Yōkoso jitsuryoku shijō shugi no kyōshitsu e, abbreviated Youzitsu and best known as Classroom of the Elite, is a Japanese light novel series written by Shōgo Kinugasa and illustrated by Shunsaku Tomose. Media Factory has published eighteen volumes since 2015 in their MF Bunko J collection. The series was adapted into a manga by Yuyu Ichino; this adaptation has been published by the same publisher in its pre-publication magazine, the Monthly Comic Alive, since January 27, 2016. A spin-off by Sakagaki was published in the same magazine between June 2017 and May 2018. An anime television series adaptation produced by Lerche first aired between July 12 and September 27, 2017. A second season has been airing since July 2022, while a third season is scheduled for 2023. In this article, you are going to find out whether the Classroom of the Elite franchise is finished or is still ongoing.
Classroom of the Elite is a franchise consisting of three works – a light novel series, a manga series, and an anime series – and all three works are still ongoing and are not finished. The light novel series has been ongoing since May 25, 2015, the manga since January 27, 2016, and the anime series since July 12, 2017. There is no foreseeable ending for any of these works as of the time of writing.
The rest of this article is going to focus on the publication of the Classroom of the Elite franchise and all its aspects. We’re going to go over the whole publication history and ultimately tell you whether the Classroom of the Elite franchise is over or still ongoing, so that you know how much material from this great series you can expect.
Is the Classroom of the Elite light novel over?
The light novel series is written by Shōgo Kinugasa and illustrated by Shunsaku Tomose. The first volume was published by the publisher Media Factory in the MF Bunko J collection, on May 25, 2015. The first part consists of a total of fourteen volumes, eleven main volumes, and three other volumes. The second part, titled Yōkoso jitsuryoku shijō shugi no kyōshitsu e 2-nensei-hen (English: Classroom of the Elite: Year 2), was released in January 2020. In North America, the series is published in English by the publishing house Seven Seas Entertainment. So, as you can see, the light novel series is still ongoing and has just started its sequel. The published volumes so far are:
Classroom of the Elite
| No. | Original release date | Original ISBN | English release date | English ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | May 25, 2015 | 978-4-04-067657-9 | February 7, 2019 (Digital) May 7, 2019 (Physical) | 978-1-64-275137-6 |
| 2 | September 25, 2015 | 978-4-04-067778-1 | May 16, 2019 (Digital) August 13, 2019 (Physical) | 978-1-64-275139-0 |
| 3 | January 25, 2016 | 978-4-04-068008-8 | July 18, 2019 (Digital) November 19, 2019 (Physical) | 978-1-64-275723-1 |
| 4 | May 25, 2016 | 978-4-04-068338-6 | November 21, 2019 (Digital) February 25, 2020 (Physical) | 978-1-64-505197-8 |
| 4.5 | September 23, 2016 | 978-4-04-068629-5 | February 6, 2020 (Digital) June 16, 2020 (Physical) | 978-1-64-505437-5 |
| 5 | January 25, 2017 | 978-4-04-069017-9 | May 14, 2020 (Digital) July 21, 2020 (Physical) | 978-1-64-505486-3 |
| 6 | May 25, 2017 | 978-4-04-069231-9 | July 23, 2020 (Digital) October 13, 2020 (Physical) | 978-1-64-505751-2 |
| 7 | October 25, 2017 | 978-4-04-069458-0 | October 29, 2020 (Digital) January 19, 2021 (Physical) | 978-1-64-505820-5 |
| 7.5 | January 25, 2018 | 978-4-04-069675-1 | February 4, 2021 (Digital) March 23, 2021 (Physical) | 978-1-64-505975-2 |
| 8 | May 25, 2018 | 978-4-04-069861-8 | May 27, 2021 (Digital) June 22, 2021 (Physical) | 978-1-64-827223-3 |
| 9 | September 25, 2018 | 978-4-04-065157-6 | August 26, 2021 (Digital) September 28, 2021 (Physical) | 978-1-64-827261-5 |
| 10 | January 25, 2019 | 978-4-04-065506-2 | February 17, 2022 (Digital) March 15, 2022 (Physical) | 978-1-64-827321-6 |
| 11 | May 25, 2019 | 978-4-04-065739-4 | April 7, 2022 (Digital) May 10, 2022 (Physical) | 978-1-64-827361-2 |
| 11.5 | September 25, 2019 | 978-4-04-064007-5 | May 12, 2022 (Digital) June 28, 2022 (Physical) | 978-1-63858-102-4 |
Classroom of the Elite: Year 2
| No. | Original release date | Original ISBN | English release date | English ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | January 24, 2020 | 978-4-04-064329-8 | June 9, 2022 (Digital) July 19, 2022 (Physical) | 978-1-63858-182-6 |
| 2 | June 25, 2020 | 978-4-04-064664-0 | July 21, 2022 (Digital) August 30, 2022 (Physical) | 978-1-63858-337-0 |
| 3 | October 24, 2020 | 978-4-04-065942-8 | September 8, 2022 (Digital) November 22, 2022 (Physical) | 978-1-63858-642-5 |
| 4 | February 25, 2021 | 978-4-04-680166-1 | February 7, 2023 (Physical) | 978-1-63858-817-7 |
| 4.5 | June 25, 2021 | 978-4-04-680516-4 | May 9, 2023 (Physical) | 978-1-68579-639-6 |
| 5 | October 25, 2021 | 978-4-04-680846-2 | — | — |
| 6 | February 25, 2022 | 978-4-04-681185-1 | — | — |
| 7 | June 24, 2022 | 978-4-04-681477-7 | — | — |
Is the Classroom of the Elite manga over?
A manga adaptation of the main series by Yuyu Ichino has been published in Media Factory’s seinen manga preprint magazine Monthly Comic Alive since January 27, 2016. The manga has been compiled into seventeen tankōbon volumes to date. Directed by Sakagaki, a spin-off series was published in the August 2017 issue of Monthly Comic Alive, released June 27, 2017. The ongoing publication of the Classroom of the Elite: Year 2 manga began on December 25, 2021.
Titled Yōkoso jitsuryoku shijō shugi no kyōshitsu e √ Horikita, the manga, i.e. the development of the story takes place in an alternate universe. The final chapter is published in the July 2018 issue, released on May 26, 2018. In total, this spin-off consists of two tankōbon volumes. As you can see, while the alternative universe spin-off is over, the two principal manga series are still ongoing.
Is the Classroom of the Elite anime over?
It was through the opening of a dedicated site and a Twitter account in May 2017 that Kadokawa revealed the television anime adaptation of the series. It first aired in Japan between July 12 and September 27, 2017 on AT-X, Tokyo MX, KBS, SUN, TVA, TVQ, and later on BS11. Seiji Kishi and Hiroyuki Hashimoto were in charge of the production of the series at Lerche studio, while Aoi Akashiro was in charge of the scenario. The character designs are entrusted to Kazuaki Morita, while Ryo Takahashi composed the music of the series.
The series has the distinction of naming its episodes with quotes from famous philosophers and authors. Crunchyroll simulcast the series worldwide except in Asia. ZAQ performed the series opener titled “Caste Room”, while the ending was performed by Minami, titled “Beautiful Soldier”.
On February 21, 2022, a second season was announced, also produced by the Lerche studio. It was directed by Yoshihito Nishōji while Seiji Kishi and Hiroyuki Hashimoto returned, but this time as chief directors; Hayato Kazano replaced Aoi Akashiro in the post of screenwriter, and Kazuaki Morita was once again in charge of the character designs of the series.
Masaru Yokoyama and Kana Hashiguchi composed the music for the series replacing Ryo Takahashi. The second season is airing since July 4, 2022. ZAQ performed the opening of the second season of the series entitled “Dance in the Game”, while the ending is performed by Mai Fuchigami, titled “Human Drama”. In addition, a third season has been announced to be released in 2023.
