5 anime schools everyone wants to attend, and 5 anime schools that would be nightmarish

Numerous anime schools seem amazing to attend or produce memorable alumni, such as Goku, Izuku Midoriya, or Naruto Uzumaki. These schools are not always the primary focus of their anime, but they do provide interesting backdrops, and fans have their favorites.

But for every amazing-sounding anime school like the Turtle School in the Dragon Ball universe or the Ninja Academy in Naruto, or where everything interesting happens outside the school, there are the nightmarish schools where gruesome fates befall anyone who dares to fail their classes.

Schools like the one in Prison School remind fans that even anime schools can be just as, if not more, hellish than regular school already is. The ironclad rule for this list is that the schools in question must have strengths and weaknesses on their own. Natural disasters or hitherto unforeseen apocalypses (zombie apocalypse, alien invasion, earthquakes, etc.) do not count.

Disclaimer: Spoilers included for all anime discussed. All opinions are exclusive to the author.

5 anime schools that anime fans would adore attending

1) Turtle School (Dragon Ball)

Dragon Ball’s anime school (Image via Toei Animation)

The Turtle School in the Dragon Ball franchise is a fitting entry for anime schools that many fans would adore attending. Who wouldn't want to learn how to harness ki and throw beams out of their hands? Well, it's never that simple. Master Roshi's odd training regimen is probably daunting for most people.

The Turtle School was formed by Master Roshi, with its first two students being Grandpa Gohan and the Ox-King. The roster of alumni includes Goku, Krillin, Yamcha, and others. Many fans would love to attend this school, despite the risks, because the results of the training usually speak for themselves.

2) U.A. High School (My Hero Academia)

Many anime fans are also comic book fans, with X-Men being a popular one for schools. The combination of anime, superheroes, and school brings My Hero Academia to the forefront with U.A. High School at the center. U.A. High teaches students how to use and control their Quirks in various situations and has a rigorous curriculum and training regimen.

Not to say it's easy, as even those who have mastery or somewhat mastery over their Quirks, like Tenya Iida or Shoto Todoroki, have difficulty with the advanced training. Not only is Shoto Aizawa a strict teacher, but the various tests and exams get harder from the jump: having to go up against fellow students, other classes, mock rescues, and even pro heroes.

3) Ninja Academy (Naruto)

Naruto’s anime school (Image via Studio Pierrot)

The various ninja academies in Naruto are a good stop after superhero school or learning from Master Roshi. But, to be precise, most fans of this anime are probably going to flock to the Hidden Leaf Village to learn where Naruto Uzumaki did or at least try to get in good with Kakashi or Jiraiya.

The ninja academies may not be the easiest schools to get through, as Naruto and a few others, like Choji and Shikamaru Nara, can attest. But, as far as learning the fundamentals go, it's still better than attending regular school. There are still written exams, but the practical exams involve using and manipulating the chakra that everyone has and needs to learn to begin walking the path to greatness.

4) Luna Nova Magical Academy (Little Witch Academia)

Although Luna Nova's magical academy started as an elite school, teaching only witches from purely magical families, economic burdens and constraints opened the doors to all witches from every background. This, in turn, makes Luna Nova a particularly tantalizing prospect for many fans of magical girls and magic in general.

Although students like Akko, Sucy, and Lotte struggle throughout Little Witch Academia, it's a testament to their skills that they aren't expelled. Learning magic, mixing up potions, and flying brooms in a fantastical world is usually a dream for many fans who tire of the doldrums of life.

5) Duel Academy (Yu-Gi-Oh GX)

The Yu-Gi-Oh! anime and card game gained worldwide popularity when they were launched in the 1990s. The idea of a full-fledged anime school where, alongside regular exams, card dueling skill determined your fate and future is too good a dream to pass up on for players of the game.

The caste system, with Obelisk the Tormentor at the top and Slifer the Sky Dragon at the bottom, is something to pause at, as is the treatment of certain students. That said, however, many Yu-Gi-Oh! Players would probably find it easygoing if their skills are up to the challenge.

5 anime schools anime fans should avoid like the plague

1) Honnōji Academy (Kill la Kill)

Kill la Kill’s anime school (Image via Studio Trigger)

Some schools have a hellish curriculum designed to test students' mettle. Then there's Honnoji Academy from Kill la Kill, which seems tailor-made to kill students. This anime school is run by the tyrannical Satsuki Kiriyuin and her Elite Four, who subscribe to Social Darwinism. While none of the student council members outright kill anyone, the punishments they mete out are rather harsh.

Ryuko Matoi's time at the Academy proves this truly is a hellish school: the students take any excuse to fight each other and fight their friends, the No Tardies Day obstacle course is practically lethal, and various beatings and injuries dealt out would be lethal if not for the hyperbolic nature of anime.

While Satsuki is on the side of the angels, she and the Elite Four are forced to apologize to everyone by the end of the series for all of the authoritarian behavior and abuse they inflicted on the students.

2) Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing School (Classroom of the Elite)

The deceptive anime school (Image via Studio Lerche)

As a school designed to teach students the value of money and responsibility, it would probably be beneficial if students weren't automatically given a large sum of money before they're informed how the system works and reality sets in. That's the start of Classroom of the Elite, and it doesn't get any easier with the amount of blackmail or harassment done by the more "elite" of the school.

There's also a harsh penalty for failing the midterm or final, or failing to meet the required scores: expulsion. There's also no contact allowed with the outside world, including family and guardians, and students are forbidden to leave the on-campus housing save for certain occasions. Put that way, it sounds more like a prison than a school.

3) Tokioka Academy (Shimoneta)

The puritanical anime school (Image by J.C.Staff)

A world in which censorship of anything provocative is bound to have an anime school that's just as puritanical and oppressive as the society it originates from. A world where anything considered coarse or obscene can literally land one a jail sentence, if not an outright beating, is already bad. That's the world of Shimoneta and Tokioka Academy is all that in miniature form.

Forcing everyone to wear collars called Peace Makers that can track everything, including language, and sic the Decency Squad on anyone who dares even whisper obscene things is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. The oppressive society depicted in Shimoneta only results in people like Anna Nishikinomiya going overboard with her concepts of "love," veering into non-consensual acts.

4) Hyakkaou Private Academy (Kakegurui)

The gambling anime school (Image via studio MAPPA)

Gambling your life away is a literal threat in Kakegurui, especially in the anime school featured in it. Students are not evaluated here by grades, sports, or extracurriculars, but by how much social status and power they can attain. This usually involves dominating or outmaneuvering other students in very hyperbolic gambling games, with the stakes being as high as their lives.

It gets worse when one finds out about the ghastly Housepet system, created two years before the series. The "housepet" in question is a student who loses all rights as a human being and is treated no better than a common animal, made to degrade themselves. The student council and top gamblers cheating doesn't help either.

5) Hachimitsu Academy (Prison School)

As far as anime schools that fans should avoid, the Hachimitsu Academy is definitely at the top. The title of the anime isn't called Prison School for show, as the school has a literal prison on its campus. Some may be wondering why this is and what purpose it serves, as any sane individual would when watching this series.

In the series itself, it's plain to see that the Underground Student Council regularly overstepped its boundaries and rules. Hard labor in the hot sun is the least of the punishments awaiting those unlucky enough to get put in the school's prison.

These can include, but are not limited to: licking their boots, taking beatings when trying to find a four-leaf clover, serving as their chairs, and all other manner of degrading punishments.

Final thoughts

Different anime schools with varying opinions (Image via Studio Sunrise, Kyoto Animation, Bones, Bandai Namco Pictures)

This list is not exhaustive. There are doubtless plenty more anime schools that fans would and wouldn't visit or attend. Some people wouldn't be caught dead at a ninja academy, others want to go to the Asticassia School of Technology and fly giant mechs.

Regardless of whatever choice a fan makes, anime schools are going to be a constant in almost every series, whether it's special ones like the ones listed above or painfully average ones like North High from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.