Assassination Classroom, based on the manga of the same name by Yusei Matsui is a critically acclaimed series about a class of junior high students who are tasked with killing their teacher, who is also a space alien with immense powers!
It’s a crazy idea for a shonen anime series, but one that has gone on to become massively popular, with legions of fans across the world who sing the praises of it whenever they can.
The anime series, of which there are 47 episodes, is easily accessible, and well worth the watch if you want a crazy action-comedy series that is also full of heart and dramatic moments.
But how are you meant to get started? Where do you begin with the series, and how do you know what to watch? If you want to get into the series, these might be just a few of the questions you may have, and we’re going to answer them all for you!
So buckle up and get ready to explore the exciting world of Assassination Classroom.
What Order Should I Watch Assassination Classroom In?
The original manga version of Assassination Classroom, published in the pages of Weekly Shonen Jump, ran for a total of 185 chapters which saw its cast of junior high students go from freshman to graduates!
This version of the series concluded in July of 2016, while the anime version concluded in June of 2016.
Luckily, if you want to get into the anime version of the series without missing out on important details from the manga version, you can rest assured that the entirety of the manga is adapted from beginning to end!
The anime version of the series also adapts the source material in chronological order, without jumping around, so you can start from episode 1 and watch to the end without risking confusion.
The anime version of Assassination Classroom has an extra episode on top of its 47 main episodes. This is referred to as episode 0 and serves as a good introduction to the series before it begins.
The episode sees Koro-Sensei, the alien teacher, meeting up with Mr. Karasuma, who later becomes the class’ physical education teacher! The contents of this episode are not present within the manga version, so it is considered to be anime-only canon.
If this is a concern for you, you can still skip the episode and not miss out on anything. Everything you need to know about the series from the start can be gathered from the first episode alone.
Are There Any Other Assassination Classroom Anime Series?
Aside from the main anime adaptation that was broadcast on television, there is no other serialized anime version of the series.
However, there are two OVA episodes that can be worth a watch, but that are not essential. OVA refers to ‘Original Video Animation’, which is non-serialized anime that is specifically made to be accessed through home media formats.
The first of these episodes was released in December of 2013, long before the main series was originally broadcast. This 30-minute episode adapts the section of the story in which the class goes on a school trip to Kyoto.
This content was later adapted in the mainstream version of the series, so it is not necessary to watch this episode to understand the main series.
However, this episode is worth checking out if you want to see an early version of the anime series with slightly different character designs and animation styles.
The second OVA episode is the earlier mentioned ‘Episode 0’, which centers around Koro-Sensei meeting Mr Karasuma. This episode was broadcast midway through the run of the first season and provides extra context to early episodes.
This episode is not essential to understand the wider series, and merely acts as supplementary material.
As well as the two OVA episodes, Assassination Classroom also received two live-action feature film adaptations that were released in 2015 and 2016 respectively.
The first of these films adapts the manga series up to the point where the class battles against secondary antagonist Itona Horibe. The second film, Assassination Classroom: Graduation adapts up to the end of the original manga version.
The live-action feature-length adaptations of Assassination Classroom are critically acclaimed, and still well worth the watch, but they do cut out significant portions of the story in an effort to fit 185 manga chapters into 2 2-hour films.
Final Thoughts
Luckily for you, if you want to get into the wildly popular Assassination Classroom series, you can do so with very little hassle or trouble, thanks to the immensely faithful anime adaptation.
Assassination Classroom has little supplemental material alongside its anime, so getting the full experience from the series is easy and enjoyable, with no need to skip filler arcs or to watch the episodes in a strange order.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Assassination Classroom Kid-Friendly?
Within the United States, the Assassination Classroom anime series received a TV-14 rating which cautions parents that the contents within the show may be inappropriate for children under the age of 14.
Assassination Classroom of course has content that pertains to acts of assassination, and as a result has occasionally frightening or even gory scenes. Despite its friendly appearance, Assassination Classroom would not be appropriate for children of a young age.
Is Assassination Classroom Anime Complete?
Yes. The version of the series that was originally broadcast in January of 2015 has reached its conclusion, after adapting the original manga fully within 47 episodes. The anime series aired its final episode in June of 2016.
Will Assassination Classroom Anime Return?
It is unlikely that we would see Assassination Classroom returning in anime form anytime soon. This is because its original manga source material was concluded in 2016, and thus the series no longer has material in need of adaptation.
Perhaps over the next 20 years, we may see a reboot or a remake of the anime series, in the same vein as Hunter X Hunter’s 2011 adaptation, but this is unlikely.
