Don’t get us wrong, the trope of not having the most brilliant protagonists has the right to exist. And it’s always interesting to watch them grow and become more experienced, smarter and stronger. But sometimes you just don’t want to see a screaming teenager on your screen all the time (sorry, Eren and Yuji, no offense), and if this time has come for you, we have a couple of suggestions.
Terror in Resonance (Zankyou no Terror)
Nine and Twelve are terrorists, calling their duo “Sphinx”. They upload a strange video onto the internet, threatening to destroy Tokyo unless their riddle is solved. They both have their tragic past as they’re the survivors of a secret experiment. Due to an accident, Lisa, a lonely school girl, gets dragged into Nine and Twelve’s schemes, and now she has no choice but to follow them.
Moriarty the Patriot (Yuukoku no Moriarty)
A series that has Moriarty in its name was meant to have an intelligent protagonist. If you’re tired of various adaptations of Sherlock Holmes and are interested in experiencing this story from the villain’s perspective, this anime is your chance to do so. But don’t think that it’s just another retelling of the same old story, Moriarty the Patriot has a lot of surprises for you.
The story follows the students of the prestigious Koudo Ikusei Senior High School, where only the top class students receive special privileges and opportunities. Kiyotaka Ayanokouji is a reserved and enigmatic student who is in class D, where the worst students are. While classes can’t be changed, their rankings can. And there are no limits to the paths that can be taken to achieve this result.
Summer Time Rendering
Shinpei Ajiro returns to his hometown after 10 years living in Tokyo to attend his friend's funeral. However, Ushio's death seems suspicious to him after he notices strangle marks around her neck. Strange events begin to occur, and Shinpei has to solve the mystery of his friend’s death and find answers to understand what really happened.
Taiju is a high school student whose plans to confess his love are interrupted by a blinding green light that strikes the Earth and turns all humanity into stones. Several thousand years later, he wakes up and learns that the Earth, as he remembers it, doesn’t exist anymore. That’s when he meets his old friend Senku, who has decided to revive civilization with science. With a scientist among the main characters, this series becomes the definition of an intelligent protagonist.
Honorable mentions
Don’t worry, Death Note and Code Geass fans, we haven’t forgotten about Light and Lelouch. These two are the epitome of intelligence, and we all know how good their intricate schemes are. They’re our number one, too, we just decided to go with something less common for this piece.
We like ‘em clever.
Don’t get us wrong, the trope of not having the most brilliant protagonists has the right to exist. And it’s always interesting to watch them grow and become more experienced, smarter and stronger. But sometimes you just don’t want to see a screaming teenager on your screen all the time (sorry, Eren and Yuji, no offense), and if this time has come for you, we have a couple of suggestions.
Terror in Resonance (Zankyou no Terror)
Nine and Twelve are terrorists, calling their duo “Sphinx”. They upload a strange video onto the internet, threatening to destroy Tokyo unless their riddle is solved. They both have their tragic past as they’re the survivors of a secret experiment. Due to an accident, Lisa, a lonely school girl, gets dragged into Nine and Twelve’s schemes, and now she has no choice but to follow them.
Moriarty the Patriot (Yuukoku no Moriarty)
A series that has Moriarty in its name was meant to have an intelligent protagonist. If you’re tired of various adaptations of Sherlock Holmes and are interested in experiencing this story from the villain’s perspective, this anime is your chance to do so. But don’t think that it’s just another retelling of the same old story, Moriarty the Patriot has a lot of surprises for you.
The story follows the students of the prestigious Koudo Ikusei Senior High School, where only the top class students receive special privileges and opportunities. Kiyotaka Ayanokouji is a reserved and enigmatic student who is in class D, where the worst students are. While classes can’t be changed, their rankings can. And there are no limits to the paths that can be taken to achieve this result.
Summer Time Rendering
Shinpei Ajiro returns to his hometown after 10 years living in Tokyo to attend his friend's funeral. However, Ushio's death seems suspicious to him after he notices strangle marks around her neck. Strange events begin to occur, and Shinpei has to solve the mystery of his friend’s death and find answers to understand what really happened.
Taiju is a high school student whose plans to confess his love are interrupted by a blinding green light that strikes the Earth and turns all humanity into stones. Several thousand years later, he wakes up and learns that the Earth, as he remembers it, doesn’t exist anymore. That’s when he meets his old friend Senku, who has decided to revive civilization with science. With a scientist among the main characters, this series becomes the definition of an intelligent protagonist.
Honorable mentions
Don’t worry, Death Note and Code Geass fans, we haven’t forgotten about Light and Lelouch. These two are the epitome of intelligence, and we all know how good their intricate schemes are. They’re our number one, too, we just decided to go with something less common for this piece.
