Review: Who knew the good deeds you barely think about can make a massive impact on someone else?
Episode 5 of My Hero Academia: Vigilantes finally gave us a look into the only female character in our vigilante trio: Pop Step. And although it’s a heartwarming affair finding out just why Pop and Koichi’s fates have intertwined, a new vigilante working solo is here to shake things up–and not in a good way.
Warning: Spoilers ahead
The story is now ramping up. Okay, okay, we’ve been saying that the past few episodes, but the stakes are definitely higher than they’ve ever been. Vigilantes always takes the time to go into the intricacies of morality when it comes to hero work, but Episode 5, titled “Judgement”, finally gives us the thrill we’ve been aching for.
Pop and Koichi have history… and Koichi doesn’t even know it
The beginning of the episode finally allows us to enjoy the dynamic that Pop and Koichi have been cultivating. The friendship is wholesome and adorable, with Pop even owning a key to Koichi’s apartment. The two have grown comfortable with each other enough to have casual banter. It’s incredibly refreshing considering how only a few episodes ago, Koichi didn’t really have anything nice to say about Pop and her street performances.
But the bond deepens even further: these two aren’t just connected by that time Koichi saved Pop from those thugs back in Episode 1. It goes way past that moment.
We all know that Koichi flunked his entrance exam for a Hero course, but have you ever wondered why? At first it seemed like Koichi was just a bit of an airhead, so his grades might not be that stellar, or he took a bigger bite than he could ever be capable of chewing. But this episode finally fills us in on Koichi’s past before he became the disillusioned young adult he is when we first met him, and it begins with him reminiscing about the only All Might hoodie missing from his collection.
Turns out, there’s a noble reason why Koichi never really got to do what he wanted. Apparently, on the day of his entrance exam, Koichi is desperate to be on time but is distracted by a crowd of onlookers shouting about a child falling off of a bridge and into a raging river, Koichi ended up saving said child while screaming All Might’s signature phrase. Though he does end up rescuing the child, the incident causes him to miss the exam completely.
Koichi doesn’t think of this event negatively though, and instead even hopes that the person–whom he believes is a boy–remembers his good deed and is inspired by his heroism.
The thing is, Koichi misremembers the whole thing and doesn’t recognise that the person he saved was someone who’s been right there beside him all along.
Yep, it’s Pop. If you couldn’t tell by the bright pink hair in the flashback, Pop herself confirms it when she goes back home to pull out Koichi’s long-lost hoodie. It’s no wonder she’s invested in supporting Koichi to become the hero he’s meant to be. Could it be that she’s grateful for his actions? Guilty because she’s the catalyst as to why Koichi didn’t make it into hero school?
But by the way she’s hugging the hoodie close to her, there may be something more lurking between the lines. And although Pop gathers the courage to finally tell Koichi the truth and how she's always seen him as her hero, what could have been an incredibly pivotal scene is marred by Knuckleduster once again crashing at Koichi's place uninvited. Looks like you'll have to do it another time, Pop!
A new vigilante bursts into the scene
The latter half of the episode brings us back to the dilemma at hand: Kuin/Queen Bee is once again wreaking havoc by giving Trigger to a villain that Koichi and the gang had fought before, Akira the Hardening Quirk guy, which sets off another rampage. Koichi ends up having to fight him alone at the scene, but the appearance of a mysterious, sword-wielding vigilante named Stendhal eases him of the burden of facing the villain solo, at least, momentarily.
But there’s nothing comforting about the arrival of this new vigilante, as Koichi initially believed. Stendhal is way worse, and even more dangerous, than Knuckleduster when it comes to acts of vigilante justice. Instead of seeing himself as someone virtuous like Koichi, or someone on a mission like Knuckleduster, Stendhal posits himself as a judge, jury, and executioner, bloodily finishing off the villain with a strike of his sword.
While Koichi represents the idea that even the smallest good deed matters, no matter how unrecognised, Stendhal stands as the terrifying opposite: a man who believes justice isn’t about saving lives, but ending them. This contrast between compassion and control, selflessness and self-righteousness, marks a major turning point for Vigilantes. With the lines between hero and villain growing increasingly blurred, Koichi may soon have to decide not just what kind of hero he wants to be–but what kind of man he should become. Will he retain his kindness? Or will he become something far more terrifying?
It’s grisly and spine-chilling, and places the debate on morality in far more dangerous waters. Just who is Stendhal, and what’s his goal beyond eradicating every villain in sight? I’m not going to lie, I have a feeling Stendhal is someone we already know, and the ponytail gives it away.
If you're looking to catch missed details, dive deeper into the story, or simply read our thoughts on each episode, we've put together a My Hero Academia: Vigilantes review collection just for you!