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

Classroom of the Elite is a Japanese light novel series written by Syohgo Kinugasa and illustrated by Shunsaku Tomose. It was later adapted into an anime series in 2017. The story follows a group of students at a prestigious high school called Kodo Ikusei Senior High School, where students are ranked based on their academic achievements. The anime explores the complex relationships and power dynamics between the students as they strive to climb the ranks and maintain their social status.

Meet the characters from Classroom of the Elite

Ayanokojie Kiyotaka

Okay, Ayanokojie is that unnervingly calm brainiac who makes you think he’s asleep while secretly running three steps ahead — and yes, he does that weird half-smile that makes you mistrust everything. Stoic, low-key genius, manipulative in the most polite way possible (like: “let me handle it” while rearranging people’s lives), and somehow always in a faded hoodie even when it’s totally inappropriate. He’s annoyingly competent at everything — test scores, physical training, being mysteriously unimpressed — but also kinda lazy? Like he’ll solve your life and then take a nap. Also rumor has it he drinks instant coffee like it’s a personality trait.

Sakayanagi Arisu

Sakayanagi is the brilliant queen bee you love to hate — aristocratic, terrifyingly strategic, and fabulously self-assured, and yes she probably has a secret stash of sweets in a crystal bowl. She commands rooms with the kind of elegant cruelty that makes people fold like origami, yet she’s oddly obsessed with perfection in tiny details (handkerchiefs, posture, vocabulary) which is maybe adorable? Cold? Absolutely. Calculating? 100%. But every now and then she’ll do something unexpectedly petty and you’ll snort-laugh and immediately regret it.

Horikita Manabu

Manabu is the textbook hard-worker who seems to have been born with a ruler and a to-do list, stern older-brother energy dialed up to eleven. Disciplined, moral, annoyingly reliable — he organizes chaos in a way that’s almost soothing, like someone who alphabetizes emotions. He’s got hidden warmth, though, and really believes in merit and effort (and also collects fountain pens? don’t quote me). Can be a bit rigid and shockingly intense about principles, but you know he’ll show up when it counts.

Miyabi Nagumo

Miyabi is the loud, theatrical one who bursts into scenes like confetti and leaves equally messy — dramatic, impulsive, and surprisingly tactical when she wants to be. She can flirt, shout, cry, and scheme in the span of one lunch break, which is both exhausting and delightful to watch. Deep down there’s a weirdly sharp intuition — like a radar for social weakness — and she’s weirdly sentimental about old manga volumes. Also: will definitely eat raw pickles in front of people to make a point.

Koenji Rokusuke

Koenji is the flamboyant wildcard who treats school like a stage and every rule like a costume to mess with; loud, charming, and a little chaotic. He flirts with danger and people in equal measure, has a million ridiculous anecdotes, and somehow sees through pretense with a grin. Not just a comic relief type — actually pretty observant and resolute when it matters, though he’d prefer to make it look effortless. Will wear a crazy scarf and then give you the most profound advice you didn’t know you needed.

Ichika Amasawa

Ichika gives you eerie calm with a soft smile that might hide a knife, in the best possible way — composed, inscrutable, quietly efficient. She’s the sort who makes plans like chess and keeps her emotions like rare teacups (fragile and stored carefully), but she’ll also randomly be the person who brings extra snacks to class, because contradictions are her aesthetic. There’s a coolness to her that’s almost deliberate, and then an undercurrent of impatience that pops up when things get messy. Honestly, she’s the type to remember your birthday and also your worst secret, which is thrilling and slightly terrifying.

Ryuen Kakeru

Ryuen is textbook dangerous in a suit: loud, cruel, absolutely theatrical about intimidation, and massive on ego — like a walking power move with a snarling grin. He runs on dominance and spectacle, loves to humiliate rivals (with flair), and somehow treats cunning like an art form. But he’s also meticulous about appearance — immaculate hair, oddly polite table manners when he wants to be — which makes him alarmingly composed even while being a bully. He’s the villain you can’t help gawking at, and also the guy who would stage a dramatic monologue just to eat dessert.

Ichinose Honami

Honami is the warm, competent friend everyone wants on their team — polite, earnest, and terrifyingly effective at leadership without being smug. She’s the moral compass who actually gets stuff done; diplomatic, kind, but not above a cutting remark when someone deserves it. Really cares about fairness and standards (and probably has a ridiculous collection of bookmarks and pens), and she shows loyalty in practical ways — plans, reminders, home-baked something. Also slightly competitive about trivial things, like who can make the best bento.

Horikita Suzune

Suzune is the icy, driven heroine who reads like a perfectionist’s handbook: stoic, fiercely independent, and single-mindedly obsessed with doing things properly. She’s got tectonic levels of willpower, struggles socially (awkward but in a principled way), and when she loosens up even slightly it’s devastatingly adorable — like she’s allergic to small talk but loves strategy games. Behind the tough exterior there’s a stubborn streak of vulnerability and an odd fondness for cats or calculus (depends on the day). She’s both inspiring and intimidating, and somehow always slightly on the verge of a rare, surprised smile.