The story of My Hero Academia: Vigilantes has introduced fans to the Quirkless vigilante Knuckleduster, who is like an off-beat Batman who beats up villains with stealth and martial arts. The funny part is that even if Koichi Haimawari is the anime’s protagonist, he ended up being Knuckleduster’s unofficial sidekick and apprentice. After all, Knuckleduster has the experience and skill to teach Koichi how to fight, and it doesn’t have to end there.
For now, Knuckleduster only works alongside fellow vigilantes and is wary of pro heroes, but if circumstances allowed it, he could take on some student heroes as his sidekicks. A few of Class 1-A’s students are too strong or too proud to bother, such as Shoto Todoroki and Katsuki Bakugo, but many other students would accept that offer. They could learn martial arts from Knuckleduster, support him with their Quirks, and get a few ideas on how to use stealth and advanced tactics to get the edge on instant villains using Ideo Trigger.
10 Tsuyu Asui Could Catch Fleeing Villains For Knuckleduster
Her Fighting Style & Even-Keeled Temper Complement Knuckleduster Perfect
Given Tsuyu Asui’s habit of following the rules and setting a good example for being responsible, she would be reluctant to team up with any vigilante in her world. However, if she had to, or if a pro hero gave her permission, Tsuyu would team up with Knuckleduster and prove herself a fine sidekick.
For one thing, Tsuyu could smooth things over with civilians and the police if things ever get messy during work. On a more practical level, Tsuyu could learn some new martial arts moves from Knuckleduster, since she is one of many Class 1-A students who rely on melee attacks. Tsuyu is no powerhouse, but Knuckleduster could still show her a few moves suitable for her strength and agility. Also, with her long tongue and good swimming, Tsuyu would be the right sidekick to catch any criminals who try to flee Knuckleduster’s wrath.
9 Tenya Iida Would Benefit From Knuckleduster's Martial Arts Lessons
Tenya Could Use a Boost to His Combat Abilities
My Hero Academia: Vigilantes viewers have now met Tenya’s brother, the runner hero Tensei Iida, and either of them would make a great sidekick for Knuckleduster. The Iida brothers are all about speed and martial arts, not to mention sharp teamwork, which would make them highly compatible with Knuckleduster’s strategy. On a personal level, Tensei is the more likely of the brothers to willingly fight alongside a vigilante.
That said, if Tenya Iida were swayed to fight side by side with a vigilante, then he could get a lot of work done. With his incredible speed, Tenya could handily capture any villains or criminals who tried to escape. Tenya would also enjoy training to learn new kicks from Knuckleduster, who no doubt knows a few good moves. True to his vigilante name, Knuckleduster favors punches, but it’s likely a longtime veteran like him knows some good kicks as well.
8 Ochaco Uraraka Is Always Open to Learning Close-Quarters Combat
Ochaco's Creativity Would Thrive Under Knuckleduster
Not long after her loss in the UA sports festival, Ochaco Uraraka realized she needed to fill an important gap in her fighting style: close-quarters combat. Ochaco’s Quirk only works with direct touch via her fingertips, so she must always get close to any target, and that means fighting with her hands. Ochaco ended up training with Gunhead the hero, but Knuckleduster is a solid option, too. Ochaco would find Knuckleduster more intimidating than Gunhead, but if Knuckleduster took the edge off his rough attitude, then Ochaco would agree to undergo training as his sidekick.
Under Knucklehead’s watchful eye, Ochaco would learn how to handle any villain up close and never let them touch her. As for her Quirk, Ochaco could make Knuckleduster weightless to help him reach villains who flee upwards. Or, Ochaco could make a villain weightless, only for Knuckleduster to tie them to something and leave them there like a living balloon. that way, even if villains slipped out of the ropes, they still couldn’t escape.
7 Mashirao Ojiro Urgently Needs a Martial Arts Mentor to Get Ahead
Class 1-A's Most Neglected Character Could Finally Thrive
Mashirao Ojiro is one of a few students in Class 1-A who almost never steals the spotlight, along with Koji Koda and Mezo Shoji. Those students have mediocre Quirks that are rarely taken to the next level, but with the right coach, all that could change. Among those background characters, Mashirao would get the most out of spending time with Knuckleduster the vigilante.
Like many Class 1-A students, Mashirao is all about melee combat, using martial arts and his powerful tail to strike his foes in close quarters encounters. As far as My Hero Academia fans have seen, Mashirao never had a proper coach to boost his skills, but he could change that as Knuckleduster’s sidekick. It also helps that Knuckleduster often operates in dense urban settings where Mashirao can swing around with his tail, gripping railings and ledges as he goes.
6 Eijiro Kirishima Would Look Up to a Manly Role Model Like Knuckleduster
Crimson Riot & Knuckleduster Aren't So Different
Eijiro Kirishima looked up to the pro hero Crimson Riot for inspiration, amazed by that hero’s many auras and courageous fighting style as a melee warrior. However, Eijiro had a tough time living up to that example, since he had so few mentors to enhance his fighting style. Eijiro did up his game when he fought alongside Fat Gum, but that was mostly just empowerment, not proper coaching.
Eijiro now needs a mentor like Knuckleduster to demonstrate the use of advanced martial arts, and Eijiro wouldn’t say no to that. Until the day comes when Crimson Riot himself offers Eijiro a spot as his sidekick, Eijiro could make do with Knuckleduster. It helps how Knuckleduster’s punch-oriented fighting style works well with Eijiro’s Hardening, making steely knuckles to match that vigilante’s own brass knuckles.
5 Rikido Sato Will Up His Game if He Fights Alongside Knuckleduster
Sugar Rush Could Rule the Streets of Japan
Rikido Sato is yet another Class 1-A student who doesn’t generally stand out when it’s time to fight or train. Rikido has an iffy track record in that regard, having failed miserably when training alongside Eijiro against Cementoss, and he didn’t make it very far in the UA sports festival, either. More than a Quirk awakening, Rikido needs a coach to refine his technique and sharpen his abilities.
Knuckleduster is a strong option if Rikido can’t turn to melee-oriented pro heroes like Tensei or Mirko. Rikido already has the sugar and power needed to fight, but he lacks the technique, so Knuckleduster will show him while they fight crime together. Their styles might have some redundancy, but against many villains, that’s not a problem. As a charming bonus, Rikido’s many baked desserts would delight Pop Step if she were around, too.
4 Hanta Sero's Abilities Will Control the Battlefield For Knuckleduster
Knuckleduster & Hanta Match Each Other's Skillsets Perfectly
Hanta Sero is a solid example of a support-only hero, since he has minimal martial arts skills and can’t easily use his Tape Quirk at point-blank range. Unlike some of Class 1-A’s second-rate students, Hanta wouldn’t train to become a martial arts expert under Knuckleduster’s tutelage. Still, he would at least learn some basics, such as training to avoid villain attacks.
Above all, Hanta would make a great sidekick for Knuckleduster because his Quirk is a simple but effective way to provide support. One method is for Hanta to use Tape to restrain oversized, Trigger-fueled villains to give Knuckleduster the edge. Or, Hanta could use Tape to grab Knuckleduster and quickly pull him out of extreme danger. Aside from that, Hanta could use Tape to create webs, thus blocking any criminal squad’s escape route, leaving them at Knuckleduster’s mercy.
3 Toru Has Perfect Stealth During Both Daytime and Nighttime
Invisibility Is an Incredible Gift for a Vigilante
Toru Hagakure makes use of both stealth and martial arts to fight, which actually makes her rather compatible with Knuckleduster the vigilante. Her personality may clash with Knuckleduster’s own, but if they found a way to get along, Toru would do well as his sidekick. To begin with, she could train with that vigilante to enhance her martial arts skills with her unseen punches.
During nightly missions, Knuckleduster makes use of tracking, stealth, and ambush to take on powerful villains with strong Quirks, and Toru would do her part, too. As an invisible fighter, Toru is never noticed until it’s too late, so she could handily ambush villains at night and restrain them. If anyone tries to escape Knuckleduster’s wrath in an alley, Toru will be there to tackle them to the ground.
2 Deku Needs Martial Arts Lessons From a Variety of Sources
The Mature Influence of Knuckleduster Could Be Good for Midoriya
In terms of power levels, Deku would be the hero while Knuckleduster would be his sidekick, but there is more to being a hero than sheer power. Deku struggles to control his Quirk throughout My Hero Academia may have the plot armor that is One For All, but in many cases, he can’t even make full use of it. That was especially true earlier in My Hero Academia, when Deku couldn’t use One For All’s full power without breaking his arms.
It’s possible that Knuckleduster could have done what Gran Torino did: teach Deku to spread One For All’s power more evenly across his body. It’s true Gran Torino has more experience with One For All’s usage, but a practical, melee-oriented vigilante like Knuckleduster might think of it, too. Also, Knuckleduster would teach Deku a few tricks to track and ambush villains, since One For All’s smashes mean little if the villains escape first.
1 Mineta Minoru Can Restrain and Capture Villains With Ease
Mineta's Strange Quirk Could Find a Home as a Vigilante
Class 1-A’s Minoru Mineta would do well as Knuckleduster’s sidekick for the same reasons as his classmate Hanta. Both of them have Quirks that create solid and sticky materials, which is ideal for capturing villains and criminals in the act. While Hanta makes tape, Minoru can throw his Quirk’s spheres everywhere, and villains won’t realize the problem until it’s too late. Villains would end up stuck to the walls or ground, which would make capture almost too easy.
Knuckleduster would think of all kinds of ways to use the Pop Off spheres to capture criminals, and he would even use them for mobility. Minoru can leap off the spheres to boost his speed, and if he made the right kind of boots for Knuckleduster, that vigilante could jump on them, too. Even if it would look a bit silly, Knuckleduster would enjoy the enhanced mobility of jump-running across the Pop Off spheres to cover a lot of distance quickly.
