he long-awaited Classroom of the Elite 2nd Year is finally happening — and yes, it’s officially the fourth season of the anime. At the MF Bunko J Autumn School Festival 2025, the production team confirmed that the series will return in April 2026, along with a new key visual, a fresh trailer, and an expanded first-year cast.
If you’ve been missing Ayanokoji’s quiet psychological warfare, the mind games, the class politics, and the unpredictable twists… Season 4 is shaping up to be peak Classroom of the Elite energy.
Season 4 Overview — “2nd Year: First Semester” Begins April 2026
The new season will adapt the first semester of the Year 2 arc, continuing right after the events of Season 3, which concluded the entire first-year storyline back in January 2024.
The freshly released key visual hints at a more intense, mature, and strategic year ahead, with Ayanokoji surrounded by allies and rivals who will shape the brutal competition of Year 2.
The first trailer also teases a shift in tone — sharper tension, more psychological tactics, and the introduction of the new first-year students who might become either threats… or resources.
CLASSROOM OF THE ELITE 2ND YEAR MAIN TRAILER #1
New First-Year Characters & Cast (Left to Right)
Season 4 expands the world of COTE significantly. Here are the newly announced cast members and their roles:
Tsubasa Nanase — Minako Sato
(Haru Kozakura in Blue Orchestra)Kazuomi Hosen — Hiroya Egashira
(Kazu Sakura in You and Idol Precure♪)Ichika Amasawa — Momoko Seto
(Belno Light in Uma Musume: Cinderella Gray)Takuya Yagami — Shinosuke Tokudome
(Wada in Let’s Go Karaoke!)Sakurako Tsubaki — Iori Saeki
(Yashiro in Adachi and Shimamura)Riku Utomiya — Shogo Sakata
(Aki Hayakawa in Chainsaw Man)
With Year 2 known to be far more brutal than Year 1, these new characters aren’t just background additions — many of them play major roles in the upcoming events.
Streaming Details
Crunchyroll confirmed that it will stream Classroom of the Elite Season 4 globally (excluding Asia), same-day as Japan, beginning April 2026
Quick Timeline Recap for New & Returning Fans
Season 1 (2017) — Introduced the elite school and the class system.
Season 2 (2022) — Continued the first-year arc with escalating tension.
Season 3 (2024) — Concluded the first-year storyline with major reveals.
Season 4 (2026) — 2nd Year begins. New rules. New enemies. New Ayanokoji mind games.
What to Expect in Season 4 (Without Spoilers)
While avoiding source material spoilers, here’s a tease of what fans can look forward to:
Ayanokoji facing a more powerful set of rivals
New first-year disruptors who challenge existing class dynamics
More psychological warfare and strategic manipulation
Bigger stakes — Year 2 exams redefine the entire system
Character conflicts intensifying, especially for Class D
Ayanokoji’s past catching up in unexpected ways
If you thought Year 1 was intense… Year 2 is where Classroom of the Elite truly becomes the monster of the psychological-thriller genre.
Mini Synopsis for New Viewers
Classroom of the Elite takes place in the prestigious Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School — a place where students have complete freedom, receive monthly allowances, and live in a seemingly perfect system.
But behind the facade lies a cutthroat hierarchy where points equal power, manipulation is survival, and everyone hides their true intentions.
At the center of it all is Kiyotaka Ayanokoji, a quiet boy trying (and failing) to stay unnoticed while navigating friendships, betrayals, and high-stakes mind games.
If you enjoy psychological battles, strategy-driven conflict, and morally gray characters, this series is a must-watch.
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