Close Menu
  • Login
  • Support Us
  • Newsletter
  • News
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Video Games
      • Previews
      • PC
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X/S
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Xbox One
      • PS4
      • Tabletop
    • Film
    • TV
    • Anime
    • Comics
      • BOOM! Studios
      • Dark Horse Comics
      • DC Comics
      • IDW Publishing
      • Image Comics
      • Indie Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • Oni-Lion Forge
      • Valiant Comics
      • Vault Comics
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Event Coverage
    • BWT Recommends
    • RSS Feeds
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Support Us
But Why Tho?
RSS Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube
Trending:
  • Features
    Marvel's Spider-Man Secret Lair promotional image

    Get a Look At the Secret Lair x Marvel’s Spider-Man Superdrop

    09/08/2025
    Starseeker: Astroneer Expeditions gameplay still

    Starseeker: Astroneer Expeditions Is All About Adventure (with Friends)

    09/08/2025
    Chord in Persona 5 The Phantom X

    Now Is The Perfect Time To Jump Back In ‘Persona 5: The Phantom X’

    09/05/2025
    Cosmic Spider-Man card details

    [EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW] The Spider-Man Set Gets A 5-Color Legendary Spider

    09/02/2025
    Lee Corso from College Football GameDay in EA Sports games

    EA Sports Always Understood Lee Corso’s Legacy

    09/01/2025
  • Indie Games
  • K-Dramas
  • Netflix
  • Apple TV+
But Why Tho?
Home » Anime » REVIEW: ‘My Hero Academia: Vigilantes’ Episode 4 – “Top Runner “

REVIEW: ‘My Hero Academia: Vigilantes’ Episode 4 – “Top Runner “

Allyson JohnsonBy Allyson Johnson04/29/20254 Mins ReadUpdated:05/07/2025
My Hero Academia Vigilantes Episode 4 But Why Tho
Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

Slight but charming, My Hero Academia Vigilantes Episode 4 opens the world beyond the three characters we’ve met. “Top Runner” also gives us a look at a character who existed on the margins of the original series, allowing his personality to shine and work against the likes of Koichi (Shuichiro Umeda). It might not be the most exciting installment, but it remains endlessly winsome as it reestablishes a world we thought we knew.

My Hero Academia Vigilantes Episode 4 is split between the perspectives of Koichi, Knuckleduster (Yasuhiro Mamiya), Pop Step (Ikumi Hasegawa), and the pro-hero Tensei Iida (Masamichi Kitada), aka Ingenium. He’s the older brother to My Hero Academia’s Tenya Iida, one of Midoriya’s closest (and first) friends who takes up his brother’s mantle once Tensei is critically wounded by the villain Stain. Because of this, there’s a bittersweet element in watching the original Ingenium thrive as a hero and an early guiding light to Koichi as he embarks on his version of a hero story.

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

The scenes between the two are light on their feet and fun as they become unlikely jogging buddies. Tensei offers Koichi advice on improving his quirk and mobility while using it before giving him his business card. It’s another one of those moments in Vigilantes that puts all of My Hero Academia and Midoriya’s journey into perspective. What would’ve happened had Midoriya stumbled into someone like Knuckleduster, like Tensei, and had been given another example on the paths available to becoming a hero?

Ingenium is given the hero spotlight in his fight against the Bat Villain.

The Bat Villian runs from the hero Ingenium

The scenes also allow Tensei’s personality to flourish. His older brother status is well affirmed in his guidance, along with his commitment to teamwork at his hero agency, Team Idaten. While he isn’t a main character, he works well in tandem with the story Vigilantes is telling. Here’s another ground-level hero who stumbles when facing villains who are fearless and take to the sky.

The sequences with Team Idaten pursuing the Bat Villain are expertly done and demonstrate the refinement of the series’ style. Director and storyboard artist Tsumiki Wada captures the relentless speed of the villain, managing to depict the difference in his running style versus Tensei’s. They’re both known for their speed, yet the Bat Villain races without fear, inhabiting him and the art direction depicts it seamlessly. The series’ penchant for crisp, stark lines and hard angles, eschewing the original series’ softer corners, works wonders in the sequence. It chases that comic panel energy.

These highway chases make for a striking contrast to the slower, character-driven moments between Koichi and his ragtag team. Following Episode 3, Knuckleduster is dealing with something, and both Koichi and Pop have picked up on it. My Hero Academia Vigilantes Episode 4 emphasizes their continued growth as a team both in and out of battle, but it’s the scenes of them relaxed and training that truly highlight how close they’ve all gotten in such a short period.

Koichi, Knuckleduster, and Pop Step continue to grow as a team.

Knuckleduster post fight in My Hero Academia Vigilantes Episode 4

While Koichi still lacks the necessary vibrancy to make a standout protagonist, he works as a barometer for Knuckleduster and Pop, who operate in extremes. He understands that even if Knuckleduster is rough during training, he’s still pulling his punches. If he weren’t, Koichi would be dead.

Knuckleduster gets to cut loose when he goes up against another Trigger-enhanced monster, thrilled and adrenaline-seeking as he goes toe to toe with a figure so powerful and much bigger than he is. It’s another action-packed sequence that leans into its evident comic book influences while showcasing Knuckledusters’ immense, potentially untapped power. Due to how often he’s used as comedic relief, it’s easy to forget his imposing strength and skill. Emphasis on the skill. Because he doesn’t just come out swinging, hoping to connect – he’s analyzing the whole time.

The greater, overarching plot boils as Queen Bee continues her recruitment in the background. The team has found some equilibrium, earning even Tensei’s approval for their vigilantism, and being able to achieve something that pro-heroes were not. Even as the team settles and finds their groove in working together, it still feels like we’re in the stage setting portion of the story as things slowly accelerate.

My Hero Academia Vigilantes Episode 4 lacks considerable depth but is fun regardless. Introducing familiar yet unexplored characters lets “Top Runner” thrive even in the slower, in-between moments. What it lacks in attachment, it makes up for with style and graceful direction that secures us in this world and makes us care, even if the characters have room for growth.

My Hero Academia Vigilantes Episode 4 is out now on Crunchyroll. 

Previous Episode | Next Episode
My Hero Academia Vigilantes Episode 4
  • 7/10
    Rating - 7/10
7/10

TL;DR

My Hero Academia Vigilantes Episode 4 lacks considerable depth but is fun regardless. The introduction of familiar yet unexplored characters let “Top Runner” thrive even in the slower, in-between moments.

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
Previous ArticleREVIEW: ‘Thunderbolts*’ Fosters A Half-Hearted Identity
Next Article Steel Hunters Early Access Delivers Its First New Season
Allyson Johnson

Allyson Johnson is co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of InBetweenDrafts. Former Editor-in-Chief at TheYoungFolks, she is a member of the Boston Society of Film Critics and the Boston Online Film Critics Association. Her writing has also appeared at CambridgeDay, ThePlaylist, Pajiba, VagueVisages, RogerEbert, TheBostonGlobe, Inverse, Bustle, her Substack, and every scrap of paper within her reach.

Related Posts

DanDaDan Season 2 Episode 11
8.5

REVIEW: ‘DanDaDan’ Season 2 Episode 11 – “Hey, It’s a Kaiju”

09/11/2025
Sakamoto Days Episode 20
6.5

REVIEW: ‘Sakamoto Days’ Episode 20 — “Mutual Fans”

09/08/2025
Tougen Anki Episode 9 still from Netflix
4.0

REVIEW: ‘Tougen Anki’ Episode 9 — “Momotaro Spirit”

09/06/2025
My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 Episode 10 promotional image from Crunchyroll
10.0

REVIEW: ‘My Dress-Up Darling’ Season 2 Episode 10 — “So We’re Gonna Do It All Right Now?”

09/06/2025
Arknights Rise From Ember Rosmontis

REVIEW: ‘Arknights: Rise From Ember’ Is Phenomenal But Drags On Too Long

09/06/2025
The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity Episode 1
7.5

REVIEW: ‘The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity’ Episode 1 – “Rintaro and Kaoruko”

09/05/2025

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here
TRENDING POSTS
The Long Walk (2025) film review promotional image
9.5
Film

REVIEW: ‘The Long Walk’ Is The Most Heartfelt And Heartbreaking Stephen King Adaptation

By Kate Sánchez09/11/2025Updated:09/11/2025

The Long Walk is a brutal watch. Equally heartfelt and heartbreaking, it’s one of the best adaptations of Stephen King’s work.

Black Women Anime — But Why Tho (9) BWT Recommends

10 Black Women in Anime That Made Me Feel Seen

By LaNeysha Campbell11/11/2023Updated:12/03/2024

Black women are some of anime’s most iconic characters, and that has a big impact on Black anime fans. Here are some of our favorites.

EA Sports FC Icons Match promotional image from Nexon News

2025 Icons Match Returns With Football Legends Bridging The Pitch And Video Games

By Kate Sánchez09/03/2025Updated:09/03/2025

NEXON has announced the return of the ‘2025 Icons Match,’ a live event that brings a full roster of legendary players to the pitch.

Gojo Jujutsu Kaisen - But Why Tho (2) Features

Everything To Know About Satoru Gojo

By Kate Sánchez09/07/2023Updated:02/16/2025

Satoru Gojo is the heart of Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 — now, heading into Cour 2, here is everything you need to know about the character.

But Why Tho?
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest RSS YouTube Twitch
  • CONTACT US
  • ABOUT US
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Review Score Guide
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small contribution.
Written Content is Copyright © 2025 But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

But Why Tho Logo

Support Us!

We're able to keep making content thanks to readers like YOU!
Support independent media today with
Click Here