John Wayne's character in Sands of Iwo Jima said, "Life is tough, but it's tougher if you're stupid."  

There's a lot of truth in that statement, but thankfully many of these anime characters have genius-level intellects that make their lives exponentially easier than their contemporaries. 

So here’are the 14 of the most intelligent characters in anime!

1. L Lawliet (Death Note)

When making a list of the smartest guys in anime, you start off by writing the letter L and then figuring out the rest from there. 

L is the genius detective from the hit anime and manga series Death Note, and what makes him stick out in particular is there's something about his mannerisms that make his intelligence seem completely believable. 

It's not like he's just some bloke who read the script beforehand. He acts in the inquisitive, socially awkward way you expect a genius to act.

 

2. Lelouch Lamperouge (Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch)

The boy who overthrew an empire with nothing but a mask, a cape and a nasty case of pink eye. 

He's intelligent enough to know when he needs to put on a performance, to exploit the weaknesses of his enemies, and throw a nation into chaos while repeatedly escaping detection. 

A ruthless strategist and mastermind tactician, he's easily a match for anyone else on this list.

3. Light Yagami (Death Note)

Light Yagami comes across the Death Note that gives him the ability to pass judgement on those who have done harm. 

Being one of the top students in his school, he is also an exceptional athlete as champion in tennis two years in a row. His father is the head of the Police Force and Light gains certain resources from him. 

Since obtaining the Death Note, he tests his abilities in a cat and mouse game that turns into a wild experience of strategy, intelligence, and manipulation.

Even though his intensions are good at first, it quickly develops into him being deceptive and shameless in the end!

4. Nara Shikamaru (Naruto)

This character is one of the most intelligent characters in anime as far as mental capabilities.

He has the ability to outsmart almost anyone or anything he comes across, despite his young age, he has gained acknowledgment not only from his peers, but from the community he lives in. 

Known for his great strategic and tactical skills, he is unbeatable not only in games, but on the battlefield as well. Not easily fooled by deception and tricks, he is able to focus and accurately make split decisions in rough situations.This also helps him analyze events in order to anticipate any enemy actions by always thinking not one or two, but several steps ahead of anyone.

He could've become the next Hokage, if he weren't so lazy! Mendokusai!

5. Conan Edogawa (Detective Conan)

Conan is still very talented and extremely intelligent in using detective skills as he continues to show his keen ability of attention to detail and a photographic memory. 

He's a person who has incredible knowledge on many subjects in several categories which help him solve the toughest cases that come to him. 

He is also very skilled in medical situations like first aid and survival skills. He is a great athlete in several sports including skateboarding and soccer.

Conan is an all around Intelligent person, but he can't sing if his life depended on it!

6. Johan Liebert (Monster)

This character may be a bit on the horrible side, but nonetheless, he still is extremely intelligent in a way that he's manipulative and corruptive.

Considered to be the next Adolf Hitler, he has a level of charisma that is extraordinary and effective in causing suffering and destruction in the world. His main goal is to be the last man standing when the world is ending. 

He has deductive reasoning and is an excellent talker who always knows what to say at the right moment. He can gain anything he wants without limitations and fear, this includes wealth, power, loyal friends, allies, etc.

The world is his playground and he plays dirty!

7. Edward Elric (Full Metal Alchemist)

While tiny little Ed might seem like an odd choice here, let me just point out to you that this boy taught himself some of the most complicated alchemy in the world... at the age of 10! 

He (sort of) raised the dead with nothing but a couple of books lying around. This is the kind of alchemy even the most seasoned alchemists would struggle with. He's a child prodigy through and through.

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8. Shiro (No Game No Life) 

This character is a genius in her own way.

She is terrifying when it comes to logic and problem solving, she is a master chess player and able to speak 18 languages fluently including the Imanity language she encounters during the show. 

She learns this Imanity language in only 15 minutes, impressive, and she also happens to be an excellent gamer in over 280 games. She possesses supernatural like intelligence and has the ability to calculate and simulate almost anything.

Shiro has also beaten a chess program several times that was designed to defeat grand master chess players, repeatedly.

9. Armin Arlert (Attack on Titan)

This is a character that makes up for his lack of other attributes.

Even though he is weak in strength and finds himself in certain positions that require the assistance of others, while risking their own lives. 

Armin is in fact smart as heck when it comes to tactical planning and achieving a goal that one would say is impossible. As a problem solver under extreme conditions, he is also an intelligent individual who is top of his class academically and has a strong heart.

He's a great tactician and strategist that has proven to be extremely resourceful, especially when it came to uncovering the identity of the female Titan.

10. Yuki Nagato (The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya)

Creating a list of the most intelligent characters and leaving off the alien supercomputer that is Nagato Yuki just wouldn’t be right. Aside from making me jealous with her lightning speed reading ability, she is capable of learning almost any skill involved in human life in moments.

Except emotions, she’s still working on those.

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11. Bulma (Dragon Ball Z)

Even though Bulma may have faded in relevance as Dragon Ball Z reached its later years, her importance to much of the initial series can’t be underestimated. 

A genius inventor at 16, she was able to build the first pocket-sized dragon radar that eventually brought her to Goku’s door, in the process bringing readers a legacy that would span decades.

12. Sailor Mercury (Sailor Moon)

A quiet bookworm in Usagi’s class, called Amy in the English adaptations of the series. 

She is hugely intelligent, with an IQ of 300, and can transform into Sailor Mercury, acquiring power over water. Ami’s shy exterior masks a passion for knowledge and for taking care of the people around her. She hopes to be a doctor one day, like her mother, and tends to be the practical one in the group. 

Secretly, she is also a fan of pop culture and romance novels, and becomes embarrassed whenever this is pointed out.

13. Shiba Tatsuya (The Irregular at Magic High School)

Tatsuya can create a magical artifact that grants people the power of flight, a feat the worlds most intelligent magicians have struggled with for centuries. 

He can perform the most complex mathematical equations in literally milliseconds. He moonlights as the mysterious Silver, the world's greatest engineer. He can raise the dead, level cities and turn back time. Onii-sama can make the impossible possible!

 

14. Sora (No Game No Life) 

The older brother of NEET super gaming team Blank. Sora has great reasoning abilities, vast depth of historical and scientific knowledge and most importantly persuasive abilities. Sora has an insane knack for persuasion. 

Sora also can talk his way out of anything, turning an entire country on his side or tricking people who can predict the future. Not to mention his masterful quick thinking, able to come up with crazy solutions in dire situations. 

His only setback is his reasoning and logic skills, where he falls short compared to many other geniuses, that's where Shiro comes in and makes Blank the smartest duo.

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(source:honeyfeed)