Classroom of the Elite is a unique title within the psychological anime genre. The anime is set in Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School, a meritocratic academy where students have to make a name for themselves using their intellectual prowess. Starring in this anime are intelligent characters who have pulled off shocking feats using their wits.
In an academy where ranking is important, students must devise strategies to climb to the top. Although there are exceptions, like the nonchalant protagonist of the series, Kiyotaka Ayanokoji, who chooses to observe the academy’s activities from a non-participatory standpoint. Regardless, the anime is still a competitive one with formidable characters. With this in mind, which characters in Classroom of the Elite anime can fans wholeheartedly call the most intelligent?
This article contains spoilers from the Classroom of the Elite Season 2 now streaming on Crunchyroll and the light novels.
9 Horikita Suzune
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Horikita Suzune is one of the main characters of Classroom of the Elite and is a member of Class D. In the first season of the show, Horikita maintained a haughty personality while shunning most of her classmates as incapable of helping her achieve her goal of reaching Class A. Although Horikita isn't as intelligent as most characters on this list, she is still among the smartest characters in the anime.
One of her biggest feats in the intelligence department was outsmarting Kikyo Kushida in a deal that seemed like Kushida had overwhelmingly high odds of winning. It is difficult to measure Horikita's intelligence reach since most of her plans are hinged on Ayanokoji's advice. Regardless, she's smart enough to hold her own grounds in a battle of wits.
8 Katsuragi Kohei
Katsuragi Kohei is one of the two central individuals of Class A, the other being Arisu Sakanayagi, one of the smartest characters in the series. These two characters are responsible for the power tussle in Class A. In season one of Classroom of the Elite, Katsuragi came up with a brilliant strategy to guarantee Class A’s win in the island test.
However, due to Ayanokoji's interference, his plan didn't go the way he "planned." Similar to most characters in Classroom of the Elite, Katsuragi is extremely cunning; however, he lacks the cold-heartedness present in characters like Ayanokoji and Arisu, which makes them terrifying.
7 Koenji Rokusuke
In the first season of the anime, Koenji Rokusuke was largely portrayed as a self-absorbed character who only cared about his desires and appearances. This didn’t change in the second season, but it revealed his intelligence in the Cruise Ship Test. Due to his strategies, he managed to figure out the VIP identities and conclude the test successfully way before others.
Unlike Ayanokoji, Koenji doesn’t hide his intelligence; however, his selfish behavior cloaks most students from seeing his true worth.
6 Ichinose Honami
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In most anime, there is always that one character that seems to be without ‘flaws’ and is loved by every character. This description is a perfect fit for Ichinose Honami. Ichinose is the representative of Class 1-B; she leads her classmates with a firm but kind personality. Undoubtedly, Ichinose is one of the smartest characters in the series, and her intelligence was shown more in season 2.
In the Cruise Ship test, she was able to see through Ayanokoji’s bluff, and even though Ayanokoji predicted this outcome, it showed her incredible perceptiveness. However, beneath all of Ichinose's smiles, is she hiding something dark? If this turns out to be the case, it will make the series even more interesting.
5 Ryuen Kakeru
Ryuen is one of the antagonists in Classroom of the Elite and is well-known for using underhanded tactics to get what he wants. As Class C’s representative, Ryuen also aims at reaching Class A. To do this, he will not hesitate to execute any foul plan as long his tracks are covered. When he was first revealed in the anime’s first season, Ryuen was portrayed as a mere thug-like character.
However, as the season advanced and revealed his formidable plan to win the island test, Ryuen's intelligence became more apparent. In the recent season, fans finally got to see Ryuen's true devious and cunning nature, making him one of the few characters that top this list.
4 Miyabi Nagumo
One of the new changes in season 2 of Classroom of the Elite featured was the change in Student Council president from Horikita Manabu to Miyabi Nagumo. Since his swearing-in, much hasn't been revealed about Miyabi; however, the light novels are more than enough to discover the depths of the character Miyabi.
Miyabi Nagumo is similar to Ryuen in that he uses underhanded tactics to achieve everything he wants. Miyabi considers Manabu his rival even though the feeling isn't mutual, from Manabu's perspective. Hopefully, fans will get a good look at Miyabi's personality in the next season.
3 Horikita Manabu
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Excluding the members of Class 1, Manabu is the most intelligent character in Classroom of the Elite. He was Student Council president of Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School before leaving the post for Miyabi Nagumo.
Manabu is a well-rounded student that excels in all aspects of academics and even non-academic areas. Apart from his intellectual prowess, Manabu is also incredibly perspective. From just a few encounters he had with Ayanokoji, he was able to sense that the protagonist was more than he seemed. Also, Manabu is the elder brother of Suzune, who adores him and would do anything to get his approval.
2 Arisu Sakanayagi
Arisu Sakanayagi is the representative of Class A, who rose to the position after dethroning Katsuragi Kohei. Arisu has been revealed a few times in the anime, but the most important details about her aren't on screen yet. However, in episode 10 of the second season, the Chairman of Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School mentioned that she was his daughter.
Arisu and Ayanokoji have met in the past, but Ayanokoji has no memories of their past encounters, even though Arisu clearly remembers them. Arisu's main goal is to beat Ayanokoji to prove that natural geniuses will always surpass learned geniuses. Arisu is one of the few characters that knows Ayanokoji's connection to the White Room, which is why she is obsessed with surpassing him.
1 Kiyotaka Ayanokoji
Ayanokoji is the nonchalant antihero protagonist of Classroom of the Elite. Despite being extremely intelligent, Ayanokoji desires to keep his intellectual prowess a secret from everyone. However, a few characters are still aware of his capabilities, some more than others.
Even though he is a member of Class D, Ayanokoji is not concerned with Class D’s goal to reach Class A. As a result of being raised in the White Room, Ayanokoji’s intellectual capabilities far exceeds any character in Classroom of the Elite. However, this also altered his mental state, causing him to view humans as nothing but tools to help him achieve his goals. However, despite Ayanokoji’s downsides, he is irrefutably the smartest character in Classroom of the Elite.