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The protagonists of shonen anime are certainly a colorful bunch. If there's one all of them have in common: they want to win. Whether it's challenging their rivals or other opponents to fights, or a battle of wits, the protagonists won't give up until their achieve their goals.RELATED: Best Shojo Anime, RankedJust because they have the determination, doesn't necessarily mean they have the brains to do it. Some rely heavily on their fists to the do the talking while others take a more strategic approach. Then, there are a few who are a perfect balance of brain and brawn.Update February 19, 2022 by Sarah Prado: Most shonen anime protagonists follow the trope of being a little more brawn than brains. This doesn’t mean they’re dumb; in fact, most of them are very talented in fighting and use clever tactics to win. However, that doesn’t mean they’re intelligent off the battlefield. There are some protagonists who prove that brains can be deadlier than any punch, given even if they lack the physical prowess. Having natural instinct definitely helps and gets them far, but it helps that most of them have allies to help balance out in the areas they lack in.

15 Monkey D. Luffy (One Piece)

10-Iconic-Shonen-Anime-Protagonists-Ranked-By-Their-Intelligence-Monkey-D.-Luffy

It's a good thing he has a crew with him, because Luffy doesn't have much in the way of brains to get him far. However, he certainly has the heart for adventure. Luffy is only around because he wants to be the best pirate in the world and adventure, while his crew is there to help in areas he lacks.

Without them, Luffy doesn't bring much to the table other than strength and spirit. It's gotten him this far. But when it comes to brains, it's best to leave it to his crewmates to do the thinking.

14 Goku (Dragon Ball)

10-Iconic-Shonen-Anime-Protagonists-Ranked-By-Their-Intelligence-Goku

He might be one of the strongest anime characters ever, but that doesn't mean Goku is the smartest. When it comes to the battlefield, Goku is a genius. After fighting his opponents for a while, he can figure out how to win the battle. That's also the problem: it takes him a while. For as long as he fought Frieza, he didn't even have to do anything to defeat him. Frieza accidently sawed himself in half with his own attack. Against Pikkon, it took Goku a while to figure out how to counter his Thunder Flash Attack. He's never officially won against Vegeta in one-on-one.

There's no doubt Goku is an excellent warrior. Goku's experience helps make him a lethal warrior and one of the best in the universe. Outside the battlefield, the man just doesn't understand anything.

13 Gon Freecss (Hunter x Hunter)

Gon-Freecss

Gon isn't the most academically gifted teen and is even made fun of for not being good in math. Some characters will have to correct him and make sure he gets it right. He even gets confused if someone explains their Nen powers, especially if it's a long and complicated explanation. Steam will literally come out of his ears and explode if the information proves to be too much for him to comprehend. Granted, Gon is an Enhancer, a Nen class that's known for being a little simple-minded.

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His fighting prowess is still a work in-progress, but he has proven to surprise those around him. He's able to think outside the box and come up with strategies when fighting to catch his opponents off-guard.

12 Natsu Dragneel (Fairy Tail)

Natsu Dragneel Fairy Tail

There is no doubt that Natsu is a powerful fighter, but his intellect is the lowest among his guildmates. His battles usually result in the area around him being destroyed, getting him into trouble. He’s not a big picture kind of guy, and his social skills are below average at best. He’s pretty dense when it comes to life outside of battle, but luckily, he usually has Happy and Lucy with him for this.

However, in battle, Natsu is surprisingly strategic and has won a lot of his fights using his wits. He is more brawn than brains, but Natsu uses his experiences and knowledge from both allies and opponents to help him in battle.

11 Naruto Uzumaki (Naruto)

Naruto Uzumaki speech

As brilliant as Naruto is on the battlefield, his book smarts and common sense is out the window. If anything, it's a bit of running joke throughout the series. He barely managed to pass the exam to graduate the Academy.

He's able to come up with clever ideas to take on his opponents, but it doesn't apply outside of battle. Other characters have to explain things to him a lot because he doesn't pay attention. It's no wonder Sakura is always losing her patience with him.

10 Yusuke Urameshi (Yu Yu Hakusho)

Yusuke Urameshi Yu Yu Hakusho

Yusuke may skip school a lot, but he’s not dumb. Instead of thinking of his next move, Yusuke relies on instinct and his innate aggressiveness to get him through fights. Thanks to his rough upbringing and time as a street fighter, he’s picked up on fighting techniques. However, there are times he doesn’t think before he acts; for example, when he shot a Spirit Gun at Sensui, and didn’t realize until the last second that Kuwabara could’ve been hit.

Though he doesn’t attend school regularly, Yusuke has some common sense and street smarts. He knows that not all demons are innately evil and that some, if not most, need to eat humans in order to survive. Plus, he’s shown that he can be clever, and has outsmarted demons like Goki and Rando.

9 Yuji Itadori (Jujutsu Kaisen)

Yuji Itadori Jujutsu Kaisen

Yuji was a normal teenager before he was thrust into the sorcery world, but has proven that he can pick up on things easily. Despite his short time learning about cursed energy, Yuji mastered it along with martial arts. He has natural talent when it comes to learning new skills, and mastered techniques like Black Flash in a short amount of time.

There are times when his naivete shows, mostly due to his inexperience. He might seem like an airhead, but Yuji has a good balance of brain and brawn. He’s eager to learn and improve his skill set and very focused when it comes to achieving his goals.

8 Eren Yeagar (Attack On Titan)

Eren Yeager in Attack on Titan

Eren has always been known as a hothead among his peers and for good reason. Compared to the brains of Armin and Hange, he's not as smart as them. At the beginning of the series, his emotions were front-and-center instead of logic.

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Luckily for him, others like Armin, Levi, and Hange were there to help him and make sure to keep their plans simple enough for him to follow. As the series went on, Eren showed that he was more than capable of thinking plans out.

7 Ichigo Kurosaki (Bleach)

Ichigo-Kurosaki

While he isn't the smartest in his class, Ichigo doesn't neglect his school work. He ranked 23rd in his class and studies regularly to keep his grades up. When not in the classroom, Ichigo has proven he's a great fighter and able to catch onto things like his opponent's attack patterns.

Ichigo was able to grasp Shinigami techniques pretty quickly. He was able to achieve Bankai in two and a half days when it usually takes ten years.

6 Edward Elric (Fullmetal Alchemist)

Edward-Elric

Edward managed to become a State Alchemist at age 12, and the youngest ever to achieve this. He is a student no matter where he is, and learns from everyone around him. Edward is also known to be studious, reading multiple books for long hours to learn whatever he needs to know. There's no doubt he's smart, but he is still a teenager that learns from experience throughout the series.

He is a bit of hothead and quick-tempered, sometimes letting his emotions get the better of him. Despite this, he is able to quickly adapt and think of strategies to beat his opponents after their ways of combat and use of alchemy once. He was able to counter Scar's deconstructive alchemy and Greed's armor after fighting them once which surprised them and gave him an advantage.

5 Izuku Midoriya (My Hero Academia)

Izuku Midoriya in My Hero Academia

While not the smartest in the class, Izuku is one fierce opponent. He takes the time to analyze any hero or villain's quirk then come up with a strategy that will keep him ten steps ahead of them. When he's with allies, he takes their quirks into account and make them an asset to his plans. He's able to quickly adapt while in battle and use the exact amount of One for All he wants to keep his body from breaking down.

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His quirk is constantly changing because of previous One for All users and adds onto more strategies he can come up with. One problem he has, pointed out by Katsuki Bakugou, is that he thinks way too much. Midoriya's fighting instincts are good, but Bakugou has proven that his overthinking can be his downfall in a fight.

4 Tanjiro Kamado (Demon Slayer)

Tanjiro Kamado Demon Slayer

Tanjiro is a young man who uses his head, literally and figuratively. For the short time he’s been a Demon Slayer, Tanjiro has proven time and again that he is not to be underestimated. What he lacks in experience, he makes up for in courage and intellect. His intelligence in combat matches that of the Hashira, and makes him a formidable foe for his enemies. Tanjiro is very analytical during his fights, which has helped take on demons that are far above him in strength, speed, and experience.

He doesn’t overthink, and does a great job of being able to strategize even in the middle of a fight. Should Tanjiro find himself backed into a corner, he quickly analyzes his surroundings to see what can help. If all else fails, a simple headbutt from him is enough to temporarily stun an Upper Rank Kizuki like Gyutaro or Sanemi Shinazugawa, the Wind Hashira.

3 Light Yagami (Death Note)

Light Yagami in Death Note

A very intelligent young man who started off with good intentions, but got lost in translation for the moral good. Light Yagami was at the top of his class in his last high school year.He started off using the Death Note in hopes of bringing crime rates and only killing criminals. With L hot on his trail, it was a battle of wits between the two of them. Two geniuses that weren't afraid to use others to reach their goals. Light was not above manipulating those around him, including his own father.

In the end, Light proved to be smarter than L and continue his reign of terror for a few more years. It was only because of his own arrogance in believing he's a god that started his downfall.

2 Lelouch Vi Britannia (Code Geass)

Lelouch vi Brittania Code Geass

Thanks to his aristocratic upbringing, Lelouch has a genius-level intellect and his mind is his best weapon. He’s the perfect example of brains over brawn, because his physical capabilities leave a lot to be desired, mostly for comedic effect. Lelouch is able to plan and execute strategies at great speeds and accuracy. Plus, he’s been able to manipulate people using deception and well-spoken speeches.

However, while Lelouch does care about his friends and other people around him, he’s not afraid to use them if it means achieving his goals. He’s also a master at chess and uses strategies that are similar to the game in his real-life battles.

1 Senku Ishigami (Dr. Stone)

Senku Ishigami in Dr. Stone

Senku had to figure out how to survive in the world after humanity was petrified for over 3,000 years. Having to basically start at square one, Senku didn't waste time after his revival to find a cure. He is a genius with an encyclopedic knowledge of anything scientific. His craftsmanship is pretty good and he's able to make tools, gadgets, and medicine. With this knowledge, he was able to make a cure to help petrified people.

While his physical prowess leaves little to be desired, Senku has the genius to get him far. His genius isn't just for academics. He was able to come up with battle tactics to fight Tsukasa's army.

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