Death Note is a manga that was serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump. The story is about a genius high school student named Light Yagami who finds a notebook dropped by a Shinigami, which kills anyone whose name is written in it. The story goes that Light Yagami uses the Death Note to kill criminals and reshape the world, and the psychological and intellectual battles between Light Yagami and a detective called L, who is so intelligent he has solved many difficult cases, are what make the manga so appealing. Death Note features many intelligent characters, and the psychological battles between characters other than Light Yagami and L are also fascinating. Here, we will introduce a ranking of the most intelligent characters that appear in Death Note.
[Death Note] Top 10 Brain and Mind Battle Characters!! #10: Matt
Source: Death Note ©Tsugumi Ohba, Takeshi Obata/Shueisha, VAP, Madhouse, NTV, D.N. Dream Partners
First up, at number 10 on our list of Death Note's top 10 brain and mind battle characters: Matt. Matt is a friend of Mello, who was raised to be the successor to the genius detective Mello. He is known for hiding his eyes with sunglasses or goggles, and he also likes to play games. However, the fact that he faithfully follows Mello's orders and is trusted shows that he is highly intelligent. Although he appears only a few times, he is ranked because he was one of the reasons that directly helped to successfully kidnap Takada Kiyomi and capture Kira.
[Death Note] Top 10 Brain and Psychological Battles! #9: Giovanni
Source: Death Note ©Tsugumi Ohba, Takeshi Obata/Shueisha, VAP, Madhouse, NTV, D.N. Dream Partners
Next up in our top 10 ranking of Death Note's brain and psychological battles is Giovanni, at #9. Giovanni is an investigator belonging to the SPK, commanded by Near, L's successor. He is an elite investigator and one who is highly anticipated as an American investigator. Although he has few opportunities to demonstrate his intelligence, he is excellent at his job, such as perfectly replicating the Death Note in order to capture Kira. He is also a highly skilled individual, able to follow Mikami Teru and use his lip-reading skills.
[Death Note] Top 10 Brain and Psychological Warfare Masters!! #8: Naomi Misora
Source: Death Note ©Tsugumi Ohba, Takeshi Obata/Shueisha, VAP, Madhouse, NTV, D.N. Dream Partners
Ranked #8 in the top 10 brain and psychological warfare masters in Death Note is Naomi Misora. Naomi Misora is the fiancée of Ray Penber, an FBI agent, and is a former police officer herself. She is extremely talented, with excellent powers of deduction and action. As proof of this, she was able to narrow down Kira's identity early on, and was careful to use a false name to avoid being killed by Kira, giving Light Yagami a hard time. She has worked with L in the past, and is known for being excellent, showing that she is an intelligent character.
[Death Note] Top 10 Brain and Psychological Battles! #7: Reiji Nanamikawa
Source: Death Note ©Tsugumi Ohba, Takeshi Obata/Shueisha, VAP, Madhouse, NTV, D.N. Dream Partners
Ranked #7 in the top 10 brain and psychological battles in Death Note is Reiji Nanamikawa. Nanagawa Reiji is an elite employee of the Yotsuba Group and one of the most successful. He was involved in a meeting to kill important people in the company using the Death Note that Light gave up for the sake of the company. He is one of the top minds in the Yotsuba Group, and had already figured out who the owner of the Death Note was.
[Death Note] Top 10 Brain and Psychological Battle Characters! #6: Rem
Source: Death Note ©Tsugumi Ohba, Takeshi Obata/Shueisha, VAP, Madhouse, NTV, D.N. Dream Partners
Ranked sixth in the top 10 Brain and Psychological Battle Characters in Death Note. Rem is a Shinigami and the one who gave the Death Note to Misa Amane. He is characterized by his white appearance with bandages wrapped in various places, and is one of the most intelligent Shinigami. He empathizes with Misa Amane and does everything in his power to protect her. As a result, he causes Misa a lot of trouble by threatening her and restraining her so that she doesn't get killed by Light Yagami. However, in the end, Light Yagami's machinations lead him to choose his own death.
[Death Note] Top 10 Brain and Psychological Warfare Masters!! #5: Mikami Teru
Source: Death Note ©Tsugumi Ohba, Takeshi Obata/Shueisha, VAP, Madhouse, NTV, D.N. Dream Partners
Next up in our top 10 ranking of Death Note's brain and psychological warfare masters is #5: Mikami Teru. Mikami Teru is a person who worships Kira, and was chosen by Light Yagami as his successor after he saw his intelligence. He is a prosecutor with a strong sense of justice, and is often seen wearing glasses. He is also normally calm, and his ability to think about various things is proof of his intelligence. Although he ends up holding Light Yagami back, he has excellent judgment and drive, as he always thinks about Kira and tries to carry out everything he does.
[Death Note] Top 10 Brain and Psychological Warfare Masters!! #4: Mello
Source: Death Note ©Tsugumi Ohba, Takeshi Obata/Shueisha, VAP, Madhouse, NTV, D.N. Dream Partners
Ranking #4 in the top 10 brain and psychological warfare masters in Death Note is Mello. Mello is a child who grew up in Wamy's House, a facility created by Watari to raise L's successor, and has a distinctive blonde bob haircut. He loves chocolate and is often seen munching on a chocolate bar. Mello is highly intelligent, but is always one step behind Near and has always been second in rank at Wamy's House. However, compared to Near, he is much more proactive and is also a dangerous person, as he managed to get his hands on the Death Note even by forcing his way through. Ultimately, without Mello's actions, Near would have lost to Light Yagami, so it can also be said that he is quite intelligent.
[Death Note] Top 10 Brain and Mind Battles: No. 3 - Near
Source: Death Note ©Tsugumi Ohba, Takeshi Obata/Shueisha, VAP, Madhouse, NTV, D.N. Dream Partners
Ranked third in the top 10 brain and mind battles in Death Note: Near. Near is L's successor and is characterized by his curly gray hair. He is very intelligent and calm, and is good at provoking others and trying to expose them. He also has a collection of pure white jigsaw puzzles and finger puppets, and is good at deductive reasoning while playing with them. After L's death, he set out to capture Kira, and with the help of Mello's actions, he eventually succeeded in cornering Light Yagami, who is Kira, so his intelligence is top class. However, Near is less proactive and prefers to take advantage of others, so it can be said that he is inferior to L.
[Death Note] Top 10 Brain and Psychological Warfare Masters!! 2nd Place: L
Source: Death Note ©Tsugumi Ohba, Takeshi Obata/Shueisha, VAP, Madhouse, NTV, D.N. Dream Partners
Ranking 2nd in the top 10 brain and psychological warfare masters in Death Note is L. L is a fictitious name, and the nickname of a detective who solves difficult cases all over the world. He has solved cases without ever revealing his name or appearance, but he has taken an active role in the fight against Kira, appearing within the police force. He is characterized by dark circles under his eyes and messy hair, and he deducts data while eating sweets. He has outstanding abilities to track down the culprit, including his intelligence, deductive skills, and decisiveness. Furthermore, his excellent tennis skills suggest that he is also highly athletic, despite his appearance. Early on in the Kira case, he discovers that Kira is in Japan and that he will be killed if his name and face are revealed, and he is the one who is most pressing Light Yagami, making him the smartest person within the police force.
[Death Note] Top 10 Brain and Psychological Battles! #1: Light Yagami
Source: Death Note ©Tsugumi Ohba, Takeshi Obata/Shueisha, VAP, Madhouse, NTV, D.N. Dream Partners
Ranking #1 in the top 10 brain and psychological battles in Death Note is Light Yagami. Light Yagami is the protagonist of Death Note, and begins the story as a high school student. He has the perfect specs: extremely intelligent, great at sports, and good looks. He is also pure-hearted, trying to use the Death Note to improve society rather than for his own selfish gain, but will use any means necessary to achieve his goals. He fights the police alone, uses many people, and ultimately changes society, and even kills L, making him the smartest of the bunch. Given that it was ultimately Mikami Teru's mistake that led to his death as Kira, Light Yagami can also be said to be the strongest.
[Death Note] Who's the Smartest?! Top 10 Brain and Psychological Battles
Source: Death Note ©Tsugumi Ohba, Takeshi Obata/Shueisha, VAP, Madhouse, NTV, D.N. Dream Partners
This time, we've introduced the smartest characters in Death Note. Death Note has remained extremely popular even after its serialization ended, being adapted into a TV drama and a movie. It's a short work with a rich storyline, but it's very different from other Jump works in many ways, so I highly recommend both the anime and the manga.
