My Hero Academia's New Anime Will Bring the Universe's Very Own Batman to Life

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes is on its way, and the series will introduce some fascinating new characters–not the least of whom is a character who could easily be described as the franchise’s take on Batman. Slotting in a Batman-style, unpowered hero gives Vigilantes 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 set to debut in April 2025. The manga of My Hero Academia: Vigilantes ran from August 2016 to May 2022, covering 126 chapters before concluding. The story is set a few years before the beginning of My Hero Academia proper, and features a number of returning characters, particularly among the pro heroes. While All Might himself does appear in the series, he’s got a fairly minor 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 quite a few traits that make for a very direct comparison to Batman. Firstly, Knuckleduster operates as a vigilante, much like Batman, and as such must conceal his true identity. Knuckleduster’s true name is Iwao Oguro, and he’s a middle-aged man with no Quirk who insists on fighting crime regardless. That means that, like Batman, Knuckleduster has no superpowers to his name, making him quite the oddity in My Hero Academia‘s universe, where powers are present in the majority of the population. With no powers, Knuckleduster relies on martial arts prowess, some brass knuckles to really hurt foes, and his general toughness to do hero work.

Hideyuki Furuhashi, the author of Vigilantes, has even drawn the comparison directly, stating that if All Might was Superman, Knuckleduster would be comparable to Batman. He has also said that one of the major influences for the setting of Vigilantes was Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns, a seminal Batman series in which the Caped Crusader is at his darkest. Knuckleduster is certainly quite a bit like this iteration of Batman in particular, as he is quite bulky and muscular, and isn’t 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, although it takes quite a long time before these reasons are fully revealed. He’s also a bit like Batman in his willingness to take on sidekicks; Knuckleduster meets young protagonist Koichi Haimawari and decides to train him as a vigilante, in a similar way to Batman’s training of Robin. He also watches out for Pop Step, Koichi’s love interest and another vigilante, albeit a far less violent one than Knuckleduster himself.

Knuckleduster is My Hero Academia Vigilantes’ Counterpart to All Might, Too

Knuckleduster Takes All Might’s Mentor Role in the Story

Knuckleduster effectively takes the role that All Might fulfills in the main story of My Hero Academia: he’s a mentor to the next generation, and a figure who’s looked up to with great respect by most, while feared by those with evil intent. In many ways, he’s a dark mirror to All Might, in much the same way that Batman is a dark counterpart to Superman. This is easily seen by comparing the two heroes’ catchphrases: All Might famously arrives declaring, “I Am 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 occupied by All Might really changes the way the story unfolds. Knuckleduster is a frequent user of the darkness, like Batman, utilizing it to conceal himself and take out foes without them being able to retaliate. That’s quite different from All Might’s bombastic appearances, wherein he typically rushes 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 like he’s a myth that people are superstitious about.

Knuckleduster Brings Raw Violence to My Hero Academia

Knuckleduster’s Lack of a Quirk Means He’s Far More Violent Than Most

My Hero Academia Vigilantes: Knuckleduster goes up against Number Six

Due to the prevalence of Quirks in My Hero Academia‘s world, Knuckleduster is quite noteworthy for not having one, perhaps the most important Quirkless character aside from Deku himself. Knuckleduster’s Quirkless status means that, when it comes to facing down villains, who mostly do have Quirks, he has to be exceptionally vicious to keep himself safe. Knuckleduster takes his name from the brass knuckles he wears, and he has no qualms about using other types of weapons when necessary. For him, taking down a villain rapidly is the only way to avoid retaliation, and that requires some exceptionally realistic violence.

That makes Knuckleduster stand out quite a bit from the officially recognized pro heroes, who often fight using more fantastical means based around their Quirks. Even characters like Aizawa, whose Quirks aren’t able to harm villains, still fight primarily with less realistic weapons, such as his “capture weapon.” This added level of violence gives the entire series a darker tone than the main My Hero Academia series, and makes Vigilantes stand out from its predecessor. By going through the experiences of these vigilantes, the series is able to show a very different corner of My Hero Academia‘s world.

All in all, Knuckleduster is a very interesting character who’s far more than just My Hero Academia‘s answer to Batman, even if he is that as well. His relationship with Koichi is as core to the premise of Vigilantes as All Might’s relationship with Deku is to My Hero Academia, and in some ways is arguably deeper. He makes for a fascinating counterpoint to All Might and his way of doing things, and goes to show that even in All Might’s heyday, things weren’t perfect. There are a lot of reasons to be excited for My Hero Academia: Vigilantes finally being animated, and Knuckleduster’s character is quite near the top of that list.