Classroom of the Elite watch order
Kiyotaka Ayanokoji keeps his head down in Class D, the bottom class of a government-run high school where students are ranked, paid in points and pitted against the other classes. Based on Shōgo Kinugasa's light novels, the anime is one continuous story across four seasons so far, all made by Lerche.
First time? Watch the seasons in order: Season 1, Season 2 and Season 3 finish the first school year, then Season 4 starts the second year. There are no films, OVAs or filler to sort out.
Story order
Story order is release order: each season continues directly from the one before.
- Classroom of the Elite
Ayanokoji, Horikita and Kushida start at the school, find out how the class point system really works, and go through the first exams and the deserted island test. Covers light novel volumes 1–3 and part of 4, with changes that annoyed novel readers.
- Classroom of the Elite Season 2
Arrived five years after Season 1 and picks up straight from it: the cruise ship test, the sports festival and the class war with Ryuen. Covers the rest of volume 4 through volume 7.5.
- Classroom of the Elite Season 3
The last stretch of the first school year, including the showdown between Horikita's class and Sakayanagi's Class A. Covers volumes 8–11.5 and ends the novels' first-year arc.
- Classroom of the Elite Season 4: Second Year, First Semester
The start of the second-year novels: new first-year students arrive, and the first exam pairs them with the second-years. Premiered with a 90-minute broadcast of episodes 1–4 in April 2026 and ran 16 episodes, to June.
Release order
Seasons 2 and 3 were announced together in 2022, but Season 3 came out in January 2024, not 2023 as first planned. Season 4 began the second-year story in April 2026.
- Classroom of the Elite
Ayanokoji, Horikita and Kushida start at the school, find out how the class point system really works, and go through the first exams and the deserted island test. Covers light novel volumes 1–3 and part of 4, with changes that annoyed novel readers.
- Classroom of the Elite Season 2
Arrived five years after Season 1 and picks up straight from it: the cruise ship test, the sports festival and the class war with Ryuen. Covers the rest of volume 4 through volume 7.5.
- Classroom of the Elite Season 3
The last stretch of the first school year, including the showdown between Horikita's class and Sakayanagi's Class A. Covers volumes 8–11.5 and ends the novels' first-year arc.
- Classroom of the Elite Season 4: Second Year, First Semester
The start of the second-year novels: new first-year students arrive, and the first exam pairs them with the second-years. Premiered with a 90-minute broadcast of episodes 1–4 in April 2026 and ran 16 episodes, to June.
Explained
Should I skip Season 1?
No. Season 2 continues straight from it, and anime-only viewers don't miss anything essential. Season 1 does change some things from the novels: a scheme Ichinose carries out in the books goes to Horikita, the pool episode (7) is reworked as fanservice, and Ayanokoji comes across as more openly detached from the start. That's why it has a reputation for being a loose adaptation.
How much of the light novels does the anime cover?
Seasons 1–3 cover the whole first-year series, volumes 1 to 11.5. Season 4 adapts the first semester of the second-year series. Fans of the novels recommend reading from volume 1 rather than where the anime stops, since the anime cuts a lot of detail and Ayanokoji's inner monologue, and the .5 volumes are part of the main story, not extras.
Is there any filler, OVA or movie?
No. The anime is four TV seasons and nothing else, so there's no filler to skip.
Is there a Season 5?
Yes. A fifth season was announced right after Season 4's finale in June 2026. No release date has been given as of October 2026.