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The following article contains spoilers for My Hero Academia: Vigilantes.
My Hero Academia: Vigilantesis an amazing spin-off series which hat delves deeply into the lore ofMy Hero Academia. With the first season now airing, fans who haven’t read the manga have the opportunity to watch this series. Some even consider this spin-off to be better than the original series.
The latest episode, “Episode 7: Makoto/Truth,” introduced Makoto Tsukauchi, a new character who quickly won the hearts of many fans and is considered a potential romantic partner for Koichi Haimawari — meaning she is Pop Step’s rival in this regard. But who exactly is Makoto?
Who Is Makoto Tsukauchi in MHA Vigilantes?
Makoto Tsukauchi is introduced as a beautiful and intelligent university student who wants to help Koichi Haimawari with his upcoming exams. In exchange, she asks Koichi to assist her withher research on vigilantism, specifically the Naruhata Vigilantes. Koichi appears to be attracted to her, but his Vigilantes partners ask him to decline her proposal because it is risky. Nevertheless, he accepts it, which adds more tension to the story.
It’s important to note that Koichi is considered an outcast at the university due to a misunderstanding that occurred during his first semester. Thus, he is surprised to be approached by Makoto, who he probably sees as an attractive woman. This puts Makoto and Pop Step as rivals in love.
Makoto Tsukauchi’s “Dirty Secret”
Makoto Tsukauchi is actually theyounger sister of detective Naomasa Tsukauchi, a recurring supporting character inMy Hero Academia. InMHA: Vigilantes, Naomasa is investigating recent events related to Vigilantes — it is not clear whether Makoto intends to help him, but it seems likely. She seemsgenuinely interested in Vigilantesas a research topic.
However, Makoto has another dirty little secret:her Quirk, Polygraph, allows her to tell if someone is lying— but she must have direct physical contact with the target to activate it. She suspects that Koichi is one of the Vigilantes and asks him if he is “the Hauler” while shaking his hand. Surprisingly, Koichi denies it and passes the lie detector test, probably because she used the wrong name. Koichi considers himself to be the Crawler. Makoto later seems disappointed to learn that he is not “the Hauler.”
Pop Step Seems Jealous of Makoto
To help Koichi prepare for his exams, Makoto went to his house to study with him. However, Pop Step was at his house at the time. When she realized that Koichi was coming home with someone else, Pop Step hid so that Makoto wouldn’t notice her, but she listened to their conversation.
Although they didn’t have any compromising conversations,Pop Step quickly realized that Koichiwas impressed to be around a beautiful woman, which made her jealous of Makoto. Despite this bad start, Kazuho and Makoto will become closer in the story. Makoto will even help Pop Step advance in her career as an idol. However, it may take a few seasons before they end on good terms.
Who Will Win Koichi’s Heart?
Pop Step and Makoto are arguably Koichi Haimawari’s two most popular potential romantic partners. SincePop Step is a few years youngerthan Koichi and still in school, some fans prefer Makoto as his romantic partner — in fact, Koichi’s mother also considers Makoto the perfect daughter-in-law.
I’m still searching for what it is I can do, exactly. Besides… there’s one person who I wanted to hear these songs. The one who needed to hear it all… was me!
— Pop Step
Later, Makoto leaves for the US to study. When she returns to Japan, she confesses her feelings, catching Koichi off guard. However, she gives him time to think because she knows he may have feelings for Pop Step. Unfortunately,the series does not reveal if any of the girls have won Koichi’s heart.
My Hero Academia: Vigilantesisavailable to stream on Crunchyroll, subbed and dubbed in many languages.
