Kaede Kayano is a cheerful girl and a main character from Assassination Classroom. She sits next to Nagisa Shiota and gave the teacher his famous nickname, "Korosensei." On the surface, she appears to be a sweet, fun student who enjoys sweets, but she hides a big secret relating to her past and her true identity. She deals with personal struggles like her complex about having a small chest and her envy towards girls with bigger chests. Despite her light-hearted nature, she has high intelligence, is supportive in missions, and later reveals deep motivations connected to her family tragedy. Her story and true self play a key turning point in the series.
Kaede Kayano is the shortest girl in Class E.
She has bright green hair styled in two side ponytails.
She has a youthful and cute appearance, making her popular among boys in her class.
Even though her chest size is small and often joked about, she has beautiful legs that are shown off with her skirt.
When her true identity is revealed, her original hair was black with gentle waves, but she keeps her green look for most of the story.
Kaede Kayano is energetic, cheerful, and friendly.
She is the class mood-maker, always cheering others up.
She often helps and supports her classmates, especially in assassination missions.
Kayano has a strong inferiority complex about her small chest, which makes her jealous of girls with bigger chests.
She also loves sweets, especially pudding, and her love for desserts is well known among her classmates.
Though she seems easygoing, she sometimes keeps a deliberate distance, especially by calling other girls "san" and boys "kun" instead of using first names.
Kaede Kayano is actually not her real name.
Her true name is Akari Yukimura, and she is the younger sister of Aguri Yukimura, the previous E-Class homeroom teacher.
She used to be a famous child actress with the stage name "Haruna Mase."
She joined Kunugigaoka Junior High School as a transfer student in the third year.
She intentionally got herself placed in E-Class to get close to Korosensei because of a secret mission.
Secret Identity
She changed her appearance and used a fake name from a drama role that was never aired.
She faked her residency records to enroll in the school.
Kaede did all this to get revenge for her sister Aguri, whom she believes was killed by Korosensei.
After seeing a terrible event at the research lab her sister visited, Kaede took a tentacle seed and had it implanted in herself, making her into a tentacle user like Korosensei.
Hiding her true feelings, Kaede spent a year among her classmates, waiting for the right moment to attack.
Kaede is smart enough to easily pass the entrance test for Kunugigaoka.
She has high athletic ability thanks to her acting experience, being even quicker and more agile than some classmates.
She usually acts as support during assassination attempts, coming up with creative plans like the pudding assassination mission.
After implanting the tentacle, she gains enhanced strength and powers similar to Korosensei, even being able to fight him head-on.
Despite this, her tentacle hurts her physically and mentally, putting her at risk.
Kaede is close to Nagisa Shiota, who sits next to her in class.
She is the only girl in E-Class who is called by first name by Nagisa.
Her relationship with Yuzuki Fuwa and others improves over time, especially after her secret is revealed and she recovers.
Kaede holds a long-standing jealousy toward girls with larger chests, but after getting to know Toka Yada, she admires her skills.
After losing her tentacle, Kaede begins to view Nagisa as someone she likes, even feeling nervous around him during Valentine's Day.
She is well-liked by the children at Wakaba Park and is called "Princess" by them.
Kaede's favorite food is pudding, and she enjoys sweets in general.
She is known as "Eternal Zero" by classmates because of her chest size (named by Takuya Muramatsu).
Among the boys, she ranked fourth in the class's "most interesting girl" list.
When acting, she can connect well with kids because of her small stature.
After the story, she returns to acting, starring in dramas and performing stunts herself.
Her black hair returns, and she grows to 157 cm tall.
"I can't kill you... Sensei... Oh, the name 'Korosensei'?"
"I love you, Korosensei. Die."
“You didn’t notice, did you? Until the very end.”
Giving Korosensei His Name
When Class E is tasked with assassinating their new inhuman teacher, it's Kaede who first calls him "Korosensei," a nickname that sticks.
New Student in E-Class
Kaede transfers into Kunugigaoka Junior High during third year.
She doesn’t know about famous students like Karma Akabane or Masayoshi Kimura’s real name at first, showing she is new.
Kaede purposely gets herself put in E-Class by breaking school property to get closer to her target, Korosensei.
School Life and Secret Struggles
Kaede becomes friends with Nagisa Shiota, partly because they sit next to each other.
She supports classmates, plans fun or silly assassination attempts like the "pudding bomb," and plays a big role in keeping up the spirit of the class.
Despite her cheerful front, Kaede battles with her complex about her body and keeps her true plan hidden.
Kidnapping During School Trip
On a school trip, Kaede and Yukiko Kanzaki are kidnapped by a group of delinquents.
Kaede learns about Yukiko’s past during this, forming a closer bond with her.
Secret Revealed
Near the end of the story, Kaede suddenly attacks Korosensei by unleashing her tentacle, shocking everyone.
She reveals her real identity as Aguri Yukimura’s younger sister, Akari Yukimura.
She explains her reason for revenge—believing Korosensei killed her older sister.
Her tentacle powers, gained by self-experimentation, push her to a near-death state during her duel with Korosensei.
She is saved when Nagisa kisses her as a secret tactic, allowing others to remove the tentacle.
Coming to Terms and Moving On
After the incident, Kaede realizes she was wrong about Korosensei and deeply regrets causing her classmates trouble.
She recovers in the hospital for two weeks and then happily rejoins E-Class, going back to using the name "Kaede Kayano."
Her feelings for Nagisa grow stronger, but she decides it’s best to support his future, not confessing directly.
At graduation, Kaede bravely faces the "Second God of Death" and is nearly killed but comes back to life after surgery by Korosensei.
Life After School
Kaede becomes a successful actress again after graduation.
She no longer uses the name Akari Yukimura, choosing to keep "Kaede Kayano."
She grows taller and returns to her original black hair.
She keeps in touch with Nagisa, though they do not become a couple.
Kaede’s complex about her body continues even after the tentacle is removed, shown in comedy sketches in the manga.
During the final battle, she is so brave that she faces powerful tentacle users alone to protect her friends.
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