Kei Karuizawa was a secondary character with little to zero screen time in the first season of Classroom of the Elite, but the spotlight moved to her in the first episode of Season 2. By the end of the first episode, fans see her crying in the shower after an incident with some girls from Class C. This act might have made some fans curious about her and why she was upset.

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As Season 2 advances, fans will see more of Kei Karuizawa. She might seem like she only cares about herself, but it is a mask she puts on to hide her weakness. She has also made her presence strong in Class D by dating Yosuke Hirata, the class representative of Class D. She does this to assert her dominance and protect herself. As a long-time victim of bullying, Karuizawa has quite a cynical mindset, and fans learn more about her as Ayanokoji takes an interest in her. She's an interesting character, both because of her personality and her memorable quotes.

6 "You Said You’d Protect Me!"

Season 2, Episode 2

The only reason Karuizawa got into a fake relationship with Hirata was because she needed protection from others. As a frequent victim of bullying, Karuizawa does not want to go through the painful and humiliating ordeal again, but if it does happen, at least she has people who will stand up for her and protect her. When the incident with Manabe and her crew happened, Karuizawa ran to Hirata for help.

However, Hirata is upright and does not believe in solving things with violence. He tells Karuizawa that the only thing he can do for her is tell Manabe and her crew that she would like to apologize. She clearly does not support this idea and calls Hirata out for not doing what he promised her to do, which is to protect her.

5 "You Were Never Going To Let Me Go."

Season 2, Episode 2

As a victim of bullying, Karuizawa is aware of how bullies operate. Manabe and her crew cornered Karuizawa for bumping into their friend, Rika, and not apologizing. Manabe tells Karuizawa that they intend to let her go only if she apologizes to Rika, but she knows that regardless of what they say, it does not matter if she apologizes or not.

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This quote is quite sad because it really captures the depth of Karuizawa’s trauma. No matter how much she begs or tries to please them, the words of bullies are not to be trusted, and she has learned that in a hard and painful way.

4 "Do You Know What People Do When Confronted By A Reality They Can’t Do Anything About? They Stop Resisting"

Season 2, Episode 3

Karuizawa has come to terms with her fate as a bully magnet; she just cannot seem to stop attracting bullies, and she has accepted her reality. She takes measures to prevent it by having people who can protect and fight for her, but overall, she cannot control or change her harsh reality. After Manabu and her crew ganged up against her and brought Rika to physically assault her, Karuizawa faces defeat. She is in such a weak and vulnerable state that when Ayanokoji comes up to her, she is willing to give up her body for him to hide her secret.

He wants to see how far she can go to keep her secret, and she does not resist when he agrees to have his way with her. She accepted even though, deep down, she did not want to. She does not see a need to fight or resist it because her reality includes people belittling her and using her to satisfy their sick and cruel desires.

3 "Why Don’t You Explain It So Even An Idiot Can Understand? Oh Right, You Don’t Deal With Idiots"

Season 2, Episode 4

This quote was directed to Horikita Suzune. After promising to protect her, Karuizawa becomes Ayanokoji’s pawn, and he instructs her via email to counter Suzune’s proposal concerning the upcoming sports festival. Karizawa questions Suzune’s mode of explanation and asks her to explain her suggestion in such a way that even an idiot can understand, but Karuizawa quickly adds that Suzune might not be able to do that because she does not deal with people who are not on the same intellectual wavelength as her.

Although she had no other reason than Ayanokoi telling her to counter Suzune, this statement is quite true, as Suzune does not like to deal with idiots or people who are not as smart as her. She sees no reason why a person should be like that. In addition, it shows how outspoken Karuizawa is, as she is not scared of countering Suzune.

2 "Coming To Karaoke And Not Singing Is Pretty Much The Dumbest Thing"

Season 2, Episode 9

As the paper shuffle test draws nearer, class D students are trying to study and prepare themselves for the mini-test that will determine how they will be paired up with each other. Suzune holds a meeting with Ayanokoji, Kushida, Karuizawa, Hirata, Sudo, and Yukimura to strategize and find out the progress of the various study groups that were set up.

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They hold this strategy meeting at the mall, specifically in a place where they hold karaoke, and Karuizawa shows fans that although she has been through a lot, she is still open to having fun and building nice memories. At first, she pays no attention to the purpose of the meeting because of the venue, as she just wants to sing. Suzune is quick to bring her mind back to the real purpose of their meeting, and Kushida assures her that they will sing after.

1 "Everyone Wants The Chance To Make A Heroic Last Stand, Right?"

Season 2, Episode 12

Ayanokoji uses Karuizawa to bait Ryuen, and he unfortunately falls for the trap. Ryuen believes that Karuizawa knows the identity of the mastermind, and he plans to get that information out of her. He calls Karuizawa into a cold room, where he holds her hostage and torments her with water. Karuizawa held her stance and took Ryuen’s cruel actions as her fate.

Her resilience shocks Ryuen, as he expected her to break down, but Karuizawa is hell-bent on being a hero by protecting Ayanokoji’s identity. She is always looking for people to protect her, and Ayanokoji has done the job better than anyone else. Karuizawa wants to repay the favor, even if it means dying.

Classroom of the Elite

Psychological

Thriller

Release Date

July 12, 2017

Studio

Lerche

Streaming Service(s)

Crunchyroll , Funimation