This season on Vigilante has been relatively low-key, I think it’s fair to say. And that’s given that it’s already much less action-driven than the parent series. But as we approach the bell lap the pace is picking up big-time. All the subplots of the season are on a collision course at the Sky Egg, where Captain Celebrity’s farewell bash is taking place. With a crowd of 50,000 fans (there’s no place in the actual Skytree that could accommodate anywhere close to that, for the record), which makes it an irresistible target for the scarface villain and his operation.

It’s no stretch making big (well, medium) pharma the villain, I grant you. But Onomura Pharmaceuticals seems like a perfect big bad for a grittier version of HeroAca like Illegals. What do you know, the vigilantes’ work diaries prove useful to the “legit” authorities – who could have predicted? The ones doing the work too dingy and not glamorous enough for hero society are the ones on the front lines, dealing with the reality of the villain factory program. But now that Takeuchi-kun and team have traced things back to Onomura, it’s time for the marquee names to enter the fray.

Well, Fatgum and Kaniyashiki anyway. Most of the name heroes (though the biggest name is notably absent) are at the Sky Egg, part of the Dog and Pony show for CC. There’s a certain symbolism in that about what the hero organization is really about, I think. Kouichi has found himself generally feeling useless in the buildup to that, unable to offer any help to Kazuho in her prep work. He does spot Eraser – looking very uncomfortable – and Kaniyashiki as they’re doing their undercover work, but the only one’s he’s able to gossip about it with are the Hotta brothers (who Kouichi default turns to when he’s feeling left out).

The party starts out well enough, but things take a turn when Chris decides to call his wife and introduce her to his 50,000 friends. Thanks to the time gap she was asleep, and what’s worse, CC has shared a less than flattering post-natal photo of his family with the Sky Egg crowd. Awkward. As this is happening the cops and Fatgum/Eraser are raiding Onomura’s headquarters, and eventually they find the laboratory where the proto-nomus are being stored. Even with Eraser’s quirk this goes rather badly, and winds up with Scarface escaping and a flock of bombers headed towards the Sky Egg.

If Makoto has landed her big fish with the intent of giving the party a grand finale, this would be a good time for him to make his appearance. The first bomber gets Kouichi sucked out into the void, where it’s only through his evolved Slide and Glide that he’s able to cling onto the tower for dear life. As for Captain Celebrity, he’s left holding the egg after a series of explosions weaken the structure. This is a big ask even for him, especially with more bombers – under Scarface’s direction – lined up to take their shot and proving they’re not just one-trick ponies.