class room of the elite

 

Classroom of the Elite (Japanese: ようこそ実力至上主義の教室へ, Hepburn: Yōkoso Jitsuryoku Shijōshugi no Kyōshitsu e, lit. 'Welcome to the Classroom of Real Ability Supremacism'), abbreviated as Yōjitsu (よう実) in Japan, is a Japanese light novel series written by Shōgo Kinugasa, with illustration by Shunsaku Tomose. The novel published from May 2015 to September 2019 under Media Factory's MF Bunko J imprint, a sequel Classroom of the Elite: Year 2 (ようこそ実力至上主義の教室へ 2年生編, Yōkoso Jitsuryoku Shijōshugi no Kyōshitsu e Ninensei-hen, lit. 'Welcome to the Classroom of Real Ability Supremacism Second-Year Students Edition') began publishing in January 2020. A manga adaptation by Yuyu Ichino began its serialization in Media Factory's Monthly Comic Alive on January 27, 2016. A manga adaptation of the sequel light novel series illustrated by Shia Sasane began serialization in the same magazine in December 2021. An anime television series adaptation produced by Lerche aired with the first season in 2017. A second season aired from July to September 2022, and a third season aired from January to March 2024. A fourth season has been announced.

Set in the prestigious national high school 'Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing School' established by the Japanese government, the story is about a dispute over 'Class A' whose members are destined to achieve any desired success after their graduation.

Plot

See also: List of Classroom of the Elite characters

The Japanese government has established the Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing School, dedicated to instruct and foster the generation of people that will support the country in the future. The students are given a high degree of freedom in order to closely mimic real life. The story follows the perspective of Kiyotaka Ayanokōji, a quiet and modest boy, who is bad at making friends and would rather keep his distance, but possesses unrivaled intelligence and incredible physical ability. He is a student of Class-D, which is where the school dumps its inferior students, widely considered "defective". After meeting Suzune Horikita and Kikyō Kushida, two other students in his class, the situation begins to change, and he gets involved in many affairs and his thought of an ideal normal high school life begins to get scattered, taking a toll on his sanity.

Anime

The English logo of the anime series.

See also: List of Classroom of the Elite episodes

An anime television series adaptation was announced and aired from July 12 to September 27, 2017, on AT-X and other channels.[99][100] Seiji Kishi and Hiroyuki Hashimoto directed the anime at Lerche. Aoi Akashiro handled the series composition, Kazuaki Morita designed the characters, and Ryo Takahashi composed the music.[101][102] The opening theme song is "Caste Room", performed by ZAQ, and the ending theme song is "Beautiful Soldier", performed by Minami.[100][103] Crunchyroll streamed the series with subtitles[104] and Funimation streamed the English dub.[105] iQIYI added the series onto its platform in 2022, Q3, and Thai dub of the series is available as well.[106]

On February 21, 2022, it was announced that a sequel was in production.[107] The series was later revealed to be two additional seasons, with Lerche returning as the studio. The second season is directed by Yoshihito Nishōji, with Kishi and Hashimoto returning as chief directors, Hayato Kazano replacing Akashiro as the screenwriter, and Morita returning as the character designer. Masaru Yokoyama and Kana Hashiguchi are composing the music, replacing Takahashi. The second season aired from July 4 to September 26, 2022. The opening theme song is "Dance in the Game", performed by ZAQ, and the ending theme song is "Hito Shibai" (人芝居), performed by Mai Fuchigami.[102][108] The third season was originally scheduled for 2023,[102] but was later delayed due to "various circumstances" to January 2024.[109] The third season aired from January 3 to March 27, 2024.[110] The third season's opening theme song is "Minor Piece", performed by ZAQ, while the ending theme song is "Konsei Dai Kakumei" (今世大革命, "The Great Revolution of this World"), performed by Yui Ninomiya.[111]

A fourth season, covering the first semester of the Year 2 sequel light novel series, was announced during the "MF Bunko J Natsu no Gakuensai 2024" livestream event on September 1, 2024.[112]