Summary
Shogo KinugasaClassroom of The Eliteisknown for its intricate web of manipulationand cunning strategies, as the whole point of the series is to set the stage for the students of the individual classes to constantly outsmart the other ones. The various characters employ devious tactics to climb the social ladder and achieve their individual goals.
Ranking the most manipulative characters in the show can be quite subjective, as their approaches, motivations, and goals all differ. Some display their expertise in manipulating situations and some exploit people to further their goals. With that in mind, here are some of the most manipulative characters in the series.
6Ryuen Kakeru
Brains And Brawn
At first glance, Ryuen might seem like an aggressive stud with a below-average intellectual capacity, but he effectively manipulates people through intimidation and fear, keeping his classmates under his thumb through a blunt and aggressive approach.
He loves causing problems for others, as he did with Sudo Ken and almost succeeded in getting him expelled. He is also smart enough to cover his tracks whilecarrying out his devious plots. It took a bigger and more intricate plan from Ayanokoji to foil Kakeru’s plan of discovering who the D Class mastermind was.
5Miyabi Nagumo
Extremely Persuasive and Narcissistic
Nagumo is the recently appointed Student Council President elected to succeed Manabu Horikita after his graduation. He rules the school with an iron fist and is suspected by Manabu to be responsible for the expulsion of several students who might have crossed him in one way or another. Persuasion seems to be a strong suit of his, although that only works when it does not involvea potential love interestlike some of his attempts to woo women like Horikita.
He believes people are his toys, and would not think twice before sacrificing them to get one step closer to his goal, putting his extremely narcissistic side on display. He also famously tried to force Honami Ichinose into a relationship with him through an elaborate plan before being thwarted by none other than Ayanokoji.
4Ichika Amasawa
Fem Fatale
Following the introduction in the 2nd Year Arc, Ichika has proven to be quite mischievous and childish in her interactions with people. She also knows how to manipulate people and make them vulnerable, mastering the art oftearing people down mentally, and allowing them to make costly mistakes during crucial times. Her perception and understanding of people is top-tier, allowing her to predict their next course of thought.
The concept of strengths and weaknesses is also one she is familiar with, and she implements it against people to gain their trust and have them follow her orders without giving much thought to it.
3Kushida Kikyo
Two-Faced Pretender
Kushida is well known around the school as someone who tries hard to befriend everyone, but beneath that ruse is a spoiled girl who harbors a dark secret. She secretly despises Suzune even though she publicly tries to make friends with her.
Only a few characters have experienced the dark side of Kushida, with Ayanokoji’s experience coming with threatsof framing him forsexual assault if he told anyone about what he saw that night. She lives on the recognition and clout she gains from her facade and will do anything to ensure that her.
2Arisu Sakayanagi
Manipulates Situations
The well-renowned class representative of A Class, Arisu Sakayanagi stands out in many ways, one of them being her views on life and the concept of talent. She believes a person’s ceiling is determined bytheir genetics from birth, and that those who are blessed with the superior genes will always come out on top.
Seeing Ayanokoji outsmart everyone in the White Room due to the education he received angered her, and she pledged to defeat him and prove to everyone that superior genetics will always prevail over training. Seeing as she is the mastermind behind A Class’ success, her manipulation is not done to control people but rather to manipulate situations.
1Kiyotaka Ayanokoji
The Genius Of The White Room
Kiyotaka Ayanokoji, the titular protagonist ofClassroom Of The Elite,is a student who does not like to stand out and intentionally keeps his grades average on purpose toprevent people from taking noticeof him. He acts uninterested in everything but secretly analyzes everyone’s behavior and decides if they would be a valuable tool or not.
He is without a doubtthe most manipulative characterin the show, putting in a lot of effort to ensure that he can keep pulling the strings of D Class behind the scenes. Several times, he has put his superior intellect on display against all odds, bending the rules and coming up with solutions no other character would have thought of, manipulating people and situations to arrive at very specific outcomes that he had envisioned.
