“
If I can't do something, I'll be holding Class D back... I, who looked down my nose at the others and called them worthless... When it comes down to it, not only I am useless, I'm resolving things with violence. It's utterly absurd... ”
— Suzune's monologue while fighting Mio, Episode 11 |
She is currently a second-year student of Advanced Nurturing High School. At the start of the series, she was introduced as the class representative and a student of Class 1-D, seated at the rear row of the class, next to Kiyotaka Ayanokōji.
Despite her academic ability, she was placed in D-Class due to her inability to work with others. Nevertheless, she strives for A-Class and will do anything to reach that goal.Appearance
Suzune has long black hair with one braid tied with a pink bow as well as gradient red eyes. She is always seen with a stern look on her face. She has a slim but well-endowed body which makes her stand out as being beautiful, even attracting the attention of Ken Sudō and Kakeru Ryūen.
She usually wears the standard school uniform. Outside of school, she wears a striped sundress and a sun hat. She was also seen wearing a white bikini by the pool and a red tracksuit as seen when the first-year level underwent the survival test.
In Volume 11.5, she cuts her hair short as a mark of her determination to stop following her brother's footsteps, who had earlier told her that he liked her hair long, and that she should keep it that way. Despite the obvious astonishment of her classmates, people like Sudo still finds her charming.
Personality
Suzune unmoved by threats.
Suzune is a serious, intelligent girl who rarely displays any emotion and generally seems unfazed by most things, as proven when she remained unmoved after being threatened by a boy from Class 1-C. She comes off as a rather cold and distant person to her classmates due to the lack of communication with them as well as her tendency to distance herself and look down on them. Because of this attitude, she is openly honest about many things, which is shown when she admitted having no friends as she thinks that friends would only drag her down, but this began to change as the series progressed.
Suzune possesses an antisocial outlook, which has led her to hardly talk to anyone except Kiyotaka Ayanokōji upon meeting him and to not trust anyone, especially those who tried to befriend her such as Kikyō Kushida. However, unlike Kiyotaka who initially wanted to make friends, she was the opposite of him as she disregarded it, thinking that it was nothing more than a distraction and only thought of getting promoted to the Class A. It is strongly suggested by Kiyotaka and her brother that her attitude and inability to work appropriately with people or her tendencies on focusing too much on her goal was the reason she was placed in Class D.
Suzune is a hard person to convince, as she refused to accept that she was placed in Class D and set a goal to ascend to a higher class, despite it being a unrealistic goal that had never happened in the history of the school. This goal, however, was refuted by her brother, who told her that she has no knowledge of her lack of character, which is substantially holding her back and should just leave the school. She refused to believe that friends were needed to help her though she did convince Kiyotaka to assist in reaching her goal. When Kiyotaka pointed out that her isolation towards others could be why she was placed in Class D, she quickly denied it but appeared to briefly ponder it being a possibility.
While she is generally composed, her fear truly surfaces when she is in the presence of her older brother, who is also the student council president. This is displayed when Suzune does indeed express a sensitive side of sorts towards some issues. She greatly admires her brother, but at the same time, feels inferior to him due to his accomplishments compared to her shortcomings. Suzune was shown to shake in fear of him, as seen in their secret meeting when he nearly attacked her in Episode 2. This was seen again in Episode 5, where she found herself unable to talk during Ken Sudō's hearing and was only able to snap out of it due to Kiyotaka's intervention
A rare time when Suzune shows happiness.
Despite her disdain and cold attitude, it appears she can be a caring person as displayed when she sacrificed 50,000 points to save Ken from being expelled after he failed a test. Suzune explained that she did so to further her own goals but this event and her previous attempts to help him study suggest otherwise. Later, Suzune also defended Ken's case, and while she did criticize him, she firmly declared him to be innocent in the incident. Suzune then displayed this attitude in Episode 7 where she was shown smiling after looking at the email Kiyotaka sent her. Due to the time they spent together, she came to trust Kiyotaka, as she made him one of the two boys in charge of guarding the boys' tent during the uninhabited island exam, after stating that she couldn't believe Yōsuke Hirata by himself. Her trust in Kiyotaka is also displayed by trusting him after discovering she was sick and unable to continue participating in the challenge.
During the final days of the survival test, Suzune appeared to have grown in character as she came to acknowledge the hypocrisy of her previous views of Class D as she realized her actions were the same as that of Class C during her fight with Mio. After she was taken down by Mio and found by Kiyotaka, she finally admitted that she needed allies. Once the survival test was over, in the anime, she thanked Kiyotaka for his help in gaining Class D' trust after giving the credit of their victory in the island challenge to her. This time, she displayed a rare moment of affection, as she was both flustered and shy in thanking him while unable to look him consistently in the eye.
In Light Novel Volume 5, Suzune understood that she would need to make friends in order to reach Class-A when she saw that she wasn't as useful to her class in the Sports Festival, and even talked to Ken Sudō about what she thought, when Kiyotaka Ayanokōji told her that she was the only one who could bring him back.
She can also be a bit of an airhead as she couldn’t understand why her classmates were so shocked and making a fuss that she cut her hair. As of now, she is still pursuing the path of self-growth and pays no mind or interest in romantic relationships.
She is slowly breaking out of her shell and started to openly communicate with people after understanding the importance of working with others and realizing the limits of working alone. She also displays humility after admitting defeat to Kiyotaka for a mathematical exam. She confessed that she did her best and even defended him against accusations from their classmates. She is also above holding grudges as she proposed an alliance with Ibuki despite their previous encounters.
Background
Since grade school, Suzune always has top grades in class and being a paragon student. She was never tardy or absent from class during her three years of middle school and was said to have gone to the same middle school as Kikyō Kushida.
Her goal is to get her brother's (Manabu Horikita's) recognition and acknowledgement of her abilities which was the primary factor that led her to enrol in the same school as him. However, after being sorted into the "worst" class which is D, she was shunned and humiliated by him which strengthened her resolve to overtake the highest Class, Class-A.
That aside, Suzune is an accomplished student, both in academics and sports, comparable to the likes of those in higher classes. However her main Achilles' Heel was her anti-social attitude and beliefs that others were holding her back. This supercilious attitude that patronises other has prevented her peers from getting close to her and even harbour disdain towards her. This led her to be a loner for the next nine years, never seeing the error of her ways and repenting. That is before she attended high school, where she made some valuable "acquaintances" and "allies." but blatantly never considered any of them as friends except for one.
Plot
Abilities
Suzune has proven to be gifted with superior overall abilities as she excels in both academics and physical fields.
Academic Abilities
Suzune is very dedicated and diligent in her studies, having nothing else to do. This is further proven in her undying commitment in reaching Class A, which she believes that she should've been placed into from the start because of her good grades and hoping that her brother would finally pay attention to her.
In the Paper Shuffle special exam, Suzune was able to defeat Kikyō in the Mathematics exam, the subject which Kikyō had herself chosen to be the deciding factor in their bet, by scoring at least 98 marks against Kikyō's about 80.
That said, her academic abilities are not to the tier of any of those from the White-room as seen when she got soundly defeated by Kiyotaka who got full marks in another mathematic exam, showing that her knowledge doesn’t extend past the high- school syllabus.
Intellectual Abilities
Unsurprisingly, Suzune is very intelligent and consistently maintains good grades throughout her journey in school. Sae Chabashira revealed in Volume 1 that she got the third-highest average score out of the first years in the entrance exams. She is also noted by Honami Ichinose, a student from Class B, to be one of the few people in Class D to keep an eye on due to her potential. However, her condescending attitude and weakness makes her easily susceptible to the attacks of other classes, and was only saved by Kiyotaka who intervened on her behalf many times before she was defeated. She still doesn’t believe in the purpose of fostering good relationship and only does so to further her goals.
She also has an analytical side to her, as shown when she studies people by their habits or fragments of their personality to see their true depths. For instance, she deduced that Kiyotaka Ayanokōji had a hand in helping their class pass their tests and how Kikyō Kushida appears to vehemently dislike her, despite having a 'friendly' persona to everyone. She was also able to see how Kiyotaka hides his true talents after hearing her brother Manabu Horikita and their teacher explain that there is more to him than he lets on. She admits that she is nowhere the the league of Kiyotaka in this department after being defeated by him time and time again and always seek his perspicacious insights whenever trouble arises. She is mature enough to understand why Kiyotaka doesn’t want to show his true capabilities and allows him to use her as a meat-shield for his accomplishments to build up her own reputation in the class.
During the Paper Shuffle special exam, Suzune was able to anticipate Kikyō and Kakeru's plan on sabotaging her class and took countermeasures against it.
In the Event Selection Exam, Suzune was able to hold her own in the final chess event, where she was matched against Masayoshi Hashimoto, who had been playing the game for months, while she had just learned how to play it a week before the exam, with the help of Kiyotaka. She was able to get an early lead which would have set her and Kiyotaka up to win the event, had Tsukishiro not intervened in the exam and given Suzune the wrong instructions, to what Kiyotaka had sent her.
Physical Abilities
Suzune trying to grab Mio Ibuki
Suzune was stated to be an above-average swimmer when questioned by Kikyō Kushida at the school pool where she also said that she is skilled in martial arts during the hearing for Ken Sudō, but the full extent of her capabilities is unknown. She proves herself skilled in the art of grappling as she easily flipped Haruki Yamauchi with no difficulty. Her fighting skills are further shown when she engaged Mio Ibuki in a fight, earning praise from her before being knocked down, though Suzune's ill condition held her back in the fight. She may be an accomplished fighter but is nowhere near the best as seen when she was easily defeated by an injured and fatigued Ichika Amasawa.
Name Etymology
- The name Suzune consists of kanjis that mean "bell" (鈴) (suzu) and "sound" (音) (ne).
- Suzune's surname Horikita consists of kanjis that mean "moat" (堀) (hori) and "north" (北) (kita).
Trivia
- As Class D is a class for people with defective traits, Suzune's defective trait is her antisocial behavior and refusal to work with others.
- Suzune ranks #2 in "MF Bunko J Heroine Contest 2017 in Melonbooks" with 13.8% of the votes.[1]
- For the 2nd Year arc, when asked about her aspirations for the next year, she answered "To aim for Class A with all of my classmates, taking one step at a time and move forward."[2]
- From her student database:[3]
- Specialties: Studying
- Hobbies: Cooking
- Intimate students: None
- Incompatible students: None
- Favorite foods: Japanese foods
- Dislikes: TV games
- Her OAA in the first year would be:[4]
- Academic Ability: A (89)
- Physical Ability: B+ (73)
- Adaptability: C+ (57)
- Social Contribution: D (34)
- Overall Ability: B (69)
Featured
Light Novel Appearances
1st Year 2nd Year
Anime Appearances
1st Year
| Episode 1 | Debut |
| Episode 2 | Appears |
| Episode 3 | Appears |
| Episode 4 | Appears |
| Episode 5 | Appears |
| Episode 6 | Appears |
| Episode 7 | Appears |
| Episode 8 | Appears |
| Episode 9 | Appears |
| Episode 10 | Appears |
| Episode 11 | Appears |
| Episode 12 | Appears |
| Season 2 Episode 1 | Appears |
| Season 2 Episode 2 | Appears |
| Season 2 Episode 3 | Appears |
| Season 2 Episode 4 | Appears |
| Season 2 Episode 5 | Appears |
| Season 2 Episode 6 | Appears |
| Season 2 Episode 7 | Appears |
| Season 2 Episode 8 | Appears |
| Season 2 Episode 9 | Appears |
| Season 2 Episode 10 | Appears |
| Season 2 Episode 11 | Appears |
| Season 2 Episode 12 | Absent |
| Season 2 Episode 13 | Appears |
| Season 3 Episode 1 | Appears |
| Season 3 Episode 2 | Absent |
| Season 3 Episode 3 | Appears |
| Season 3 Episode 4 | Appears |
| Season 3 Episode 5 | Absent |
| Season 3 Episode 6 | Appears |
| Season 3 Episode 7 | Appears |
| Season 3 Episode 8 | Appears |
| Season 3 Episode 9 | Appears |
| Season 3 Episode 10 | Appears |
| Season 3 Episode 11 | Appears |
| Season 3 Episode 12 | Appears |
| Season 3 Episode 13 | Appears |
Manga Appearances
1st Year
| Room 0.5 | Debut |
| Room 1 | Appears |
| Room 2 | Appears |
| Room 3 | Appears |
| Room 4 | Appears |
| Room 5 | Appears |
| Room 6 | Appears |
| Room 7 | Appears |
| Room 8 | Appears |
| Room 9 | Appears |
| Room 10 | Appears |
| Room 11 | Appears |
| Room 12 | Appears |
| Room 13 | Appears |
| Room 14 | Appears |
| Room 15 | Appears |
| Room 16 | Appears |
| Room 17 | Appears |
| Room 18 | Appears |
| Room 19 | Appears |
| Room 20 | Absent |
| Room 21 | Absent |
| Room 22 | Appears |
| Room 23 | Appears |
| Room 24 | Appears |
| Room 25 | Appears |
| Room 26 | Appears |
| Room 27 | Appears |
| Room 28 | Flashback |
| Room 29 | Absent |
| Room 30 | Appears |
| Room 31 | Appears |
| Room 32 | Appears |
| Room 33 | Absent |
| Room 34 | Appears |
| Room 35 | Appears |
| Room 36 | Appears |
| Room 37 | Appears |
| Room 38 | Absent |
| Room 39 | Mentioned |
| Room 40 | Flashback |
| Room 41 | Mentioned |
| Room 42 | Absent |
| Room 43 | Absent |
| Room 44 | Absent |
| Room 45 | Absent |
| Room 46 | Appears |
| Room 47 | Absent |
| Room 48 | Absent |
| Room 49 | Mentioned |
| Room 50 | Appears |
| Room 51 | Appears |
| Room 52 | Flashback |
| Room 53 | Appears |
| Room 54 | Appears |
| Room 55 | Absent |
| Room 56 | Appears |
| Room 57 | Appears |
| Room 58 | Appears |
| Room 59 | Appears |
| Room 60 | Appears |
| Room 61 | Appears |
| Room 62 | Appears |
| Room 63 | Appears |
| Room 64 | Appears |
| Room 65 | Appears |
| Room 66 | Appears |
| Room 67 | Appears |
| Room 68 | Appears |
| Room 69 | Appears |
| Room 70 | Absent |
| Room 71 | Appears |
| Room 72 | Appears |
2nd Year
References
| Homeroom Teacher | Sae Chabashira |
|---|---|
| Class Representatives | Suzune Horikita • Yōsuke Hirata |
| Students | Kiyotaka Ayanokōji • Kikyō Kushida • Airi Sakura • Kei Karuizawa • Rokusuke Kōenji • Ken Sudō • Kanji Ike • Haruki Yamauchi • Teruhiko Yukimura • Akito Miyake • Haruka Hasebe • Mei-Yu Wang • Kokoro Inogashira • Maya Satō • Hideo Sotomura • Chiaki Matsushita • Satsuki Shinohara • Kayano Onodera • Nene Mori • Wataru Ijūin • Ryōtarō Hondō • Sōshi Miyamoto • Kyōsuke Okitani |
| Homeroom Teacher | Sae Chabashira |
|---|---|
| Class Representatives | Suzune Horikita • Yōsuke Hirata |
| Students | Kiyotaka Ayanokōji • Kikyō Kushida • Airi Sakura • Kei Karuizawa • Rokusuke Kōenji • Ken Sudō • Kanji Ike • Teruhiko Yukimura • Akito Miyake • Haruka Hasebe • Mei-Yu Wang • Kokoro Inogashira • Maya Satō • Hideo Sotomura • Chiaki Matsushita • Satsuki Shinohara • Kayano Onodera • Nene Mori • Wataru Ijūin • Ryōtarō Hondō • Sōshi Miyamoto • Kyōsuke Okitani |