4 My Hero Academia Episodes to Rewatch Before Starting Vigilantes

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes is back for Season 2, and the new episodes may entice viewers to pick up the spinoff for the first time. On the heels of the main show’s eighth and final season, Vigilantes makes a great My Hero Academia replacement. And although it serves as a prequel to the original series, watching Izuku Midoriya’s story is a must if you want to catch all the references and cameos scattered throughout its Vigilantes spinoff. The series follows new characters whose heroic pursuits look different than Midoriya’s. However, it still immerses fans in the same world. And considering some of the overlap, there are select My Hero Academia episodes you might want to revisit before giving it a try.

My Hero Academia is an endlessly rewatchable anime, but you don’t need to go through all eight seasons a second time before diving into its prequel. Instead, the best installments to return to are the ones that directly connect to cameos or storylines present in Vigilantes. These are the four I’d suggest, as they add extra context to certain events in Seasons 1 and 2. Warning: This article contains SPOILERS regarding characters who appear in Vigilantes, but it doesn’t go into specifics.

4) “Time to Pick Some Names” (Season 2, Episode 13)

My Hero Academia Season 2’s “Time to Pick Some Names” mostly focuses on Class A choosing their hero names, but it also takes the time to reveal what becomes of an important side character from Vigilantes Season 1. Ingenium is first introduced as Tenya Ida’s older brother — and his inspiration for wanting to become a Pro Hero. Ingenium’s career comes to a screeching halt after a near-fatal encounter with the Hero Killer, Stain, and this installment reveals that he can no longer use his legs. Vigilantes makes his retirement even sadder, allowing us to get to know Ingenium as he crosses paths with Koichi. Of course, it also serves as a reminder of what happens to his legacy (it’s carried by Ida). Those who want the full context of one of Vigilantes‘ biggest appearances might want to return to this Season 2 installment first.

3) “Hero Killer: Stain vs. U.A. Students” (Season 2, Episode 16)

Speaking of Stain, the villain gets an origin story of sorts in My Hero Academia: Vigilantes. The younger version of the character still embraces the same extremist ideals of the Hero Killer Midoriya faces later on. However, he’s different enough that viewers may take a moment to put two and two together. Revisiting Season 2’s “Hero Killer: Stain vs. U.A. Students” will help make the connection clearer, and it will remind fans what becomes of Stain after his stint in Vigilantes. This installment also shows more of Ingenium’s character, and it’s an all-around fun and gripping rewatch even separate from the spinoff.

2) “Let’s Go, Gutsy Red Riot” (Season Season 4, Episode 4)

Vigilantes Season 2 is already delivering new cameos, and Fat Gum’s appearance in the premiere will evoke nostalgia for My Hero Academia Season 4. The Pro Hero oversees Kirishima’s internship in “Let’s Go, Gutsy Red Riot,” an episode that actually sets the stage for his spinoff appearance. In it, Fat Gum talks about working with the police on drug cases — precisely what we see him doing in Vigilantes. And “Let’s Go, Gutsy Red Riot” sees Fat Gum and his interns chasing down a villain who’s using a Quirk-enhancing drug, potentially drawing further connections to Koichi’s story.

1) “More of a Hero Than Anyone” (Season 5, Episode 19)

Eraser Head and Present Mic both make appearances in My Hero Academia‘s prequel series, and the trailer for Vigilantes Season 2 promises to revisit their backstory with Oboro Shirakumo — the boy used to create the Nomu Kurogiri. It’s certain to be a tragic storyline for anyone familiar with the main show, and Season 5’s “More of a Hero Than Anyone” provides all the context needed to understand the situation. It’s also enough to get viewers in their feels. Watched ahead of Vigilantes Season 2, it’s bound to make the coming look back even more devastating.

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