REVIEW: ‘My Hero Academia: Vigilantes’ Episode 3 – “Bee”

Now that the official setup to the world is completed, My Hero Academia Vigilantes Episode 3 gets to work in establishing the big bad. But what makes “Bee” such a charming installment is how the three main characters, Koichi (Shuichiro Umeda), Pop Step (Ikumi Hasegawa), and Knuckleduster (Yasuhiro Mamiya) interact with one another as three individuals who are drawn together by circumstance. One of My Hero Academia’s main draws is its sprawling ensemble’s strength. Midoryia (Daiki Yamashita) may be the protagonist, but plenty of characters enrich the world. It will take a few more episodes to see if Vigilantes can capture that same magic, but the leads suggest promise.

Two major storylines divide My Hero Academia Vigilantes Episode 3. The first is a fan of Pop’s who, while attending one of her performances, injects himself with Trigger in order to get closer to her. On the surface, it’s a great way to show how powerful the drug is and how it tends to fall into the hands of those who feel either entitled to power or are seeking validation. And his transformation into a giant eel allows for some fun in the animation due to the slippery motions of his physicality that make him hard for Knuckle and Koichi to capture.

But that also makes the series three for three in putting Pop in some position of peril. She’s been threatened with sexual assault, captured only to be saved by Koichi, and stalked by an over-eager fan and then used as bait for said fan. As the only female lead in the series, it’s a shame that she’s yet to have her own display of power and is instead being used as a pawn to make Koichi stronger. Unfortunately, it’s unsurprising, but considering some of the stronger work the original series does with some of its female characters (admittedly a low bar), there was hope that Vigilantes would attempt to step it up a notch.

The other main story involves the introduction of part-time teenage villain, Queen Bee/Kuin Hachisuka (Sayaka Senbongi). We learn that her power allows her to unleash swarms of bees with stingers that inject the drug Trigger into unknowing victims. Despite not getting the bulk of the screentime, the series makes her threat clear. Through the destruction her quirk causes and the unsettling suggestion of where her bees reside, she becomes more imposing than her image would suggest. Considering Trigger is the main driving force behind Knuckle’s mission, the execution of her introduction is crucial.

My Hero Academia Vigilantes Episode 3 charms with its found family antics.

We watch as the bees rampage the city, the mayhem too much for the vigilantes to handle, as the pro-heroes arrive on the scene. Everyone from Ingenium, Eraserhead, and Present Mic to Endeavor and All Might arrives, cleaning up the scene. My Hero Academia Vigilantes Episode 3 continues to showcase the series’ excellent ability to show us a familiar world from a different perspective. While we know all of these heroes, through Koichi’s eyes, they still seem larger than life and unreachable.

It helps that for most of “Bee,” we get closest to the pros through merchandising. From a mug with All Might’s face on Koichi’s table to an ad that plays above him while at work, the episode distinguishes what makes a pro a hero versus a vigilante: compensation. Because, as Koichi puts it, regardless of whether or not he wants to be a hero and help people, he also has bills to pay.

Most of the highlights in My Hero Academia Vigilantes Episode 3 involve these down-to-earth moments. In one of the more charming sequences, Koichi laments that Pop and Knuckle have taken over his apartment, seemingly without having discussed it with him first. But despite his complaining and the lack of respect for his space, he’s, privately, thrilled. He envisioned a lively collegiate life but had made no friends at school. But now he’s stumbled into an unlikely friendship with two even unlikelier individuals, but appreciates the camaraderie. They’re a team, of sorts.

My Hero Academia Vigilantes Episode 3 continues to hit the high points that make it stand out against its predecessor. The animation stuns with vibrant colors and lighting, and the characterization is strong aside from a few notable stumbles. If the series can rectify its use of Pop Step and stop making her the damsel in distress,  it will position itself as one of the Season’s highlights.

My Hero Academia Vigilantes Episode 3 is out now on Crunchyroll. 

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