Ryuen

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Ryuen Kakeru (龍園)
Alias(es)	“Dragon Boy”; “Little Dragon”; “Tyrant Ryuen” 82 159 188
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Class C leader at introduction; later associated with Class B 15 244 264
Occupation/Role	Class leader; strategist and combatant
First Appearance	Chapter 15

Background / History

Ryuen is introduced as Class C's confident, aggressive leader. He intends to raise his class to Class A and openly states that any obstacle—including one of his own classmates—will be eliminated. His authority was not immediate: Ishizaki and Albert initially rebelled, but Ryuen defeated both and forced their submission. 15 16 46

During the uninhabited-island exam, Ryuen employed Ibuki and Kaneda as embedded moles in other classes, equipped with radios. He also concealed his own role in the exam's leadership structure by potentially transferring the leader designation while retaining the keycard. 63

Ryuen later exposed the Zodiac Exam's VIP pattern by inspecting his classmates' phones, enabling him to identify VIPs across four groups and trigger multiple betrayals. 84

Personality

Ryuen is domineering, sharp-tongued, and openly sadistic. He treats class competition as a contest of domination rather than cooperation, preferring to humiliate opponents and break their resolve instead of merely securing a practical victory. 16 108 151

He is willing to cooperate when it profits him, but keeps alliances transactional and disposable. His dealings with Kushida demonstrate this approach: he accepted her information against Class D, then abandoned her once working with Hikigaya offered greater returns. 118 140 148

Ryuen places exceptional value on private points, pursuing them through contracts, blackmail, settlements, and special-exam strategies even when others question why a class leader would prioritize them so heavily. 160 179

Abilities & Skills

Strategic Planning and Information Warfare

Ryuen excels at gathering intelligence, identifying exploitable weaknesses, and structuring situations so that opponents damage themselves.

• Used planted moles, radios, and concealed leadership arrangements during the uninhabited-island exam. 63
• Examined Class C students' phones to derive the Zodiac Exam VIP pattern and identify VIPs in four groups. 84
• Accurately tracked Ichinose's selected representatives during a class-versus-class exam, leaving her convinced that her every move was being monitored. 247
• Planned Class B's second-year development around improving individual ability, recruiting first-years, and forming temporary alliances against Ichinose's class. 264

Provocation and Psychological Manipulation

Ryuen deliberately provokes emotionally vulnerable opponents into costly mistakes.

• Manipulated Sudo during the cavalry battle by insulting Horikita until Sudo abandoned coordination and eliminated an allied team. 107
• Pressured Horikita over Kinoshita's injury, demanding a public apology and one million points to avoid escalating the matter. 112
• Publicly targeted Ichinose with an accusation letter, whether or not he was truly its author, knowing his reputation made the charge believable. 136
• Enjoyed intensifying Kushida's isolation after her betrayal was exposed. 140 144

Combat Ability

Ryuen is a capable and aggressive fighter whose style incorporates deception and environmental advantages.

• Defeated the physically imposing Albert and battle-hardened Ishizaki before making them subordinates. 46
• Used an iron plate beneath his clothing to neutralize a kick during the pole-topping contest. 102
• Matched Hikigaya in a cavalry-battle headband duel, using grappling, destabilization, and a deliberate post-whistle elbow strike. 108
• Evaded Kushida's knife, swept her legs, restrained her joints, and disarmed her after being cut on the arm. 148
• Was decisively defeated in a direct fight by Ayanokoji; he subsequently concealed Ayanokoji's involvement by claiming that Ishizaki and the others had rebelled. 163
• Later sought training to improve his combat ability, renting a private gym room and recording sessions for review. 257

Equipment / Resources

• Radios — Used by Ibuki and Kaneda while operating as Ryuen's moles during the island exam. 63
• Keycard — Retained while potentially delegating the island-exam leader role to conceal his position. 63
• Iron plate — Worn beneath his clothing during the pole-topping contest to guard his solar plexus. 102
• Recordings and videos — Kept evidence of his negotiations with Kushida and later provided a voice recorder containing their conversation. 118 139
• Private-point reserves — Maintained through contracts, extortion, and settlements. 151 179

Relationships

• Shiina Hiyori — Classmate whose association with Hikigaya Ryuen attempted to restrict for the sake of his class plans; he showed little concern for her personal feelings. 16
• Hikigaya Hachiman — Rival and occasional transactional ally. They cooperated to expose and destroy Kushida, but continually taunt and test one another. 118 145 160
• Ayanokoji Kiyotaka — A rival Ryuen sought to expose as Class D's hidden mastermind; Ayanokoji later defeated him in combat. 158 163
• Ibuki Mio — Subordinate and operative used as a mole during the uninhabited-island exam. 46 63
• Ishizaki and Albert — Former rebels who became Ryuen's followers after he defeated them; Albert frequently serves as Ryuen's physical enforcer. 46 140
• Horikita Suzune — Frequent target of his provocations, blackmail, and criticism of her leadership. 112 160
• Kushida Kikyo — Former co-conspirator against Class D whom Ryuen abandoned and helped expose when her usefulness ended. 118 139 148
• Sakayanagi Arisu — Strategic rival; both anticipate a future confrontation between their factions. 75 160
• Ichinose Honami — Opponent whom Ryuen intimidates and strategically pressures during class competition. 136 244 247
• Koenji Rokusuke — Investigated as a possible mastermind behind Class D's advancement, though Ryuen ultimately found him uninterested in class struggle. 158 159

Story Role / Major Arcs

• Rise of Class C's Tyrant — Establishes control over Class C through force and promotes a leadership philosophy centered on eliminating obstacles. 16 46
• Uninhabited-Island and Zodiac Exams — Deploys moles, gathers intelligence, and identifies VIPs through the Zodiac Exam's hidden pattern. 63 84
• Sports Festival — Exploits Sudo's temper, defeats opposing teams through calculated provocation, and clashes directly with Hikigaya. 102 107 108
• Kushida's Downfall — Supplies evidence of Kushida's betrayal, helps isolate her, restrains her after her knife attack, and exploits the ensuing settlement negotiations. 139 148 150 151
• Search for the Hidden Mastermind — Openly confronts Class D while investigating the person operating behind Horikita, initially suspecting Koenji. 158 159
• Conflict with Ayanokoji — Pursues Ayanokoji as the hidden force within Class D, loses a fight against him, and keeps Ayanokoji's involvement secret. 161 163
• Second-Year Planning — Focuses on developing Class B, recruiting connections among first-years, and targeting Ichinose's class through coordinated strategy. 244 264 284

Notable Quotes

“I am going to lead Class C to the position of Class A, and anyone who gets in the way—even my own classmates—will be eliminated without exception.” 16

“What's the fun in winning with a guaranteed strategy? I want to crush you, not your rider team.” 108

“Hikigaya's the one who hates her. I'm just having fun.” 151