Vanguard Action Squad

Lore & Background

Despite their overwhelming power advantage, the squad's success was ultimately undermined by the unexpected intervention of U.A.'s Pro Heroes and the students' desperate resilience. While they successfully breached the camp and incapacitated top-tier Eraser Head Shota Aizawa during a brutal engagement, their primary goal of securing Midoriya was thwarted. The arrival of All Might, alongside other reinforcements, forced a chaotic retreat that left the League's plans in disarray. Though no hero fell permanently, the attack shattered the illusion of U.A.'s invincibility and revealed to the world the true depth of the villain threat.

In Their Own Story

The forest air grew heavy with the scent of ozone and burnt pine as the shadows lengthened. Tomura Shigaraki stood atop a gnarled oak, his hand twitching toward the ground where the students had gathered below. "They are here," he whispered, the sound barely audible over the wind. From the treeline, a chorus of warped laughter echoed as Twice's army erupted into existence, filling the clearing with thousands of identical grins. Dabi ignited blue flames that licked at the canopy, while Magne and Spinner prepared to charge. It was not an attack; it was a harvest. The students looked up, their faces pale against the rising inferno, realizing that the safety of the forest had been shattered by something far worse than any training simulation.

Reader's Guide

The Vanguard Action Squad served as the League of Villains' primary offensive arm during the mid-series conflict, designed to dismantle U.A. High School's reputation and capture specific targets. Their goal was singular: retrieve Izuku Midoriya to leverage his connection to All Might and One For All. The squad included a diverse roster of villains, each chosen for a tactical role ranging from crowd control and cloning to direct combat and stealth infiltration. This group represented the first time the League operated with such military precision, utilizing reconnaissance and coordinated strikes rather than random acts of terror. Their presence forced U.A. into a defensive posture that highlighted the vulnerability of even the most protected institutions. Although they failed to capture Midoriya permanently, their attack resulted in the critical defeat of Eraser Head, signaling a shift in the war between heroes and villains. Ultimately, the squad's legacy is one of escalation. Their failure to secure their objective led to the League retreating and regrouping, eventually evolving into the Paranormal Liberation Front. The events of this arc demonstrated that the villain threat was no longer manageable by standard hero protocols.

Did You Know?

• The Vanguard Action Squad was assembled specifically for the U.A. High School Training Camp arc, marking the League of Villains' first coordinated military-style operation.
• Their primary goal was to capture Izuku Midoriya, whose Quirk had begun manifesting dangerously, in order to leverage his connection to All Might and One For All.
• During the attack, the squad successfully incapacitated Eraser Head (Shota Aizawa), one of U.A.'s top Pro Heroes, in a brutal engagement.
• The squad's failure to secure Midoriya led to a chaotic retreat after the arrival of All Might and other reinforcements, forcing the League to regroup and eventually evolve into the Paranormal Liberation Front.
• The attack shattered the illusion of U.A.'s invincibility and revealed to the world the true depth of the villain threat.