Top 10 Seemingly Dumb Anime Characters Who Are Secretly Smart Update 04/2024

Dumb Anime Characters

Don’t judge a book by its cover: these 10 anime characters don’t exactly ooze brains, but their wit might surprise you.

As a matter of fact, obscuring idiocy is one of the most popular anime themes. Just when fans thought they were used to characters being foolish, goofy, and ditzy. The biggest revelations are always made in the final seconds. Take Monkey D. Luffy as an example; it takes a while to get used to thinking of him as a smart character. In One Piece, Luffy’s intelligence is on display at various points.

It’s a frequent belief that characters who appear to be naive don’t want to be exposed. It aids in the development of their dark/dark/complex plots. It also keeps the audience on their toes, which is a good thing. Trophy-laden comedic writing. Here’s a list of characters who appear stupid but are actually clever.

10. MINAKO AINO, SAILOR MOON

Aino Minako or Sailor Venus From Sailor Moon

Minako Aino, the ditzy protagonist of both the anime and the manga, is a constant source of amusement. This Sailor’s protector appears to be more jovial than serious. However, when the plot of Sailor Moon continues to heat up, Minako Aino will disclose efficient tactics for taking on the villains. A party scene in Sailor Moon episode 108 features Minako, the proverbial prodigy, fluently expressing herself in English. Against the outside, Minako appears to be a lively young lady, but when pressed into service, she quickly drops her pretense and turns on the adversary from every angle.

9. GRELL SUTCLIFF, BLACK BUTLER

In Black Butler, Grell Sutcliff is a character from the Jack the Ripper storyline. Her job is to assess and collect the souls of the deceased.

The flashy exterior hides a gloomy inside. Throughout the series, Grell has expressed a wide range of eccentric desires. In a conversation with the demon Butler, she expressed her desire to work out hard with him! This was all a front for her true Shinigami nature, which was to be extremely violent. When Grell has her way, she’ll even go so far as to assassinate her own colleagues. Despite her snarky persona, she has unmatched expertise in the field of soul harvesting.

8. JOSEPH JOESTAR, JoJo’s BIZARRE ADVENTURE

Joseph Joestar (JoJo's Bizarre Adventures)

The protagonist of Battle Tendency is Joseph Joestar, the grandson of Jonathan Joestar. In JoJo’s Bizarre Adventures, Jonathan was the original JoJo and Joseph is his successor.

JoJo’s demeanor on the surface is bumbling and sassy. The enemies will underestimate him because of his silly personality. When he’s not thinking about strategy and tactics, JoJo spends a lot of time imagining stupid plans. As JoJo’s adversaries begin to retreat, he employs a variety of unconventional tactics to defeat them.

7. HIDEYOSHI NAGACHIKA, TOKYO GHOUL

Kaneki Ken’s best friend is Hideyoshi, better known as Hide. As a Ghoul, he’s always been there for Ken.

On the surface, Hide appears to be a happy-go-lucky person. Hide, on the other hand, shows off his Sherlockian investigation talents as the commotion subsides. Guilty of deception and misdirection, he is a brilliant Guile Hero. Since no one else was able to figure out the true hierarchy of Ghouls in the 20th Ward, he came in handy.

6. LIEUTENANT COLONEL HUGHES, FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST

Maes Hughes From Fullmetal Alchemist

Former Full Metal Alchemist soldier Maes Hughes served in the Amestrian State Military.

During serious debates, Hughes would burst into laughter and publicly express his affection for his daughter and wife. Hughes, on the other hand, was cleverly involved after that in an attempt to make Mustang the Führer. On Tokyo Ghoul, his abilities as an investigator and a soldier were well-recognized.

In his heart, Hughes was constantly concerned about the safety of his wife and daughter. In order to keep them safe, he pretended to be a ditz. He also adopted his noisy character as a form of self-defense against the shame he felt for arranging the Ishval civil war.

5. HIMURA KENSHIN, RUROUNI KENSHIN

When Himura Kenshin, Rurouni Kenshin’s hero, went on his long journey of self-discovery as a warrior, it was in search of retribution. Himura is a selfless person who always puts the needs of others before his own.

Himura, despite his quiet demeanor, is a surprisingly deep character. Most of the time, he plays the fool, seeming to be clumsy and silly. People see him as a complete ditz because of these characteristics. Himura’s act is quite well-put up, and he will even go so far as to alter his language in the performance. When opponents from the past and the present try to incite him, he will break his restraint. In the midst of a combat, he immediately lowers his guard and employs savage techniques to destroy his opponent.

4. SHIKAMARU NARA, NARUTO

Shikamaru Nara

Nara clan ninja Shikamaru Nara is known for his clumsiness on the outside. So how does one become a Shinobi, then?

Shikamaru possesses the necessary skills to succeed as a clandestine Ninja. For begin, he is an all-powerful Ninja because of his knowledge and battle skills. In terms of Shikamaru’s story, there’s a lot of disagreement around whether or not he’s lazy in appearance. The second explanation is more likely, given that Shikamaru was too lethargic to even move his pencil on his test paper.

Shikamaru’s Sensei Asuma had known about Shikamaru’s powers for a long time, since since he made him play a game that indicated Shikamaru had an IQ of well over 200. Shikamaru’s weakness is that he is prone to letting his guard down at crucial moments, allowing himself to be taken advantage of. His opponents’ scheme is revealed and effectively thwarted at the end.

3. JIRAYA, NARUTO

Naruto’s ‘Legendary Three Ninja’ includes Jiraya, who is a Sannin. Naruto Uzumaki, his godson, is the product of his wanderings in search of knowledge.

With his light-hearted demeanor on the surface, Jiraya appeared to be one of the funniest people around. Initially, his arrogance and later, his sense of humor could enrage people. It wasn’t until they peeled back the layers of Jiraya that they found something else entirely.

Jiraya’s iconic combat cliché started out acting like a rookie. Jiraya was ready to strike at the moment his foes began to underestimate him. Jiraya’s eccentricity made others skeptical that he could be aSannin. For his habit of frequenting brothel locations in the Red Light District, Naruto nicknamed him “the perverted hermit”.

2. NARUTO, NARUTO

Chakra – Naruto

In the anime series Naruto Uzumaki, the main character is Naruto Uzumaki. A ninja from Konohagakure, who is known for his combat skills.

To begin with, Kishimoto, Naruto’s author, wrote him as a basic and foolish character. Naruto appears to be naive, unsophisticated, and a sluggish learner based on a cursory examination. He’s always having a hard time grasping new concepts and needs to work harder than he should. Naruto was a target of ridicule as an orphan, and he grew up without any formal training in manners or social etiquette.

Naruto’s bumbling demeanor belies his incredible will to survive. As Naruto’s Hokage, he becomes one of Konoha’s most revered figures. However, he retains his quirky, noisy, and energetic nature.

1. MONKEY D. LUFFY, ONE PIECE

One Piece’s central character, Luffy, is also known as Straw Hat. The captain of the Straw Hat Pirates? It’s hard to believe, given his utter lack of intelligence.

Despite his childlike demeanor, there are many facets to Luffy’s character. In addition to defending kingdoms from pirates like Alabasta, he went to war against the world government in order to save a fellow pirate. He vanquished Moria and saved countless lives at Thriller Bark. He recently defeated the Big Mom Pirates’ second-most formidable member, Katakuri. Luffy, despite his appearance, is the most intelligent member of his crew.