For those who haven't played it yet, Danganronpa is a strange-looking anime game featuring a homicidal teddy bear trying to pull its best Jigsaw impersonation. However, that assumption is so far off base when taking into account how the series is one of the about engaging and interesting visual novel-style games players could find.

Chock full of interesting characters, zany stories, and engaging villains, there are at least two or three among them who are highly intelligent (as required of any good murder mystery). In some cases, their genius is the mastermind of the murders, while in other cases, information technology's the detective. The question is, who's the smartest?

Updated on March 22, 2022 by Michael Colwander: In that location are a lot of characters in the Danganronpa series. This makes sense considering each game centers around sixteen students trying to survive a killing game. Add in the Danganronpa anime series and the Danganronpa interquel Danganronpa: Another Episode - Ultra Despair Girls, and it makes sense to expand this list.

20 Sakura Ogami Sacrificed Herself To Help The Others Band Together Against Monokuma

Sakura Ogami

Though Sakura isn't the smartest character on this list, she performed one of the most clever deportment out of her classmates. Hoping to unite them so they'd end the killing game and figure out the identity of the mastermind who'd trapped them there, Sakura drank toxicant and left a note for the other students to find. Even though Monokuma tried to complicate things past switching out the suicide notation for a simulated i, the balance of the students actually managed to figure out that Sakura took her ain life. They so banded together against Monokuma, just as she wished. Even though she ended upwards sacrificing her ain life, she technically saved the balance of her remaining classmates in the procedure.

19 Gundham Tanaka'due south Ability To Interact With Animals More often than not Helped Him Out

Gundham Tanaka and his beloveded hamsters

Gundham is the Ultimate Breeder because of his animal enquiry, both saving endangered species of animals and hybridizing animal breeds. However, he's as well one of the most intelligent characters featured in the second game considering he could quickly effigy out complex plans. Even if he wasn't the most major contributor in the trials, he nevertheless fabricated substantial points. He also was extremely skilful at planning and problem-solving. Unfortunately, this didn't save him and his surviving classmates from becoming role of the Ultimate Despair in Danganronpa 3: The Cease of Hope's Peak Loftier Schoolhouse'south Despair Arc.

xviii Chisa Yukizome Was The Ultimate Housekeeper But Hands Manipulated Her Ain Emotions To Fool Others

Chisa Yukizome Cropped

Fans were horrified to notice out that Chisa was perfectly capable of fooling others by faking her own emotions. Even though she was the Ultimate Housekeeper, she was likewise able to perpetuate false emotions such as sorrow and anger equally needed to pull others to her side.

She was initially resilient against Junko and Mukuro's brainwashing, giving fans hope that she'd rise above and stop them. Unfortunately, after she succumbed to the Ultimate Despair, she became an adept spy for them instead.

17 Sonia Nevermind Is A Smart As Her Role Of Ultimate Princess Would Suggest

Sonia Nevermind

Sonia Nevermind was the Ultimate Princess and had the intelligence befitting of one. She learned many strange languages, economics, international law, worked on strengthening her leadership skills, and fifty-fifty learned diagnostic medicine. She's also incredibly skilled when it came to using weapons, including firearms. Unfortunately for her and her classmates, her intelligence didn't save them from succumbing to the Ultimate Despair at the end of Danganronpa three'south Despair Arc.

xvi Mikan Tsumiki's Medical Knowledge Helped Effigy Out Who Killed Whom

mikan tsumiki

Mikan Tsumiki is the Ultimate Nurse with all-encompassing medical knowledge, which profoundly helped her. She could provide autopsy reports, including details of the country of the body post-death and how bad the injuries were, and as well gave health advice to others. She even successfully revived Kyoko Kigiri later on the Final Killing Game, much to the joy of both Kyoko and Mikan'southward fans. Her knowledge equally a nurse too made her incredibly perceptive of other people's facial expressions and helped her figure out whether they were healthy or ill.

15 Chiaki Nanami Was The Glue That Held Form 77-B Together

Chiaki Nanami

Chiaki Nanami is the Ultimate Gamer, which requires an immense amount of intelligence considering how hard it is to exist proficient in genres ranging from RPGs to fighting. Consequently, Chiaki's role within Course 77-B was nothing short of remarkable. She was able to ring her independent classmates together to not merely allow Chisa to properly manage them but to bring them closer together equally friends.

In Danganronpa two, Chiaki serves equally a close ally to Hajime Hinata, frequently using her intelligence to button Hajime in the right management throughout Class Trials.

fourteen Makoto Naegi Used His Charisma To His Reward

Makoto Naegi

Makoto doesn't have the aforementioned level of intelligence as many on this list, despite the fact he's one of the almost used characters in the entire franchise. In fact, many would wrongly call him passive, as Junko did during the first of the serial. Yet, that supposition is wrong. Makoto has a subtle charisma – 1 few selection up on at offset. While he'southward far from a super genius, Makoto'due south experience with the killing games helps make up for that fact.

13 The Ultimate Imposter Needs To Put On A Disarming Performance

The Ultimate Imposter as Byakuya Togami

The Ultimate Imposter'southward true name is still unknown, and few have seen what they truly look similar. For the Ultimate Imposter to succeed in any charade, they would need to put on a convincing enough performance. This requires the Ultimate Imposter to not only be knowledgeable of the person they're pretending to be but also understand a vast array of unlike skillsets. In Danganronpa 2: Adieu Despair, the Ultimate Imposter assumes the function of a heftier version of Byakuya Togami. It was an act that hands convinced other students as well many players – a true testament to their abilities and their intelligence.

12 Tsumugi Shirogane Bearded Her True Cocky From Her Classmates

Tsumugi Shirogane

On the surface, Tsumugi seems similar a relatively plain girl – something she harps on plenty. She tends to go on with whatever the group decides, rarely e'er making her own decisions. However, as the game goes on, players run into hints that suggest otherwise, such as her subtle seduction of Suichi.

One time it'due south revealed she's the mastermind behind the game, players see but how smart she was by deftly disguising her truthful cocky from her classmates. That's where her talents truly lie: deception and deceit. She didn't have the genius of previous masterminds.

11 Byakuya Togami Is Purely Analytical

Byakuya Togami

Byakuya was built-in into a life of competition, forcing him to see everything as something that he can win. This blazon of mentality forced him into seeing everyone around him equally foes or objects rather than people. This allowed him to think without emotion, viewing everything from a purely analytical sense. It made him one of the smartest characters in the whole franchise, only one who was held back by his inability to sympathise emotions and the impact they have on deportment.

ten Kyosuke Munakata Is An Emotionless Annotator

Kyosuke Munakata

Kyosuke is ane of the more driven characters in the franchise. He becomes obsessed with destroying Ultimate Despair past whatsoever means possible. To do this, he forced himself to take emotion out of the equation and tried to look at everything logically. It's a sound determination, only one that held him back sometimes.

Tending to overthink things and await deeper than was necessary on occasions, he concluded upward glossing over an respond right in front of his face. His bulldoze also clouded his judgment at times, such equally when he still wanted to kill Makoto despite his innocence.

9 Miu Iruma'southward Inventions Are Not To Exist Discounted

Miu Iruma in Danganronpa series

Miu Iruma is the Ultimate Inventor, having created some of the most impressive inventions in the world. Maybe i of her most impressive was the virtual reality device she designed to impale Kokichi Ouma. During the video game-like virtual reality sim, Miu Iruma set her own properties to manipulate what she was capable of in the virtual earth and allow her to kill Kokichi with a simple touch on. What Miu didn't business relationship for was the fact Kokichi was one step ahead of her, which resulted in her demise.

eight Monaca Towa Is Both Manipulative And An Look On Robotics

Monaca Towa robotics expert in Danganronpa

Monaca Towa is the youngest character on this list, but that doesn't hateful readers should underestimate her intelligence. Monaca is a robotics proficient who leads the Towa Group'due south Robotics Branch. Monaca'due south expertise even immune her to produce the original Monokuma. Monaca is obsessed with Junko Enoshima and dreams to go her heir. Monaca is extremely manipulative, which allowed her to form the Warriors of Hope who hunt "Demons" (adults). Monaca's plans were foiled by Komaru Naegi and Toko Fukawa. In Danganronpa three, it'south revealed that Monaca has given upwards on being Junko'south successor, preferring to live life lonely with her Monokumas.

7 Chihiro Fujisaki Aided His Friends Even After His Decease

Chihiro Fujisaki

Chihiro Fujisaki is known equally the Ultimate Developer, which in itself would warrant a high place on this list. Chihiro was initially shy and reserved. After years of bullying for seemingly being weak, Chihiro decided to pretend to exist a girl. Notwithstanding, upon finding the strength to finally be himself and ditch his facade, Mondo Owata grew jealous of Chihiro's strength and killed him.

Prior to his expiry, Chihiro developed an bogus intelligence plan dubbed Alter Ego. Modify Ego assisted Makoto and his friends as he strove to go to the bottom of what happened at Hope's Peak Academy. Junko even felt threatened enough to accept Alter Ego executed.

vi Nagito Komaeda Solved Many Cases Before Others Did But Let Them Take The Credit

Nagito Komaeda

Nagito is one of the more complex characters with many different layers and intricacies to his personality. It'due south nigh like he's two or 3 different characters rolled into one. At his core, he's a human desperately obsessed with hope, seeing information technology as the ultimate expert in life, and it fuels many of his actions. However, his timidness and lack of self-worth shroud just how smart he is. He solves many of the cases in the second game before anyone else, just never wants credit. Instead, he drops hints so others remember they solved it.

5 Kokichi Ouma Is A Walking Lie

Koukichi Ouma

No 1 is better at fabrication than Kokichi. He's created a persona that warns players he'southward untrustworthy correct away. This allows him to sprinkle in truths without anyone knowing otherwise. He's a walking lie or charade – at times in the farthermost. His intelligence is constantly on brandish too, and he's able to read people when they're lying, such as when Kirumi tried to guilt someone into taking her place at an execution. He also deduced Kaede'south major flaw and foreshadowed her death upon coming together them.

iv Shuichi Saihara Rose Above Despair In The Terminate

Shuichi Saihara

As with Nagito, Shuichi is a graphic symbol who's brilliant yet unwilling to stand in the forefront. He doesn't believe he's washed enough to warrant existence called a detective and seems to constantly question himself. He'southward also decumbent to following orders, no thing how absurd. For example, when he performed tricks like a dog for Miu. However, below all of that was an incredibly intelligent grapheme and one who managed to effectively terminate the game by rising to a higher place hope and despair, abandoning the game by refusing to vote in the end.

3 Junko Enoshima Is 1 Of The Series' Most Memorable Masterminds

Junko Enoshima

Junko Enoshima is the poster child for the series, right forth with Monokuma. She's the all-time mastermind Danganronpa has as far as characters go, beingness completely reprehensible yet captivating at the same time.

Her belittling mind hands makes her i of the smartest characters in the serial, and information technology's also a big reason she turned out the manner she did. She grew bored with everything beyond despair, which she believed was the only true emotion. It'due south why she manipulated her sis into orchestrating The Tragedy and ultimately betrayed her.

ii Kyoko Kirigiri Was The Best Detective In The Serial

Kyoko Kigiri

As with Makoto, Kyoko is i of the about used characters in the franchise and 1 of the main protagonists. She'due south the best detective in the series every bit a whole and goes to smashing lengths to hide her own emotions, making her harder to read. It's what made her partnership with Makoto so perfect, every bit he symbolized the promise they were both striving for and helped her to trust others. It made her a great foil to Junko besides, who was her opposite grapheme-wise.

i Izuru Kamakura's Intelligence Is Nigh-Perfect

Izuru Kamakura

Izuru is near perfection in terms of intelligence. He has a supernatural sense of analytics that lets him predict the future with an eerie sense of accuracy. In terms of intelligence, he's the first by a wide margin, despite Junko being the more dangerous of the two. However, Junko was bedridden by her overwhelming desire to make others feel despair while Izuru gained nothing from information technology. He never felt satisfaction in anything and was about an emotionless robot.

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