Top Ten Smartest Fictional Characters

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.
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.

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.

Tony Stark built an arc reactor "in a cave, with a box of scraps", but this guy built a spaceship in a garage made of junk. It can obviously go pretty fast since they travel all over the universe, whereas Stark could barely get his first suit in the air.
Rick invented a portal gun that can transport him to wherever he wants to go, whether it be on the opposite side of the galaxy or in an entirely different universe. He also turned himself into a pickle once.
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 earned six Ph.D.'s before the age of 21 in chemistry, biology, engineering, psychology, computer science, and forensics (solving crimes using science).
He was able to outsmart Brainiac, who is the smartest being in the DC universe. He is a better detective than Sherlock Holmes.
His detective skills are often compared as equal, if not higher, to Sherlock Holmes.
His immense knowledge in science, technology, and martial arts together makes him one of the smartest fictional characters.
Batman is number one. He found an ancient group of unfindable sorcerers multiple times after they erased his memory. He was able to outsmart Brainiac, whose IQ is greater than the entire population of Earth. Etc., etc.

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.

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.



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.

The Newcomers

He can easily predict everyone else on this list. No matter who you are, he defeats you easily, but in such a way that you defeat yourself.


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



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.

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.

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.



One of my favorite book characters of all time.

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.




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.
