High School. For some people its the peak of their lives, for others it's the opposite. In either case, High School customarily is a period where many youngsters find themselves and who they want to work towards becoming. Imagine all the drama, trouble, and pressure normal high school has, and now add superpowers and life saving into the mix. Superhero High Schools are more common than you'd think in media. But, the two most recognizable institutions are My Hero Academia's U.A High School and the X-Men Xavier's School For Gifted Youngsters. So, as per usual, let's discuss which one's better and why.
10 U.A High: It Doesn't Get Attacked Directly As Often
First and foremost, U. A high has much better security. The school was built in a world where Heroic actions are licensed, sanctioned by the government, and fully funded. So, as such, the faculty has more budget they can put towards a complex security network. On the other hand, Charles' school gets attacked near constantly, and that's just in the movies! In the comics, we're positive that it's probably been destroyed more times than we could count on one hand. Imagine worrying about the classroom being destroyed while you study for a test! Meanwhile, the closest U.A's had for direct damage to school grounds is Shigaraki melting their front gate.
9 Xavier's School: Mutants Are More Special Than Quirk-Holders
Let's use that Incredibles quote that everyone's heard a million times. "When everyone's Super, no one will be". You may be sick of it, but it's true. My Hero Academia's world is full of people will oddball superpowers, so much so that someone having none at all is an oddity. Meanwhile, mutants are only a micro-fraction of Earth's population, some comics/movies have even quoted it at 0.01%. Hypothetically, going to Xavier's school would mean we'd be a mutant while going to U.A would make us a Quirk-holder. And, if we had to choose, we'd rather be unique in a normal society than normal in a unique society.
8 U.A High: Has Government Funding
This sort of re-treads ground in the sense that we mentioned U.A has extra money for their security. This money comes from a variety of sources, but a lot of it comes from the government itself. U.A is a nationally/internationally recognized institution and as such, it is accepted and monitored by the Japanese government in this fictional world.
We'd much rather go to a school that depends on something a bit more consistent than something like Xavier's school that runs purely of Charles' money. The guy inherited a fortune and is currently a billionaire, but as we all know, comic books kill people off constantly.
7 Xavier's School: Seems Comfier And Homey
But, on the other hand, because it is privately funded and Charles likes to live poshly, so do his students. Obviously, the rooms and general layout of the school changed based on the source material, but each kid's bedroom seems like a comfy dorm room. And yes, now that the U.A kids have switched to a dorm system, they have their own rooms as well, but they seem much colder in terms of home-y energy than the rooms at Xavier's School. Basically, it's like going to school at home, if your home was a giant English-style mansion, and that sounds like our cup of tea.
6 U.A High: A Societally Sanctioned Career Path
Again, and we can't stress this enough, U.A is officially recognized while Xavier's school is usually camouflaged or "allowed" to exist. Having society and the powers that be accept your school and constantly being prepared for the school to be shut down are two very different things.
And, while Xavier's School does teach overall education, a lot of its students become X-men. Meanwhile, U.A has multiple departments, and the ones that do become heroes are Heroes for a career, not as an illegal hobby. Vigilantes aren't licensed Heroes, MHA has a whole spin-off series about that exact concept.
5 Xavier's School: More Immediate Responsibility
One downside of the whole "government-sanctioned" thing is that they also are a bit too uptight with their easing of responsibility towards the students. These are high school kids, yes, but they're the best and brightest and have always shown themselves to be capable of responsibility. The newest MHA movie Heroes: Rising showed us what it'd be like for Class 1-A to be treated like adults, and we wished it happened more often. Meanwhile, the Xavier kids get to make their own decisions from day one most of the time and join the X-men quite young.
4 U.A High: More Diverse Costume's And Support Items
Seriously, it's so cool that U.A has an in-house support department. There is an entire branch of the school dedicated to craftsmen and geniuses that want to learn how to make the best support gear for heroes. Meanwhile, Xavier's school makes the same old costumes for everyone with some basic support items here or there. Things like Cyclop's specs, Bishops energy redirectors, or Magneto's helmet. Now, there are some great costumes in X-men, but overall they aren't nearly as diverse as the MHA cast. Each student has their own design and variety of support items that best support their unique Quirk, and we love that.
3 Xavier's School: Has Matching Outfits
Now, that isn't to say that having matching outfits is a bad thing. MHA's outfits make the students unique but it also separates them from one another. Shiketsu High School is the only school in-canon that matches in any way. Meanwhile, the X-men feel like a team, a family, or at least a group of like-minded individuals.
U.A trains and teaches their students how best to survive and succeed on their own while Xavier teaches them how to both work alone and with others. And, we'll always prefer the option that allows for more friends!
2 U.A High: Quirks Are Commonplace
Earlier we talked about how cool it would be to have a mutant power in a world full of normies. But, what if our mutant ability made us look super weird? Would we still be into the idea? Probably not. Meanwhile, even if we looked like a frog, a bird, or even a pencil sharpener, we'd be accepted by the populace in the world of My Hero Academia. Yes, Quirks may not be as powerful as Mutant Powers by default, but they're commonplace and most everyone has one. Meaning, even at our worst, the society in MHA would accept us as we are.
1 Xavier's School: Superpowers Are Stronger On Average
And let's end on that thought, yeah, mutant powers are stronger. Sure, there are insane Quirks like Half-Hot Half-Cold, Explosion, Or One for All, but most are weirdo abilities that the user makes the best of. I mean there's a kid in class A who just shoots tape from his elbows and he manages to make it work! We love the aesthetic of MHA but if we were to hypothetically insert ourselves into that world, we'd hate to have a Quirk that gives us a shapeshifting belly-button or something. Meanwhile, yes there are rare oddball powers in X-men, but most of them are more diverse and versatile. It's why the X-Men games are usually at least decent. They allow their users to really break the laws of reality if they're creative, and that sounds like more fun.