Top Ten Smartest Fictional Characters

The Top Ten
1 L (Death Note) L Lawliet, exclusively known by the mononym L, is a fictional character in the manga series Death Note, created by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata.

L is known as the greatest detective in the world and for good reason. He thinks in unconventional but genius ways. He doesn't fear taking risks and confronting the culprit. He fools everyone with his appearance and looks. He solves every case he takes without letting his emotions get in the way. For these reasons, he definitely deserves to be number 1.

L was introduced as a mysterious character who had been known to solve every case assigned to him. He had also tackled the greatest mysteries the world had ever known. Unlike other detectives, he barely relies on physical evidence and uses his intelligence and wits to solve the puzzle. His deduction is that of a mad genius that no fictional character can ever compete with. He definitely deserves the spot as number 1.

2 Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes is a fictional private detective created by British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a "consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, forensic science, and logical reasoning that borders on the fantastic, which he employs... read more

While L definitely has intuition and deductive reasoning, I believe Sherlock has even more variety in his overall knowledge. I mean, yes, L did get a perfect score on those entrance exams, but so could a lot of characters on this list, including Sherlock.

Don't forget Sherlock didn't have access to technology and, as a detective, still caught his man every time.

In the Game of Shadows, he played the professor in many different ways. Genius.

3 Rick Sanchez (Rick and Morty) Rick Sanchez is a fictional character from the American animated television series Rick and Morty, aired on Adult Swim.

This man is an interdimensional traveler who easily creates sentient life or machinery. He creates or destroys entire universes, kills every kind of being with ease sometimes even while being drunk, and interferes frequently with laws of nature like, for example, the central finite curves. Name one person who comes even close to that level of godlike genius! Listen, I love Marvel and I love DC, but let's be honest, guys, this is a different level.

He has a fictional IQ of over 5000 and should be number one on any list. They said, in the show itself, that he's the smartest in the universe!

4 Batman Batman aka Bruce Wayne is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and first appeared in Detective Comics #27. In film, he has been portrayed by Lewis Wilson, Robert Lowery, Adam West, Michael... read more

Batman might not have the highest IQ (192), but he has still managed to outsmart Lex Luthor, Brainiac, and Joker. He also has beaten Darkseid twice (once with the Hell Bat suit and with the radion bullet), and people think Iron Man is smarter because he builds more advanced suits. Batman can and has built very advanced suits like the Justice Buster, Hell Bat suit, the Batman Beyond suit, and the Sun Box armour. The reason he doesn't rely on them like Iron Man is because he doesn't need to. Iron Man without his suit is just a rich and smart guy. Batman without a suit is still one of the most dangerous men in the world.

To make it even more insane, Batman is said to be peak human, but we have seen him do things which a human, even with training, can't do like dodge a bullet after it leaves the barrel from a distance that's less than 5 meters, has leg pressed a train, escaped from being buried alive in a straitjacket while it's raining, rips a sewer grate with his bare hands, and lifted Bane over his head. That's why I think he should be number 1.

5 Light Yagami Light Yagami is a fictional character and the protagonist of the manga series Death Note, created by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata.

L, who is number 1 on this list, told Light that he was more capable than he was and said he would surpass him. Light thought of things quicker than L did, and the author stated if Light never found the Death Note he would work with L and surpass him as a detective. Light is the smartest.

If L deserves the top spot, then Light deserves the 2nd spot. His plans were always perfect, but the reason he is not smarter than L is because he shows his smartness because of resources.

He beat the person who is number 1 on this list by outsmarting him.

6 Anthony Stark

Tony Stark should be No. 3 instead of Batman. Iron Man is intelligent enough to make armors that have broken the light barrier, can lift over 100 tons, and has fought gods and even cosmic beings to a standstill. His armors have no limits, whereas Batman is just a man with simple gadgets. He's nowhere near as intelligent as Tony Stark. Batman has his own butler (Alfred), whereas Tony invented his own butler (JARVIS, FRIDAY). In fact, both Reed Richards and Tony Stark should be above Batman. This list is nonsense.

I voted just to say this: Batman, literally in the comics, makes a device that allows him to become the god of knowledge so... I disagree that Tony Stark should be higher than Batman. If you need proof, just search god of knowledge Batman.

7 Zarbon (Dragon Ball) Zarbon is Frieza's right hand man and highest ranking Commander and General in an army of millions. He is always beside his master and emperor, Lord Frieza, following his orders and carrying out his dirty work alongside his comrade, Dodoria. Zarbon is responsible for advising Frieza on numerous matters,... read more
8 Peter Strahm (Saw)
9 Hermione Granger

People say she's just into books. But she acts quickly and is able to think extremely rapidly on her feet, as can be observed during the confrontation with Bathilda Bagshot/Nagini. Hermione's the character who figured out that the Heir of Slytherin had a Basilisk in the castle and was smart enough to find a way to tell Harry about the Basilisk.

Hermione was the one who suggested they escape from Gringotts on a dragon. Hermione is the voice of reason and rationality within the Trio, and there's a lot more to her character besides memorizing a bunch of facts. Hermione is the one who Apparated the Trio out of Bill and Fleur's wedding, and she's the one who made sure the Trio had all of their supplies in case they needed to flee. That's not just reading a stack of spellbooks. That's coming up with an ingenious idea and having the skill to pull it off.

10 Hannibal Lecter Dr. Hannibal Lecter is a character in a series of suspense novels by Thomas Harris. Lecter was introduced in the 1981 thriller novel Red Dragon as a forensic psychiatrist and cannibalistic serial killer.
The Contenders
11 Reed Richards

Has defeated multiversal beings, FTL spaceships that can travel 37 light-years in seconds, the bridge which can look through all space and time (and collapse universes), remade the Marvel universe with his mind (aka the omniverse), drained Galactus of his powers, etc. Can't believe Rick Sanchez is above him. That guy is a hack and overrated. Tbh he should be the first.

8th?!? HOW?!?!?! Sure, L and Sherlock Holmes are better detectives, but can people seriously think that all it matters to be smarter is detective work? Really? Never mind the fact he could be a better detective using math and science. He created a discipline combining history, sociology, and mathematical statistics to make general predictions about the future behavior of very large groups of people at 12 years old. Mad Thinker, a genius who is leagues smarter than both, said his work was flawless and it was hurting his brain trying to comprehend it because his math wasn't good enough.

Now onto Batman. There's absolutely no discussion. The only reason he is even top 5 is because of Batman fanboys. He's the most overrated in DC. I seriously want to see someone saying he's smarter than Reed and I want to embarrass them. Maybe when he creates a planet-busting weapon then come to me. But so far, Reed stomps so much. By the way, he didn't create the final Batsuit. He just added an exoskeleton around Element X. Element X did all the work. People overhype him, saying he could change them cell by cell too much. He didn't even do anything, just moved suns. And people think he's a multiversal destroyer.

Onto Rick Sanchez. Ah, Rick Sanchez. The most overrated cartoon character. Let's get onto why he can't even defeat the Avengers. His so-called "solar system busting" bomb did nothing. It's just a statement. Never mind the fact he wasn't even sure if it could bust a planet or a solar system. While Reed actually has stuff that SHOWED it could destroy planets. People like to wank him defeating World Ender overnight, but that guy is fearless. He showed absolutely nothing to suggest he's even planet level. All we got is he's a threat to a team of street tiers, and his name. And people say he defeated a team of superheroes is taken out of context. They weren't even that strong. One guy got taken out by gunfire, another by a death trap which even Luke Cage could... more

12 Jack Vincennes
13 Maes Hughes Maes Hughes is a fictional character from the Fullmetal Alchemist manga series and its adaptations created by Hiromu Arakawa.
14 Black Panther T'Challa, better known as the Black Panther, is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1966, first appearing in Fantastic Four #52 (cover-dated July 1966) in the Silver Age of Comic Books. He is known to be the... read more

From this list, there are those whose intelligence is defined by their expert level of knowledge in science, such as Rick Sanchez and Reed Richards. Then, there are those who are defined by their natural wisdom, capable of tackling societal problems. These individuals include "detectives" and "leaders" like Lelouch, as well as petty criminals like Yagami and masterminds like Liebert.

But then, there are those who possess both types of genius. Black Panther is the only one I see worthy on the list for now. Armed with immense scientific knowledge and blessed with natural leadership abilities, Panther is the near-perfect genius.

15 Johan Liebert Johan Liebert is a character in the anime and manga series Monster, created by Naoki Urasawa. He is the twin brother of the main character, Dr. Kenzo Tenma, and serves as the primary antagonist. Johan is a highly intelligent, manipulative individual with a mysterious past, capable of bending people... read more

Are you kidding? He is hands-down the smartest human anime character of all time. If you thought L, Light, Bulma, and Lelouch were impressive, then you haven't heard of this monster. This man is indisputably the most cunning and manipulative character of these five. He was just as smart as L when they were eight years old. Unlike L, he was financially independent and a flawless strategist. He sees existence as meaningless.

16 Lisa Simpson Lisa Marie Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons. She is the middle child and most intelligent of the Simpson family.
17 Gregory House

How is he 19? I love him because he is so sarcastic and doesn't care about people. Also, being an atheist, I relate to him.

18 Roger "Verbal" Kint
19 Annabeth Chase Annabeth Chase is a daughter of Athena and one of the main characters of both the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series and the Heroes of Olympus series. She's also Percy Jackson's girlfriend and has no particular powers aside from her brains and tactics.

One of my favorite book characters of all time.

20 Lelouch vi Britannia Lelouch Lamperouge, whose real name is Lelouch vi Britannia, is the title character and protagonist of the Sunrise anime series Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion.

Lelouch is the smartest anime character, at least top ten among fictional characters. However, L, Light, and Bulma should be ranked below him. Dude can pre-record a video of himself and predict what people will say. Lelouch also transformed a ragtag group into a powerful society capable of fighting against a civilization that controlled one-third of the Earth.

He has outsmarted individuals who can read minds with his own intellect. Unlike Light, who was under the surveillance of only L and a few Japanese police, Lelouch managed to elude the surveillance of the entire Empire. His deduction and prediction skills are so impressive, like how he legally freed millions of Japanese from Britannia's rule and simultaneously gained control of China, the second world power.

21 Chief Louis Banks
22 Stewie Griffin Stewart Gilligan "Stewie" Griffin is a main character from the animated television series Family Guy. Obsessed with violence and matricide, Stewie is the youngest child of Peter and Lois Griffin, and the brother of Meg and Chris Griffin.
23 Rinaldo Pazzi
24 Adrian Veidt

He literally kept his plan to destroy half of Manhattan to save the world secret from the omniscient Dr. Manhattan. Pretty impressive I'd say.

25 Pickles (Metalocalypse)
8Load More
PSearch List