WARNING: The following contains spoilers for My Hero Academia Chapter 271, by Kohei Horikoshi, Caleb Cook and John Hunt, available now from Viz Media.

While Fumikage Tokoyami/Tsukuyomi has repeatedly proven himself among the strongest students in Class 1-A at U.A. High School, the hero still remains underrated, having fallen in the manga's annual popularity polls over the years. However, My Hero Academia Chapter 271 proves just why he's a force to be reckoned with and among the greatest potential heroes in the manga.

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Earlier in the manga series, Hawks found himself at the mercy of Dabi, who used his powerful fire-based Quirk to devastate the winged hero. At the last minute, though, Tokoyami arrived to protect Hawks, who mentored the student during his internship. My Hero Academia Chapter 271 picks up a few moments before Tokoyami swing in to rescue Hawks and shows the young hero escaping from Fat Gum's body. In response, Fatgum says, "I know the kid is strong, but... nobody's ever escaped my fat... until now!!" Fat Gum then goes after Tokoyami.

As the showdown between Dabi and Tokoyami begins, the villain reveals Hawks' killed Twice, which surprises the young hero, but he never loses his resolve. Hawks deduces Dabi needs to take time to charge his flames up to full power and helps guide Tokoyami in dodging an onslaught from the vicious villain. However, this proves unsuccessful, as Dabi figures out just what's going on and saves up some of his power to take down Hawks and Tokoyami once and for all. Suddenly, his attack is interrupted by Geten's fight against Mt. Lady, which blows an icy hole in the side of Jaku Hospital. Using the chaos, Tokoyami escapes with Hawks, reassuring his mentor that he believes killing Twice was justified.

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While Tokoyami was already known as a strong hero, this incident proves he's got just what it takes to be a hero on the inside. Dabi's Quirk, which gives off a lot of light, is something of a hard counter to Tokoyami's shadow, greatly impeding the hero in their confrontation. However, Tokoyami never gave up and continued fighting to save Hawks' life. While escaping Fat Gum showed Tokoyami was more physically powerful than anyone knew, the student proved himself to have a powerful resolve in his confrontation with Dabi -- and tenacity might just be the most important quality for a great hero.

My Hero Academia Chapter 272 will release May 24 from Viz Media.

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