The seinen genre of anime might not be as popular as its shōnen counterpart, but that by no means implies that the quality of the series within the genre is inferior. They are simply marketed toward different audiences, and due to the mature themes employed by the seinen genre, the characters tend to stand out as more realistic and practical.
Despite sharing that one trait, these characters possess other interesting characteristics as well, one of which is usually outstanding intellect. Intelligence comes in many forms for these characters; the ability to think fast on their feet, be master tacticians, or possess vast amounts of knowledge on a particular subject. This list features characters in seinen anime that fit at least one of these categories and even more.
10 Nine – Terror In Resonance
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Terror In Resonance is a mystery anime featuring two young men, popularly known as Nine and Twelve, who disrupted the foundation of Tokyo with multiple terrorist threats and attacks. While the goals of these two individuals were unknown, they turned out to be not inherently evil. The duo devoted to their cause, with Nine being the mastermind behind their operations.
Nine has many talents. As previously implied, he is a great planner and leads the main duo's actions. He has also shown vast technological expertise, manufacturing bombs of his own and possessing outstanding hacking skills. Along with his partner Twelve and their "accomplice" Lisa, they have on multiple occasions deceived the police, infiltrated highly secure facilities, and orchestrated complex schemes.
9 Oda Nobunaga – Drifters
Drifters is an anime that takes a unique approach to the isekai genre, as its story differs greatly from most regular isekai around today. It features multiple historical Japanese figures who were summoned to a foreign land, referred to as drifters, and are tasked with fighting against powerful beings known as Ends.
Oda Nobunaga is among the different historical figures present in the show, and he serves as the main tactician who usually coordinates the actions of the drifters. Despite his lofty status in his original life, he is shown to have a rather interesting sense of humor, as with many others in the show. However, he is still extremely smart and capable of orchestrating effective military tactics in the most ingenious ways.
8 Alucard – Hellsing
Alucard is an extremely powerful vampire who is arguably the strongest being in the Hellsing series. Despite being a vampire himself, he is part of an organization called Hellsing tasked with eliminating others of his kind, as well as supernatural entities which threaten the peace of the world.
Alucard has a vast number of abilities that were augmented further after he joined Hellsing, making him nigh-unbeatable. He has also been alive for multiple centuries, constantly locked in battle for most of that period. As a result, he has vast combat experience and has been shown to employ effective tactics in cases where strength is not enough.
7 Guts – Berserk
Berserk is a series that has been present since the late 1980s and has retained its popularity to date. Its protagonist, Guts, has also achieved massive levels of fame and is a widely admired character in the medium. Ever since his birth, Guts has lived a brutal life and is consequently met with even greater misfortune after being issued a brand that attracts demons.
Despite this, Guts has shown the strength to power through on multiple occasions, as he possesses great strength and is armed with his iconic giant sword. He has also shown to be a profound tactician in battle, devising effective plans due to being outnumbered and outmatched by supernatural beings.
6 Shinya Kogami – Psycho Pass
In the world of Psycho-Pass, there exists a system tasked with identifying the probability at which a person is likely to commit a criminal act. To support this system and apprehend prospective criminals, individuals within the Criminal Investigation Department are divided into inspectors and enforcers, with the former being ranked higher than the latter.
Shinya Kogami was originally an inspector but was demoted after an unfortunate incident involving his former subordinate heightened his threat level. However, despite his demotion, he remains an outstanding detective and one of the most proficient in the series. Furthermore, he has a broad skill set fit for his line of work, and is not afraid to employ risky methods to achieve his goals.
5 Shogo Makishima – Psycho-Pass
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Due to the existence of the Psycho-Pass evaluation system, there were people who believed humans were being robbed of their humanity, one of whom was the intelligent Shogo Makishima.
His beliefs may seem noble at first glance, but his actions are far from it. He is a cold-blooded killer, comfortable with torturing and mutilating the bodies of his victims, while also inflicting great suffering upon others. Furthermore, he is a skilled manipulator who can even control his Psycho-Pass at will. He served as the main antagonist of the first season and was a truly formidable villain.
4 Lupin – Lupin III
Just like his father, Arsène Lupin, Lupin III is a famous gentleman thief known for his high-profile exploits all over the world. Lupin III is a massive franchise containing multiple side stories, parts, and movies, all in which its main protagonist retains his boundless infamy.
Lupin is not shy of provoking law enforcement as he has been seen publicly announcing his heists before carrying them out on multiple occasions. He is constantly pursued by Inspector Koichi Zenigata but is most times able to get the better of him. Additionally, despite his playful demeanor, he has a calculative personality and a mind capable of orchestrating the most difficult crimes.
3 L – Death Note
L is a brilliant detective who, prior to the events of the Death Note anime, had solved every case he was involved in. He is a rather enigmatic individual and possesses quite a few odd quirks. Nevertheless, he is calculating, sharp, and skilled at making impressive deductions.
Over the course of the series, L was locked in a constant battle of wits with the feared killer, commonly referred to as Kira. Despite suffering multiple setbacks and facing off against an opponent with supernatural powers, L repeatedly drove Kira into undesirable situations. As a result, he was loved by many fans and will forever be known as one of the most intelligent characters in the medium.
2 Yagami Light – Death Note
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Yagami Light started as a regular high school student. He had impressive grades, was popular among his peers, and held a strong sense of justice. Not long after his introduction, however, he discovered a supernatural notebook called the death note, a note that granted him the power to kill anyone whose name was written inside it.
Despite this convenient ability, Light could not operate freely as the brilliant L soon identified him as the potential cause of the many irregular deaths that had been occurring. As a result, Light employed ingenious tactics time and time again to cover his tracks. He was extremely cautious and hardly ever left any loose ends untied, helping him to constantly get the better of the tenacious detective.
1 Johan Liebert – Monster
Johan Liebert is one of the most intelligent villains in all of anime history, and he has combined that trait with an abundance of different psychological talents. He has great charisma and is extremely skilled in manipulation, as shown multiple times in the series. He is also known for inflicting great pain and suffering on his targets, displaying characteristics fitting his label as a “monster.”'
He has a calm demeanor and may seem naturally friendly to those who come across him. However, he is a calculating, terrifying, and cold-blooded serial killer. He conducts his activities in ways that make it difficult for his criminal acts to be traced back to him, and he has demonstrated this level of intellect and ruthlessness since he was a child.