Drive It Home, Iron Fist!!!

Dark Shadow flattens the trees around it and lashes at Mezo Shoji and Izuku Midoriya, and Mezo gets them behind cover at the last instant. Watching it strike anything that moves or makes noise, he realizes that Fumikage Tokoyami's shame and fury are feeding both the Quirk's hold on him and the raw power behind it. Fumikage begs them to leave him and go help the others. Mezo tells Izuku that light is what will settle Dark Shadow enough for Fumikage to take himself back, and offers to draw it while Izuku runs for help. Izuku hesitates, because Katsuki also needs finding. Another strike comes and Mezo slips it, then lays the choice bare: Fumikage with him, or Katsuki alone. Izuku apologizes, because that is not a choice he can make, and says he has a plan.

Elsewhere, Mustard shoots Tetsutetsu's mask apart. Tetsutetsu holds his breath and charges anyway, and another shot stops him cold. The villain sneers at brawn deployed without a thought behind it, then senses Itsuka Kendo and fires at her, only for Tetsutetsu's steel to take the bullet and keep her alive. It costs him: he is hurt, and the gas is making him dizzy. Mustard explains that nothing inside his own gas escapes him, mocks the Quirk, mocks Tetsutetsu's brains, and rages that a system letting people this stupid into U.A. has no justice in it. He kicks him down and lines up another shot. Itsuka lunges, he dodges, and her enlarged right hand swats him across the clearing. Then she puts both oversized hands to work fanning the gas out of the air, and taunts him for hiding behind a gun. He turns the barrel on her for it. He never notices Tetsutetsu behind him, because the gas that was his eyes is gone. One held breath, one steel fist to the face, and the mask caves in and the villain drops. Tetsutetsu lies down where he stands and breathes.

The other fight is going no better. Shoto Todoroki, hampered by carrying Kosei Tsuburaba, throws up ice to keep Moonfish from reaching them. Katsuki, seething at being useless, figures a massive Explosion would end it, and Shoto shuts it down: the blast would blind them and hand the villain openings. Then Mezo and Izuku arrive and Mezo asks one of them to make light. He never gets to explain, because Moonfish senses the newcomers and sends a tooth their way, and the rampaging Dark Shadow comes down on him with an enormous claw and shatters the blades. Shoto and Katsuki are left staring. The plan was Izuku's: build decoys out of Mezo's Dupli-Arms and drag Dark Shadow here. Seeing Katsuki whole, he is simply relieved that saving one classmate never required giving up the other.

Tetsutetsu takes a bullet with his steel body to save Itsuka, and Itsuka disperses the gas with her enlarged hands, blinding Mustard.

Tetsutetsu knocks Mustard unconscious with a single steel punch, ending the fight.

Izuku lures the berserk Dark Shadow to Moonfish using decoys made from Mezo's Dupli-Arms, and it crushes the villain.

Izuku avoids having to sacrifice either Fumikage or Katsuki.

Izuku, Mezo, and Fumikage appear on the cover. The chapter is split across two anime episodes, with pages six through fifteen in Episode 43 and the remainder in Episode 44.

The Tetsutetsu and Itsuka fight against Mustard concludes here, while the battle with Moonfish carries on.

Horikoshi's author comment notes his delight that Ashihara Sensei voted for Ida in the recent popularity poll.