My Hero Academia Is Setting the Stage for Endeavor’s Greatest Moment

Warning: spoilers for My Hero Academia Vigilantes chapter 121!

While the flame-based hero Endeavor may be at the top of the ranks in My Hero Academia‘s present day, even he has suffered some major injuries in the recent past that have made fighting a bit harder than it used to be. But with its chronologically earlier setting, spin-off series My Hero Academia Vigilantes has offered All Might a few chances to show off his abilities at his peak, and now it seems like the time has arrived for Endeavor to do the same.

The rivalry between Endeavor and All Might was undoubtedly the driving force for a lot of growth on the part of both heroes, at least in terms of power; the two men would eventually come to understand each other better, but only after All Might’s strength had faded almost entirely. Having the number one rank fall to him wasn’t Endeavor’s dream; he wanted to surpass All Might, not outlast him, and being number one without that victory raised a lot of difficult questions about why Endeavor had become so attached to this goal to start with. But since Vigilantes is set before all of these major events, the Endeavor of that series is as young, self-assured, and hotheaded as ever – and if his past appearances in the series are any indication, he’s also got a far more brutal approach to fighting than his mildly more responsible older self.

Koichi Haimawari has been battling it out against the multiple-quirk-using Nomu, Number Six, more or less on his own for several chapters now. As Six pulled out bigger and tougher tricks, things were looking pretty grim for the unlicensed hero, and despite characters’ best efforts, All Might is nowhere to be seen. Fortunately, a wave of other pros, including Eraser Head and Best Jeanist, arrived to help evacuate and battle against the now-massive, flaming Number Six as he rampaged across city blocks. Chapter 121, the latest, ends with Endeavor arriving as well, and this may be the one case where Endeavor is better suited to the situation than All Might.

Six’s last big move was to transform into a massive fire giant in a last-ditch attempt to defeat Koichi. Who better to help control the destruction caused by a kaiju-sized fire beast than Japan’s most experienced fire hero? A side effect of Endeavor’s quirk is that he also seems to be more or less immune to high temperatures, so Six would have a much more difficult time actually injuring him. His jetpack-style use of his quirk, combined with this heat resistance, could also allow him to get close enough to Six’s true body, buried under the flames, to take him out for good.

While both fans and Koichi were hoping for All Might to save the day, Endeavor’s appearance might not just be more appropriate, but even provide a glimpse at the hero and leader he’ll eventually become in the main My Hero Academia, even if that version of Endeavor is still far from perfect.My Hero Academia Vigilantes has been carefully paced to reinforce certain events in the main series before, so hopefully this moment is setting Endeavor up to showcase his heroism in both stories.

About The Author

Carlyle Edmundson
(234 Articles Published)

Carlyle Edmundson is a news and features writer with an affinity for science fiction and fantasy. He graduated from the University of North Carolina Wilmington with a BS in Film Studies and is glad that it’s relevant to his work. A lifelong fan of anime and manga, he has attended dozens of conventions over the years and may or may not have cosplayed at them. He is also the author of the Dystopian Detective series, available from most places ebooks are sold.

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