Assassination Classroom (Anime)

Assassination Classroom manga was first serialized in 2012 in Shueisha’s Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine. The series quickly gained a large readership due to its sharp critique of the education system and its absurd humor.

The anime adaptation was produced by Lerche studio and premiered on Japanese television in January 2015. The second and final season was released in 2016, concluding the story in full alignment with the manga through meticulous planning.

The story is set at Kunugigaoka Junior High School in Japan, a system built entirely on “discrimination and competition.” Students with low grades or disciplinary issues are exiled from the main campus to an old building on a mountainside: Class 3-E (End - Last Class).

• Anti-Sensei Weapons: The government equips students with special plastic bullets and rubber knives that are harmless to humans but lethal to alien targets, enabling them to assassinate their teacher.
• The System: Students study mathematics and history in the mornings while receiving training in assassination, camouflage, and sniping during physical education. This closed system transforms outcast youths into highly skilled operatives.

A massive octopus-like mutant capable of moving at Mach 20 (twenty times the speed of sound) destroys 70 percent of the Moon and leaves it permanently in a crescent shape. It then announces its intention to destroy Earth within a year. However, it offers governments an offer they cannot refuse: for the remaining year, it will serve as the homeroom teacher of Class 3-E at Kunugigaoka and allow the students to attempt to assassinate it.

The outcast and demoralized students of Class 3-E begin seeking ways to kill this bizarre creature, known as Koro-sensei, who treats them like a father figure, motivated by the promise of a 10-billion-yen reward and the chance to save the world.

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• Koro-sensei: The Mach-20 mutant that destroyed the Moon and serves as the perfectionist homeroom teacher of Class 3-E. His Japanese voice is performed by Jun Fukuyama.
• Nagisa Shiota: The seemingly weakest student with the highest innate assassination potential and exceptional observational skills. His Japanese voice is performed by Mai Fuchigami.
• Karma Akabane: A genius student who is intelligent, rebellious, and a master of manipulation. His Japanese voice is performed by Nobuhiko Okamoto.
• Tadaomi Karasuma: A Ministry of Defense official who serves as the physical education instructor for Class 3-E, specializing in assassination training. His Japanese voice is performed by Tomokazu Sugita.
• Irina Jelavić (Bitch-sensei): A professional assassin who infiltrates the class and assumes the role of the English teacher. Her Japanese voice is performed by Shizuka Itou.

Although the series appears externally as an absurd action comedy, at its core it explores a profound philosophy of education. It examines how children labeled as “failures”—much like engines destined for scrap—can discover their true potential under the guidance of a skilled mentor. The narrative structure features a dynamic tempo, with each episode centered around a distinct assassination plan (tactical operation).

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• Television Series: The first season consists of 22 episodes, while the second and final season comprises 25 episodes.
• Film: An anime film titled Assassination Classroom: 365 Days’ Time summarizes key moments of the series and adds several new scenes.
• Live-Action: Two high-budget Japanese live-action film adaptations were released in 2015 and 2016, presenting the manga’s story through a different narrative approach.

The manga achieved tremendous commercial success, selling over 25 million copies in Japan. Through its critique of “competition pressure” in educational institutions, it has attained cult status among both young people and adults.