My Hero Academia, Kohei Horikoshi's beloved shonen franchise, features a number of characters with extremely high intelligence, some achieved through the effects of a Quirk and others blessed with innate intelligence. Prospective Pro Heroes must be sharp thinkers in their universe, and the series' villains are no pushovers either.

Many characters excel in one or more aspects of intelligence, but who is the smartest hero? Many people can make compelling arguments, but one stands out above the rest.

Principal Nezu and Intelli Saiko Possess Characteristics That Boost Intellect

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UA’s beloved principal is also one of My Hero Academia’s smartest characters. He is the singular case of an animal possessing a Quirk. High Specs grant him all the intelligence of a human and then some, giving Principal Nezu the ability to process information and make complicated calculations right in his head. He can accurately predict the exact moves he needs to take to cause a chain reaction of destruction. During the UA first-years’ final exam, he was able to reduce an entire industrial zone to rubble with a single perfectly-placed swing of a wrecking ball. Nezu’s gifts of extrapolation also make him a leader with incredible foresight, as befitting the head of a hero training institute.

Intelli Saiko’s Quirk requires her to fulfill a condition before boosting her brainpower. With an already impressive IQ of 150, Saiko’s intelligence skyrockets when she drinks tea. In this state, she becomes a cold and logic-driven tactician with no empathy for those unfortunate enough to be her targets. As an anime-only character who appeared solely in the "Provisional Hero License Exam" arc, not much is known about Saiko. However, during her short-lived appearance, she managed to leave a mark by almost defeating a Class 1-A group through strategy alone.

 

Technology Icons La Brava and Hatsume Mei

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Apart from its celebrated hero course, UA has other departments for students willing to support the good fight away from the frontline. One of these is the support course, and their star student is undoubtedly Hatsume Mei. During MHA's Sports Festival, Hatsume competed against and beat out Hero Course students to reach the semi-final stage using only support items she herself had designed. Her talent and dedication to improving her craft impressed not only outside investors but her teachers at UA, who allowed her free use of their workshops to tinker whenever she wished. From Kaminari Denki’s pointer and shooter to the gloves that enable Midoriya Izuku’s Air Force, Hatsume Mei’s engineering genius is unparalleled.

Unlike Hatsume, who always used her brains for heroic purposes, La Brava’s introduction in MHA saw her on the side of villainy. As a young fan infatuated with Gentle Criminal’s theatrics, she devoted her entire life to him. La Brava was single-handedly responsible for maintaining his online image, as well as erasing all traces of their digital footprint. Most recently, her hacking prowess has been revealed as she boasted proudly of once breaking into Feel Good Inc’s servers just for some practice to spite Skeptic. La Brava has also proved capable of disabling the UA barrier from outside the school. When it comes to computers, she’s second to none.

 

Strategic Alchemists Are Midoriya Izuku and All For One

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Even when he was Quirkless, Deku was determined to become a Pro Hero at all costs. His novel workaround for his Quirklessness was to study the super moves of those with Quirks and figure out how to replicate or counter them. His years of study gave Deku a general understanding of how Quirks work, and an analytical mind that allowed him to formulate countermeasures for the most unexpected attacks on the fly. Deku is also incredibly resourceful and adept at studying his battlefield in order to use any and everything present to his advantage. Even in situations where his overwhelming power with One For All can’t apply, Deku’s brain is usually more than enough to save the day. In terms of combat intelligence, Deku is MHA’s most impressive character.

All For One has all the trappings of a classic omniscient anime villain. Throughout his decades of existence, he’s continued to pioneer illicit research into Quirks; as a result, he understands them far better than any other character in My Hero Academia. His foresight and long-term strategizing ability are on par with Principal Nezu’s, and there’s no telling how many intellect-boosting Quirks he’s stolen over his lifespan. In combat, All For One is as sly and calculating as he is decisive, carefully wearing away at his opponent’s physical and mental guards until he rushes in to strike at the most opportune moment.

 

The Smartest Person on My Hero Academia is Momo Yaoyorozu

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Momo Yaoyorozu has quietly established herself as the smartest student in Class 1-A, both in theory and in practical application in the field, despite the fact that she isn't typically defined by her intelligence. In order to fully utilize her Creation Quirk, she must be diligent, but she bears this burden gracefully. Yaoyorozu must first comprehend the molecular structure of every component of an object before she can create it.

Yaoyorozu has created a wide variety of tools since MHA's beginning; from cannons to tracking devices and even powerful remote controlled explosives, her ability to create these items implies she understands the intricacies of their parts. Her engineering skill might not live up to Hatsume Mei’s or La Brava's, but she’s versed well enough to construct electronics by herself.

Consistently the best-performing student in Class 1-A’s written exams, Yaoyorozu regularly tutors her classmates in their free time. She is also an excellent battle strategist and effectively splits responsibilities among her classmates, making her one of 1-A’s leaders. Her combination of being able to strategize on her feet and the Creation Quirk means it’s almost impossible to catch her unprepared, even with the smallest of windows to counter-strategize. Yaoyorozu combines several key aspects of the types of intelligence that other characters specialize in. Although she might not be able to match their core competencies, she is My Hero Academia’s most balanced character in terms of intelligence.