Classroom of the Elite is not your average slice-of-life anime. Set in a utopia known as the Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School, it features a hierarchical class system where students are ranked based on merit. Students are allowed to use their intellectual prowess to rise up the ranks and make a name for themselves. This allows Classroom of the Elite‘s intelligent character stand out, both in the show and with the fans.
Every Classroom of the Elite fan knows, to an extent, how smart Ayanokoji Kiyoaka is, some more than others because they perhaps read the light novel. While our lovely protagonist usually likes to operate from the shadows, making others take the credit, he eventually does more than that at the end of season 2. Regardless, we are not here to discuss Ayanokoji or his feats today. Instead, we will talk about other intelligent characters in Classroom of the Elite, but in no particular order.
Arisu Sakanayagi
Classroom of the Elite
Arisu is Chairman Sakanayagi’s daughter and one of the most intelligent characters in Classroom of the ELite. She is class 2-A’s leader who happens after she usurps the title from Katsuragi and is widely respected by both teachers and students. Arisu is one of the few characters in the anime who knows about Ayanokoji’s past since she visited the White Room with her dad when she was younger. Her character hasn’t been explored in the anime, but we’ll see more of her in the subsequent seasons.
Horikita Suzune
Classroom of the Elite
We have seen a lot of this character since the first season of Classroom of the Elite, and although she often gets advice from Ayanokoji, she is smart in her own right. At first, she thought no one could help her achieve her objectives, which is why she landed in Class D. Her character goes through reasonable development in the second season as she can now rely on others for help. While most of her “smart” decisions are aided by Ayanokoji, we see her handle the case with Kikyo Kushida very well. She aptly predicted Kushida’s action and was able to emerge victorious.
Ryuen Kakeru
Classroom of the Elite
While it may seem like he’s all about violence, there is more to this Class C representative than that if you take a closer look. He excels in the combat department as he has commendable physical abilities and years of experience. He would also have succeeded if Ayanokoji hadn’t intervened. However, you’ll see his intelligence come into play if you look closely. In the first season, he comes up with near-infallible plans that involve persuasion and forming alliances for his class to emerge victorious in the survival test. Also, in the second season, we see a mixture of violence and cleverness in the Special test to figure out who the VIP is, in which he emerges victorious.
Horikita Manabu
Classroom of the Elite
Suzune describes her brother as the perfect child who excels at everything, and even with how well she does, she still dims compared to her brother. Manabu is a former Student Council President of Advanced Nurturing High School—how good do you think a person has to be chosen as the president of the most prestigious school in Japan? Manabu is an all-round character that is good at everything. He is also perceptive because he deduced that Ayanokoji is different from their first encounter. He is easily one of the most intelligent characters in Classroom of the Elite.
Ichinose Honami
Classroom of the Elite
Honami is the intelligent, kind, and lovable class representative of Class B, and she also has the looks. Her academic standing is said to be on par with members of Class A, and she’s able to provide a balance between her duties and being the class representative, and excelling academically. We see Honami’s cleverness in season 2, where she sees through Ayanokoji’s ploy in the Cruise Ship test. Hopefully, we can anticipate more of her in the subsequent seasons.
Koenji Rokusuke
Classroom of the Elite
It is pretty suspicious that Koenji has never helped his class or participated in anything. It gets us thinking: why is he doing this, and what is he capable of?
First, for Koenji to make it to Advanced Nurturing High, he must be gifted. Also, during the Special Test at the beginning of season 2, Koenji guesses who the VIP is on the first day, even if they were given three days to figure it out. The thing is, Koenji can be an indispensable asset for Class D if he decides to work with them. However, based on his actions since the beginning of the series, it looks like he is working against them. He is earns his spot on this list of intelligent characters in Classroom of the elite, since they haven’t found out yet.
Making it to the Advanced Nurturing High School is a feat in itself. While Ayanokoji is always a step ahead of most people on this list, they are clever characters in their own right. It makes the power and wit tussle all the more fun to watch.
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