The Smartest Anime Characters

Key Takeaways

• L is a master detective who outsmarts Kira in Death Note, using their personality against them.
• Bulma is a teenage scientific genius in Dragon Ball, creating a Dragon Radar and a time machine at age 16.
• Armin from Attack On Titan excels in strategic planning, becoming a vital member in taking down Titans.

Who are the smartest characters in Anime? With so many different shows, from psychological thrillers to the greatest shonen anime, there are always prodigies made to excel in their world. While at times they use this knowledge for the good of others, there are times when they use it to go after their own personal desires.

Which anime characters are at the top of their game at all times? From detectives trapped in their childhood bodies to scientists that try to reshape the world as we know it, these are eight of the smartest anime characters ever introduced.

8

L – Death Note

Died But Was Right All Along

In the world of Death Note, there is a mysterious detective known only as L. Everything about him is a mystery to the world, from his identity to his origins. However, when he catches an interest in solving a mystery, he will show up.

L is one of the smartest anime characters due to the way he can piece together every clue that Light Yagami leaves behind. Even though Light has a notebook that can kill without his own presence being required, L manages to pinpoint him as the most likely suspect. He even knows how to use Light’s personality against him as a way to get him to reveal more.

7

Bulma – Dragon Ball

Using Science To Make Life Easier

There are seven magic Dragon Balls scattered around the Earth. They can be anywhere from the tallest of trees to the deepest of oceans. For your average human, it might take an entire lifetime just to get your hands on a few of them. However, Bulma is so smart, she managed to change this process at the age of 16.

With her creation of the Dragon Radar, Goku and his friends are able to use the Dragon Balls. She has also been shown to make a working time machine out of scraps and even reverse engineer a spaceship to take a flight to Namek.

6

Armin – Attack On Titan

Brains Over Brawn

Armin is originally presented in Attack on Titan as the weakest of the trio. He has pacifist ideals which get him bullied, and he isn’t as skilled with the Titan-killing technology as Eren or Mikasa. However, while his skills eventually get better, it’s his brain that becomes his greatest tool.

Armin is a prodigy when it comes to making plans to take down the Titans or even attack enemy strongholds. When everything seems hopeless, Armin always has a plan to get himself and his friends out alive. Though he needed encouragement to get there, Armin became an irreplaceable member of the team.

5

Korosensei, Assassination Classroom

A Teacher With Every Skill

Korosensei is destined to destroy the world in a year’s time. Until then, he becomes a teacher for a class that is tasked with finding a way to kill him before he does so.

However, Koro Sensei just happens to be an excellent teacher who is not only physically enhanced due to his mutations, but also incredibly intelligent in all matters. This includes academic topics as well as personal ones that help the class of 3-E mature into strong and capable students.

It is safe to say that by the time the students finally get a chance to take down their teacher, it isn’t as satisfying as initially thought as they have grown to care for their mentor.

4

Shinichi Kudo – Detective Conan

The World’s Greatest Detective Is Trapped

Shinichi Kudo is a 16-year-old prodigy who has solved numerous cases that have left even the smartest detectives stumped. After coming into contact with the Black Organization, he is poisoned and left to die. However, instead of succumbing to the poison, he instead reverts into a child.

Stuck in this body, he has to get to the bottom of the organization’s plans and find a way to return to normal. Along the way, he solves plenty of murders and mysteries that happen all around him. His greatest challenge is keeping his identity a secret from the people he cares about most. Like any superhero, this is to keep the Black Organization from going after them.

3

Loid Forger – Spy X Family

A Master Of Espionage Faces An Even Greater Challenge

It’s not easy being a spy when your job is to keep the peace between two neighboring nations. Luckily, Loid Forger is also the greatest spy known as Agent Twilight. He has excellent tactical skills when it comes to infiltrating any organization or crime group. With quick thinking and stealth skills, he could pose as anyone or anything.

However, his greatest challenge comes when he is tasked with becoming a father in order to get close to his next target. Turns out that being a father and a husband is something he will have to learn. Luckily, he does a great job at it, even if he is oblivious to the other secrets that his fake family harbor.

2

Seto Kaiba – Yu-Gi-Oh!

The Peak Of Business And Technology

When Seto Kaiba is first introduced in the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime, he is the world’s greatest dueling prodigy. Despite being defeated by Yugi and dedicating his life to becoming the top duelist once more, he does more than just play the card game.

Seto Kaiba is the head of the Kaiba Corporation and has developed the technology seen throughout the series that allows the monsters to appear on the field as holograms. With his development of a Blue-Eyes White Dragon Jet, VR Games, and even a portal into the afterlife, no one goes harder than Seto Kaiba when he sets his mind to a goal, not even Yugi himself.

1

Senku Ishigami – Doctor Stone

Creating A World Of Science

When the entire population of the world finds itself petrified in stone for thousands of years, Senku Ishigami reawakens on a post apocalyptic planet Earth. Everything humans built has faded away due to time. Luckily, Senku has the knowledge and ambition to bring technology back to the new Stone Age.

Senku is a genius with a mind that gravitates towards everything scientific. Where he lacks in physical strength, he makes up for with his knowledge of mathematics, chemistry, and even medicine. This allows him to work his way towards shaping the future and discovering what occurred in the past that initially petrified everyone.