Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School is no ordinary school. It hosts some of the most intelligent and bright students from all over Japan to compete against each other. Until the victor is announced, every student conceals their true intentions and subtly works towards their goal. Arisu Sakayanagi is one of those students. Aside from being beautiful, the young woman holds immense authority.
Sakayanagi’s presence in the light novel is interesting. Although she doesn’t actively involve herself in any drama, she likes to string puppets from behind the scenes. This characteristic is similar to the protagonist, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka. With a diminutive figure, Sakayanagi’s demeanor oscillates between being disarmingly childlike to being perspective. She also wears an intriguing yet mysterious aura around her.
However, is she the main antagonist of this series? Is she the one who is standing between Ayanokoji and Class D to stop them from reaching Class A?
Sakayanagi Arisu: The leader of Class A
Having a petite figure and white hair, Arisu Sakayanagi is introduced as a student representative of Class A in Classroom of the Elite. This is the most prominent class where only the most intelligent and capable students are placed. However, appearances can be deceptive. In Sakayanagi’s case, she is sharp and holds a commanding presence despite her physical fragility owing to her health issues.
Sakayanagi is shown to move around with the help of a cane, suggesting her physical limitations and her chronic illness. It also appears that this aspect of her life has impacted her personality and mental health. However, the lack of physical weapons is compensated by her intelligence and strategic abilities. In the Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing School, Sakayanagi becomes a significant character as she rises to become the leader of Class A. Students from other classes, including Ryuen from Class C and Ichinose from Class B, also acknowledge her presence.
Is Sakayanagi more intelligent than Ayanokoji in Classroom of the Elite?
Sakayanagi’s influence in controlled environment is impressive. In volume 10 of Classroom of the Elite light novel, Ayanokoji says that she stands a fair chance of emerging victorious in some matches against him. This signifies that their strategic minds operate similarly at some level.
However, if the comparison between Sakayanagi and Ayanokoji is stretched to consider critical thinking and broader strategic prowess, Ayanokoji demonstrates a more comprehensive and versatile intellect. His mind works beyond the pretext of a situation being a single game. Moreover, his strategic skills go beyond the immediate scope. He takes several factors that might influence a situation into account and then calculates the potential outcomes.
This way of thinking allows Ayanokoji to handle even more complicated situations with ease. Sakayanagi might not match his level of perception and foresight. However, she is a brilliant student and a character that can stand head-to-head with the protagonist. Considering the events that have happened so far, calling Sakayanagi an antagonist would be an overstatement. She considers Ayanokoji her rival so she will try her best to sabotage his plans and crush him..
