About “Classroom of the Elite” in a few words:

Classroom of the Elite is an anime series that follows the story of Kiyotaka Ayanokōji, a high school student who enrolls in a prestigious school for the elite where the students are divided into four classes based on their academic performance. The series explores the intense competition, politics, and power struggles that take place between the students in order to climb the social ladder and achieve their goals. With its complex characters, intricate plot, and unexpected twists, Classroom of the Elite is a thrilling and thought-provoking anime that challenges the audience’s perceptions of success, morality, and human nature.

Meet the characters from Classroom of the Elite

Ayanokojie Kiyotaka

Okay, Kiyotaka is the literal walking “don’t look at me” but also “I already saw every move you’ll make” energy — so chill on the outside, nuclear-level calculation inside. He claims to be average and hates the spotlight but somehow ends up engineering entire class strategies while eating plain rice balls like a monk (or a spy with a very boring lunch). Secretive, deadpan, brilliant when he wants to be, and strangely fond of small, useless facts that he never seems to need but keeps anyway. He’s the kind of person who will calmly correct your math while simultaneously unraveling your life choices, and you’ll be both grateful and terrified.

Sakayanagi Arisu

Arisu is peak cold, brilliant, and a little bit theatrical — the kind of genius who arranges people like pieces on a board and occasionally gives a smile that freezes the room. She’s ruthless in planning, obsessed with control and aesthetics (like, color-coded strategies, I swear), but also has this weirdly private side that might actually like puppies? Maybe. She loves being admired and will crush anyone who gets in the way, yet she’s oddly precise in tiny, almost tender ways — perfect handwriting, immaculate gloves, dramatic sighs. Basically, she’s terrifyingly competent and also fashionably cruel, and honestly that combo rules.

Horikita Manabu

Manabu is textbook stubborn older-brother vibe taken to an obsession — strict, principled, always lecturing (yes he gives speeches), and absolutely committed to rules even when they break around him. He’s all about discipline and improvement, the kind of guy who’d make a training schedule for feelings if he could, but he also has this quietly soft protective streak that pops up and melts everyone’s defenses. Sometimes he’s hilariously out of touch with small social cues, other times he’s uncannily insightful — pick a lane, Manabu, but also don’t. He’s less flashy, more dependable, and yes, probably owns more ties than the rest of the school combined.

Miyabi Nagumo

Miyabi is the chill, smooth operator who gives off librarian vibes but can flip to savage strategist in two seconds — calm voice, precise moves, and a terrifyingly patient smile. She looks like someone who’d host a tea ceremony and then rearrange the entire school’s alliances like it’s a hobby, and honestly I love it. There’s a softness under the poised exterior (I’m pretty sure she cries at old movies, maybe), but don’t mistake empathy for weakness — she plays the long game. Small weird fact: might hoard bookmarks or pens; she’s both elegant and slightly eccentric.

Koenji Rokusuke

Koenji is the chaotic charm bomb — loud, flamboyant, and a little unreliable in the best way possible, always the guy with a grin and a ridiculous plan that somehow keeps working. He’s flashy, maybe an attention-seeker, but also unexpectedly clever; his unpredictability is his weapon more than a flaw. He’ll mock you one minute and rescue you in the next, often while wearing something completely over the top, and definitely has an inappropriate snack obsession (candied something? gummy things?). Honestly he’s fun to have around unless he’s your opponent, then run.

Ichika Amasawa

Ichika is peppy and bubbly on the surface like a human sunshine bomb, but don’t be fooled — there’s a sharp, competitive core under that grin. She’s relentlessly optimistic, which is both infectious and slightly suspicious if you’re into conspiracies, and she somehow balances team spirit with a real knack for knowing exactly when to push. She collects quirky little charms (honestly has three keychains for no reason) and speaks in exclamation points, but she also has stubborn streaks that can surprise you. She’ll cheer you on and then secretly outwork you — in the best possible way.

Ryuen Kakeru

Ryuen is deliciously sinister and theatrical, like a villain who read one too many philosophy books and decided life is a stage he owns. He’s manipulative, charismatic, and enjoys chaos with the kind of grin that makes you check the exits; he plays psychological games like sports and keeps score. He has a soft spot for dramatic flair — cloak, dramatic hand gestures, probably a monologue or two — but also an unsettlingly cold core; loyalty to him is transactional. Creepy, brilliant, and dangerously composed, he’s the person you love to hate and secretly admire for his nerve.

Ichinose Honami

Honami is pure sweet-competence, the friend you call at 2 a.m. who solves your emotional spreadsheet and bakes cookies afterward (maybe literal cookies, maybe mental ones). She’s kind, endlessly responsible, and has this calming presence that makes chaos feel manageable, yet she’s also quietly strong and absolutely strategic when it counts. She loves fair play and will fight like heck for what’s right, but also has these tiny, stubborn quirks — like being weirdly passionate about staplers or color-coding friendships? Who knows. Reliable, warm, and quietly fierce; basically the emotional backbone everyone claims not to want but actually needs.

Horikita Suzune

Suzune is intense, prideful, and terrifyingly focused — like if “dedication” had a human form and refused to accept mediocrity ever, ever. She’s blunt to the point of weaponized honesty and takes self-improvement so seriously she could probably draft a three-year plan for you without blinking. Beneath the frosty exterior there’s loyalty and a softer, surprisingly goofy side (rare, but it’s there; she’ll deny it loudly), and she’s secretly competitive about tiny things like pen quality. Sharp, driven, a little scary, and yet oddly relatable when she’s just trying to be better than yesterday.