If this season of Classroom of the Elite were to be described in one word, that word would be “chaotic.” Over the first three seasons, we’ve steadily gotten to know all the major players of freshman (now sophomore) classes A through D—with many supporting characters getting at least some minor development as well. This season, however, throws not only four whole classes of new freshman at us, but a smattering of seniors as well. Each of these come with their own motives and goals—some related to Ayanokoji specifically and some not.

The main plot of the season revolves around the two-pronged threat aimed at Ayanokoji. One is obvious. Temporary school director Tsukishiro makes it quite clear his job is to get Ayanokoji expelled and have him return to the White Room. He is even more than willing to mess with the school’s curriculum to get this to happen.

The second threat, on the other hand, is the hidden one. Someone within the incoming class is, like Ayanokoji, a prodigy from the White Room—and uncovering their identity is one of Ayanokoji’s main goals in the season. The reason this is so difficult for him is the fact that, while Tsukishiro and the White Room student share the same goal, they are not necessarily working together. Moreover, like Ayanokoji, both of those targeting him are master manipulators who trick others into doing their dirty work.

All this adds a ton of tension and mystery to the story this season. Tsukishi and the White Room students’ machinations serve as a Sword of Damocles constantly hanging above Ayanokoji’s head—making the already complicated situation he and the class are facing even more so.

Outside of the season-long threat, this season focuses on two tests: one new and one old (but with a twist). The former of these is a test that forces pairings between the underclassmen and upperclassmen. The trick is that the underclassmen realize that they have the power. If they fail, they have three whole years to recover. The upperclassmen only have two—not to mention they have already formed strong bonds with their classmates which would make any expulsions a major blow to morale.

It is the outcome of this trial that permanently upsets the show’s long-established status quo. Ayanokoji is forced to reveal a portion of his true talent to the entire school. With this, he is no longer able to hide in the shadows and pull strings with anonymity to protect him. However, while he is now seen as a notable threat in his own right, there are some upsides to his new situation. Now he is able to act in plain view in places where he couldn’t before—which proves to be vital in the second test of the season.

The second test, which takes up the vast majority of the season’s runtime, is the island survival test from the first season revisited. Of course, this time, Tsukishiro has changed the rules to target Ayonokoji—turning the test from a class team test into one of smaller groups or solo student competitors. From this, we get a familiar setting but with new rules and complex dynamics.

Another notable aspect that makes this season work are the trio of new underclassmen characters who are all antagonistic towards Ayanokoji in various ways—and may or may not be the hidden White Room student. The first of these is the leader of the new Class 1-D, Hosen. He’s smart enough to know when he holds the power in any given situation—be that physical or metaphorical—and, while he enjoys violence, knows when he can achieve victory simply by walking away. He’s a lot like Ryuen in the first season but even more selfish and with a hair trigger.

The good cop to his bad cop is Nanase. She appears to be Hosen’s opposite—emotionally controlled and more willing to negotiate. However, there is much more to her than is first apparent and uncovering her true personality and goals are a major part of the season.

The final of these new characters, and the most standout, is Amasawa. She is the yandere character the series never knew that it always needed. She is obsessed with Ayanokoji but what makes her captivating is how unpredictably she acts. She crosses the line between ally and enemy constantly—sometimes even helping and hindering with the same action. In the season of chaos, she is the most chaotic and the one wildcard that even Ayanokoji has problems predicting.

As far as the animation goes in this season, the series continues to make great use of light and shadow and the directing works hard to keep things visually interesting in this show with so much talking. The action scenes, while few and far between look good enough, even if they won’t be winning any awards. As for the music, outside of the opening song “Monster” by Eri Aoi, none of the soundtrack is particularly memorable. However, it does do it’s job well enough in the more emotional and dramatic parts of the anime.

Of all the arcs so far in Classroom of the Elite, this one is the first to feel like Ayanokoji is in any real danger. Right out of the gate he is forced to discard a large portion of his carefully crafted façade and confront the issues facing him directly. The limited-time aspect of Tsukishiro’s reign as head of the school also adds a ticking clock to the proceedings and takes the tension of the series to higher levels than ever before. With great new characters, worthy villains, and an ample helping of mystery and deception, this season is a high-point worth watching.