Classroom of the Elite, a leading psychological thriller anime, had a huge impact on the anime franchise after its release in 2017. Based on the light novel first published in 2015, it was quickly adapted into an anime – a testament to the story's thrilling plot.
After the anime's release in 2017, there was no news regarding a second season for the series. However, 2022 brought good news, and one of them was the confirmation of season 2, slated to air mid -2022 – after five years. Classroom of the Elite fans are excited about what this season has to offer. However, after waiting for a long period, it is expected that fans might forget some crucial details from the anime. So, here is a brief recap of the major plot points to remember before season 2 is released.
The Plot of Season 1 Classroom of the Elite
Classroom of the Elite is centered on Kiyotaka Ayanakouji, a student that enters Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School, an academic situation renowned for training students that end up becoming “elite” and influential members of the society. This institution operates using a merit-based system, involving the allotment of points to students, which they can use to purchase anything they want. Ayanakouji was placed in Class D, a class for the misfits and the lower-ranked. Surprisingly, within the first few episodes, the anime offers glimpses into Ayankouji's intelligence despite his misleading personality and the constant efforts he makes to draw attention away from himself.
The first instance where the anime revealed Kiyotaka's intelligence occurred when Horikita Suzune, one of his first acquaintances, asked him to convince three of their unwilling classmates to join a group study. Instead of convincing them directly, he tacitly uses Kikyou Kushida, a popular student in the class, to persuade the students into attending. Despite his acting skills, his teacher and some students began to suspect that he was more intelligent than he let on. For instance, he scored a perfect 50 on every test, which is usually not possible except the person knows the correct answers but chooses to ignore them. Despite his pretend nonchalant attitude, Ayanakouji uses his intelligence to aid his classmates in different situations. First, he unfurled Class C's plan to expel one of his classmates with the aid of Horikita Suzune and Airi Sakura. After the issue was resolved, Ayanakouji evaded public praise and attention, stating that Horikita was the brain behind the resolution of the case.
At this point in the anime, fans suspect Ayanakouji to be just a regular intelligent guy who doesn't want to stand out. However, the last batch of episodes proved everyone wrong with a crazy twist. This set of episodes covered the special test arc. Class A, Class B, Class C, and Class D were all tasked with living on an uninhabited island. The urvival test revealed the cunningness of Ayanakouji and how his quick thinking saved Class D from losing points. In fact, he helped them win the survival test, shocking the higher-ranked classes. This surprises everyone, but once again, he evades public attention by telling Class D's representative to pin the test's success on Horikita Suzune, who was idolized by her grateful classmates after hearing the untrue information. Before the end of the show, the anime revealed Ayanakouji’s true sociopathic nature. He is depicted as a person who believes humans are tools to be used regardless of how it’s done. To Ayanakouji, the end justifies the means.
What Would be Revealed in Season 2?
Season 2 of Classroom of the Elite would be based on Volume 4 of the light novel series. This volume is an extension of the Cruise Ship Special Test Arc. In this volume, Ayankouji is portrayed as a subtle manipulator and an excellent observer, with the ability to make people carry out his will without their realization. Through his strategic methods, he achieves his objectives while remaining a background character. The Cruise Ship Special Test Arc would also reveal more detail on side characters like Kei Karuizawa and Kanji Ike.
Season 1 of Classroom of the Elite ended on a cliffhanger. It left many unanswered questions, such as “What really happened in Ayanakouji’s past,” “Who is Ayanakouji’s father?” and “Would Ayanakouji’s true identity be exposed?” Hopefully, season 2 offers more insight into important gaps in this exciting psychological thriller.