, less authorized side of hero society, focusing on individuals who use their Quirks for good deeds without official hero licenses.
The story centers on Koichi Haimawari, a seemingly ordinary college student with the “Slide and Glide” Quirk, which grants him bicycle-speed movement. Despite his humble abilities, Koichi secretly operates as the “Nice Guy,” performing small acts of kindness in the city of Naruhata. His life takes an unexpected turn when he encounters the enigmatic, Quirkless vigilante Knuckleduster and the underground idol Pop☆Step. Together, this unlikely trio forms a team to tackle street-level crime and confront the mysteries surrounding the illicit drug “Trigger.”
Key Characters Driving the Narrative
The series introduces a compelling cast that explores different facets of heroism outside the traditional system:
- Koichi Haimawari (The Crawler/Nice Guy): A kind-hearted young man whose modest Quirk and genuine desire to help others lead him down the path of a vigilante.
- Kazuho Haneyama (Pop☆Step): A street performer and aspiring idol whose “Leap” Quirk aids her in both her performances and her clandestine vigilante activities.
- Iwao Oguro (Knuckleduster): A formidable and brutal Quirkless vigilante with a mysterious past, who takes Koichi under his wing.
The series also features cameo appearances from established My Hero Academia characters like Eraser Head (Shota Aizawa), Present Mic (Hizashi Yamada), Midnight (Nemuri Kayama), and even a younger All Might, offering a fresh perspective on their earlier careers.
Production Details and What to Expect
Studio Bones Film, a newly established company under the renowned Bones studio, is once again at the helm of the animation production for My Hero Academia: Vigilantes Season 2.
Returning Creative Team
The core creative team from the first season will return to bring the next chapter of Koichi’s story to life:
- Director: Kenichi Suzuki (known for Cells at Work!, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure)
- Series Composition and Script: Yōsuke Kuroda (returning from the main My Hero Academia anime)
- Character Design: Takahiko Yoshida (also worked on Yowamushi Pedal, Cells at Work!)
- Music: Yuki Hayashi (main My Hero Academia composer), Shōgo Yamashiro, and Yūki Furuhashi.
The first season, which ran for 13 episodes from April 7 to June 30, 2025, received positive reception for its darker tone and exploration of the world before the main series’ events. The manga, written by Hideyuki Furuhashi and illustrated by Betten Court, concluded in May 2022 after 15 volumes, providing ample source material for future anime adaptations.
Fans can look forward to more action, character development, and deeper dives into the complexities of a Quirk-filled society where not everyone can be a licensed hero when My Hero Academia: Vigilantes Season 2 arrives in January 2026. The new season is expected to continue Koichi, Pop☆Step, and Knuckleduster’s fight against the criminal underworld, particularly against the mysterious figure known as Number Six and the escalating threat of the “Trigger” drug.
