While the characters in Bungo Stray Dogs are undeniably powerful and captivating to watch, their strength alone isn't always enough to get out of a tricky situation or win a fight. These moments test a character's intelligence, which is often the deciding factor in their success.

Bungo Stray Dogs characters have a wide range of supernatural abilities and use them innovatively, often inducing shock or admiration in fans. Executing these supernatural abilities largely depends on the user’s intellect or the opponent's. For heroes and villains alike, the battle is often won with brains. Here are the ten smartest characters that prove this.

Updated August 30, 2023, by Emedo Destiny: In Bungo Stray Dogs' enigmatic and action-packed world, brilliant minds and extraordinary abilities combine to create a captivating story filled with mystery and intrigue. Among the diverse cast of characters, there are those whose intellect shines like a star, unraveling complex puzzles and outsmarting their adversaries with cunning and brilliance. From the analytical prowess of Dazai Osamu to the deductive ability of Ranpo, these characters bring their own unique brand of intelligence to the exhilarating story, changing the tides of confrontations and proving to be useful assets to their various organizations. Here are some of the smartest characters that have graced the screens in Bungou Stray Dogs.

15 Doppo Kunikida

As expected of Dazai’s partner, Kunikida also has some brains to him. He is a very organized individual who prefers to properly arrange everything. His signature notebook, the source of his power, also serves as a jotter, which he uses to collect data and create plans.

He also worked at the Shin-Tsuruya Institute as an algebra teacher at some point during his career, so it’s safe to say that he has a very good knowledge of mathematics. All this, coupled with his sense of responsibility makes him an ideal candidate to become the next President of the Agency.

14 Ango Sakaguchi

Sakaguchi is a government worker who acts as a spy for the Special Division for Unusual Powers while working for the Armed Detective Agency as an informant. His ability, named Discourse on Decadence, allows him to see the memories contained in an object and extract them.

He can also use the ability on humans to flip through their memories, making his powers well-suited for gathering information. As a once close friend of Dazai Osamu and Sakunosuke Oda, it is no wonder that he is one of the smartest characters in Bungou Stray Dogs.

13 Katai Tayama

Katai Tayama is a shut-in man who was once a member of the Armed Detective Agency. He is an information broker who prefers to stay indoors all day with his computer in the comfort of his futon. His ability, futon, allows him to control and manipulate electrical signals, which in turn allows him to control any electronic device in his line of sight.

This technique also applies to his brain and nervous system, giving him the ability to process information ten times faster than a normal human. His ability is called futon because his futon instantly calms him down, and a state of calmness is needed for his ability to activate.

12 Nobuko Sasaki

Initially portrayed as a kind and gentle woman, there is more to Sasaki than she lets on. As a lecturer who specializes in criminology, she is very adept at reading people and manipulating them.

She is the true mastermind behind the many terrorist attacks attributed to the Azure King. Many infamous criminals have had their strings pulled by her, easily manipulating them into doing the dirty work thereby leaving no evidence that points in her direction. Sasaki proved to be a handful for the Armed Detective Agency, even the extremely intellectual Dazai.

11 Yukito Ayatsuji

Yukito Ayatsuji is a detective who is touted to be almost as proficient as Ranpo. Although he has not been introduced in the anime yet, manga readers are familiar with his prowess and importance to the Special Division's higher-ups. With a calm demeanor and composed expression, Ayatsuji navigates complex murder cases with remarkable ease.

He is unafraid to call people out for their shortcomings, labeling them as simple-minded if they fail to grasp the intricacies of his deductions. Being a detective for over twenty years means he has a lot of solved cases under his belt, but fifty thousand is still an absurd number.

10 Chūya Nakahara

Chūya Nakahara lives for a good fight, and because of this, he often seems unreasonable about things. But at his core, Chūya understands how things should be. He knows that lives are valuable and sacrifices sometimes need to be made. He shows the ability to think and draw the line when necessary.

For someone with powers like his, it is easy to lose the sense of right and wrong and abandon all reason. But Chūya approaches battles with restraint and an interesting philosophy and sense of morality.

9 Natsume Souseki

Natsume Souseki’s ability, ‘I am a cat,’ makes him a fascinating character. By taking the form of a cat, his ability gives him room to observe and understand people and situations around him, which is a likely source of his wisdom.

But Natsume has even more to him: to inspire both Ougai Mori and Yukichi Fukuzawa is no small feat. Natsume has an unparalleled ability to influence people, as he shows with Sakunosuke Oda, who he convinces to stop killing just by discussing a book with him.

8 Sakunosuke Oda

Sakunosuke Oda is an assassin turned aspiring novelist, owing to his encounter with Natsume Souseki. Oda abandons killing because he gains a new understanding of the importance of life. Being reformed, Oda approaches his life with a surprising outlook. He is a reader and a wise, discerning man.

Oda shows the ability to consider his actions and desires in tandem and derive guiding principles that he sticks to. That he can do this is no surprise, as his ability, Flawless, involves having insight into about five seconds of the future and adjusting his plans as needed.

7 Edgar Allan Poe

Because he’s based on the classic American writer, Edgar Allan Poe is aptly brilliant. He’s insecure, often living in the shadow of Ranpo Edogawa and thinking up ways to prove his superiority. Despite this insecurity, or because of it, Poe puts his intelligence to good use spending six years scheming against Ranpo.

His intelligence comes with the downside of social awkwardness and flashes of pride. Poe is smart, and he knows it. He’s not afraid to show off his mental skills or to speak as though he’s better than everyone else.

6 Louisa May Alcott

Louisa May Alcott is what anyone would picture when trying to imagine an intelligent individual. She’s shy and usually hesitant to speak, hiding behind her black glasses. Her ability is called Little Women; with it, she can think while time goes incredibly slowly.

With enough time to process thoughts, clues, and evidence, she can draw up plans and tactics to outwit almost anyone. Her skills make her indispensable to Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald and the Guild, helping them fight against enemies like the Port Mafia and the Armed Detective Agency.

5 Ougai Mori

Ougai Mori leads the Port Mafia with deceptive calmness. He initially puts on the facade of a clueless man but is eventually revealed as a cold, calculating villain. He disregards feelings like guilt and concern and relies instead on strategy and logic.

A master of planning, Mori executes his plans with tools like abuse and manipulation. He can get into his opponents’ heads and turn them into tools to serve his purpose. His ability, Vita Sexualis, is more proof of the devious ways he uses his intelligence to get what he wants by using people.

4 Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Fyodor’s greatest power is his confidence and calmness, and he has good reason to be confident. His ability, Crime and Punishment, lets him kill with a single touch. It’s enough to make anyone terrified, but his intellect poses an even more significant threat to anyone in his way.

Fyodor has a mystery about him. His lack of fear and guilt gives him room to let his mind run free and unshackled from concerns over others’ wellbeing. He also thinks and plans extensively, which contributes to his unruffled demeanor.

3 Yukito Ayatsuji

Yukito Ayatsuji is enigmatic and detached. His intelligence is a huge part of his personality, and he often teases people for not being as intelligent. He is compared to Ranpo based on intellect and how well he solves a case.

Ayatsuji is excellent at solving cases and even better at implementing justice. With his ability, he can cause the death of whoever he discovers is responsible for a crime. Because of this, he’s considered “extremely dangerous” by the government. However, Ayatsuji can be surprisingly playful, especially with Mizuki Tsujimura.

2 Osamu Dazai

Osamu Dazai is a man with an interesting philosophy. He joined the mafia for a unique reason: to watch humanity up close and find a purpose. He is exceptionally intelligent and well known for his exemplary detective work, with Fyodor Dostoevsky on the list of characters he’s gone up against.

Because he once worked for him, Dazai has Ougai Mori’s respect, and it is no small feat to be valuable to such a man. Dazai proves himself with his deductive skills, strategic thinking, and ability to see several steps ahead.

1 Ranpo Edogawa

Ranpo has no supernatural power, but one can almost describe his intelligence as just that. He solves mysteries in frighteningly quick moments and calls himself the greatest detective. It is hard to argue with this, given his track record of entirely accurate deductions. Ranpo most notably solved the impossible mystery of Yamagiwa’s murder.

Ranpo works for the Armed Detective Agency and is often consulted by the police. Although he’s shown as extremely playful and unserious, he knows when to draw the line and get serious, like when his friends are in trouble.

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