The Sports Festival was a major event in the My Hero Academia universe in which all of U.A's students had an opportunity to demonstrate their talents. It was heralded as one of Japan's most viewed activities, broadcasted nationwide and professionally facilitated.

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Though this may seem like an excellent idea, there are certain flaws in its programs which entail it might not be as intelligent of an idea as Principal Nezu assumes. By weighing the merits of the festival against its most debilitating drawbacks, we have a better understanding as to its overall impact on the school.

10 Good – Versatile Obstacles

Jiro from My Hero Academia

One of the greatest assets about the Sports Festival is through the various obstacles the heroes must contend with. It includes a race (laden with treacherous robots), a team competition in which one must steal the headbands of their rivals, and even an individual tournament to determine the strongest among them.

This allows many quirks that would be useful in different environments to flourish, such as Tenya Iida's jet engines, simultaneously creating an engaging and original challenge to spectate.

9 Bad – Student Safety

One of the earliest challenges the students come upon in their race was a trio of massive robots. They weigh and are just as powerful as their towering figures suggest, purposed to simulate the threat of an actual villain.

However, this is an incredibly unwise decision, given that at the time they're introduced, the less skilled heroes have yet to be eliminated. Should one of them have been caught under its steel hull after Todoroki had frozen them, it would have essentially broadcasted child murder across Japan and would have culminated with a country wide moral panic.

8 Good – Facilitates Competition

Sports Festival Winners

One of the most important ways by which a student can grow is by encouraging them to compete against each other. It often results in a rigorous cycle of innovation where both participants excel beyond how they usually would without each other's influence.

Since the Sports Festival compares students against each other (rather than having them pass a baseline series of obstacles), it pushes them further than an ordinary test would, especially since it is designed with specific winners in mind. This provides many students with an aspiration to work for, even if it is secondary to their long term goals.

7 Bad – Potential Trauma

Anime My-Hero-Bakugo-Sports-Festival

As healthy as robust competition might be, it has the potential for an inverse effect which stunts the participants' progress. Since it is broadcasted for all of Japan to see, those who lose are humiliated nationally, likely having unfortunate effects on their psychological health.

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While Todoroki and Tokoyami both possessed the mental fortitude not to be bothered by such obstacles, it is an understated possibility that may occur during future competitions. Given that Bakugo has yet to live down being captured by the sludge villain, it follows that the citizens of Japan seldom forget shows of strength.

6 Good – Inspiring Hope

The Sports Festival may be designated in order to try the fledgling heroes' skills, but it has a secondary effect which is arguably more important. It demonstrated the next generation of heroes for Japan's public, allowing them to witness their impressive quirks for themselves.

Given that they will be primarily responsible for their safety in the future, this provides imperative stability to them in otherwise tumultuous times. Additionally, it gives them a reprieve from their daily lives and one of the most legendary contests ever to enjoy.

5 Bad – Building Resentment With Other Schools

U.A's broadcast is seen by other schools across Japan, heightening the pre-existing resentment they feel toward the institution for its presumed (and frequently flaunted) greatness. Since they brag about being the best in the country, it exacerbates the animosity already felt toward them.

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This generates tension between U.A and its neighboring schools which would manifest during the Hero Licensing Exam. Should Nezu have decided to cancel the Festival (or invite others to participate along with them), it would have allowed them a fair chance to demonstrate their worth and prevent U.A from appearing too self indulgent for its own good.

4 Good – Getting Noticed By Professional Heroes

best jeanist pointing challenging

One of the primary purposes behind the Sports Festival is for professional heroes to appraise the students and determine which of them would be best suited for an internship. It would allow the participants a chance to work alongside some of the greatest heroes in Japan, learn from them, and ultimately be inspired to reach their dreams as a result.

Though it does not always go as expected (such as Bakugo's unfortunate encounter with Best Jeanist), most internships bore fantastic results which enriched the lives of both mentors and students alike.

3 Bad – The Tournament

Todoroki vs. Izuku

While the tournament serves as another function of the Sports Festival's competitiveness (which is generally one of its assets), it is regarded as the main event, with the other secondary encounters only serving to narrow down contenders before the real trial.

Not only are tournament's battles extremely violent and destructive (to the extent where Cementoss had to intervene in order to save the students from each other), they are predicated on dueling quirks which don't exclusively entail utility as a hero. Participants like Momo are unable to contend at this level, even though her quirk renders her a fantastic potential pro.

2 Good – Professionally Conducted

recovery girl my hero academia

While the Sports Festival may levy immense responsibility and pressure on its students, it is professionally conducted. Present Mic is an animated announcer that keeps audiences engaged, with Recovery Girl standing by in order to mend the wounds of the participants that incur injury.

This is a profound demonstration of the synergy between U.A's faculty and is a stunning display of their competence. It serves to bolster the trust the public places in the school, especially since the Sports Festival had transpired without a hitch.

1 Bad – The Villains Are Watching

My Hero Academia Anime Tomura Shigaraki Face Covered

Professional heroes and intrigued citizens aren't the only spectators of the Sports Festival. By analyzing it thoroughly, Shigaraki was able to create a profile of the students and was given a stronger impression that Bakugo might make a viable potential villain.

Moreover, since Deku's One For All was still in its infancy, it entailed that he would have made for an exploitable target – a fact that Tomura almost capitalized on when he ambushed him in public. Were it not for his unusual restraint, Midoriya's story would have ended in tragedy, and the Sports Festival would have been at least partially responsible.

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