Episode 17

Strategy, Strategy, Strategy is the seventeenth episode of the My Hero Academia anime and the fourth episode of the second season.

Summary
Midnight explains the rules for the U.A. Sports Festival's second round event: The Cavalry Battle. The qualifying students have fifteen minutes to make teams of two to four people, and each person's point value depends on their placement in the Obstacle Race. After getting first place, Izuku Midoriya is worth ten million points. This simulates how difficult it is to be at the top, above the rest of the competition.

Teams formed will be worth their members' accumulated point value. Team's point values are listed on their headbands, which can be worn around the head or the neck of the rider. The objective of the game is to steal as many headbands as possible to raise your team's point value. If a team falls or has their headband stolen, they can still compete until time is up. The time limit for the Cavalry Battle is fifteen minutes, and only the top four teams will advance to the finals. Midnight finishes explaining the rules with warning each team not to make each other fall on purpose, annoying Katsuki.

Meanwhile, Death Arms, Kamui Woods and Mount Lady watch from the break room and have a discussion about the Festival. Death Arms says the Festival is more so about simulating real Pro-Hero competition rather than seeing how prepared the students are. Mount Lady comments that it's sad to look at Pro-Hero jobs in a manner where you're looking to step over other heroes. This annoys Kamui Woods, who angrily replies that Mount Lady had no problem stealing the spotlight from him. The three of them agree that unlike the Obstacle Race, the Cavalry Battle is being used to simulate working together with other heroes.

Back at the stadium, students have begun picking their teams. Many students from Class 1-A try to convince Katsuki to join their team, but he has a hard time recollecting their names and Quirks, annoying them with his ego. Watching from the stands, All Might notes that although he's a hot head, Katsuki garners so much attention because of his versatile Quirk and placement in the Obstacle Course. Then Eijiro tries to join Katsuki since Shoto denied him already. Katsuki forgets Eijiro's name as well, but the latter makes a strong case for his team and Katsuki decides they will go into battle together.

Izuku notices that all the participants are joining fellow peers from their homeroom class, but they're all also avoiding him because he's worth so many points. He begins to panic, but Ochaco decides to join him and says it's good for friends to team up. They try to recruit Iida for their team as well, but he refuses. While Iida sees 's Izuku and Ochaco as his best friends, he views Izuku as a rival as well. He decides to join Shoto's team so he can get stronger, promising to do his best to defeat Izuku.

Izuku notices that everyone is targeting him, but his focus is abruptly interrupted when a girl from the support course introduces herself as Mei Hatsume, brashly asking to join Izuku's team because he has the most points. Mei wants to show off her inventions during the event and believes the best course of action is to join Izuku in order to draw the most attention. After showing him a few of her gadgets, Izuku recognizes one modeled after a famous hero and is impressed enough to agree to join her. Even with Mei and Ochaco, Izuku feels as if his team needs another person. Almost everyone has selected a team at this point, but Izuku spots the perfect person to fill the void for his team.

As time runs out for the participants to form their teams, Neito Monoma from Class 1-B talks up his team. He says that everyone is too focused on Class 1-A because they fought villains, even though they're too full of themselves. Believing Class 1-B is just as talented, Neito instructs his team to step up their game and defeat the jerks from Class 1-A.

After the fifteen minutes are up, twelve teams are formed. For the final member of his team, Izuku successfully recruited Fumikage Tokoyami. Just before the Cavalry Battle begins, Shoto explains to his strategic formation to his team: Tenya, Denki, and Momo. Tenya questions if Shoto will use Ice and Fire as diversions, but Shoto replies he never uses his left side in battle.

The Cavalry Battle begins and many of the teams go straight for Izuku's headband. Team Tetsutetsu's Juzo Honenuki uses his Quirk to soften the ground beneath Team Midoriya, trapping them. Equipped with a jetpack and hover soles created by Mei, Team Midoriya is also to escape by flying into the air. Kyoka tries to use her Earphone Jacks to attack them while they're in the air, but Fumikage's Dark Shadow Quirk deflects it. Izuku comments on Fumikage's powerful Quirk and how perfectly it suits the team just before they land.

Kyoka's Team wants to go after Izuku but notices their headband has been stolen by Neito, who comments on how it was too easy. Team Mineta rushes Team Midoriya. Izuku mistakes Shoji for being alone, but in fact, Tsuyu and Minoru are riding on his back, shielded from sight by his tentacles. They use both their Quirks to attack Team Midoriya, and one of Minoru's spheres sticks to their hover soles, trapping them on the ground. Team Tetsutetsu joins the fray, forcing Izuku to break the hover soles in order to escape back into the air. His team gains few seconds of breathing room, as Katsuki immediately pursues them by using his explosions to fly. Katsuki tries to blast them out of the air, but Fumikage's Dark Shadow blocks him. Katsuki begins to fall out of the air, but Hanta uses his tape to secure him. Midnight rules that since Katsuki didn't touch the ground, his maneuver was completely legal.

The crowd cheers loudly and fans comment on the skills of Class 1-A, but Present Mic announces that other then Team Midoriya, no one in Class 1-A is currently placed in the top four. Team Monoma even manages to steal Katsuki's headband.

Neito explains that he and some of his classmates purposely lost the Obstacle Race in order to scout Class 1-A's Quirks. They remained in the top forty while Katsuki and their other rivals used their Quirk's freely. Neito comments that it was foolish on their part to obsess about the preliminary round and continues to taunt Katsuki. Neito talks about how Katsuki is famous for involved Sludge Villain incident and calls him a victim. Absolutely livid, Katsuki decides to forgo his original plans and tells his team they're going to annihilate Class 1-B before going after Izuku's team.

Izuku takes notice of Class 1-B's long-term strategy and believes that none of them will come after his team. He prepares to instruct his team to relax, but Team Todoroki confronts them. Shoto declares that he will take the ten million point headband.

Manga & Anime Differences

 * In the manga, when Shoto Todoroki talks about not using his left side (heat), it shows that his father is the #2 hero, but in the anime, it does not state this at that moment.
 * In the manga Mezo listens to Minoru's idea for the battle formation, in the anime Mezo walks away but changes his mind when Minoru finishes explaining his idea.

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