Classroom Of The Elite is a hotbed of intense competition, deceit, and calculated manipulation. Kiyotaka Ayanokoji, the reserved and calculated student at the show's center, has captivated audiences with his cunning and intelligence. Ayanokoji is mysterious and dynamic, often calculating actions and strategically thinking his way through obstacles.
From his calculated moves to secure a good class ranking to his interactions with his classmates, Ayanokoji has created countless moments of tension, triumph, and enlightenment that have left viewers on the edge of their seats. However, some moments are hard to forget in viewers' minds, and they stick out as some of Ayanokoji’s best moments.
10 Giving Honami Ichinose Advice on Love
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After Honami Ichinose received a love letter, she became bothered by the situation, desperate to avoid rejecting the sender. She went to Ayanokoji for help, asking him to go into a fake relationship with her so she could have a valid excuse for refusing a date.
Ayanokoji doesn’t accept her plan and instead encourages her to be bold about her feelings, just as her admirer was bold enough to confess their feelings. Ichinose took his advice, even though it was difficult for her to do. Ayanokoji was supportive throughout the process, which many consider quite uncharacteristic.
9 Solving the Case of Assualt Incident
In the ‘Case of Assault Incident,’ Ayanokoji’s classmate, Ken Sudō, was said to have attacked three Class 1-C students. As punishment for this, Ayanokoji’s class would be negatively affected, receiving zero points that month. Ayanokoji worked with Suzune Horikita to prove Ken Sudō’s innocence.
Throughout the investigation, Ayanokoji made suggestions and nudged Horikita toward helpful conclusions that led them closer to gathering evidence for Ken Sudō’s support. During the hearing, Horikita was nervous because of her older brother’s presence. Ayanokoji helped Horikita handle her nervousness by tickling her back into resolve.
8 Saving Sakura
In this notable scene, Airi Sakura was sexually assaulted by Yukitsu Kusuda, a stalker and an electronics store employee. She called Ayanokoji for help, but the line got cut before she could give him any details. But Ayanokoji found his way to her by using her location on his phone.
He arrived in time to save her from further assault, collected evidence, and talked down Kusuda. Sakura was grateful, and Ayanokoji extended his help if she ever needed it in the future. After this, Sakura began to develop romantic feelings for Ayanokoji.
7 Racing Manabu Horikita
Ayanokoji revealed some of his physical skills at the school’s annual sports festival. In the final event, Ayanokoji and Manabu Horikita were both anchor legs for their respective classes. Kiyotaka replaced Miyake, who had unfortunately hurt his leg earlier in the 200m race.
Manabu was intrigued by Ayanokoji and even waited for him to receive his baton so they could race fairly. Ayanokoji and Manabu end up at a similar pace until Ayanokoji gives it his all and displays his full speed. Even though Ayanokoji’s speed did not secure class D’s win, it was enough to leave everyone wowed.
6 Faking His Grip Strength
In preparation for the sports festival, the class members had their individual grip strength measured to be placed in appropriate sports events. Ayanokoji, attempting to hide his true strength, intentionally made his grip strength slightly higher than the national average.
However, he later discovered that he used the wrong average and ranked second strongest in the class. Ayanokoji spends most of his time at the Advanced Nurturing High School trying to hide his true strength, and in this scene, despite his attempt to hide it, his strength shines through.
5 Saving Horikita
Ayanokoji found Suzune Horikita one night, about to get physically assaulted by her brother, Manabu. He stepped in to save her but backed off after she refused his help. Knowing it would be unwise to challenge her brother directly, Ayanokoji chose to dodge the attacks Manabu was launching at him.
Ayanokoji’s quick reflexes and agility hinted at his hidden martial arts prowess, which impressed Manabu. But Ayanokoji modestly explained away his feat as a result of lessons in “Piano and Calligraphy” and, later, “Piano and Tea Ceremony.” After the minor brawl, Horikita referred to him as incredible, though he had only revealed the tip of his skill.
4 Challenging Sae Chabashira
Ayanokoji is known for his remarkable self-control in almost all situations, but in this particular scene, he displayed a rare flash of aggression toward his teacher, Sae Chabashira. The two had met in the theater, where she informed him of a mysterious individual attempting to get Ayanokoji expelled. She then proposed that if he agreed to end his charade of being average, she would provide him with protection.
Ayanokoji, however, was not deterred and refused her offer. His response was defiant as he grabbed her collar and issued a threat of his own. It was an unexpected display of defiance from the usually composed Ayanokoji.
3 Orchestrating Class D’s Win In the Island Exam
On Deserted Island, the classes were subjected to a special exam to train their teamwork and efficiency. Their goal was to name the leader of each class correctly.
The other classes came up with elaborate plans to come out on top, using spies, deception, and theft to find out the leader of each class. But in the end, Class D came in first on the exam and secured the most points, all thanks to Ayanokoji’s secret plan that topped all the others, revealing his incredibly strategic mind.
2 Saving Kei Karuizawa
Quietly observing Kei Karuizawa and keeping photographs as evidence, Ayanokoji noted how well she manipulated people to get what she wanted and how some other girls often bullied her. Using his deductive reasoning and some classic manipulation, he figured out Karuizawa’s secret and saw that she needed his care and protection.
With the evidence he gathered, Karuizawa was safe from bullies and protected by Ayanokoji. In the scene where this played out, Ayanokoji initially pretended to be hostile toward Karuizawa, using a particularly memorable sentence for fans.
1 Fighting Kakeru Ryuen
Fans will never forget this scene from the twelfth episode of season 2. Although the location was changed to a construction site from the rooftop originally in the light novel series, fans of the franchise were still impressed by its significance to the story and Ayanokoji’s character.
To protect Karuizawa after she calls him for help, Ayanokoji showed his strength to the Ryuen gang, singlehandedly taking them out in a grand display of hand-to-hand combat. Even Karuizawa was surprised by the strength and skill that Ayanokoji displayed in this fight.