TOKYO – A controversial victory at the annual All-Japan High School Robot Competition is sparking debate after Asahikawa Industrial High School secured the championship using a strategy critics are calling unsportsmanlike. The team’s win over Kumamoto High School hinged on repeatedly maximizing points with a small, quickly-built robot arch, a tactic that drew comparisons to “score farming” in video games and ignited a passionate online discussion about the spirit of competition. The event,sponsored in part by Japan’s Ministry of Education,Culture,Sports,Science and Technology,challenges students to design and build robots capable of completing complex tasks.
圖片來自：https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rww-ndFlu7c
The annual All-Japan High School Robot Competition recently crowned its 2025 champion, but the victory of the team from Asahikawa Industrial High School has sparked a heated debate among Japanese fans. The team secured the win over Kumamoto High School using a strategy some are calling a form of “score farming,” reminiscent of tactics used in video games. While supporters argue Asahikawa simply exploited loopholes in the competition rules, critics claim their win was unsportsmanlike.
This year’s “Great High Gate” final
Table of Contents
- This year’s “Great High Gate” final
- Asahikawa Industrial High School receives their award
- The final pitted Asahikawa Industrial High School against Kumamoto High School
- Shortly after the start of the final, Asahikawa built a 210cm arch
- Kumamoto, meanwhile, aimed for a high-scoring, large arch
- Asahikawa scored 210 points with their initial arch and then began repeatedly circling it for 5 points at a time
- Kumamoto continued building their large arch
- After two minutes, Asahikawa had 365 points, while Kumamoto hadn’t even completed an arch
- Asahikawa continued circling their arch
- Kumamoto finally completed a 420cm arch around the 2:50 mark
- Kumamoto scored 420 points with their pass, but Asahikawa already had 490
- Even with the additional 50 points for the tallest arch, Kumamoto couldn’t overcome Asahikawa’s lead!
- Asahikawa Industrial High School took home the championship!
- Σ（⊙д⊙）How would you view this winning approach?
圖片來自：https://www.mext.go.jp/b_menu/activity/detail/2025/20251116.html
Asahikawa Industrial High School receives their award
圖片來自：https://www.mext.go.jp/b_menu/activity/detail/2025/20251116.html
The controversy centers around this year’s challenge, known as “Great High Gate.” Teams were tasked with building robots capable of constructing an archway from cardboard boxes, then maneuvering a team member underneath it to score points. The height of the archway determined the points awarded, with a maximum of 5 points awarded for each pass through the same arch, and an additional 50 points awarded to the team with the tallest structure at the end of the competition.
Asahikawa quickly recognized the potential of repeatedly passing through a smaller archway to rack up points. They swiftly built a modest 210cm arch and began circling it relentlessly, accumulating points while Kumamoto focused on constructing a much larger, more ambitious structure.
The final pitted Asahikawa Industrial High School against Kumamoto High School
圖片來自：https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rww-ndFlu7c
Shortly after the start of the final, Asahikawa built a 210cm arch
圖片來自：https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rww-ndFlu7c
Kumamoto, meanwhile, aimed for a high-scoring, large arch
圖片來自：https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rww-ndFlu7c
The scoring system awarded points equal to the height of the archway in centimeters for each successful pass. However, subsequent passes through the same arch only earned a maximum of 5 points.
Asahikawa capitalized on the 5-point-per-pass rule, quickly erecting their small arch and then repeatedly circling it to steadily increase their score. Kumamoto, in contrast, committed to building a taller, more challenging archway.
Asahikawa scored 210 points with their initial arch and then began repeatedly circling it for 5 points at a time
圖片來自：https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rww-ndFlu7c
圖片來自：https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rww-ndFlu7c
Kumamoto continued building their large arch
圖片來自：https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rww-ndFlu7c
圖片來自：https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rww-ndFlu7c
After two minutes, Asahikawa had 365 points, while Kumamoto hadn’t even completed an arch
圖片來自：https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rww-ndFlu7c
Asahikawa continued circling their arch
圖片來自：https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rww-ndFlu7c
Kumamoto finally completed a 420cm arch around the 2:50 mark
圖片來自：https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rww-ndFlu7c
圖片來自：https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rww-ndFlu7c
圖片來自：https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rww-ndFlu7c
Kumamoto scored 420 points with their pass, but Asahikawa already had 490
圖片來自：https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rww-ndFlu7c
Even with the additional 50 points for the tallest arch, Kumamoto couldn’t overcome Asahikawa’s lead!
圖片來自：https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rww-ndFlu7c
The final match video quickly went viral online, with many Japanese fans criticizing Asahikawa Industrial High School for employing a strategy akin to “score farming” in video games, deeming it unsportsmanlike.
However, others praised Asahikawa for thoroughly understanding the rules and executing an efficient scoring strategy.
Asahikawa Industrial High School took home the championship!
圖片來自：https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rww-ndFlu7c
Σ（⊙д⊙）How would you view this winning approach?
部分資料來自網路 ( @OfficialRobocon文部科学省togetter )
