Mom Descends! is the ninth episode of the My Hero Academia: Vigilantes anime.
Summary#
Makoto arrives at Koichi's Penthouse pretending to be his girlfriend so he can impress his mom. Koichi thanks her for helping him out with the farce and Makoto replies that she will ask him for a favor in return. Shoko seems charmed by how lovely and beautiful Makoto is, but then starts slapping her son from a distance with her Fly Swatter Quirk, as she saw through the deception immediately, claiming that Makoto is way out of his league.
After scolding him harshly for lying to her, Shoko declares that she can no longer believe anything he has told her about school and anything else, and that it would be best to take him back home, which terrifies Koichi.
Caught in the lie, Makoto reassures her that Koichi is doing well in college, since she helps him in his studies, and does not rule out the possibility of dating him in the future, teasing the boy. Shoko tells her that she doesn't like people making empty promises, yet she acknowledges that she is charming and well-spoken, so she loves the idea of her marrying into their family. Makoto assures her she will consider it.
Then Pop comes into the house, dressed differently, totally flustered and blushing. She tries to introduce herself but seeing Makoto and Koichi's mother already there, she becomes embarrassed and tries to leave. Koichi stops her and asks her to stay because he wants to play up his popularity with his mom. Pop reproaches how that side of him is what got him into this situation, but she still agrees to his request.
Koichi is about to introduce her to his mother and Makoto as Pop☆Step when she nudges him hard in the stomach and reveals that her name is Kazuho Haneyama. Koichi whispers to her that knowing her real name is a nice surprise, and she asks him to just roll with it. Knowing that he can't reveal that they are both Vigilantes, Koichi awkwardly introduces her to his guests. Makoto and Shoko are curious about what kind of relationship they have.
Koichi is unable to give a good argument about that when Knuckleduster begins to enter the Penthouse. Both Koichi and Kazuho freak out, fearing the reaction Shoko and Makoto might have upon seeing the violent vigilante. To their surprise however, Knuckleduster is unusually well dressed, leaving both confused, and with Makoto and Shoko exclaiming how handsome he is.
Koichi introduces him to his mother and classmate, and he politely introduces himself to Shoko as Takeshi Kuroiwa, giving her a business card; Koichi is surprised that his master actually has a real name. Makoto also asks for a business card, and seeing that he is a worker for a local non-profit organization, she asks Kuroiwa what sort of work they do.
He says they provide support in areas like Naruhata, where it's difficult for local government or neighborhood associations to do their work. They get help from volunteers like Koichi and Kazuho, and perform tasks like community cleanup and neighborhood patrol to keep the streets safe. Both Koichi and Kazuho realize that he is metaphorically telling the truth about what they actually do.
Shoko points out that it is typical of her son to do those kind of things even without being asked. Kuroiwa says his enthusiasm is a big help, and so they often use his place as a meeting ground for the group. He also references being able to use the space on the rooftop to teach Koichi some basic self-defense techniques.
Makoto notices Kuroiwa's strong built body, while groping him a little because he's so muscled; Koichi wonders if she is into muscles while Kazuho finds it gross. Makoto then speculates about what job he had previously, whether he was a police officer, served in the military, or even he was a Hero.
The mention of Heroes upsets Koichi's mother, telling Makoto to stick to normal people. She expresses her disapproval of how Heroes get used until their lives fall apart, citing their neglect of their family.
She mentions how Koichi wanted to be a hero so much, that he used to go around imitating Heroes like All Might, and getting into trouble for it. She also scorned him for falling into a river and failing his entrance exam. Thus, she views him as unreliable and unsafe.
This causes Kazuho to stand up for him, but quickly shuts up and blushes in the faces of everybody's curiosity of her opinion. Shoko shouts, telling her to speak her mind, causing Kazuho to run away. Shoko feels bad for scaring her, and Koichi points out her intimidating behavior. Shoko swats Koichi and orders him to go after her, while Makoto advises him that he should compliment Kazuho, since she put a lot of effort into her appearance.
At the stairs of the building, Kazuho almost falls and Koichi catches her in time. He tries to follow Makoto's advice and tells her that she looks very casual, leaving Kazuho stunned by his choice of words. She gets mad at Koichi and slaps him, leaving the place, while Koichi claims it was meant to be a compliment.
The next day, Koichi accompanies his mother and Makoto to go sightseeing in Tokyo, visiting certain tourist spots and taking photos. Shoko enjoys touring and Koichi, completely calm, is happy about it. Makoto wonders why he looks so detached. Koichi replies he is following an advice from his father: keep his mind calm and wait until the storm to pass.
He sees that one of the stores sells exclusive Asakusa Thunder Gate All Might Hoodies, but his mother berates him for wanting to waste money on those things. Koichi claims he's just looking, but as they are about to leave to catch their tour bus ride, he secretly buys a hoodie.
Once on the bus, Shoko thanks Makoto for accompanying her and comments that she would love to swap Koichi with her so she can be her daughter; Koichi becomes depressed upon hearing the conversation. While that is happening, without anyone noticing, a stray cat jumps on top of the tour bus and gets stung with Trigger by one of Kuin's bees. All this is being observed with cruel satisfaction by Kuin, who is in a cafe, and claims it's time for a surprise tour.
The drug takes effect and enhances the feline's Monster Cat Quirk, allowing it to merge with the vehicle, causing it to morph into a cat bus and speed up out of control, with the bus driver unable to do anything about it, endangering not only the passengers, but also pedestrians and other drivers.
From his vantage point on the top of a building, Knuckleduster spots the runaway bus through his binoculars, but upon realizing that the ruckus is caused by a cat, he decides to let the Pro Heroes handle it, since he can't get information about the Trigger from it anyway. However, once he notices Koichi, Shoko, and Makoto are inside of the bus, he decides to intervene to save them and phones Kazuho for assistance.
After going to a secluded corner to answer the call, she protests about calling her at such an odd hour, but her complaints are silenced when Knuckleduster explains the situation to her. He asks Kazuho to bring packing tape and a duster with her. She quickly suits up as Pop☆Step and goes to where Knuckleduster is, wondering how Koichi can have such bad luck. She gives Knuckleduster the items he asked for, asking what they are for as he takes a flagpole from a nearby business.
On the bus, everyone is panicking as Monster Cat continues driving at full speed. Ingenium then arrives on the scene, ripping off the bus door to get inside and evaluates the situation; he spots Koichi and the two pretend to not know each other. The driver informs Ingenium he cannot use the brake or steer the vehicle, which worries the Pro Hero because it's charging into the shopping district and could cause a tragedy.
Suddenly, the Monster Cat sees something that catches its attention and makes it deviate from his route. Koichi notices Knuckleduster, alongside Pop☆Step, in front of the vehicle, as he had used the tools to make a big cat toy in order to catch the Monster Cat's attention and lure the vehicle away from traffic.
He manages to get Monster Cat onto the expressway. However, the danger isn't over yet, as Ingenium is informed by his teammates the road is still damaged from the Kaiju Villain's rampage several days ago, and there's a destroyed overpass further ahead, so they have a five-minute time limit to rescue all the passengers before the cat bus falls off the break.
A truck from Team Idaten manages to catch up with the runaway bus, and Enigma, one of Ingenium's Sidekicks, uses her Gigantification Quirk to grab the passengers and carefully put them into the other vehicle. One by one, the passengers are saved until the last ones left to be rescued are the bus driver, the tour guide, and Makoto.
Unfortunately, everything is being monitored by Kuin, who is not willing to let it end in such a boring way, so she increases the Trigger dosage on Monster Cat, making it enraged again, increasing its speed and causing it to attack the truck, disabling the team rescue vehicle. This also causes the bus driver and tour guide to fall out the runaway catbus, forcing Ingenium to jump out to save them, but leaving Makoto alone as the only person still on board.
Ingenium immediately goes after the Monster Cat, but unfortunately he is running out of fuel and his speed is beginning to slow down. He lets his team know but they don't have anyone fast enough to reach him to give him grapefruit juice, So they start asking if there is someone with a mobility-type Quirk.
Knowing that Makoto is in danger, Koichi suits up with his new hoodie, and volunteers to help deliver fuel to Ingenium as The Crawler. His mother tries to stop him from taking risky action with a series of smacks, but he tells her off that it's not the time for that, showing her his determination, as he speeds off after Ingenium. Once Koichi leaves, Pop and Knuckleduster arrive on the scene in their civilian outfits to provide assistance.
Koichi catches up to Ingenium and gives him the juice, who is surprised to see him as his backup. Seeing no other option, Ingenium agrees to team up with The Crawler as long as he plays it safe and avoids any reckless actions, to which he agrees. The two approach Monster Cat from behind, who tries to whip them with its tails. They both manage to dodge the attack, and Ingenium asks his teammate to be bait.
The Crawler zips to the front of the bus to distract it from Ingenium to allow him to rescue Makoto, who is surprised to see "The Cruller" there. However, the cat gets excited by the dangly All Might replica hair on The Crawler's hoodie and tries to jump at him. This causes Ingenium to uses his Ultimate Move, Recipro Burst to kick the cat bus, saving Koichi.
Now the bus is moving even faster, with Makoto still inside, and due to his attack, his Engine is close to overheat. What is worse, he is informed by his teammates that there are only a few meters left to reach the destroyed overpass. Ingenium begins to think about using his last resort, but fears that if he messes up, he will be totally out of action.
Without thinking, The Crawler starts to accelerate to catch the bus, with the speed accidentally unmasking him, manages to get onto the vehicle to save Makoto declaring he is here; Makoto is shocked to see Koichi is truly "The Cruller". Before they can get to safety, the bus begins to free fall from the expressway.
Refusing to give up on the rescue, Ingenium uses his Ultimate Move, Rocket Charge, going into hyper acceleration and leaps off of the edge of the freeway, yelling at The Crawler to jump off the bus as he tries to catch him in midair. With Makoto on his back, Koichi glides up the bus, rocketing up to Ingenium. Unfortunately, despite doing his best to catch the Hero, Koichi barely misses his hand, and he and Makoto begin to plummet towards the ground.
Koichi refuses to fail, and holding Makoto in his arms, by sheer force of willpower, he suddenly activates a new power of his Slide and Glide Quirk, allowing him to repel himself off of thin air trough only his feet and temporarily fly to stop Makoto and himself from falling to their deaths.
Koichi manages to reach Ingenium, who holds Makoto as both Quirk users are able to land on the other side of the broken overpass, and although Koichi has a rough landing, everyone is ok. With the bus crashing down below, Kuin sneakily retrieves the cat, now back at its original form, and walks away without anyone noticing her.
Meanwhile, Shoko tells Kuroiwa that when her son was still a baby who didn't even know how to walk yet, he used to float away by releasing energy from under his feet. Fearing that he would have an accident, Shoko used to swat baby Koichi down to ensure he didn't fly out the window. All of the swatting had caused Koichi to forget the true capabilities of his Quirk. Kuroiwa responds wisely that children always fly off eventually and all they could do is teach them how to fall.
Back at the Penthouse, Shoko tells everyone that she is going back home. Koichi tries to look like he doesn't mind her staying longer, earning another smack form his mother for being insincere about wanting her to stay. She asks Kazuho and Kuroiwa to look after her son and feel free to hit him whenever he steps out of line, to which Kuroiwa fully agrees.
Shoko also whispers to Makoto if she would be willing to have a more serious relationship with her son. A little embarrassed by her mother, Koichi asks her to stop. However, with a blush in her face, Makoto assures she will keep an open mind about dating Koichi, much to Kazuho's horror.
The next day, Koichi practices his newfound ability with Pop measuring how high Koichi can float, in which he's able to do 30cm with extreme effort. She informs him that if he continues training he might be able to reach 50, in which he could hop over low obstacles.
Koichi is disappointed with the results because when he saved Makoto, he was actually zooming through the air. Pop thinks it was all in his imagination, but Koichi assures her he did it, which it seems he cannot replicate again. Thinking about his new hoodie, Koichi believes it was a one-time miracle brought about by the power of the Asakusa; Pop replies that doesn't make any sense.
Characters in Order of Appearance#
Makoto Tsukauchi Shoko Haimawari Koichi Haimawari Kazuho Haneyama Takeshi Kuroiwa/Knuckleduster All Might (Pictured) Monster Cat Kuin Hachisuka Ingenium Kaiju Villain Enigma Onemu Shinya
Quirks#
Locations#
- Greater Tokyo Area
- Naruhata
- Koichi's Penthouse
Battles & Events#
Anime & Manga Differences#
- In the anime, Shoko says that Heroes "leave their families to help strangers", referencing the words said by Kotaro Shimura. She does not say this in the manga, instead saying that Heroes "let themselves get used until their lives fall apart".
- The anime omits Koichi returning to his Penthouse after Kazuho leaves, where his mother tells him that she decided to go sightseeing in Tokyo with Makoto.
- In the anime, the Might Tower doesn't appear among the landmarks visited by Koichi, Shoko, and Makoto. Instead, the Tokyo Sky Egg appears, introducing it earlier than in the manga.
- Koichi doesn't recognize Enigma when he sees her with Team Idaten, as their first encounter wasn't adapted into the anime. Likewise, Ingenium never states that she is a new member of his team.
- During the rescue operation, the anime skips several moments, like Ingenium escorting some passengers out; Koichi, Makoto, and Shoko feeling good about the save; and Makoto allowing Shoko to be rescued before her.
- In the anime, after the Monster Cat attacks Team Idaten's truck, Enigma is left out of commission, while in the manga she appears more times in her human form.
- The anime adds a scene of Ingenium being forced to save the bus driver and the tourist guide when the Monster Cat attacks, leaving Makoto on the bus. In the manga, this doesn't happen, and it's not explained why he left Makoto behind.
- In the anime, Shoko doesn't start to faint when Koichi goes after Ingenium.
- The anime doesn't show the members of Team Idaten being surprised by Koichi's speed and abilities when he helps Tensei.
- The anime adds a scene of Ingenium imagining the death of Makoto if he isn't able to save her in time.
Trivia#
- When Kuin checks her bee's actions through her mobile phone, the screen reveals that the bee has the codename "Hutch The Solitary Bee", a reference to the classic anime The Adventures of Hutch the Honeybee.
- When Knuckleduster spots the runaway catbus, he is sitting on top of a Shonen Jump+ sign, referencing the digital magazine in which My Hero Academia: Vigilantes was published.