My Hero Academia: Vigilantes has made it clear that it's not afraid of doing things that the main My Hero Academia series has shied away from. Now the spinoff series is taking things to the next level as it examines a topic that's truly worth looking into: hero worship.

It's painfully clear from the earliest moments of My Hero Academia that hero worship is a big deal in the series' universe. Characters like Deku and Bakugo look up to All Might to such an extent that the term "hero worship" is almost literal. Deku covers his room from floor to ceiling in All Might merchandise, and has a hard time separating the man from the legend even once he meets All Might. Koichi in Vigilantes is somewhat similar, wearing an All Might hoodie while out fighting crime, although he's not quite as obsessed as Deku is. Now, Vigilantes will be looking into hero worship.

My Hero Academia Introduces Captain Celebrity

The #1 Hero from the US Makes a Splash in Japan

Episode #8 of My Hero Academia: Vigilantes introduces Captain Celebrity, the top hero in the US at the time Vigilantes is set (he'd later be sured by Star and Stripe). Captain Celebrity is a very different sort of hero than those that fans have met in Japan; he's far more focused on, well, celebrity and publicity. After suffering some bad publicity in the US, Captain Celebrity decided to do some hero work in Japan, hoping to rebuild his reputation. However, that means he's far more focused on repairing his reputation than he is on actually doing hero work.

Despite this, though, he's still well-known as America's top hero, and people are always excited to see him, something which he basks in. Koichi is less than impressed and finds Captain Celebrity to be a bit of a glory hog who doesn't acknowledge the assistance that was given to him. Captain Celebrity shows off all the worst aspects of heroes-as-celebrities: he's arrogant and overly confident in his abilities, waiting to tackle villain incidents until his media team is ready to record him in action. It all suggests he values his fame over human lives.

That would seem to make Captain Celebrity a rather bad hero, but he apparently resolves incidents with enough of a success rate to remain the #1 American hero. He makes for a fantastic contrast with All Might, who uses his fame as a tool to help fight crime by creating a reputation as the "Symbol of Peace." The two couldn't be more different in their approach to heroics, yet both somehow rose to become the top heroes in their respective nations.

Hero Worship in My Hero Academia's Society

Heroes Are Still Just People, Too

Captain Celebrity's multitude of imperfections helps to act as a reminder that heroes are just people, with all the flaws that people are known to have. While it's easy to worship someone as pure as All Might, not every hero is that way; one doesn't even need to look to America to see that, as Endeavor's rise to #1 immediately proved that he wasn't as good of a subject to worship. But, while All Might may make a better target for worship, that doesn't change the fact that even All Might is, in the end, an ordinary human, albeit one with truly incredible strength.

In the manga, Captain Celebrity's character arc is one of the best in the series, and fans can't wait to see how his growth is translated to the screen. The lessons about hero worship aren't just for the general public; they apply to the heroes as well, who must never forget what their true purpose is. Seeing someone like Captain Celebrity learn this lesson is incredibly satisfying, and it will undoubtedly mark one of My Hero Academia: Vigilantes' best moments.