Anime is known for its diverse range of characters and settings -- from cozy household setups to war-torn civilizations -- but one of its more common settings is academia. Regardless of genre or theme, many anime series take place in schools, colleges or other educational institutions. These schools can be places of learning, growth and friendship, but they can also be hotbeds of drama, conflict and intrigue.
In the world of anime, many schools serve as the setting for exciting adventures and heartwarming stories. Of course, others are far from being ideal learning environments. From a school where bouts are commonplace to a private academy where the best gamblers reign supreme, here are the worst anime schools to enroll in for the purposes of learning.
Beelzebub's Ishiyama High Is All About Fighting
Beelzebub focuses on the first-year student Tatsumi Oga who dominates the entirety of Ishiyama High, a school notorious for its population of delinquent students where violence and anarchy are the norm. Oga is feared by all as the most vicious fighter at the school, and there is one rule that everyone knows: don't mess with him. However, his life changes after he is forced to take care of a possible future Demon Lord: Kaiser de Emperana Beelzebub IV, or Baby Beel for short.
Ishiyama High is overrun by violent and rebellious students. The series' protagonist, Oga is known as the strongest and most vicious fighter at the school, and he often proves that title to be true. Fighting is part of his daily routine and he mostly comes out on top. The school also boasts of housing the "Four Kings", who rule over their territories. Adding a literal demon's existence into the mix, and Beelzebub's Ishiyama High is far from being a conducive place for learning anything other than fighting.
Prison School Is as Bad as Its Title Suggests
At Hachimitsu Private Academy, a prestigious all-girls boarding school in Tokyo, the arrival of five boys causes a stir. The student body is now split into a ratio of 200 girls to one boy, and the boys struggle to make an impression on their female peers. Desperate to connect with them, the boys try to sneak a peek at the girls in the bath.
However, their plan is foiled by the Underground Student Council -- and as punishment, they are sentenced to a month in the titular Prison School. The story follows the boys as they navigate their difficult and often comical experiences in prison, and the challenges they face in maintaining their friendships and brotherhood.
It is debatable that Hachimitsu Private Academy is a conducive place for learning, and it mostly is. The problem with it is its Underground Student Council, but not because of its mission. The council is known for rather extreme sanctions, and while the reason behind them is justified most of the time, they also tend to go overboard -- especially when it comes to male students. After all, Prison School takes sexism to the extreme. Plus, having the degenerate main characters as schoolmates can't possibly help with learning.
Kill La Kill's Honnoji Academy Is Pretty Extreme
Kill La Kill follows the story of Ryuuko Matoi, who has been looking for the person who murdered her father. Her search eventually brings her to Honnoji Academy, run by the student council president Satsuki Kiryuuin and her subordinates, the Elite Four. Unfortunately for Ryuuko, she's immediately defeated by a Goku-uniform-wearing student and returns to her home, where she stumbles upon the sentient Senketsu. This provides Ryuuko with the power she is lacking. Now armed with the sentient Kamui and the Scissor Blade, Ryuuko takes on the school's strongest, hoping to eventually reach Satsuki and solve the mystery of her father's death.
The anime's Honnoji Academy imposes extremely high standards on its students, and those who perform below the expectations are literally treated as peasants. Meanwhile, those who excel are sent off to war. The students are forced to hone themselves as much as they can and battle each other, while the student council president is a firm believer in the idea that only the strong must survive.
To add to the school's already overly-demanding rules, it also has the Trap Department. They ensure that No-Star pupils are either fully punctual or will face expulsion. The organization also creates insidious traps and challenges to make life harder for the students. Talk about overkill.
Only the Best Gamblers Survive at Kakegurui's Hyakkaou Academy
Kakegurui stars Yumeko Jabami, a new transfer student at Hyakkaou Private Academy. She initially seems like a naive and innocent girl, but that is quite far from the truth. She is actually a gambling maniac who gets aroused the greater the risk she is facing. Unlike the other students, Yumeko is not motivated by winning but by the thrill of the gamble itself. Even so, she also has a keen sense for gambling, allowing her to win most, if not all, of her bouts.
Hyakkaou Private Academy is a school unlike any other. During the day, it provides a traditional education in subjects such as history and languages. But at night, it transforms into a gambling den where students learn about money and how to manipulate others. Many of the students are children of the wealthy, and the games played at this academy determine social standing, with the winners sitting at the top of the school hierarchy. Therefore, it is not uncommon for students in Kakegurui to be completely decimated by their peers -- simply because they've lost a gamble.