Ryuen

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Ryuen (龙园君), also called Sho Ryuen 199 1004
Alias(es)	Dragon Boy 739 750
Species/Race	Human
Gender	Male
Affiliation	His class; originally First-year Class D, later Class C and Second-year Class B 146 736 1004
Occupation/Role	Student; authoritarian class leader and strategist 156 186
Status	Active
First Appearance	Chapter 146

Background / History

Ryuen initially led First-year Class D through force and personal authority. Before the deserted-island special exam, he deliberately accepted a zero score, gathered information about the school’s exam tendencies from upperclassmen, and prepared to contest the island through methods outside ordinary base-point competition. He also identified Hachiman Hikigaya as a dangerous obstacle to his class’s advancement. 146 165

On the island, Ryuen treated supplies and intelligence as bargaining tools. He sold Class A information about other class leaders in exchange for supplies, then leveraged the possibility of selling to Class B to force Katsuragi into buying 300 points’ worth of supplies. 167 Although he allied with Class A, he planned to exploit a loophole in their agreement and guess Class A’s leader as well. 170

Ryuen deployed Ibuki Mio and Kaneda as spies, arranging convincing injuries to support their infiltration. Ibuki targeted Class C while Kaneda observed Class B; their work helped Ryuen identify leaders, while Ibuki’s photographs confirmed that Rokusuke Kōenji was Class C’s leader. Ryuen himself served as Class D’s leader. 170 186 193 He ultimately guessed three leaders and secured a bonus base score despite gaining no normal base points. 199

His post-island contract with Class A required the class to provide living expenses equivalent to 300 class evaluation points each month. Ryuen enforced the written agreement after the exam, even as Class A realized how unfavorable the arrangement had become. 202

During the favored-student exam, Ryuen pursued information across the year, suspected that the assignments followed a pattern, and attempted to coerce cooperation from other classes. His gamble with Sakayanagi cost him 30 million Private Points after he failed to deduce the pattern in time. 223 230 245

Ryuen’s Sports Festival strategy relied on pressure, provocation, spies, and interference. He paid Kōenji 1 million Private Points not to participate, cultivated Kushida as an informant, and used psychological warfare to disrupt opponents. 247 258 After orchestrating actions against Horikita and Sudō, he was countered by Hachiman’s recordings; Ryuen was forced to compensate for Horikita’s injuries and issue an apology. 262 264

Following repeated setbacks, Ryuen temporarily stopped ruling his class directly. Hachiman later revealed Ryuen’s notebook detailing a plan to collect 800 million points and bring all 40 classmates into Class A, establishing that Ryuen had not intended to abandon his class despite his violent leadership. 323 334

In later exams, Ryuen became more adaptable. He formed mutually beneficial alliances, proposed cooperative scoring strategies, used psychological operations against rival classes, and increasingly sought to recruit or influence valuable students such as Kiyotaka Ayanokoji, Yamamura, Hashimoto, and Kito. 584 736 750 856 878 He also began reflecting on and abandoning some of his earlier extreme methods. 913

Appearance

Ryuen has red, center-parted hair and a delinquent-like appearance. He has been seen in a black shirt with its top button undone. 736

• Often presents himself with an intimidating, confrontational demeanor.
• Is commonly accompanied by Albert, who functions as his imposing bodyguard-like subordinate. 146 747
• Uses a deliberate delinquent image to pressure opponents and shape their expectations. 453 736

Personality

Ryuen is proud, competitive, and intensely unwilling to remain beneath another class or strategist. He is prepared to threaten, deceive, exploit loopholes, and turn allies against one another if doing so advances his class. His early leadership depended heavily on coercion and violence, but he later shifted toward psychological manipulation and calculated social pressure. 170 784

He is not indiscriminately reckless. Ryuen can assess costs, reject deals that compromise his position, and retreat when direct action would create unacceptable consequences. He declined Hashimoto’s offer of an alliance because Hashimoto’s connection to Hachiman made the arrangement too risky, and he later avoided confrontations that would offer Sakayanagi or Hachiman an advantage. 328 1003

Repeated defeats—especially against Hachiman—force Ryuen to reflect and adapt. He remains ambitious and provocative, but increasingly recognizes the value of cooperation, restraint, and recruiting capable people rather than simply overpowering them. 226 751 913

Abilities & Skills

Strategic Planning

Ryuen excels at identifying exploitable rules, converting information into leverage, and setting objectives beyond an exam’s obvious scoring methods.

• Arranged a supply deal with Class A while preserving the option to sell the same intelligence elsewhere. 167
• Used Class A’s leader-guessing agreement without agreeing not to target Class A himself. 170
• Recognized that favored-student assignments might follow a pattern and sought cross-class data to solve it. 223 224
• Proposed cooperation with Ichinose’s class in the Treasure Hunt Game, assigning his class to written-exam points and Ichinose’s to Private Points. 584
• Borrowed third-year textbooks across five subjects to obstruct rivals’ preparation for an exam based on old papers. 1132

Intelligence Gathering and Spycraft

Ryuen actively recruits informants and uses surveillance, staged incidents, and social pressure to obtain protected information.

• Sent Ibuki and Kaneda to infiltrate other classes during the deserted-island exam. 170
• Ordered injuries to be staged to make Ibuki and Kaneda’s spy roles convincing. 170
• Used Ibuki’s camera footage to identify Kōenji as Class C’s leader. 193
• Cultivated Kushida as a source of class information during the Sports Festival. 245 263
• Targeted Yamamura because Sakayanagi’s use of her suggested she possessed useful intelligence. 878
• Publicly waited for Hashimoto to create suspicion around him, weakening Class A’s internal trust without necessarily paying him. 856 867

Psychological Manipulation

Ryuen studies psychology and applies it to intimidation, recruitment, misdirection, and destabilizing rival classes.

• Provoked opponents during the Sports Festival to make them lose composure and underperform. 258
• Exploited Class B students’ desperation for points, induced them to sign agreements, then withheld the promised referral fees. 460
• Pressured Yamamura by threatening to report her failed surveillance to Sakayanagi. 878
• Uses open schemes to make opponents distrust their own allies, particularly Hashimoto. 855 867
• Has been observed reading psychology books to improve his ability to control others. 784 867

Negotiation and Financial Leverage

Ryuen treats Private Points, contracts, and class resources as weapons.

• Secured a recurring supply-payment arrangement from Class A during the deserted-island exam. 167 202
• Purchased Kōenji’s non-participation in the Sports Festival for 1 million Private Points. 247
• Offered payment to secure Class D’s deliberate low score for Class B’s benefit. 1003 1004
• Sought to monopolize class-advancement slots in order to gain leverage over other classes. 846
• Maintained a plan to accumulate 800 million points for his class’s advancement. 334

Physical Ability and Combat

Ryuen is an experienced fighter with strong athletic ability, though he favors unfair advantages over equal fights.

• Was known as a skilled fighter before entering the school. 245
• Survived the first deserted-island exam alone for roughly a week with little or no external supply support. 515
• Defeated Kito in a wagered skiing duel after allowing her time to practice. 752
• Intervened physically when students from another school targeted Ishizaki’s group. 753
• Avoids fair fights when he can arrange superior numbers, evidence, or institutional protection in advance. 753

Relationships

• Hachiman Hikigaya — Rival, repeated adversary, and eventual tactical partner. Ryuen recognizes Hachiman’s strategic ability after suffering several losses to him, though their cooperation remains tense and transactional. 226 328 751
• Mio Ibuki — Subordinate and frequent field operative. Ryuen uses her as a spy, sometimes stages injuries around her, and relies on her physical ability despite criticizing her judgment. 170 186
• Kaneda — Trusted strategist and intelligence operative. Ryuen assigns him surveillance work and consults him on plans. 186 400
• Albert — Loyal enforcer and bodyguard-like companion who commonly accompanies Ryuen. 146 747
• Daichi Ishizaki — Classmate and subordinate who reports intelligence and supports Ryuen’s operations. 165 685
• Hiyori Shiina — Classmate whose observations and intelligence Ryuen values; she also comments on his interactions with Hachiman. 146 416
• Arisu Sakayanagi — Major rival and occasional collaborator. Ryuen lost a costly favored-student-exam gamble to her, later challenged her leadership maneuvers, and ceded Group 1’s leader position to her after she demanded his withdrawal. 245 1070 1096
• Katsuragi — Former Class A counterpart whom Ryuen manipulated through the deserted-island supply contract and leader-guessing loopholes. 167 170 202
• Kiyotaka Ayanokoji — A student Ryuen identifies as an exceptionally valuable “monster” and repeatedly attempts to recruit or challenge. 736 878 960
• Kazuomi Hōsen — Rival whom Ryuen repeatedly attempts to provoke into breaking rules or walking into traps. 454 493 547
• Masayoshi Hashimoto — Potential informant whom Ryuen uses as the focal point of an open psychological operation against Class A. 328 855 867
• Yamamura — Class A student Ryuen attempts to intimidate and influence because of her connection to Sakayanagi’s information network. 750 878

Story Role / Major Arcs

Deserted-Island Special Exam

• Prepares through upperclassman intelligence and pursues off-field strategies rather than base occupation alone. 146 165
• Trades leader intelligence for Class A supplies, then turns the arrangement into a recurring payment obligation. 167 202
• Sends Ibuki and Kaneda as spies and personally serves as Class D’s leader. 170 186
• Identifies three class leaders and gains significant class evaluation points despite his class’s lack of ordinary base points. 199

Favored-Student Exam

• Detects a probable selection pattern and attempts to monopolize cross-class information. 223 224
• Uses threats against Class A and Class B to force cooperation. 227 229
• Loses 30 million Private Points through his bet with Sakayanagi after failing to solve the pattern first. 245

Sports Festival

• Attempts to neutralize Kōenji through a 1 million-point agreement and uses Kushida as an informant. 247
• Deploys provocations and dirty tactics against rival classes. 258 261
• Is exposed through Hachiman’s recordings, pays compensation, and apologizes for his actions. 264 274

Second-Year Class Competition

• Works with Hachiman when profitable, including cross-year point collection and cooperative exam strategies. 477 584
• Transitions from direct coercion toward psychology-based class warfare, including the effort to isolate Hashimoto within Class A. 784 856 867
• Pursues class advancement, recruitment of high-value students, and long-term leverage through Private Points and transfer slots. 846 958
• Continues to contest Sakayanagi’s influence, including surrendering Group 1 leadership under an illness pretext while preserving his political position within the group. 1070 1095 1096

Trivia

• Ryuen once maintained a notebook outlining a plan to collect 800 million Private Points and bring all 40 classmates into Class A. 334
• He has an expulsion-immunity pass obtained through appreciation tickets. 400 583
• He has accumulated a reputation so severe that other classes treat surveillance against his students as a necessary defensive measure. 1002
• Despite his interest in manipulating people, Ryuen states that he is not interested in girls. 877