Is Pop Step in love with Koichi in My Hero Academia: Vigilantes? Explained

Thanks to the ongoing anime adaptation, underrated characters like Koichi Haimawari and Kazuho Haneyama, better known as Pop Step from My Hero Academia: Vigilantes are finally getting the attention they deserve.

For those unaware, the world of My Hero Academia: Vigilantes focuses on the gritty, street-level scenarios involving a trio of vigilantes - Koichi, Pop Step, and Knuckleduster - who operate outside the official Pro Hero system. However, apart from the flashy Quirk battles, fans have started noticing a romantic subplot developing between Koichi and Pop Step.

To answer the titular question - yes, Pop Step is indeed in love with Koichi. In fact, she's had feelings for him for a long time - ever since he saved her when they were kids. That being said, let's take a closer look at their relationship in My Hero Academia: Vigilantes.

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Pop and Koichi's relationship, explained

Kazuho and Koichi officially met in My Hero Academia: Vigilantes when the latter gave her a heads-up about the police approaching her for illegal street performances.

The two became friends after Koichi saved her from some thugs one night, following which they joined forces with Knuckleduster to fight minor crimes in their neighborhood.

Although Kazuho didn't get involved in Vigilante missions as actively as Koichi, she supported him in many other ways like performing recon, giving him strategic advice, and using her platform as Pop Step to indirectly help him in his missions.

The two used to argue quite frequently, especially about Koichi risking his life on a daily basis. Despite that, there was always an unshakeable and mutual trust between them.

A still from the My Hero Academia: Vigilantes anime (image via Studio Bones)

It was eventually revealed later on that Koichi and Kazuho had actually met before as kids. One day, Kazuho fell into a river and couldn't swim, even though the water was shallow.

Fortunately, Koichi was nearby. He jumped in to save her without hesitation, following which he handed her his jacket and promptly ran off because he was late.

While Koichi didn't seem to remember this incident, for Kazuho, it was a cherished memory. For all those years, she held on to his jacket, which shows just how much that encounter meant to her. It's also clear that encounter planted the seed of her admiration for him, which blossomed into something much deeper over the years.

As the series went on, Kazuho's feelings for Koichi became more obvious. She got jealous when other girls started showing interest in him. Also, she used to watch him from a distance before they officially met, and despite being frustrated with him for constantly risking his life, she was always there to support him.

The two shared several key moments in the series that showed just much they meant to each other, even though Koichi was completely oblivious to Kazuho's true feelings for him.

Things got a little rocky between them later on when Kazuho learned about Koichi's plans to retire from Vigilantism. To make things worse, she overheard Makoto confessing her feelings to Koichi, which made her feel left behind and insecure about her own feelings.

Fortunately, the two eventually patched things up after Koichi risked his life to rescue Kazuho when she was kidnapped by Number 6. It was during this arc that Koichi realized how deeply he valued Kazuho's presence in his life, and that he didn't want to lose her.

As for Kazuho, this arc revealed her deepest desire. She dreamt of continuing her vigilante life with Koichi for a few years until her graduation, following which she wanted to eventually get married, settle down, and have two kids with him.

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Do they have any other love interests in My Hero Academia: Vigilantes?

Koichi and Kazuho in My Hero Academia: Vigilantes anime (image via Studio Bones)

Quite frankly, neither Koichi nor Kazuho were hinted to have any meaningful love interests apart from each other in My Hero Academia: Vigilantes.

Koichi was practically blind to romantic cues - a trait common among most shonen protagonists. He was the kind of person you'd have to directly spell out your feelings to - and even then there was a decent chance that he still wouldn't catch on.

As for Kazuho, Koichi seemed to be the only person she had romantic feelings for. After all, she dreamt of a whole future with him. And even though it seemed like the story was gearing towards their relationship blossoming into something more, Hideyuki Furuhashi ultimately chose to leave their story open to interpretation.

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Final Thoughts

In conclusion, although Pop Step truly did love Koichi, her feelings mostly went unnoticed and unreturned by Koichi. It wasn't because he didn't care about her, but because he just didn't see her as a romantic partner.

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