Hello, intern Shoto here—and for my final blog post, I am going to give you some reading recommendations for stories with ridiculously smart, cunning, and quick-thinking protagonists.
It can be refreshing to read from the POV of an intelligent character who knows what they want and how to get it. But it seems such characters are few and far between, with most villains of the story being the masterminds in favor of the MC. Here are a few of the notable exceptions as we dive into manga, novel, and light novel protagonists who are too smart for their own good.
Death Note
First on the list had to be Death Note. If you want to see a dark, nail-biting, dread-inducing intellectual battle between two of the greatest minds in fiction, this is the story for you. It’s a 12 volume psychological thriller manga series—written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata—and truly offers one of the best, if not the best, games of cat and mouse ever created. The protagonist, Light Yagami, begins as a “normal” high school student who is bored with life until he finds a notebook that has been dropped from another realm titled the Death Note. Light discovers if he writes a person’s name in the Death Note, that person will die. Thus begins his journey of becoming the “god of the new world” as he vows to wipe out all criminal activity and create a society of true justice.
But of course things can’t be so easy for him … Enter onto the scene the world’s smartest detective, a mysterious, anonymous man who has been solving cases that stump even the most renowned investigators since he was only a child: L. After successfully provoking Light into killing a death row inmate on live television, L challenges Light and promises he will catch him no matter what. Light eagerly accepts the challenge, making his own plans to force L into revealing himself. Whoever’s identity is discovered first will die. But who will outsmart who in the end?
Light Yagami 
L
Classroom of the Elite
Classroom of the Elite (COTE) is a light novel series written by Syougo Kinugasa and illustrated by Tomoseshunsaku. For reference, a light novel is essentially a (typically) YA novel that includes some illustrations. COTE takes place at the prestigious Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School, a cutthroat institution that ranks students by class and awards points for passing tests and outsmarting one another. The protagonist, Kyotaka Ayanokouji, starts out at the bottom of the ranks in Class D and desires nothing more than to live out his high school days peacefully flying under the radar. But unforeseen circumstances and his complicated past force him to begin moving his class up toward Class A.
While Ayanokouji appears at first glance to be a normal, unremarkable student, he is in fact a cold, ruthless genius who, when faced against someone in his way, never loses. Now, he must take out the competition while ensuring his class’s success in order to protect his own, new-found life here at this advanced high school for the elite.
Kyotaka Ayanokouji 
Ayano looking extra cold
Sherlock Holmes
Haha! Of course Sherlock had to be here! He doesn’t require an introduction, so this is really just a reminder to check out the series if you have yet to do so. It offers the perfect books for anyone who wants to read about murder, solving seemingly impossible mysteries, and a protagonist who is famous for his sharp, inquisitive mind. If you’re just starting out, begin first with A Study in Scarlet and continue on from there.
Stalking Jack the Ripper
Another mystery series, the first book of Stalking Jack the Ripper is, of course, inspired by the Ripper murders and throws its protagonist, seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth, right into the middle of these chillingly gruesome crimes. Determined to discover who Jack the Ripper is and prevent him from murdering anyone else, Audrey Rose must team up with her rival, the cocky but brilliant Thomas Crestwell, offering what is essentially the Sherlock to Audrey Rose’s Watson. But the adventures don’t stop with Jack the Ripper, the two teenage sleuths continue to find themselves surrounded by dark circumstances and dangerous mysteries as they go from the bloodstained streets of London to a castle haunted by Prince Dracula, a cruise ship with a cursed carnival aboard, and a murder hotel in America.
Love is War
Kaguya Shinomiya and Miyuki Shirogane are the Vice President and President of their high school’s student council. Both of them are intelligent, egotistical overachievers who refuse to ever admit their feelings for one another, seeing that as a sign of defeat. Instead, they play a long cat and mouse game to trick each other into confessing the truth. Love is War has been described as “if Death Note was a romantic comedy”, and that pretty much sums it up. Both protagonists are sharp as hell, and absolutely determined to “win” this game of love, no matter the cost. If you enjoy light hearted comedy as well as high emotional stakes and excessive mind games, this is a great manga to get into.
Tomodachi Game
Last but absolutely, most certainly, not least, is Tomodachi Game. Translating to “Friends Game” in English, this manga follows Yuuichi Katagiri and the rest of his friends after they are kidnapped and forced to play in a mysterious, horrible game meant to tear apart your friendships and throw you into debt and despair. But Yuuichi is no normal high school student, and the Tomodachi Game doesn’t realize the mistake it’s made by letting him inside …
The situations the characters find themselves in seem so impossible at times that the dread you will feel for them is palpable. But each and every time, no matter the odds, our genius protagonist Yuuichi finds a way to spin the situation on its head. Never have I read about such hopeless circumstances only to have them turn around so completely—and in a way that is explained and makes sense, no less! The plans he pulls off are so inventive and clever, it’s truly impossible to see what’s coming next. I’m not joking when I say this is the twistiest story I have ever read. If you think you know where it’s going, you don’t. If you think you know what Yuuichi is planning, you don’t. This is a series where both the plot and the protagonist himself keep you on the edge of your seat, occasionally pushing you off that seat entirely. But just when you think you can’t take the suspense and potential anxiety-caused heart-attacks a minute longer, you’ll look up from the ground to see Yuuichi smiling at you as he holds out his hand for you to take. And once you take that hand the first time, you’ll never want to let go.
Yuuichi being extra freaky 
Hey hey, now, that’s not a very humane face, Yuuichi
images: pinterest, instagram, hulu, wiki
