My Hero Academiahas given us many anime-inspired takes on classic superheroes. One of the reasons the show attained so much popularity in the West came down to its interesting spin on an established Western genre through the lens of another culture.The BoysAmazon series stood out by integrating celebrity elementsinto superheroes, giving them brands, talent agencies, etc. ButMy Herowasahead of the curvein this respect. Nevertheless,My Hero’s traditional story of good vs. evil is growing slightly stale after seven seasons, and a new character is finally switching things up.
The series loves to showcasealternate takes on Marvel and DC heroes. All-Might is comparable to Superman; he’s the undisputed strongest hero who stands for justice and symbolizes peace and prosperity in times of anguish; Deku mimics some of Spider-Man’s traits, Twice is inspired by Deadpool, etc. Despite being DC’s most popular superhero,My Hero Academiahas never given a properalternate take on Batman… until now.
Who Is Knuckleduster in ‘My Hero Academia: Vigilantes’?
My Hero Academia:Vigilantesis setfive years before the events of the main show, offering a more grounded take on superheroes, showcasing vigilantism in a way the original series never could. AmongVigilantes' grittiness and street-level heroismlies Knuckleduster (Jason Marnocha), the universe equivalent to characters like Batman or the Punisher. Knuckleduster’s relationship with the protagonist, Koichi (Zach Aguilar), contrasts with the central relationship in the original series, between Deku and All-Might.
All-Might took Deku under his wing as his mentor, bestowing his ultimate power on a quirk-less kid who could only dream of being like his childhood hero. Like Deku,Koichi idolizes All-Might, and while he isn’t quirkless, his ‘slide and glide’ quirk is relatively useless in a combat scenario. While suffering a beating at the hands of some street thugs, Knuckleduster steps in and beats them to a pulp. Despite Koichi’s utter reluctance, Knuckledusterforces his mentorship on him, giving Koichi no choice.
Knuckleduster Is a Unique Twist on Batman’s Most Popular Comic Book
Knuckleduster clearly takes afew visual cues from Batman regarding his outfit, but theyshare many similar traits. Much like Batman, Knuckleduster has a black-and-white view of justice, leaving little room for sympathy when it comes to cleaning criminals off the streets. Both heroes use fear to get inside their enemies' heads, whittling them down before physical engagement. Additionally, Batman and Knuckleduster have no superpowers whatsoever and tirelessly train themselves to hone their bodies into lethal weapons.I’m no Batman, but it’s inherentlyeasier to relate to a superherowhen they’re dealing with a situation similar to ours.Even though these vigilantes live in a heightened reality, theyadhere to a more realistic situationthrough their limited human strength and endurance.
Koichi is stuck with his seemingly harmless quirk, but Knuckleduster’s will and mentality are exactly what Koichi needs tomake the next step in his superhero career. Like Batman, Knuckleduster teaches us thatcircumstances never limit our capabilities; only our mentality can hold us back. From the outset, they share a lot of similarities, but it’s their differences that make things more interesting.
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Knuckleduster is definitely not your default, comic-accurate Batman. He’s much closer toFrank Miller’stake fromThe Dark Knight Returns. He’svolatile and ruthlessand does not care what feelings he inspires in others. The public fears him, and they have every right. But Knuckleduster is also a lot older, like Miller’s Dark Knight. He struggles with alcoholism andhas a few screws loose, making him that much more dangerous.Vigilanteshas only aired six episodes, but already we’ve seen the crazy lengths he’s willing to go to bring people to justice. In one scene, Knuckleduster is ready to beat up a seemingly innocent civilian just in case they might be hiding something.
Knuckleduster’s Methods Clash With Other Heroes, Just Like Batman
The comparison goes far beyond their personality traits and visual similarities. AsBatman fans will know, his limited human capabilities provide him a perspectiveno other major superhero has in his universe, and he holds heroes just as accountable as villains. Knuckleduster has a similar presence in theMy Herouniverse andpoints out some glaring flawsin the show and the wider world. Whenever we watch All-Might or Deku heroically save the day, it’s usually after an extremely dangerous villain has begun wreaking havoc on Tokyo and piling up a large number of bodies. Knuckleduster’s approach seems smaller-scale at first glance, but it’s arguably more important than the traditional approach. ThoughMy Hero Academiais reaching its final season, we’ve never really seen the series tackle agrounded level conflict consistently, but Knuckleduster fills that void, feeling closer to the early seasons where Deku fought the Hero-Killer: Stain.
During Episode 2, Knuckleduster clashes withMy Heroseries regular Eraser Head (Christopher Wehkamp) in a battle of ideologies. Eraser Head criticizes him for his “ask for forgiveness, not permission” mentality and cites his brutal methods as a reason why heroes need to work under an agency to be held accountable. However, Knuckleduster points out the problem with heroes being so dependent on third parties: they don’t see crime through their own eyes, only the outcomes of it. Heroes only step in to save the day oncesupervillains have become too bigto ignore. By focusing on street-level crime, Knuckleduster canprevent small-time criminals from growing into bigger problems, reducing casualties and city-wide destruction.
‘My Hero Academia’ Has Finally Found Its Dark Knight
His unsanctioned brutalityraisesquestions about whether his means justify the ends.Knuckleduster leaves his foes physically broken beyond repair, which warrants an investigation of whether this is truly justice. Batman echoes a similar sentiment. Real-world fans and fictional observers within the DC universe have long questionedthe Caped Crusader’s no-kill method. He draws the line at killing, but he’ll harm people to such a savage level that they could carry some physical impairment for the rest of their lives.
Nevertheless, Knuckleduster and Batman’s overarching philosophies are proven time and time again in their respective stories. We need to understand crime at a foundational, human level before we can hope to combat it effectively.Batman stories are often steered toward a slightly older audience. Similarly, Knuckleduster marks anessential step for the MHA universe, which has finally started maturing and reflecting the issues of real-life criminal justice systems.
New episodes ofMy Hero Academia: Vigilantespremiere every Monday on Crunchyroll, andMy Hero Academiareturns for its final season this October.
