Many anime series take place in academic settings, usually a realistic high school or a magical school that adds a supernatural twist to the concept of a high school education. Many characters in these series are fairly typical adolescents trying to figure themselves out, get good grades, or even find love, but others are just troublemakers.

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Not all troublemakers in school anime series are bullies or delinquents; in fact, many of them are actually likable characters, but they simply can't resist the urge to stir things up. Some of them don't even realize that they're being disruptive or annoying, while others take glee in it, or simply break school rules as an act of rebellion against an oppressive academic system.

10 Hinata Shintani Keeps Snacking Despite School Rules (Maid Sama!)

hinata shintani maid-sama

As far as high school troublemakers go, Hinata Shintani isn't so bad, though he's a bit rough around the edges. This energetic, carefree boy hails from Japan's countryside, where he's used to making his own rule as he runs amok. He needs to make some adjustments as a Seika High student.

Hinata knows Misaki Ayuzawa from their childhood, but that doesn't mean he'll follow her commands as Student Council President. In fact, he keeps leaving crumbs everywhere as he snacks on treats all day long, and his uniform is always sloppy. This is going to raise some eyebrows.

9 Yu Ishigami Keeps Clashing With Miko Iino And Got Into A Fight In Junior High (Kaguya-Sama: Love Is War)

Yu Ishigami crying while looking down in Kaguya-sama: Love Is War.

Yu Ishigami doesn't normally mean any harm, and he's more often considered a delinquent than a troublemaker. He does have his troublemaking moments, though, such as when he spites school rules about video games and butts heads with Miko Iino over and over on that topic. He knows he's in the wrong, but he keeps doing it anyway.

More significantly, Yu got into big trouble in junior high: he got into a physical altercation with Kyoko's disloyal boyfriend and made himself a pariah. Yu couldn't bring himself to write the letter of apology that the school demanded and was suspended for months on end. His suspension was eventually lifted without the letter.

8 Yumeko Jabami Can't Help Breaking Rules And Stirring Up Trouble (Kakegurui)

yumeko holding out her hand smiling in kakegurui

Yumeko Jabami is the heroine of this gambling-focused high school series, and while she doesn't end up in suspension or in the principal's office, she does have a habit of living life by her own rules and breaking all social conventions at Hyakkaou Academy. She's a bull in a china shop.

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Yumeko knows that she's really stirring the pot and angering all the tradition-bound students, and that's what makes her gambling rampage so fun. She keeps making enemies and disrupting the status quo, and she's not likely to stop. She's addicted to the thrill of unconventional gambling, and will always excitedly tell her opponents as much.

7 Hatsuharu Sohma Makes A Scene With His Dark Form (Fruits Basket)

Hatsuharu Sohma in Fruits Basket

Hatsuharu Sohma embodies the ox of the Chinese zodiac, and like a black and white cow, he has his light side and his dark side. Even when he's behaving himself, though, Hatsuharu spites the school dress code with his casual and sloppy uniform.

When Hatsuharu's dark side emerges, though, he throws a total tantrum, verbally attacking and spiting everyone around him while trashing the classroom like he's a heavy metal band in a hotel room. It's fortunate he hasn't been expelled.

6 Hayase Nagatoro Can't Stop Toying With People Like Naoto (Don't Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro!)

hayase nagatoro with naoto don't toy with me miss nagatoro

Hayase Nagatoro is an excitable and crafty first-year student who likes to goof off and gossip about people with her gal-pals, and she recently took a liking to the quiet and artistic upperclassman, Naoto Hachioji. Hayase won't waste any opportunity to toy around with him.

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All that makes Hayase a total troublemaker, though she doesn't mean any serious harm, and she and her friends often make a scene when they mess with other people on Naoto's behalf, such as the stern art club president. When Hayase starts acting up, everyone will know it.

5 Valac Clara Keeps Making A Mess And Is Beholden To No One (Welcome To Demon School, Iruma-Kun!)

Clara thumbs up Welcome to Demon School

Valac Clara is a colorful and whimsical student at Babyls, and with a flamboyant personality like that, she might make a fine Demidol someday. Clara has the remarkable ability to recreate or summon anything out of her pockets, but most students simply pretend to like her so they can cash in on that remarkable ability of hers.

Otherwise, Clara is something of a pariah due to her excessively playful and loud behavior and her total inability to follow instructions or cooperate with others. She also tends to cause property damage with her trademark rolling technique.

4 Soma Yukihira Shakes Up The Status Quo With His Resourceful Cooking (Food Wars!)

food wars soma

Like Yumeko Jabami, Soma Yukihira is a transfer student at a tradition-bound high school, in this case, a culinary school called Totsuki. Soma isn't a hedonist like Yumeko, though. Instead, he aims to make friends and prove himself with his incredibly resourceful and daring cooking.

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Soma is friendly but also competitive, and will upset any social hierarchy or status quo with his challenges and bold proclamations. Totsuki has never seen a student like him before, and everyone who was comfortable with the status quo now knows Soma's name...and wishes they didn't.

3 Shoya Ishida Was A Vicious Bully In Sixth Grade (A Silent Voice)

shoya ishida in a silent voice

As a sixth grader, Shoya Ishida was a real handful. He was an energetic but rough boy who was terrified of ever being bored, so he compensated by constantly making a big ruckus, such as jumping off bridges into the water below.

Much worse than that was Shoya's habit of finding people to pick on, and he settled on his Deaf classmate, Shoko, as his primary victim. He and his buds tormented her nonstop until she was forced to change schools, and Shoya became a widely hated pariah in the aftermath. This prompted his quest to repent and make things right.

2 Tomo Takino Loves Making A Racket & Acting Impulsively (Azumanga Daioh)

tomo takino azamanga daioh

Tomo Takino is no bully, but she does get on everyone's nerves simply because she's bursting with energy. Rather than sit still and study, Tomo would rather roughhouse in P.E., swipe her hands on wet paint for no reason, and throw people's house keys into the grass for fun, among other shenanigans.

In fact, Tomo will cheer on anyone else who's also a troublemaker or nuisance, even her teacher, Yukari Tanizaki. Tomo is the type to encourage a car's driver to floor it to make it through a yellow light and cheer when they make it. She enables all kinds of wild behavior in others.

1 Sawa Nakamura Dragged Takao Kasuga To Her Level (The Flowers Of Evil)

Sawa Nakamura in Flowers of Evil.

Sawa Nakamura is a delinquent and troublemaker, despite being so quiet in class for the most part. She once encouraged her classmate-turned-victim Takao Kasuga to vandalize their classroom at night to prove their disdain toward everyone at school. She also verbally abuses just about everyone around her, even the teachers.

In addition, Sawa rarely bothers with schoolwork, and once left an entire test blank and cruelly mocked the teacher when he tried to scold her for it. Sawa is willing to bully and torment other people outside of school grounds, too, and talk people into all kinds of delinquent behavior. She darkens the entire world around her.

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