Aug 31, 2026 Oct 6, 2026

Welcome to the Meritocracy Classroom: 3rd-Year Edition—The Latest Volume 5, On Sale October 23!

The latest volume of the hugely popular light novel series by Akira Kinugasa, currently published by MF Bunko J (KADOKAWA), *Welcome to the Classroom of the Elite: 3rd Year Edition, Vol. 5*, will go on sale on October 23, 2026.

Production of the 5th Season of the TV anime *Welcome to the Classroom of the Elite: 5th Season* has been confirmed! The latest volume 5 of the 3rd-Year Arc is finally here!!

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Season 5 of the Anime Confirmed! Synopsis of “Welcome to the Meritocracy Classroom: 3rd Year Edition Vol. 5”

The Inter-Grade Competition, the “Special Exam on a Ship,” Begins!

Although the series of uninhabited island exams had ended, Ayanoji’s puzzling behavior—prioritizing exam results and personal feelings—had caused quite a stir.
The next day, Ayanoji heads to meet Hiyori—with whom he hadn’t had a chance to speak after the exam—but the school issues a summons for the four third-year leaders to assemble.
They are informed of the third consecutive special exam: the “Special Shipboard Competition.”
It was a grade-versus-grade competition in which the combined first- and second-year students would face off against the third-years in a total of 20 events.
The combined first- and second-year students were allowed to request only one handicap—but—
“Effective immediately, Ayanoji is prohibited from participating in this Special Exam in any capacity and is ordered to wait in a separate room until the exam concludes.”
Due to the will of some lowerclassman, it was announced that Ayanoji would not only be barred from participating in the exam but would effectively be placed under house arrest—!?

When is the release date for Shogo Kinugasa’s Welcome to the Classroom of the Elite: Third-Year Edition, Volume 5?

The latest volume of the hugely popular light novel series by the duo Shogo Kinugasa and Shunsaku Tomose, *Welcome to the Classroom of the Elite: 3rd Year Edition, Vol. 5*, goes on sale Friday, October 23, 2026!

◤￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣
　2026.10.23――発売‼
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📗『ようこそ実力至上主義の教室へ３年生編５』📗

「石上くんについて宇都宮くんはどこまでご存じですか？」#よう実3年生編最新巻の書影＆あらすじをご紹介～‼‼ pic.twitter.com/R89ZzrAo7S

— 『ようこそ実力至上主義の教室へ』公式＠3年生編4巻5/25発売!TVアニメ４期放送中！ (@youkosozitsu) October 2, 2026

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Akira Kinugasa, “Welcome to the Classroom of the Elite: 3rd Year Edition, Vol. 5” – Synopsis (Recap) of the Previous Volume, Vol. 4

“I’m the one who decided to expel you, after all.”

The 3rd-year deserted island survival game exam has ended.
With every student completely exhausted, the next “Special Token Collection Exam” is announced.
Students form groups of 16—four from each class—to collect tokens.
While competing for rankings among all 10 groups, the student whose token count reaches zero first during the exam and the student with the lowest token count in the grade at the end of the exam will be expelled.
Furthermore, the tasks required to earn tokens test students’ raw abilities, such as academic and athletic skills.
Although tokens can be transferred, doing so to a specific student on a vast, uninhabited island is limited to certain moments.
And then, one student begins to run amok by exploiting the rules—!?

“I’m the one who decided to expel you, after all. I suppose I’ll grant you that one wish.”

Akio Kinugasa’s “Welcome to the Meritocracy Classroom: 3rd Year Edition Vol. 5” on sale October 23, 2026!

Retailer	[Amazon]Product Page
Buy the Complete Set	[Amazon]Kindle E-book Bundle
Release Date	October 23, 2026
Author	Shogo Kinugasa
Price	946 yen (tax included)
ISBN	ISBN-10: 404660638X ISBN-13: 978-4046606389
Related Links	Official Website for the TV Anime “Welcome to the Classroom of the Elite”