Ryuen

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Ryuen Kakeru (龙园)
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Second-Year Class C 387
Occupation/Role	Student; leader and strategist of Class C 387
Status	Active; severely injured by Yagami Takuya and removed from the Cross-Year Deserted Island Exam for medical rescue 542 545

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Street-fighting baseline	177	Relied on years of brawling, ruthless attacks on vital points, pain tolerance, and endurance; lacked formal combat training.
Formal training begins	201	Began sparring under Shimiya Kuki, who corrected his openings, balance, and inefficient techniques.
“Reborn” fighting style	267	Incorporated Shimiya’s training into his instincts and believed his current self could defeat his former self within ten seconds.
End of beginner stage; ready for proficient stage	444	Developed systematic combinations, timing, and control; became confident he could defeat Albert Yamada, though Shimiya still defeated him decisively.
White Room combat test	542	Applied his training against Yagami Takuya, reading portions of Yagami’s attack paths and landing counters despite being overwhelmed by Yagami’s superior speed and explosive power.

Appearance

Ryuen has purple hair, sharp violet-red eyes, and a solid, athletic build. His presence is regularly described as predatory and oppressive, even when he is outwardly relaxed 387 444.

• Purple hair, often left disheveled during combat or field exams 444 536
• Violet-red or purplish-red eyes 387 389
• Favours a casual, hands-in-pockets posture that conceals his readiness to act 387
• Retained prominent facial bruising and swelling after his defeat by Ayanokoji 177
• Sustained bruising to his chest and arms, a bleeding temple injury, and severe exhaustion after fighting Yagami 542 545

Personality

Ryuen is provocative, calculating, and cruel in pursuit of victory. He originally controlled Class C through violence and fear, treated classmates as tools, and was willing to buy a student’s cooperation for a staged injury 130. He enjoys forcing opponents into emotional reactions, particularly when probing for concealed motives or weaknesses.

Despite his brutality, Ryuen is observant and unusually composed under pressure. He identified the existence of Class D’s hidden strategist, pursued the identity of “X” through indirect clues, and recognized suspicious patterns during confrontations with the first-years 68 143 390. Even when surrounded by stronger fighters, he responds with curiosity and defiance rather than fear 171 542.

Following his defeat by Ayanokoji, Ryuen became more self-aware. He temporarily stepped down from leadership, accepted Shimiya’s instruction, and gradually shifted from pure coercion toward incentives, recruitment, and long-term planning 172 198 293. His methods remain manipulative, but his later actions show greater concern for Class C, particularly when seeking the attacker who injured his classmates 505.

Ryuen remains fiercely independent even toward allies. After Shimiya defeated Yagami, Ryuen noticed a disturbing change in Shimiya’s demeanor and warned him not to continue down a dangerous path, despite being too injured to continue the exam himself 545.

Abilities & Skills

Strategic Manipulation and Intelligence Gathering

Ryuen excels at exploiting information, incentives, and psychological pressure.

• Sent Kaneda Satoru into Class B and Ibuki Mio into Class D as spies during the Deserted Island exam 68
• Correctly inferred that Class D had a hidden leader operating behind Horikita Suzune 68
• Used the exposure of Kushida’s failed scheme to identify Karuizawa Kei as a possible link to “X” 143
• Bought Class D’s event information from Kushida for 500,000 Personal Points 293
• Planned to pay Class C players 50,000 points per goal rather than relying solely on threats 293
• Prepared Ibuki to counter Horikita’s grappling and fighting approach during the Command Tower Exam 297
• Intended to pressure first-years into underperforming, accept second place, and convert the short-term loss into a later advantage 408
• Recruited Katsuragi Kohei to Class C for 20 million Personal Points, strengthening the class with an experienced high-ranking student 475 476
• Investigated multiple first-year students following the attacks on Komiya and Kinoshita, using their reactions and information networks to narrow his suspicions to Yagami 510 536 541
• Deliberately provoked Yagami with knowledge of the White Room to force him to abandon his harmless façade 541

Combat

Ryuen’s original style was an unstructured but dangerous form of street fighting. He combines physical toughness with a willingness to absorb damage in exchange for chances to counterattack.

• Targets vulnerable areas and uses reckless pressure to force opponents into his rhythm 171 177
• Possesses exceptional pain tolerance, resilience, and fighting spirit 171 204
• Initially lacked the technique to overcome trained fighters such as Ayanokoji and Shimiya 171 177
• Learned combinations, balance disruption, joint-control awareness, and more efficient striking through Shimiya’s training 201 444
• Became confident he could defeat Albert Yamada after training 444
• Restrained Hosen’s wrist and prevented him from attacking Ibuki, demonstrating strength sufficient to halt Hosen’s strike 390
• Held out against Yagami Takuya, landed counters, and pushed Yagami into losing control despite being physically overwhelmed 542
• Used Shimiya’s training to predict and evade some of Yagami’s attacks, although Yagami’s speed and power eventually inflicted severe injuries 542

Leadership

Ryuen leads through confidence, intimidation, and a clear willingness to bear risk himself.

• Originally ruled Class C through fear and violence 130
• Continued guiding Class C from behind the scenes after stepping down as leader 198
• Returned to the leadership position by the Cross-Year Academic Ability Exam 387
• Served as Class C’s commander despite the risk of expulsion, choosing to gamble for victory rather than avoid danger 261
• Shifted from coercion to incentives during the Command Tower Exam, motivating classmates through rewards rather than threats 293
• Successfully led Class C to a four-to-three Command Tower Exam victory, preventing his own expulsion 297
• Stopped Ishizaki from escalating a fight with Hosen, prioritizing Class C’s objectives over an immediate brawl 389

History

Early Class C Operations

During the Deserted Island exam, Ryuen deployed Kaneda Satoru and Ibuki Mio as spies to uncover the leaders of Class B and Class D. Although Ibuki was exposed, she stole Horikita’s leader Key Card, while Ryuen became convinced that another strategist had replaced Horikita behind the scenes 68.

Ryuen subsequently focused Class C’s attention on Class D rather than the more predictable Class A and Class B. His primary goal became exposing the hidden figure responsible for Class D’s unexpected successes 68.

He also recognized Shimiya Kuki as a serious strategic opponent after their early interactions with Class B, though he viewed Shimiya primarily as Ichinose’s “knight” rather than the class’s true leader 59 68.

Sports Festival Scheme and Hunt for “X”

Ryuen engineered a Sports Festival plot against Horikita, using altered participant information and arranging for Kinoshita Minori to perform a convincing injury. He later admitted that Class C’s overall score had never been his true objective, and that he had offered Kinoshita 500,000 Personal Points for her cooperation 128 130.

An anonymous recording exposed his plan before he could force Horikita into defeat. Rather than dwell on the failure, Ryuen became more focused on the unknown person who had intervened and continued investigating Class D’s hidden strategist 128.

After confronting Kushida over false exam information and planted Class C answers, Ryuen deduced Karuizawa’s involvement and began treating her as a key lead to uncovering “X” 143.

Defeat by Ayanokoji

Ryuen cornered Karuizawa on the rooftop and threatened her to reveal the identity of the person supporting Class D. Ayanokoji intervened, openly identifying himself as the mastermind Ryuen had been seeking 169.

After Ayanokoji defeated Ishizaki, Albert, and Ibuki, Ryuen fought him alone. Ryuen’s endurance and refusal to yield allowed him to continue attacking through severe injuries, but Ayanokoji systematically dismantled his offense and knocked him unconscious 170 171.

Ryuen initially chose to accept responsibility, withdraw from school, and transfer his Personal Points to Ibuki 172. He later remained at the school, stepped down from Class C’s leadership, and isolated himself while continuing to influence the class from the shadows 177 198.

Training Under Shimiya

After recognizing the gap between himself and Ayanokoji, Ryuen challenged Shimiya Kuki and was swiftly subdued. Rather than dismiss the loss, he accepted Shimiya’s assessment of his weaknesses and began secret combat training with him 177 198.

Over more than half a year of training, Ryuen transformed his brawling instincts into a more systematic style. He remained unable to defeat Shimiya, but gained the technique, patience, and control to contend with stronger opponents more effectively 267 444.

Return to Leadership

Ryuen eventually returned as Class C’s leader. He continued to pursue Sakayanagi Arisu while warning Horikita’s group that the first-years posed a serious threat 387.

His leadership methods evolved into a mixture of coercion and calculated incentives. During the Command Tower Exam, he used purchased intelligence and point-based rewards to direct Class C, while also exhausting Class D’s strongest athletes for later physical events 293 294.

Ryuen’s preparation enabled Ibuki to defeat Horikita in the No-Holds-Barred Fighting event. Class C won the Command Tower Exam by four points to three, saving Ryuen from expulsion and demonstrating his improved ability to understand and motivate his allies 297.

He later recruited Katsuragi Kohei from Class B, ending their previous contract and securing Katsuragi’s transfer to Class C for 20 million Personal Points 473 475 476.

Cross-Year Deserted Island Exam

Ryuen teamed with Shimiya during the Cross-Year Deserted Island Exam. Together, they reached the mountain summit in second place and earned a one-day water supply 478 498.

After Komiya and Kinoshita were attacked, Ryuen chose to investigate the culprit independently despite Shimiya’s concern that the attacker was beyond his current level 504 505. He questioned multiple first-years, including Tsurumi Xuewuhui, Tsubaki Sakurako, Utsunomiya Riku, and Hosen, narrowing his suspicions toward Yagami Takuya 510 536 540.

Ryuen ultimately confronted Yagami, exposed his connection to the White Room, and provoked him into revealing his true nature. Though Yagami’s speed and power eventually overwhelmed him, Ryuen endured the assault, retaliated repeatedly, and refused to submit 541 542.

Shimiya arrived before Yagami could finish Ryuen off, defeated Yagami, and assessed Ryuen’s injuries. Ryuen remained conscious and defiant, but Shimiya activated his locator watch’s emergency alarm and had him removed from the exam for medical rescue 544 545.

Before his removal, Ryuen confronted Shimiya over the latter’s altered, detached behavior, warning him to reconsider whatever course he intended to take. Shimiya dismissed the warning, leaving their partnership strained despite his intervention 545.

Relationships

• Ayanokoji Kiyotaka — Rival and the hidden strategist Ryuen pursued as “X.” Ayanokoji defeated him on the rooftop, but later gave him strategic advice and revealed the White Room threat during the Deserted Island Exam 169 172 180 505.
• Shimiya Kuki — Combat instructor, sparring partner, and Deserted Island Exam teammate. Ryuen respects Shimiya’s strength while remaining determined to grow beyond his own limits; Shimiya later rescued him from Yagami but forcibly ended his exam participation due to his injuries, creating tension between them 177 198 444 478 544 545.
• Ibuki Mio — Core Class C ally and former spy. Ryuen transferred his Personal Points to her when he planned to withdraw, later trained enough to surprise her with his improved combat ability, and arranged a fair contest for her against Horikita 68 172 267.
• Ishizaki Daichi — Loyal subordinate and member of Ryuen’s core group. Ryuen has beaten him for defiance but also restrains him when fighting would endanger Class C’s goals 61 389.
• Albert Yamada — Core Class C fighter. Ryuen trained until he believed he could defeat Albert in a direct fight 171 444.
• Shiina Hiyori — Information source within Class C. Their library agreement gave Ryuen detailed knowledge of classmates’ strengths, habits, and weaknesses 265 267.
• Katsuragi Kohei — Recruited by Ryuen from Class B. Ryuen appealed to Katsuragi’s frustration with Sakayanagi and offered him a central role in Class C’s challenge against stronger classes 473 475 476.
• Horikita Suzune — Strategic opponent whom Ryuen targeted to expose Class D’s hidden leader. Their confrontations are marked by mutual scrutiny and tactical probing 68 128 387.
• Hosen Kazuomi — First-year rival whose violent methods resemble Ryuen’s former approach. Ryuen avoids pointless conflict with him when it conflicts with more important objectives, though he physically stopped Hosen from striking Ibuki 389 390.
• Yagami Takuya — White Room student suspected of attacking Class C students. Ryuen deliberately confronted and provoked him into revealing himself, but was severely injured before Shimiya defeated Yagami 541 542 544.

Notable Quotes

“If you can do it, then try.” 542