Classroom of the Elite Season 4: Everything to Know Before You Jump In

The wait is finally over. The much-anticipated sequel to the Classroom of the Elite anime is here, adapting the critically acclaimed Year 2 of Ayanokoji’s high school years at Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School.

Ayanokoji will become a completely different beast, and the true extent of his capabilities will finally come to the forefront for every other student. Well, that’s just scratching the surface! For further information, here we’ve discussed everything you should know before jumping into Season 4, including its exact release date, time, story details, & more.

ANIME TITLE	Classroom of the Elite 4th Season: Second Year, First Semester
ORIGINAL CREATOR	Shogo Kinugasa (story) Tomose Shunsaku (art)
SEASON 4 RELEASE DATE	April 1, 2026
STUDIO	Lerche
RATINGS (as of April 3, 2026)	IMDb: 7.7/10 MAL: Season 1: 7.83/10 Season 2: 8.05/10 Season 3: 7.93/10
WHERE TO WATCH	Crunchyroll

Classroom of the Elite Season 4 Global Release Date & Time

Classroom of the Elite Season 4 premiered on April 1, 2026, at 8:30 PM JST (4:30 AM PDT). Now, unlike most seasonal anime, the premiere ran for 90 minutes on Japanese Television Networks, which was streamed on major streaming platforms as 4 separate episodes.

Since April 1, the upcoming episodes of Classroom of the Elite Season 4 are now being released online every Wednesday and will run from April to June 2026. But would they be released at the aforementioned time each week? Not quite.

If you’re outside Japan, then you must rely on the episodes’ release on global OTT platforms. Keeping that in mind, you will not actually have to wait longer than Japanese viewers because there will be no time lag between Classroom of the Elite Season 4’s original release in Japan and on major streaming platforms. Both coincide at the same time, i.e., 9:30 PM JST / 5:30 AM PDT, every Wednesday.

The list below outlines the exact release timing of every upcoming Classroom of the Elite Season 4 episode in major global regions:

• Hawaii-Aleutian Daylight Time: 2:30 AM
• Alaska Daylight Time: 4:30 AM
• Pacific Daylight Time: 5:30 AM
• Mountain Daylight Time: 6:30 AM
• Central Daylight Time: 7:30 AM
• Eastern Daylight Time: 8:30 AM
• Brasilia Time: 9:30 AM
• Greenwich Mean Time: 1:30 PM
• Central European Time: 2:30 PM
• Indian Standard Time: 6:00 PM
• Australian Eastern Daylight Time: 11:30 PM

NOTE: Although the release dates and times of the episodes are derived from the anime’s official release schedule, they are subject to change if unforeseen circumstances arise in the studio or on broadcasting platforms.

How Many Episodes Will Classroom of the Elite Season 4 Have

Classroom of the Elite Season 4 is listed with a total of 16 episodes. Despite this rather odd number, the season will be wrapped up within the Spring 2026 season. This was only possible because the premiere consisted of the first 4 episodes of this sequel, so the remaining 12 episodes will smoothly complete their run by June 2026.

Interestingly, this is the only Classroom of the Elite season with more than 13 episodes. The previous three seasons of the anime consisted of 12, 13, and 13 episodes, respectively, from Season 1 to Season 3. But considering the length of the arc that Season 4 is going to cover, 13 episodes wouldn’t have cut it. Thus, it had to be stretched with a few more episodes.

If Season 4 doesn’t face any delay in its episodic release schedule, then the final episode is expected to be released on June 24, 2026. The conclusion is also likely to announce the 5th season of the anime, which we’ve discussed further below.

What Will Happen in Classroom of the Elite Season 4?

By the end of Season 3, Ayanokoji’s facade came to the forefront of several crucial characters in the series. Thus, he can’t lie low anymore. Since Season 1, Ayanokoji had tried his best to keep his secret identity as a White Room student hidden from everyone. But circumstances forced him to change, and now in Season 4, he will transform into a completely different beast.

Year 2 of the light novel series is critically acclaimed as the series’s highest point, which Season 4 is going to adapt. The introduction of the 1st year students will turn the tide of the game, and Ayanokoji will have to come up with new strategies to keep up.

The main focus of Season 4, however, would be on the secret White Room student that the acting Chairman, Tokinari Tsukishiro, sent to get Ayanokoji expelled and return to the facility. If Ayanokoji cannot figure out the real identity of this mysterious figure, then it will be over for him. Plus, you can expect more battles of wits in this new season. The first combined special test, then the Survival Island arc; Season 4 is expected to go huge.

Is There a Trailer For Classroom of the Elite Season 4?

Multiple trailers for Classroom of the Elite Season 4 have already been released, which you can watch on YouTube. However, the latest/final trailer, released on March 14, 2026, is especially packed with insane character teasers and some of the hardest-hitting dialogues. Here, we’ve embedded the trailer so that you don’t have to search for it:

The trailer, in and of itself, gives us a rough idea of where the story will be heading next. We could see Chabashira-sensei introducing new rules as we move forward in Year 2 of the anime. Now, Ayanokoji’s section will be competing not only against other sections of the same class but also against 1st and 3rd-year students at times.

Furthermore, the trailer teases fans about the upcoming Deserted Island Survival Game arc. Amidst all of it, we even got to see new faces joining the cast. Most of them are 1st year students, such as Amasawa, Nanase, Hosen, and others. Even the secret White Room student is teased in the trailer. But above all, Ayanokoji’s one dialogue steals the spotlight as he claims that he won’t hold back anything anymore!

Where to Watch Classroom of the Elite Season 4 Online?

Interestingly, overseas fans of Classroom of the Elite will actually be able to catch Season 4 episodes at the same time as their release on Japanese TV networks. Each episode is set to drop on AT-X (Japan) and online streaming platforms every Wednesday at 9:30 PM JST / 5:30 AM PDT (via Crunchyroll), so you won’t have to wait around this time.

That said, as of now, Crunchyroll remains the only global streaming platform for Classroom of the Elite Season 4, with availability across regions like North America, Central and South America, Europe, Africa, Oceania, the Middle East, CIS, and Southeast Asia.

On top of that, you can also expect the English dub for Season 4 to arrive soon. There’s no exact release date yet, but considering all three previous seasons eventually got official English dubs on the platform, it’s safe to stay optimistic about it happening again.

Also, if you’re based in South Asia or Southeast Asia, you might want to check out Muse Asia’s official YouTube channel as well. They’ve licensed Classroom of the Elite Season 4 and will be streaming new episodes weekly every Wednesday on their channel.

In fact, Netflix also has the first three seasons of Classroom of the Elite; however, there has been no news of the 4th season hitting the platform. But it can still be expected to arrive at a later date. So yeah, there are plenty of ways to watch this season.

Voice Cast & Staff Behind Classroom of the Elite Season 4

As we head into Season 4, we must keep a close eye on several returning characters, such as Ayanokoji, Horikita, Ryuen, Sakayanagi, and others. A major reason behind their popularity in anime also stems from their talented voice actors, who brought the characters to life.

• Ayanokoji Kiyotaka: Shoya Chiba
• Horikita Suzune: Akari Kito
• Kei Karuizawa: Ayana Taketatsu
• Sho Ryuen: Masaaki Mizunaka
• Honami Ichinose: Nao Toyama
• Arisu Sakayanagi: Rina Hidaka

Now, don’t forget about the new cast members who are about to bring more heat to the game. Season 4 will put a strong focus on the Year 1 students, giving them plenty of screen time. So, in case you’re not familiar with their voice cast yet, here we’ve listed them all (via the anime’s official site):

• Nanase Tsubasa: Minako Sato
• Amasawa Ichika: Momoko Seto
• Kazuomi Hoizumi: Hiroya Egashira
• Takuya Yagami: Shinnosuke Tokutome
• Tsubaki Sakurako: Iori Saeki
• Riku Utsunomiya: Shogo Sakata

Now, as we all know, there’s more than just voice actors who are behind the entire creation process of the anime. The staff members also deserve recognition for their continuous hard work since the anime’s first season. Especially in Season 4, the visuals and art style appear slightly different, which further elevates the viewing experience. So here are the big names behind the project:

• Director: Noriyuki Nogi
• Series Composer: Yasushi Shigenobu
• Character Designer: Maki Kono
• Music by: Masaru Yokoyama/Kana Hashiguchi

Is the Classroom of the Elite Light Novel Already Finished?

The Classroom of the Elite Light Novel is still far from over. While it had crossed the halfway point of the entire storyline, a big chunk of Year 3 is yet to be released. The light novel is set to cover all three years of Ayanokoji at Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School, and so far, the first and second years have been published.

While Seasons 1 to 3 of the anime adapted the 1st Year, Season 4 has now started adapting from Year 2. Thus, as you can imagine, there’s a hefty amount of source material left to adapt in the anime. Year 1 consists of 14 light novel volumes, which were adapted in the anime’s first three seasons. And now, to adapt the 2nd Year, the anime might take 3 more seasons, as it contains 15 total light novel volumes.

As of May 25, 2026, the 4th volume of the Classroom of the Elite Year 3 light novel series has been released. If we consider the previous Years, then we can assume Year 3 might take at least another 4 years to conclude. Which means, the anime-only fans still have a long way to go, as Ayanokoji is still warming up in Season 4.

Now that we are off to go for a smooth ride in Season 4, the expectations for future seasons will also be looming in everyone’s mind. So in case any new update arrives, we will inform you here. With that said, how excited are you for this 4th season? Let us know in the comments below.

Classroom of the Elite Season 4 is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.