TV-Series
Description
Kakeru Ryūen is a student at the prestigious Advanced Nurturing High School. He stands 173 cm tall and was born on October 20, giving him the zodiac sign Libra. His student ID number is S01T004711. He has black hair with a purplish tint that falls to his neck, and he possesses sharp eyes. In the anime adaptation, his physique is presented as notably muscular. Over the course of the story, his class affiliation changes. He begins in Class 1-C, and by the second year, he is a member of Class 2-C. His academic and social evaluation, based on the school's OAA (Overall Academic Ability) system, includes scores of 59 for academic ability, 71 for physical ability, 70 for quick-thinking and adaptation, and a very low 18 for social contribution and altruism, resulting in an overall grade of C+.
Ryūen comes from an ordinary family background. His worldview was largely shaped during a childhood incident when, on an elementary school field trip, a snake appeared, terrifying the other children. While his peers panicked, Ryūen calmly killed the serpent. This moment gave him his first real experience of dominating another living creature and caused others to begin seeing him as an abnormal and dangerous presence. In the hostile environment that followed, he became a delinquent. By middle school, fistfights were an everyday occurrence, and he was often surrounded and beaten by groups of opponents. Despite being overwhelmed by superior numbers many times, he never succumbed to fear. Instead, he focused entirely on how to get revenge and turn the tables. Through this process, he eventually subdued all rivals in his local area, leaving him without any worthy challengers and feeling a deep sense of boredom.
Ryūen is defined by a cruel, calculating, and ruthless personality. He is one of the school's most prominent delinquents, serving as a major antagonist. He firmly believes that power is determined by violence. In his eyes, true ability in the world is synonymous with the capacity for brute force, and he dismisses social status, intelligence, and rules as meaningless if they cannot be enforced through strength. He rules his own class not through charisma or trust, but through fear and intimidation, acting as a tyrant and dictator. He treats his classmates as subordinates and pawns, and he has no hesitation in using violence, even against his own followers or female students, to achieve his goals. He is openly disrespectful and enjoys humiliating others, as seen in his repeated condescending interactions with Suzune Horikita. Despite this brutal exterior, he harbors a fierce obsession with victory. He claims to hate effort, yet he is an extremely hard worker who spares no labor or sacrifice to win. He possesses a hidden sense of responsibility toward his own classmates, often shaping his long-term strategies to benefit the class as a whole. He is not above forgiving failures or spying from his own classmates, preferring to retain them as useful assets rather than disposing of them.
His core motivation is to elevate his entire class to Class A, the highest rank. His methods are ruthless and rule-breaking, but they are consistently aimed at this ultimate goal. He takes a distinct pleasure in strategic competition and the application of power. After being decisively defeated and having his spirit broken by Kiyotaka Ayanokōji, his primary motivation shifts toward exacting revenge and proving his own strength. However, he follows Ayanokōji's advice to bide his time, focusing on other rivals first. On a deeper level, he is driven by a search for a worthy adversary to alleviate the boredom of a life where no one dared to oppose him. His philosophy is simple: as long as he is alive and conscious, he can always plot a way to reverse any loss, because the only thing that can truly defeat him is death.
In the story, Ryūen functions as one of the most formidable obstacles in the first year, representing the raw, aggressive, and intelligent ruthlessness of Class C. After his downfall, he transitions into a major supporting character and a secondary viewpoint, sometimes functioning in a role similar to a shadow protagonist alongside Kiyotaka Ayanokōji and Suzune Horikita. He remains a constant threat and a rival, but he becomes a more strategic player in the larger school power dynamics, even entering into temporary, indirect cooperation with his former enemies to deal with even greater threats, such as Arisu Sakayanagi or powerful first-year students. His goal is to crush Honami Ichinose’s and Arisu Sakayanagi’s classes, and he is willing to destroy anyone from other years who gets in his way.
Key relationships define his role. His most significant relationship is with Kiyotaka Ayanokōji. He initially believes he is hunting the mysterious mastermind of Class D, but he is instead tracked down and brutally defeated by Ayanokōji, who then forces him to submit. This defeat shatters Ryūen’s confidence and makes him want to drop out. Later, Ayanokōji prevents his expulsion, and their relationship evolves into a complex rivalry where Ayanokōji finds Ryūen to be one of the few genuinely entertaining opponents. Ryūen swears revenge. He forms a strong strategic partnership with Kōhei Katsuragi, a transfer student from Class A whom he recruits for 20 million private points. He values Katsuragi’s steadiness and organizational skills. He commands a loyal group of followers, including Daichi Ishizaki, Albert Yamada, and Mio Ibuki. He has physically dominated them in the past, but they show him unexpected loyalty after his defeat, convincing him to keep fighting. His relationship with Suzune Horikita is antagonistic; he enjoys provoking her and previously had her under his control with the help of the spy Kikyō Kushida. He holds leverage over Kushida’s past, using her as an informant. This alliance eventually breaks down due to Kiyotaka’s intervention.
Ryūen experiences significant character development. He starts as an arrogant, invincible-seeming tyrant who has never known fear. After his absolute defeat by Ayanokōji, he is psychologically broken and attempts to drop out. The loyalty of his followers prompts him to stand back up, but he remains silent and withdrawn for a time. He then re-emerges with a new approach. He becomes less reliant on pure tyranny and more strategic, learning to use both "good and evil" to lead. He recruits Katsuragi as an advisor, listens to other opinions, and uses psychological tactics to bring rebellious classmates back into line. He also learns to cooperate with former rivals when necessary. While still cruel, his character adds depth as he shows a grudging attachment to his class and a more flexible leadership style.
Ryūen possesses several notable abilities. In terms of intelligence, he is a sharp, improvisational, and highly creative strategist. He excels at unorthodox tactics that exploit psychological pressure, deception, and espionage. He is considered one of the top thinkers in the series for his high-risk, high-reward plans. In the first-year island exam, he created the zero-point strategy, sending most of his class to a cruise ship while he hid on the island to spy on other classes' leaders. He was the first to successfully identify Ayanokōji as the true mastermind behind Class D. As a fighter, Ryūen is extremely capable, though his fighting style is entirely self-taught from street brawls and not a formal martial art. He has demonstrated the ability to easily defeat skilled fighters like Daichi Ishizaki and Mio Ibuki. However, he was completely outclassed and easily defeated by Kiyotaka Ayanokōji, who was trained from childhood in martial arts. His greatest asset is his formidable mental resilience. He has an extraordinary resistance to fear and psychological pressure, treating defeat simply as data to analyze and a problem to be solved. He never mentally surrenders and is always plotting a way to reverse his situation, which allows him to keep fighting and eventually stand back up even after a crushing defeat.
Ryūen comes from an ordinary family background. His worldview was largely shaped during a childhood incident when, on an elementary school field trip, a snake appeared, terrifying the other children. While his peers panicked, Ryūen calmly killed the serpent. This moment gave him his first real experience of dominating another living creature and caused others to begin seeing him as an abnormal and dangerous presence. In the hostile environment that followed, he became a delinquent. By middle school, fistfights were an everyday occurrence, and he was often surrounded and beaten by groups of opponents. Despite being overwhelmed by superior numbers many times, he never succumbed to fear. Instead, he focused entirely on how to get revenge and turn the tables. Through this process, he eventually subdued all rivals in his local area, leaving him without any worthy challengers and feeling a deep sense of boredom.
Ryūen is defined by a cruel, calculating, and ruthless personality. He is one of the school's most prominent delinquents, serving as a major antagonist. He firmly believes that power is determined by violence. In his eyes, true ability in the world is synonymous with the capacity for brute force, and he dismisses social status, intelligence, and rules as meaningless if they cannot be enforced through strength. He rules his own class not through charisma or trust, but through fear and intimidation, acting as a tyrant and dictator. He treats his classmates as subordinates and pawns, and he has no hesitation in using violence, even against his own followers or female students, to achieve his goals. He is openly disrespectful and enjoys humiliating others, as seen in his repeated condescending interactions with Suzune Horikita. Despite this brutal exterior, he harbors a fierce obsession with victory. He claims to hate effort, yet he is an extremely hard worker who spares no labor or sacrifice to win. He possesses a hidden sense of responsibility toward his own classmates, often shaping his long-term strategies to benefit the class as a whole. He is not above forgiving failures or spying from his own classmates, preferring to retain them as useful assets rather than disposing of them.
His core motivation is to elevate his entire class to Class A, the highest rank. His methods are ruthless and rule-breaking, but they are consistently aimed at this ultimate goal. He takes a distinct pleasure in strategic competition and the application of power. After being decisively defeated and having his spirit broken by Kiyotaka Ayanokōji, his primary motivation shifts toward exacting revenge and proving his own strength. However, he follows Ayanokōji's advice to bide his time, focusing on other rivals first. On a deeper level, he is driven by a search for a worthy adversary to alleviate the boredom of a life where no one dared to oppose him. His philosophy is simple: as long as he is alive and conscious, he can always plot a way to reverse any loss, because the only thing that can truly defeat him is death.
In the story, Ryūen functions as one of the most formidable obstacles in the first year, representing the raw, aggressive, and intelligent ruthlessness of Class C. After his downfall, he transitions into a major supporting character and a secondary viewpoint, sometimes functioning in a role similar to a shadow protagonist alongside Kiyotaka Ayanokōji and Suzune Horikita. He remains a constant threat and a rival, but he becomes a more strategic player in the larger school power dynamics, even entering into temporary, indirect cooperation with his former enemies to deal with even greater threats, such as Arisu Sakayanagi or powerful first-year students. His goal is to crush Honami Ichinose’s and Arisu Sakayanagi’s classes, and he is willing to destroy anyone from other years who gets in his way.
Key relationships define his role. His most significant relationship is with Kiyotaka Ayanokōji. He initially believes he is hunting the mysterious mastermind of Class D, but he is instead tracked down and brutally defeated by Ayanokōji, who then forces him to submit. This defeat shatters Ryūen’s confidence and makes him want to drop out. Later, Ayanokōji prevents his expulsion, and their relationship evolves into a complex rivalry where Ayanokōji finds Ryūen to be one of the few genuinely entertaining opponents. Ryūen swears revenge. He forms a strong strategic partnership with Kōhei Katsuragi, a transfer student from Class A whom he recruits for 20 million private points. He values Katsuragi’s steadiness and organizational skills. He commands a loyal group of followers, including Daichi Ishizaki, Albert Yamada, and Mio Ibuki. He has physically dominated them in the past, but they show him unexpected loyalty after his defeat, convincing him to keep fighting. His relationship with Suzune Horikita is antagonistic; he enjoys provoking her and previously had her under his control with the help of the spy Kikyō Kushida. He holds leverage over Kushida’s past, using her as an informant. This alliance eventually breaks down due to Kiyotaka’s intervention.
Ryūen experiences significant character development. He starts as an arrogant, invincible-seeming tyrant who has never known fear. After his absolute defeat by Ayanokōji, he is psychologically broken and attempts to drop out. The loyalty of his followers prompts him to stand back up, but he remains silent and withdrawn for a time. He then re-emerges with a new approach. He becomes less reliant on pure tyranny and more strategic, learning to use both "good and evil" to lead. He recruits Katsuragi as an advisor, listens to other opinions, and uses psychological tactics to bring rebellious classmates back into line. He also learns to cooperate with former rivals when necessary. While still cruel, his character adds depth as he shows a grudging attachment to his class and a more flexible leadership style.
Ryūen possesses several notable abilities. In terms of intelligence, he is a sharp, improvisational, and highly creative strategist. He excels at unorthodox tactics that exploit psychological pressure, deception, and espionage. He is considered one of the top thinkers in the series for his high-risk, high-reward plans. In the first-year island exam, he created the zero-point strategy, sending most of his class to a cruise ship while he hid on the island to spy on other classes' leaders. He was the first to successfully identify Ayanokōji as the true mastermind behind Class D. As a fighter, Ryūen is extremely capable, though his fighting style is entirely self-taught from street brawls and not a formal martial art. He has demonstrated the ability to easily defeat skilled fighters like Daichi Ishizaki and Mio Ibuki. However, he was completely outclassed and easily defeated by Kiyotaka Ayanokōji, who was trained from childhood in martial arts. His greatest asset is his formidable mental resilience. He has an extraordinary resistance to fear and psychological pressure, treating defeat simply as data to analyze and a problem to be solved. He never mentally surrenders and is always plotting a way to reverse his situation, which allows him to keep fighting and eventually stand back up even after a crushing defeat.