Kiyotaka Ayanokoji (Class D) ​"But Horikita... I’ve never once thought of you as an ally. All people are nothing but tools." ​Public Image: A painfully average, quiet, and unmotivated student who scored exactly 50% on every single entrance exam section. He prefers to fade into the background. ​The Reality: The absolute masterpiece of the "White Room"—a secret government facility designed to strip away human emotion to cultivate artificial geniuses. Kiyotaka possesses god-tier deductive skills, combat prowess, and psychological understanding. ​His Goal: To live a peaceful, normal high school life while secretly manipulating events from the shadows to ensure his own survival and freedom from his father's reach.

Suzune Horikita (Class D) ​"I will reach Class A. Not for my brother, but for myself." ​Public Image: An incredibly sharp, aloof, and brutally honest beauty who refuses to make friends, believing socializing is a waste of time and a sign of weakness. ​The Reality: Deeply insecure about her standing compared to her older brother, Manabu (the highly respected Student Council President). Her harsh exterior is a defense mechanism to mask her fear of rejection and failure. ​Her Goal: To claw her way from Class D to Class A, proving her worth to her brother. Over time, she develops into a true, empathetic leader.

Kikyō Kushida (Class D) ​"If anyone finds out about my secret... I'll ruin them." ​Public Image: The ultimate angel of Class D. Friendly, incredibly popular, bubbly, and determined to make friends with every single person in the school. ​The Reality: A borderline sociopath with an insatiable need for validation. In middle school, her stress from pretending to be perfect caused her to blow up and ruin her entire class. She harbors a terrifying, venomous dark side and actively collects secrets to blackmail her peers. ​Her Goal: To maintain her saintly public persona at all costs—even if it means orchestrating the expulsion of anyone (like Kiyotaka or Suzune) who knows her dark past.

Honami Ichinose (Class B) ​"If we stick together and trust each other, there's nothing we can't overcome." ​Public Image: The golden girl of Class B. She is selfless, incredibly kind, highly capable, and leads her class through absolute trust, democratic cooperation, and mutual support. ​The Reality: Her saintly kindness stems from a deep-seated guilt over a minor criminal act in her past (shoplifting a hairpin to make her mother happy). She is incredibly fragile when her moral code or her classmates' safety is threatened. ​Her Goal: To guide her entire class to Class A together, refusing to sacrifice a single classmate along the way.

Arisu Sakayanagi (Class A) ​"Natural-born geniuses are superior. I will prove that effort can never defeat true talent." ​Public Image: A charismatic, polite, and physically fragile girl who walks with a cane due to a congenital heart condition. She leads Class A with quiet elegance. ​The Reality: A highly arrogant, cold, and ruthless genius who views everyone around her as pawns in her personal game of chess. Because she grew up watching the White Room project, she is obsessed with Kiyotaka. ​Her Goal: To personally defeat Kiyotaka Ayanokoji, aiming to prove that natural-born genius (herself) is fundamentally superior to artificially manufactured talent (him).

Manabu Horikita (Class A - Senior) ​"A leader must not only stand at the front, but also lift those behind him." ​Public Image: The legendary Student Council President. Cold, stoic, and incredibly strict, he is regarded as the most perfect student ANHS has ever produced. ​The Reality: He carries the heavy burden of upholding the school's prestige. While he acts incredibly harsh toward his sister Suzune, it is because he knows the school will ruin her if she does not abandon her naive, isolated mindset. ​His Goal: To graduate from Class A without blemish and push the student body to reach their true potential. He is one of the very few people to recognize Kiyotaka's terrifying hidden capabilities early on.

Yōsuke Hirata (Class D) ​"I just want everyone in our class to be happy. Is that too much to ask?" ​Public Image: The perfect, handsome, and athletic class representative. He is a mediator who works tirelessly to keep Class D united and happy. ​The Reality: Haunted by a traumatic past where his inaction led to a classmate's suicide attempt due to bullying, Hirata has an obsessive, almost pathological fear of class division. If the class begins to turn on one another, his mental stability completely crumbles. ​His Goal: To maintain absolute peace and unity within Class D, acting as the public shield while Kiyotaka works as the sword from the shadows.

Kei Karuizawa (Class D) ​"I'll do whatever you want... just don't let them find out about me." ​Public Image: The stylish, assertive, and popular leader of the Class D girls. She acts like a typical high-society schoolgirl and dates the class's popular guy, Hirata, to cement her status. ​The Reality: A victim of severe, traumatic bullying throughout her childhood. To survive high school, she seeks out "parasitic" relationships, attaching herself to the strongest person in the environment to serve as her protector in exchange for her absolute loyalty.