Syougo Kinugasa is a Japanese writer whose career spans both the video game and publishing industries, where he is best known as the original creator of the Classroom of the Elite franchise. His name is officially romanized as Syougo Kinugasa, and his works are characterized by psychological drama and intricate strategic conflicts.

Kinugasa began his career in the visual novel industry, working as a scenario writer and planner for game studios such as AkabeiSoft2 and shangurira. He gained early recognition for his work on the Akatsuki no Goei series, a set of PC games that established his penchant for complex character dynamics. He later co-founded the game developer Tigre Soft and continued to work on projects like Reminiscence and Ryusei World Actor.

He transitioned to writing light novels in 2012 with Koakuma Teiri to Kyuseishu!?, illustrated by Shunsaku Tomose. This collaboration with Tomose would prove foundational, as the pair reunited in 2015 to launch Kinugasa's most significant work, Classroom of the Elite (Yōkoso Jitsuryoku Shijō Shugi no Kyōshitsu e), under Media Factory's MF Bunko J imprint.

As the original author, Kinugasa has overseen the expansion of Classroom of the Elite into a multi-format media franchise. The story is set in the Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School, where students are ranked by merit and must navigate a cutthroat system using strategy and psychological manipulation. The main light novel series ran from 2015 to 2019 and was immediately followed by a sequel, Classroom of the Elite: Year 2, which began publication in January 2020. A third year arc began in March 2025.

Kinugasa is credited as the original creator for all manga adaptations of his work. The primary manga adaptation, illustrated by Yuyu Ichino, began serialization in Monthly Comic Alive in 2016. Additional manga spin-offs have been produced for the Year 2 arc. The franchise also inspired an anime television series produced by Lerche, which premiered in 2017, followed by subsequent seasons that aired in 2022 and 2024. His official credit in these productions is consistently for the original work, distinct from screenwriting or direction roles.

Kinugasa's artistic identity is closely tied to psychological thrillers and narratives centered on meritocracy. His protagonists often operate as unreliable narrators, using hidden intelligence to manipulate events from the background, a trait most famously embodied by Kiyotaka Ayanokōji in Classroom of the Elite. His long-standing collaboration with illustrator Shunsaku Tomose, who provides the character designs for the light novels and serves as the basis for the anime and manga visuals, is a defining aspect of his published work.

Within the industry, Kinugasa holds significance as a creator who successfully transitioned from writing adult visual novels to producing a best-selling light novel series with international appeal. The Classroom of the Elite franchise has become a commercial staple, known for sustaining a large publication run across multiple formats and maintaining a dedicated global readership that has supported its continued expansion into new story arcs.