How Classroom of the Elite Explores Social Darwinism

gamerant.com:

Enrolling at Koudo Ikusei Senior High School equates to playing a whole other ball game, as the students are each evaluated on their «merit» and conduct in everyday behavior, which is assessed continuously via strange interactive examinations that do not involve much actual studying.

Those who are deemed adequate are generously rewarded with large sums of money, and the rest are ranked by a points system and dealt with accordingly. The biggest catch? Nobody seems to be fully aware of the rules of the school, and climbing up the ladder appears to involve making ruthless, cut-throat judgments at the expense of those less deserving; making Classroom of the Elite a perfect example of Social Darwinism at play.

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The term Social Darwinism combines the concept of "survival of the fittest" with the social structures that exist in any community. Those who follow this ideology are usually not the most likable characters as they generally believe that natural selection holds more importance than the notion of good and evil. The Social Darwinists will either stand back and watch another's struggle or actively aggravate the situation, subsequently raising their own status in the process. Two of the most notorious examples of Social Darwinism in Anime history come in the form of Light Yagami from Death Note and Vegeta from Dragon Ball Z, who both possessed a God complex regarding society and take matters into their own hands.

The Social Darwinists idolize a Capitalist society with a strong hierarchical system, whereby they have to constantly justify their superior position by belittling others. Not only does Koudo Ikusei Senior High encourage this type of behavior, but many of its students