Best My Hero Academia students

Shoto Todoroki wins 72% of his duels and tops the ranking of students who deserved to win the U.A. Sports Festival, ahead of Katsuki Bakugo.

The 109 ELO points separating Katsuki Bakugo in second place from Izuku Midoriya in third mark the sharpest division in the ranking. Todoroki's lead at 1536 ELO reflects a consensus around his abilities and composure under pressure, though Bakugo matches his 72% win rate over 242 duels. Midoriya's third-place finish at 1358 ELO suggests voters see a gap between perceived talent and tournament outcomes, perhaps acknowledging his growth trajectory while questioning his readiness at that stage. Eijiro Kirishima and Fumikage Tokoyami round out the top five, both earning respect for their quirks and fighting spirit. At the opposite end, Yuga Aoyama languishes at rank 16 with 893 ELO and a 19% win rate, a harsh assessment of his contributions. Mei Hatsume and Ibara Shiozaki occupy the two spots above him. The bottom tier indicates which students the community views as less equipped for victory, whether due to quirk limitations, strategic shortcomings, or simply a mismatch with the tournament format.

This verdict emerges from 10853 duels cast by 258 players across 16 contenders, updated on 10 October 2026. The ranking captures how fans weigh raw power against tactical execution, emotional resilience, and character development when reconsidering the Sports Festival results. Each duel reshapes the standings, reflecting ongoing debates within the My Hero Academia community about who truly had what it took to claim the championship. Cast your own duels on VAINKEURZ to challenge the current hierarchy or reinforce the positions of your preferred students.

Updated on October 10, 2026

How this ranking is computed

Every duel won lifts a contender and every loss drops them, by an amount that depends on the opponent's strength: beating the leader is worth more than beating the last. It is an ELO, the same principle as in chess. Duels are not drawn at random — an adaptive entropy sort puts the least predictable match-ups first, which settles the ranking far faster than a full round robin. A worldwide ranking is only published past 30 completed plays. Known limit: a contender who has faced few opponents keeps an approximate score, and the bottom of the table moves more than the podium.

How our rankings are made →