Assassination Classroom is a stellar anime with one of the most uniquely mundane premises in shonen history. The action-packed comedy takes place in Kunugigaoka Junior High School. In this academically competitive private school, anyone performing below the average level of perfection, is exiled to Class 3-E. Somehow, this deemed them humanity's best chance at survival.
Class 3-E has to assassinate their octopoid teacher before he annihilates planet Earth. Korosensei is actually a sweetheart toward his students. He encourages them to pursue their passions regardless of what everyone says. Every character in Assassination Classroom has their respective strengths. However, a few score higher than others in popularity, character development, and assassination skills.
9 Ritsu Is An AI Everyone Should Have In Their Lives
Ritsu was first sent to Class 3-E to speed up the assassination process of everyone's beloved yellow octopoid. She paid little to no regard to how her actions affected others. After endless assassination attempts, Korosensei remodeled Ritsu's programming to make her a more proactive student in his class.
From there, she became an invaluable member of the team. She values the meaning of friendship. She does her best to assist her classmates, always finding ways to make their assassination attempts more foolproof. She makes sure to include everyone in any group activity and even installed herself onto everyone's phones in order to be there for them 24/7. She's a kind friend and a strategic thinker, vital for the work she does.
8 Irina Jelavić Is Both Femme Fatale And Class Clown
Ms. Irina has a lot of experience in the assassination department. As a hitwoman, it's entirely understandable that she didn't want to spend her days babysitting a classroom full of students. In the beginning, she completely neglects her responsibilities as an English teacher, focusing entirely on her primary task of murdering Korosensei.
Ms. Irina's assassination skills are impeccable, and her English is immaculate, but she's often the butt of the jokes made within the walls of Class 3-E. Ms. Irina's immaturity brings a fresh twist to the stresses of assassinating an indestructible creature.
7 Itona Horibe Sought Power But Found Family Instead
Bullied and Abandoned, Itona used his trauma to fuel his hunger for power. Shiro added the tentacles to Itona's back to enhance his athletic abilities. His new biological makeup evens the playing field between Korosensei and Class 3-E students.
Losing his tentacles does extremely little to affect his extraordinary athletic prowess. Like Ritsu, he had no interest in making friends, focusing on just the one goal of eliminating Korosensei. However, through time he found the family he never had in Class 3-E. He's a fearsome fighter and even used his talents to help his class win against Class 3-A in the bo-tashi game. He learns to heal as a person, instantly winning the audience's hearts.
6 Rio Nakamura Is An Underrated Assassin
Rio Nakamura is on the show — partly — to be the designated popular girl. Nevertheless, this doesn't put her front and center in the Assassination Classroom storyline. In fact, she's often overlooked.
The lack of attention doesn't do Rio any justice. Her best assassin trait is undoubtedly her flawless speed. She's quick and agile. When facing a target with the ability to move at the speed of Mach 20, some extra agility is always welcome. She's a secret genius, a master gunman, a reliable teammate, and a hilarious friend.
5 Yuuma Isogai Stays Pure Through The Harshest Parts Of Life
Kunugigaoka Junior High School's rules specifically state that students aren't allowed to have any part-time jobs. A harsh and irrational rule that Yuma Isogai broke due to his family's unfortunate economic status. He was raised in a low-income household, living through life with barely enough for himself. In spite of it all, he constantly puts the needs of others before his own.
He's conned the 'Prince Charming' of Class 3-E (deservedly so). The beloved class representative has charming leadership skills. In "Leader Time," his tactical abilities and strategic mindset as head of class truly shined.
4 Kaede Kayano Picked Her Time To Shine
In earlier episodes, Kaede spends most of her time in the shadows. Aside from her striking green hair, she never stuck out enough for the audience to have much of an opinion about her character. Kaede's kindness helps everyone with whatever they need, always putting on a smile while doing so. All in all, she's the perfect supporting character.
"Secret Identity Time" reveals that Kaede has never been the timid, sweet girl her classmates know and love. In reality, she's a cunning assassin looking to exact her revenge on Korosensei for killing her sister. Along with her true colors, she successfully hid her implanted tentacles for over a year. She withstood the pain to bypass the meticulously observant teacher. With a plot twist as monumental as this one, it's difficult not to put Kaede high on this list.
3 Korosensei Deserves Best Teacher Award In The History Of The World
Korosensei is a sweetheart. He's a child, a wise teacher, and a loyal friend wrapped up into one yellow tentacled package. Albeit the normalized daily assassination attempts, every person in Korosensei's immediate vicinity can't help but love him. He brings out the best in everyone, teaches them to play to their strengths, and chase their dreams and passions in the best way possible. He believes in the students that have been shunned by the world, pulling them out of their shells to be the people they're all meant to be.
Later in the series, it is revealed that Korosensei, himself, is a victim of the world's cruelties. He was once a human. Due to the experiments done on his body, he can't help but explode when the time comes. So instead, he uses the little time he has left to make an impact in the lives of the children that need it most. He's truly the sweetest character and an incredible mentor. It's a shame that his demise has always been inevitable.
2 Karma Akabane Is Class 3-E's True Leader
Most shonen animes have an angsty character that fans can't help but love. Avatar the Last Airbender has Zuko, My Hero Academia has Shoto, and Assassination Classroom has Karma. Karma is, hands down, one of the most courageous characters on the show. He even manages to injure Korosensei's tentacle within minutes of meeting the latter. This is an incredible feat considering he has never gauged Korosensei's true strengths thus far. He may have started as the lone wolf with sadistic tendencies, but the writers really fleshed his character out so much more through the course of the show.
Karma transforms into a powerful leader that fully utilizes everyone's strengths. This isn't to say that he was a jerk. Alternatively, he's always fought for the little guys, going as far as getting suspended for fighting bullies before joining Class 3-E. Karma is a wicked genius with a strong sense of justice, contending Nagisa for the number one role.
1 Nagisa Shiota, A Silent Killer
Right from the start, it's clear that Nagisa's the main protagonist of the show. What's odd is that it was never clear why. Despite being quiet and passive, Nagisa realized early on that he had a serious talent for assassinating. He takes advantage of his weaknesses and turns them into strengths. He's a perceptive person that's always eerily aware of his surroundings. Nagisa has a real talent for reading his opponents' weak points and calculating their next moves. Along with his size and agility in keeping himself hidden, this makes Nagisa the perfect assassin.
Admirably, Nagisa ignored his talents to pursue a more honest line of work. He grows from the little kid beaten by bullies and his mother to a strong teacher able to stand his ground. He deliberately takes a teaching job at a delinquent school to follow in Korosensei's footsteps. He strives to make a difference in the lives of troubled teens, using his beautifully chilling aura for good instead of evil.