Raira Academy

**Raira Academy** is the private high school that Mikado Ryuugamine, Anri Sonohara, Chiharu Hashimoto, Noriko Ishikawa, and Masaomi Kida attend in the *Wonderland* series. It is set in East Ikebukuro and is considered to be an increasingly reputable high school with well-maintained grounds and good facilities. Though the academy offers off-campus dorms for students to live in, the novels state that most students choose to find their own apartments to be closer to the school. Students are permitted to wear casual clothes to school, making students who wear the green school uniform, including Mikado and Anri, stand out. In the anime, most students are seen wearing blue uniforms, though some, like Masaomi, wear casual attire underneath. It becomes the seventh Gate to the Apocalypse.

## Raijin History

Formerly known as Raijin Academy before it was merged with a nearby school, this was the high school of Shizuo Heiwajima, Kyouhei Kadota, Izaya Orihara, and Shinra Kishitani. In the anime, Tom Tanaka is shown observing a fight at the school, yet the light novels heavily imply that he attended a different high school, thus allowing Izaya to undo all the hard work he put into Shizuo while they were in middle school together.

The Raijin years are said to have been very violent and something of a dark period in the history of the establishment for almost all who were witness to it. Conversations among the teachers after the admission of Mairu and Kururi Orihara make references to gasoline-filled barrels rolling down the third floor at one point. Shinra also makes passing mention to how he became extremely skilled at setting broken bones and stitching skin back together during his high school days. Additionally, Shinra has mentioned many other situations in the Shizuo Gaiden after telling the story of "Bloody White Day," examples being the "The Pool of Hell Opens - Chlorine Gas Everywhere!" incident, the "Real Flesh Art in the Art Room" incident, the "Cultural Festival Campfire Explosion" incident, and the "Field Trip to the Shambles - the Okinawa Arc."

While at Raijin Academy, Izaya began to collect "worshipers" for his own ends, mostly in the form of traumatized teenage girls. At some point during this time, the Izaya fangirls began to start trouble with neighboring high schools, leading to a period of severe unrest during which Shizuo rose to fame after becoming the center of this conflict, despite his desire to stay firmly out of it, and all of Shinra's attempts to pacify the other students seemed to fall through.

## Raira History

Prior to the start of the series, Haruna Niekawa attended Raira and was involved in a romantic relationship with a teacher, Takashi Nasujima. The scandal caused her to quietly transfer to another high school.

During the Raira entrance exams, Mikado tied for first place with Anri. Mika Harima was seated next to Mikado during the exam, and Seiji Yagiri sat on her other side. She fell in love with him at first sight, leading to her stalking him and her brief disappearance shortly before the start of their freshman year.

At the start of the series, Mikado moves to Ikebukuro to attend Raira Academy at Masaomi's invitation. On the first day of school, Anri and Mikado volunteer to be the class representatives of class 1-A. They, with Masaomi, become such close friends that by the start of their second year, their in-school fame rivals Seiji and Mika's. Masaomi leaves Ikebukuro before the conclusion of their first year of high school.

On the first day of their second year, Aoba Kuronuma introduces himself to Mikado and asks him and Anri to show him around the city. Aoba's fellow freshmen, Mairu and Kururi Orihara, are the subjects of bullying during their first few days of high school due to their abnormal appearance and behavior. Mairu deals with her graffitied desk by directly attacking her bullies, while Kururi more subtly lights her bullies' schoolbags on fire. Aoba's defense of Kururi in front of her bullies and their classmates and teacher leads to his friendship with the twins.

## Students

### Current Students

* Mikado Ryuugamine
* Aoba Kuronuma
* Mairu Orihara (Erased)
* Kururi Orihara
* Yahiro Mizuchi
* Kuon Kotonami
* Himeka Tatsugami
* Chiharu Hashimoto
* Noriko Ishikawa

### Raira Graduates

* Anri Sonohara
* Seiji Yagiri
* Mika Harima
* Rio Kamichika (assumed)
* Ryo Takiguchi (assumed) (deceased)
* Youko (assumed)
* Haruko (assumed)
* Akie (assumed)

### Raijin Graduates

* Shizuo Heiwajima
* Izaya Orihara
* Shinra Kishitani
* Kyouhei Kadota
* Hajime Shishizaki

### Drop-outs

* Mikage Sharaku
* Masaomi Kida

### Faculty

* Takashi Nasujima (former)
* Shojiro Kitagoma
* Junko Nakahara

## Role in the *Wonderland* Series

Raira Academy is revealed to be the final gate in the apocalypse game. A big battle breaks out in the basement over opening it. Lucy Mayfair gets shot in the head as a result, causing the gate to open.

## Trivia

* Though the anime depicts students in blue uniforms, the novels state that the Raira uniforms are green and wearing them is optional. Most students, including Masaomi, Mairu, and Kururi, wear casual clothes, while students like Mikado and Anri, who wear the school uniform, stand out.

## Source

* https://durarara.fandom.com/wiki/Raira\_Academy