Chapter 79

Throwing Steel Fists is the seventy-ninth chapter of Kohei Horikoshi's Boku no Hero Academia manga.

Summary
The rampaging Dark Shadow attacks and destroys several trees around it. Dark Shadow attacks Mezou and Izuku, but Mezou is able to dodge in the nick of time. After maneuvering behind a tree, Mezou sees that Dark Shadow attacks anything that moves or makes, while also noting that Fumikage’s regret and indignation is intensifying Dark Shadow’s control over Fumikage as well as its own power. Fumikage pleads Mezou and Izuku to save the others and forget about him. Mezou informs Izuku that they need light to calm Dark Shadow down so that Fumikage can regain control; he tells Izuku that he can distract Dark Shadow while he runs back to the facility for help; Izuku is indecisive due to wanting to save Katsuki as well. Before Izuku can reply, Dark Shadow strikes at them, but Mezou is able to evade. Seeing that their situation is desperate, Mezou tells Izuku that he can either save Fumikage with him or save Katsuki by himself. Izuku apologizes to Mezou because he cannot make that decision and says that he has a plan.

Elsewhere in the forest, the gas masked villain destroys Tetsutetsu’s mask. Tetsutetsu holds his breath and tries attacking again, but the gas masked villain fires his gun again, which stops Tetsutetsu. The masked villain criticizes Tetsutetsu for only using brawns instead of strategy; he senses Itsuka’s presence nearby and fires at her. However, Tetutetsu uses his steel body to block the villain’s attack, saving Itsuka. Tetsutetsu is injured in the process and starts becoming dizzy due to the gas. The gas masked villain tells the duo that he can sense anything in the gas that he controls. The gas masked villain mocks Tetsutetsu’s Quirk as well as lack of intelligence, disappointed that despite training to be a hero he doesn’t use strategy; he fires more bullets at Tetsutetsu, only for him to block the bullets with his steel body. The villain is infuriated that unintelligent people like Tetsutetsu are in Yuuei and feels there is no justice in the system. After kicking Tetsutetsu down, the gas masked villain prepares to attack the weakened Tetutetsu once more. Suddenly, Itsuka attacks but the gas masked villain evades; Itsuka enlarges her right hand and smacks the gas mask villain away. Seeing that the gas is a hindrance, Itsuka enlarges her hands and uses them to swirl the gas away; Itsuka mocks the gas masked villain for acting cowardly by using a gun to fight. The gas masked villain prepares to fire his gun at Itsuka for her insult. Out of nowhere, Tetsutetsu appears behind the villain, who was unable to notice Tetsutetsu’s presence due to the gas dispersing courtesy of Itsuka. Tetsutetsu holds his breath and punches the villain in the face with his steel fist, which crushes his mask and in the process causes the villain to become unconscious. The victorious Tetsutetsu lies down on the ground and regains his breath.

Meanwhile, Shouto and Katsuki continue their battle with Moonfish, although the battle is not in their favor; Shouto is unable to fight properly due to carrying Kousei. The best Shouto can do is keep Moonfish at bay by blocking his path with ice. Katsuki becomes furious that he is unable to fight back, thinking that firing a huge explosion should stop Moonfish, but Shouto warns Katsuki that the huge explosion will limit their visibility and give the villain more attacking opportunities. Mezou and Izuku arrive to where Katsuki and Shouto are, with Mezou asking one of them to make light. Before he can explain further, Moonfish senses Mezou and Izuku’s presence and sends one of his teeth to attack them. Suddenly, the rampaging Dark Shadow appears and uses its enormous claw to crush Moonfish, destroying Moonfish’s teeth and knocking him out. Shouto and Katsuki are surprised at what happened. Izuku’s plan was to lure the rampaging Dark Shadow to their location by creating decoys from Mezou’s Replicant Arms which worked. Izuku is happy to see Katsuki, glad that he doesn’t have to save only one of his classmates and sacrifice the other.