Classroom of the Elite
Classroom of the Elite
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Classroom of the Elite

8.4
Yr 2017
Rt 24m
Status Returning Series
Animation Drama Mystery
Your Verdict

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Series Brief

Overview

Kiyotaka Ayanokouji enrolls at the prestigious Tokyo Koudo Ikusei Academy, but is assigned to Class 1-D, where students with behavioral problems are housed. The school awards points equivalent to 100,000 yen per month and allows unusual freedom in classes, masking a more complex system.

Critical Reception

What critics are saying

Score 68 /100

Classroom of the Elite garnered a mixed to moderately positive reception from anime reviewers, who praised its intriguing high-concept premise, strategic dynamic, and darker, more serious tone compared to typical school-setting anime. Critics frequently singled out protagonist Kiyotaka Ayanokōji as a uniquely compelling center of intrigue, enjoying the series' focus on mind games and its thoughtful deconstruction of educational systems and non-academic skills.

On the other hand, the show faced noticeable criticism for inconsistent direction and tonal shifts. Several commentators felt that the narrative lost focus as it swung between different genres—moving from mystery and drama to fanservice and wilderness survival—preventing it from fully realizing its potential.

“it is a good anime overall for its themes, particularly the deconstruction of the school system”

“A strength of Classroom of the Elite is how intelligent the central characters are.”

“has some nice ideas, but swings wildly in execution”

“this anime could've been great but all potential was wasted due to horribly written characters and unnecessary fanservice”

Transmission Paths

Where to Watch

Crunchyroll Amazon Channel
CA • US • UK
Crunchyroll
CA • US • UK
YouTube TV
US
Show 1 more
Disney Plus
CA
Why fans love it

Classroom of the Elite positions the high school experience as a cold, strategic battlefield rather than a rite of passage. While the setting appears to offer unlimited freedom and financial reward, the series shifts the focus toward psychological manipulation and social hierarchy. The stakes transform a standard academic background into a survival scenario where students use mind games to secure their standing.

Shoya Chiba leads a cast that navigates these shifting alliances and the harsh reality of being labeled a delinquent. The narrative distinguishes itself by prioritizing complex tactics and subtle bullying over traditional school tropes. It is a calculated study of human behavior under pressure, stripping away the comfort of the classroom to reveal the calculating nature required to thrive in a system designed to divide students.

Featured Players

Cast

Credited 74
Regulars 16
Longest run 54 eps
Shoya Chiba
Shoya Chiba
as Kiyotaka Ayanokoji (voice)
Akari Kito
Akari Kito
as Suzune Horikita (voice)
54 episodes
Ayana Taketatsu
Ayana Taketatsu
as Kei Karuizawa (voice)
54 episodes
Yurika Kubo
Yurika Kubo
as Kikyo Kushida (voice)
54 episodes
Mao Ichimichi
Mao Ichimichi
as Airi Sakura (voice)
54 episodes
Ryota Osaka
Ryota Osaka
as Yosuke Hirata (voice)
54 episodes
Eiji Takeuchi
Eiji Takeuchi
as Ken Sudo (voice)
54 episodes
Mutsuki Iwanaka
Mutsuki Iwanaka
as Haruki Yamauchi (voice)
38 episodes
Show 66 more
Daiki Abe as Kanji Ike (voice) 38 episodes Mikako Komatsu as Mio Ibuki (voice) 38 episodes Rina Hidaka as Arisu Sakayanagi (voice) 37 episodes Toshiki Iwasawa as Rokusuke Koenji (voice) 54 episodes Nao Toyama as Honami Ichinose (voice) 44 episodes Masaaki Mizunaka as Kakeru Ryuen (voice) 54 episodes Rina Sato as Sae Chabashira (voice) 47 episodes Yuuichirou Umehara as Manabu Horikita (voice) 24 episodes Yohei Azakami as Masayoshi Hashimoto (voice) 16 episodes Yuichi Jose as Daichi Ishizaki (voice) 14 episodes Rie Takahashi as Hiyori Shiina (voice) 31 episodes Soma Saito as Miyabi Nagumo (voice) 15 episodes Momoko Seto as Ichika Amasawa (voice) 16 episodes Shinnosuke Tokudome as Takuya Yagami (voice) 16 episodes Tsubasa Gouden as Teruhiko Yukimura (voice) 29 episodes Satoshi Hino as Kohei Katsuragi (voice) 11 episodes Konomi Kohara as Akane Tachibana (voice) 7 episodes Akihisa Wakayama as Ryuji Kanzaki (voice) 8 episodes Hisako Kanemoto as Chie Hoshinomiya (voice) 6 episodes Ryo Sugisaki as Tomonari Mashima (voice) 10 episodes Haruki Ishiya as Tetsuya Hamaguchi (voice) 2 episodes Daiki Kobayashi as Ryota Beppu (voice) 1 episode Amisa Sakuragi as Wang Mei-yu (voice) 20 episodes Rina Honnizumi as Nene Mori (voice) 7 episodes Shino Shimoji as Kokoro Inogashira (voice) 12 episodes Ricky as Albert Yamada (voice) 7 episodes Shunsuke Kawabe as Hideo Sotomura (voice) 13 episodes Makoto Koichi as Kayano Onodera (voice) 7 episodes Lynn as Maya Sato (voice) 24 episodes Saori Kōda as Satsuki Shinohara (voice) 18 episodes Yuiko Tatsumi as Haruka Hasebe (voice) 15 episodes Masumi Tazawa as Chiaki Matsushita (voice) 17 episodes Homare Horikawa as Satoru Kaneda (voice) 4 episodes Minami Tanaka as Nanami Yabu (voice) 5 episodes Ryota Suzuki as Akito Miyake (voice) 16 episodes Sayumi Suzushiro as Saki Yamashita (voice) 6 episodes Yukina Shuto as Rika Morofuji (voice) 2 episodes Mitsuru Miyamoto as Chairman Sakayanagi (voice) 3 episodes Saima Nakano as Minori Kinoshita (voice) 4 episodes Yoshiaki Hasegawa as Kyogo Komiya (voice) 6 episodes Noriko Shibasaki as Waitress (voice) 1 episode Miyu Tomita as Shiho Manabe (voice) 6 episodes Yoshiki Nakajima as Koji Machida (voice) 4 episodes Yasunori Masutani as Ayanokoji's Father (voice) 3 episodes Nao Shiraki as Chihiro Shiranami (voice) 8 episodes Kumiko Nakane as Old Woman (voice) 1 episode Narumi Kaho as Yume Kobashi (voice) 3 episodes Yuu Ayase as Mako Amikura (voice) 6 episodes Akihiko Murasugi as Reon Kondo (voice) 3 episodes Kanehira Yamamoto as Kazuma Sakagami (voice) 3 episodes Norihisa Mori as Yukitsu Kusuda (voice) 2 episodes Daisuke Motohashi as Yahiko Totsuka (voice) 8 episodes Ayane Sakura as Masumi Kamuro (voice) 5 episodes Aino Shimada as Takeko Nishino (voice) 1 episode Kaito Ishikawa as So Shibata (voice) 2 episodes Makoto Kaneko as Susumu Moriyama (voice) 2 episodes Aoi Ichikawa as Makoto Sumida (voice) 2 episodes Seiichiro Yamashita as Ikuto Kiriyama (voice) 2 episodes Sora Amamiya as Nazuna Asahina (voice) 2 episodes Mai Kanazawa as Momoko Ikari (voice) 1 episode Akihiro Tajima as Fujimaki (voice) 1 episode Koseki Kogure as Ryotaro Hondo (voice) 4 episodes Kazuki Miyagi as Soshi Miyamoto (voice) 2 episodes Ryota Takeuchi as Tokinari Tsukishiro (voice) 2 episodes Jin Ogasawara as Kyosuke Okitani (voice) 1 episode Yukihiro Nozuyama as Kito Hayato (voice) 1 episode
Signal Match

Similarity

Where Classroom of the Elite overlaps with other shows, and exactly what they have in common.

Keyword Cloud

Keywords

delinquent bullying survival school anime mind games psychological tsundere battle royale suspense based on light novel based on manga classroom elite
Technical Sheet

Details

First Aired
July 12, 2017
Status
Returning Series
Episode Runtime
24 minutes
Origin
JP
TMDB Votes
843