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Top 5 Smartest Anime Protagonists

A great Anime usually revolves around a pretty smart and strong protagonist. These protagonists contribute to making the show interesting by portraying their abilities.

Generally, in Anime series, the focus is more on the powers and strength of the protagonist, rather than their intelligence or wisdom.

Such Anime series focuses on making the protagonist stronger so that they’re able to conquer the world, but there are only a few of them which actually emphasize a major power, which is the brain.

Protagonists who use more of their intelligence than physical abilities, seem to be loved by a lot of fans. Anime fans actually appreciate such characters that have more than just physical strength.

However, such protagonists are also hard to deal with because of their high IQ levels. While mostly all anime protagonists are smart to some extent, there are a few that truly stand out for their intellect.

If you’re curious to know about these smart protagonists, then you’ve come to the right place as I’ll be discussing the top five of them in this article.

But before we dive in any deeper, here’s a list of the five smartest protagonists and the Animes they’re from:

Smartest ProtagonistsAnime
Light YagamiDeath Note
Senku IshigamiDr. Stone
Natsu DragneelFairy Tail
Vash the StampedeTrigun
Conan Edogawa Detective Conan
These are just a few of the smartest Anime protagonists and there are many more!

Now let’s take a look at them in more detail and see how they’ve portrayed their smartness throughout the Anime series.

So let’s get right to it!

Light Yagami

Light Yagami is the main protagonist of the famous Anime series, Death Note. According to many fans, the show wouldn’t have been a huge success, if it wasn’t for Yagami and his intelligence.

After Light discovered the Death Note, he started using it to get rid of the criminals in the world. People in Japan started labeling his killings as the “work of Kira“.

Light Yagami had some amazing moves on the show, which never failed to impress the audience. This character is regarded as an extremely smart one as he knew how to manipulate things for his own advantage.

For instance, hiding Death Note in a packet of chips creates minions like Mikami and Takada, and also uses Misa Amane for his own benefit.

Light Yagami has an intelligence of 9/10.

He always knew what to do in every situation, which is why he’s known for his intelligence! There have also been many times in the series when L was about to expose his true identity.

However, Light Yagami always managed to escape from it and was able to go on killing for years, even though L confirmed that he was in Japan. He wouldn’t have been able to do so if he weren’t smart.

Senku Ishigami

Senku Ishigami is the main protagonist of the Anime series, Dr. Stone and he’s regarded as a science nerd by fans. He’s known for a number of creations like gas masks, walkie-talkies, antibiotics, etc.

However, he’s most praised for discovering a way to cure people of their petrification. All of this indicates that Senku in fact is a smart and intelligent character.

Not only is his smartness seen throughout his amazing moves in the series, but it’s actually quantified. Senku Ishigami has an IQ of 180 to 200. This makes him a highly gifted being.

Senku also has a vast knowledge of subjects like Chemistry, Physics, Biology, and Mathematics, as well as many others. He has used this wide set of knowledge to save humanity several times in the series.

Although Senku is an extremely smart character, it’s not what he’s known for. In fact, he’s popular for his knowledge. He seems to have knowledge about everything that humanity has discovered.

This may seem impossible, but we know that Senku is known for having an amazing memory. Plus, he’s an incredible student and dedicates most of his time to learning from some of the best teachers.

Now, this young scientist uses his set of skills, knowledge, and intelligence to rebuild the human civilization, which was turned to stone 3700 years ago. He also wants to establish the Kingdom of Science.

Natsu Dragneel

Natsu Salamander Dragneel is the main protagonist of the Anime series, Fairy Tail. He’s a member of the Fairy Tail Guild and is the Fire Dragon Slayer.

Natsu Dragneel poses a menacing danger.

He’s the iconic shonen protagonist who holds two hallmarks of being one. This includes his utter determination and sheer persistence.

Although he’s genetically smart, most of his victories are also because he wants to succeed in everything and defeat the enemies. This makes Natsu Dragneel an intimidating threat.

However, in the Fairy Tail Guild and in comparison to his peers, he’s known more for being able to use the Fire Dragon Slayer magic.

He has incredible skills as well as ultimate control over fire and he’s able to intensify it using his emotions. He’s also able to attain a wide set of abilities whenever he channels his energy through this magic.

Not only does he have innate abilities, but Natsu can also make explosions, unleash breath weapons, and uses secret arts to help gain an advantage over his opponents.

While he’s not solely a brainy protagonist, but a combination of his skills, power, and knowledge helps him succeed in all the battles.

Vash the Stampede

Vash the Stampede is a very popular protagonist from the Anime series, Trigun. Not only is Vash known for his intelligence, but he’s also known for being extremely lucky.

The reason I say that Vash the Stampede is actually really smart is that he has the ability to think on his feet. This is a sign of a good and true hero.

Moreover, if it wasn’t for his quick thinking, then his identity would’ve been disclosed immediately in the series.

Additionally, Vash is extremely good at manipulating his character and everyone else around him as well. This may not seem as intelligent as one may think, but to be able to do that takes a lot of brain power.

Although he does have supernatural powers which help him in difficult situations, his intelligence is actually what aids him the most. This is because his smartness actually allows him to use those powers effectively.

Vash the Stampede’s intelligence in the series itself is also stated to be far superior in comparison to most, if not all, humans.

Conan Edogawa

Conan Edogawa isn’t your typical young detective; in fact, he has all of the skills and abilities of an experienced investigator.

Conan Edogawa is the main protagonist of a very popular Anime series, known as Detective Conan. A list of the smartest protagonists wouldn’t actually be complete without this master detective himself.

Conan Edogawa isn’t an ordinary kid detective, but he in fact possesses all the abilities and powers of an adult detective. Therefore, it’s somewhat unfair to call him a “kid detective“!

Moreover, his age was chemically reversed which turned him into a kid, and in reality, he’s an adult. In the entire series, Conan is searching for a way to go back to his old, normal self.

His mental development has to be hidden because no one knows his true identity and therefore, he has to behave like a child.

The reason why Conan is smart isn’t only because he’s good at solving kid-level mysteries due to his adult life experience, but also because he’s generally good at solving all types of mysteries.

Take a look at this video giving a review on the Detective Conan series:

You may decide whether it’s your type of show or not!

Is Ayanokoji more intelligent than Lelouch?

In terms of IQ, both are geniuses who try to manipulate others.

Ayanokoji will easily defeat Lelouch in a physical fight. However, if I solely consider their intelligence, Lelouch has exceptional leadership skills, and his accomplishments include influencing the outcomes of wars and overthrowing multiple countries.

Ayanokoji is still playing in the shadows, and we have yet to see him fighting people outside of School, with the exception of his father, whereas Lelouch is fighting with and against adults in the real world.

So, I’d say Lelouch is ahead of Ayanokoji, and he can outwit him with his intellect alone.

Which anime characters can outsmart Light Yagami?

Liar Game’s Akiyama can outsmart Light Yagami.

The manga is all about complicated mind games in which participants must think quickly on their feet, know how to deceive others on the go, and be able to adapt and plan ahead while keeping up with an increasingly intelligent group of opponents.

Akiyama handles all of these issues with grace, wit, and fun. Unlike Light, Akiyama is completely devoid of arrogance—and is undeniably a good guy, even if he does not express it often—so he would never let pride in his intelligence cloud his judgment.

They are also an excellent analogy because both are attempting to change what they see to be the world’s corrupt ways.

Final Verdict

The main takeaways from this article are:

  • Most Anime series always focus on the protagonist being strong and powerful. It’s always about physical strength more than it’s about mental strength.
  • However, there are a few Anime protagonists which are distinctly known for their intelligence and smartness.
  • The top 5 smartest Anime protagonists include Vash the Stampede, Conan Edogawa, Natsu Dragneel, Light Yagami, and Senki Ishigami.

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