Mondo and Taka winning the Hope Games, with the former carrying the latter over his shoulders after he sprains his ankle.
Mukuro finally deciding to turn her back on Junko and save the students before the tragedy or the killing ever take place.
Kyoko, Nagito, Akane, and Kazuichi arriving just in time to save Mukuro and Rogue from Junko.
And let us address possibly the biggest badass on the blog so far: Mikan Tsumiki, who pulls off an impressive Zero-Approval Gambit. When it seems certain that she's become a Remnant of Despair, it's revealed that she was only pretending so she could stop Junko or maybe even save her from despair. Junko didn't even realize it until Mikan failed to eliminate Mukuro and Rogue like ordered. Let's give this some proper context: Junko Enoshima is highly intelligent, cunning, and possesses almost supernatural analytical skills. In-series, she's manipulated thousands of people into doing her bidding by exploiting their weaknesses and filling them with despair. And not only does Mikan actually see through her manipulations, she convinces Junko she's switched sides and tries to find a way to stop her, all without Junko or anyone else suspecting a thing. Hell, it took Teruteru, who knows the habits of every girl in Hope's Peak better than anyone, to actually set the record straight that it was all just a ruse.
Mod J also deserves one for managing to transform a bunch of random asks into quite the Wham Episode.
Whenever ANYONE stands up to the anons counts. Even Mod J standing up to the one bit of anon hate the blog has gotten was awesome.
Additional props go to Byakuya and Sonia for defending Celeste and Mikan respectively from despair-loving anons who kept trying to dig at their weak points.
Another Big Damn Heroes moment goes to Kyoko, Fuyuhiko, Oceanis, Ethos, Sayaka, Makoto, and Kazuichi, who arrive in time to save Leon from death by the same poison that killed Hiyoko and Yasuke.
Kyoji: Funny enough, I've been hoping for an opportunity to speak with Ms. Enoshima personally. Nothing big, just some questions I have. But you said you know about me, right? Well apparently, you know nothing about me if you're more afraid of her. I'm asking you kindly to not make me your enemy, Yokozawa.
Junpei: She holds my life over my head, and could crush it like a berry. You have nothing over me...if you try to tell anyone about me, I’ll have them killed. Ultimate Despair’s don’t feel fear.
Kyoji: Neither does the Ultimate Geneticist. And I see now that I can't talk you out of it. That's a little disappointing. Well, regardless, I have to go help deal with this situation. Be sure to let Ms. Enoshima know that I want to speak with her. And let me leave you with this: you killing the students won't fill me with despair. You take away the only person left in this world I care about, you also take away whatever restraints I may have had. You make me someone with nothing left but the hope that comes from destroying you. So if you know about the things I've done, I must ask: when the time comes, we drop these facades, and become enemies, What do you think someone like me would be be capable of?
The momentary look on Junpei's face makes it even better.
A more mundane example: What does Kyoji do after Maverick threatens him with fake pictures of him and Mikan doing "less than decent" things? Tells him that he needs to work on his photoshop skills and lists off all the errors he made.
Hajime figures out Hiyoko and Yausuke's killer when he calls out the fact that Celeste somehow knows that Leon was attacked despite the fact that she wasn't one of the people who found him unconscious, and that she shouldn't have heard about it anywhere.
After Hiyoko's death, one anon decided it would be funny to make a joke out of it. Fuyuhiko was quick to respond.
anon: (wishing I'd made this joke a week ago) Is anyone feeling particularly crushed by Hiyoko's death?
Nagito managing to correctly deduce that Michael is a Remnant of Despair. Sure, we as the audience already knew this thanks to Junpei, but all Nagito had to go on were the contradictions in his statements, the oddities in his behavior, and the fact that he's met with Junko once before. Michael tries to play it off like it's just a joke, but it's clear the despairs can't hide anything from Nagito.
"An Execution...?": Maverick kidnaps Byakuya and threatens to kill him with the "After School Lesson" machine unless Rogue sacrifices herself. Rogue seems to go along with Maverick's plan... until she reveals she's not going down without a fight and proceeds to kick his ass. Maverick ends up with his leg crushed by the machine. Rogue then announces:
Rogue: I’m done helping someone that would dare to hurt my Byakuya.
Plenty of moments during The Fall of Hope's Peak.
In "...Tock," after Chiaki, Hajime, Leon, Makoto, and Sayaka all find a Monokuma on the stairs, Chiaki quickly figures out that it has an internal clock that's counting down and warns everyone to get away from it. Leon grabs it and sends it flying down the hall just before it explodes, saving their lives.
Syo cutting her way through a horde of Monokumas like nothing.
Mahiru is cornered by a Monokuma, but Ibuki and Nagito arrive just in time to save her, Ibuki decapitating the bear with a bass guitar.
Mage stabs a Monokuma with a kitchen knife.
Despite Mike trying to get him to safety, Ethos refuses until he can save the students.
Karma kicks a Monokuma's head off.
And overlooking it all, Kyoji finally begins executing his plan.
Kyoji and the Future Foundation cloned Junko Enoshima, and she isn't completely insane.
You also have to give him some credit for being able to shrug off being stabbed in the arm, abdomen, and eye (all self-inflicted by the way) like it's just a papercut.
Chisa cutting down some Monokumas with her twin machetes.
Junpei is not a remnant, and hasn't been since Mukuro pulled her Heel–Face Turn. Although he didn't manage to fool Junko, he had everyone else, including the audience, convinced.
"The Nurse," a Lighter and Softer part of the Fall Of Hope's Peak, is still hands down Mikan Tsumiki's Moment of Awesome. After Kyoji explains that his plan might involve killing the despairs, what does she do? She tells him she's going to stop him, reasoning that violence will not stop violence, that killing Junko would just mean everything she did on the roof was All for Nothing, and that there has to be a better solution to stopping them than just killing them. Seriously, where was she keeping that backbone?
Kyoji: Mikan, please just listen to me! Do you care about the lives of the people at this school? Your friends? Your classmates? Your teachers?
Mikan: Of course I do! That’s why I can’t let you kill Junko! I…I finally go to be someone people could look up to…I’m a third year…and the Ultimate Nurse…those were things you helped me accept…So I can’t let you kill my underclassmen! Murder won’t solve murder! It won’t stop despair!
In the end, Kyoji's plan does succeed: he identified all the Despairs, got 18 people out of the school, and has guaranteed the Future Foundation a huge increase in manpower. While the despairs may have successfully brought forth the Tragedy, the fight is far from over.
Sayaka decides to take charge in leading and protecting the Remnants of Hope.
The Despair Kids
Taka has been made the leader of the Future Foundation's 10th branch.
After having their helicopter shot down by rioters, Kyoko and the team are rescued by Class 79.
Kobo, the new resident Butt-Monkey, manages to get a pretty awesome moment where he saves Kyoji from Sayaka, who'd been misinformed about the Future Foundation by Maverick, as she's about to strike him with a machete. By catching the blade no less.
Kobo: Y…you were scaring Nagata…*points at the trembling boy*…and…I ain’t letting you kill someone that’s trying to help…
While the whole thing stems from a catastrophic misunderstanding, you really have to give Sayaka points for actually trying to take on Kyoji. She knows about his past involving human experimentation, what he's capable of, and she'd just seen one example of his various mutations. And she still tries to take him on. She's taken her position as The Leader very seriously, that's for sure.
Not only have they been surviving the Tragedy, but Sayaka's group has actually been doing so well that they had to expand their territory across Tokyo to accommodate all the survivors they found. Which includes some of the other students from Hope's Peak.
Yuuki managing to successfully disarm Ibuki.
Credit where it's due: the despairs manage to get some awesome moments as well.
Ibuki has a guitar that shoots sound bullets.
Chihiro arriving literally just in time to save Ibuki from begin taken by Kyoko and Kyoji. He takes Kyoko hostage, threatening to kill her and unleash a horde of Monokumas on the FF escape helicopter if they don't give her back. Kyoji wastes no time in letting Ibuki go, reassuring Kyoko that they'll get them again next time.
There's also the hints that the despairs have managed to create Izuru. Though we can only take their word on it at this point.
They actually managed to resurrect not only Celeste, Nagito, and Kazuichi, but even Natsumi Kuzuryu. Keep in mind that while the former three had been dead for a few months, she's been dead for at least two years at this point. As if the despairs we're a huge threat already. Not to mention a pretty scathing speech from Celeste.
After Kyoko, Mukuro, and Junpei are kidnapped, the group is given a time limit of 72 hours. How long does it take them to succeed? Not even 12. Of course, when you consider this whole thing was probably just a setup for them to see the resurrected students, it could count as another point for the despairs.
A lot of people get their own during Yuuko's game. However, Chiaki manages to earn two. First, she completely deconstructs how the whole thing is meant to work, both to sow discourse among the Future Foundation members and allow the despairs to learn all they can about their fighting styles, luck, and mentality. Second, she throws off Yuuko's plan by goading Karma into trying to fight her, deterring them away from fighting Junpei. It even sends Yuuko into a small Villainous Breakdown.
Junpei and Karma engaging in a Panic Talk Action, each raising valid points on how they should progress. Ultimately, however, Junpei succeeds.
Tamiko willingly going through the dart game with Gundham, whose consequence is that the points they earn result in an electric shock of equivalent pain value.
Ishimaru, who was initially reluctant to fight Akiko Sugiyama, completely changes his tune when he sees his father is in danger. He finally decides to go all out, complete with the infamous Ishida sprites.
Kyoji takes on Ryokai Araki, the Ultimate Exorcist, who unleashes a barrage of magic attacks on him. In response, since NG codes are disabled for their battle, Kyoji reveals another of his upgrades: Instant Armor. The two turn to be a pretty even match, so Ryokai uses a spell that forces Kyoji to face his inner demons, which come in the form of the dead and despairified students. Kyoji, not one to run from his past, manages to talk them all down and promises to set things right. Ryokai is terrified to see him to overcome it.
Ethos powers his way through challenge room after challenge room like a boss, manages to free Mahiru from her bracelet, and convinces Yuuko to surrender, saving everyone.
Junpei manages to correctly deduce the true purpose of the finale, especially after Yuuko doesn't give them any instructions. While they initially believe they have to vote for someone to face her, their actual objective is to vote for the traitor. They do that and the traitor will be sent in to face her. If not, the traitor will be executed. Of course, the "traitor" turns out to be Ethos; Yuuko labels him as such because she's a Clingy Jealous Girl.
Mod J himself deserves one for pulling off a major reveal that brings together Fridge Logic, Fridge Brilliance, and Fridge Horror perfectly: Hajime has already undergone the Izuru Kamukura Project and is carrying the Ultimate Hope dormant inside of him.
Miaya during The Twin's Arc where she blew up Masaru's robot, Mark Guyver, with a series of weapons she had installed inside her wheelchair.
