While fans like to point fingers at Hufflepuff for not being as “cool” as the other three, at least they’ve got prominent characters like Cedrick Digorry and Newton Scamander. As opposed to Ravenclaw who only has — what, Luna Lovegood as the only notable student who went there? As I said, Ravenclaw is a tad unfortunate in terms of usability. But there’s still value here. Ravenclaw values wisdom, wit, intellect, and the act of learning above all else. And we’re gonna look into some anime characters who fit these traits well, making them good candidates for the house.
10. Shikamaru Nara
Anime: Naruto There’s a reason why Naruto, despite being the Hokage, often goes to Shikamaru for advice regarding the affairs of the village. Regardless of his easygoing nature, Shikamaru is easily one of the most intelligent characters in the series. For one, he has been confirmed to have an IQ of over 200. That’s way beyond the threshold to be considered a genius! If that isn’t enough, he’s also a brilliant strategist and a wise leader. This was put on full display during the Fourth Great Ninja War. He’s much like his father – and is without a doubt one of the most valuable assets of the Hidden Leaf Village.
9. Edward Elric
Anime: Fullmetal Alchemist By nature, alchemists are always in the pursuit of knowledge and learning. In fact, I consider them a great example of Ravenclaw’s mentality towards the value of intelligence. And by extension, I also consider Edward as a great (hypothetical) addition to Ravenclaw. After all, he’s one of the most intelligent and powerful alchemist in his series. He’s also the first human that technically “beat” The Truth (the god of the show’s universe, basically) and has realized the true value of knowledge ever since he was a child. His ignorance once cost him an arm and a leg along, with his brother’s body. Although as the show went on, he became adamant to learn more about alchemy, so as to not let such a tragedy ever happen again.
8. Saiki Kusuo
Anime: The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. One other trait that Ravenclaw students seem to have in common is their inherent introversion. And on that note, we have Saiki, who’s intelligent and naturally inquisitive – and also has an intense aversion when it comes to unnecessary social interactions. Despite all his powers and abilities, Saiki hilariously fails in avoiding other characters on more than one occasion. But just like the case of Ravenclaw students (e.g. Luna Lovegood), being an introvert doesn’t necessarily mean that Saiki doesn’t enjoy the companionship of others. Even though he’s too smart and knows what everyone around him is thinking, he’s been shown to have a good time with his friends every once in a while.
7. Kei Shirogane (Shiroe)
Anime: Log Horizon Shiroe fits that classic “bespectacled genius” character archetype down to a T. He’s the lead strategist and guild master of Log Horizon (hence the title of the series). His duties include (but are not limited to) ensuring the safety of every guild member during battle, and making sure that the guild as a whole runs smoothly on a day-to-day basis. Shiroe carries a lot of burden on his shoulders, as he’s the most knowledgeable player about the game’s underlying mechanics. This makes him one of the few players actually fit to lead and strategize during massive raids — especially the ones that are deemed unclearable. Not to Shiroe though.
6. Gohan
Anime: Dragon Ball In a world where aliens, androids, or gods are always there to mess things up, Gohan is that one character in Dragon Ball who has got his priorities straight. Despite being the strongest Z-fighter at one point, Gohan decided to turn his attention to being an educated man instead of training and fighting full-time like his father. He was pretty great at it too — earning several scholarships and a few academic distinctions along the way. With Chichi’s help, Gohan became the perfect model student ever since he was a child. And he it carried over to his adult life. And while some fans hated Gohan’s decline as a fighter, I just think it’s kind of refreshing to see a member of the Son family who isn’t all gung-ho about fighting every time.
5. Iida Tenya
Anime: My Hero Academia Iida is a notorious perfectionist and an all-around earnest guy — qualities that make him the best Class President of Class 1A and a good fit for the House of Ravenclaw. In addition to being smart and disciplined, Iida is also a natural-born leader. His decision-making skills and ability to stay logical under intense pressure are things that Deku recognized from the get-go. This is why Deku passed the mantle of Class President onto him in the first place – which I have to admit, was a pretty good call on Deku’s part.
4. Lelouch vi Britannia
Anime: Code Geass On the topic of logical and cerebral characters, how could the great Lelouch (a.k.a Zero & the former King of Brittania) be left out? Unlike most other smart characters in anime, Lelouch is among the few who applied his intelligence for a grand purpose. And man, what a grand purpose it was! He has outsmarted more than his fair share of both good and evil characters on his way to the top, although his journey wasn’t easy. In the end, his “Zero Requiem” was a complete success. This is a great testament to his overall intellect and willingness to pursue not just knowledge for the greater good, but also a brighter future.
3. L
Anime: Death Note L is much like Light Yagami. They’re both incredibly intelligent people with a great vision for the increasingly deteriorating world around them. But on the other hand, L is also fundamentally different from Light in many aspects of their character. Sure, anyone can make a case that Light won their duel in the end. But no one can deny that L had the moral high ground throughout the series. Despite his lack of awareness in interacting with others, L has always been on the side of justice, and has elected to use his gift of superb intellect for the good of humanity. This is the complete opposite for Light – who more or less fits with Slytherin rather than Ravenclaw, because of his ambitious and ruthlessly cunning nature.
2. Conan Edogawa
Anime: Case Closed L might have been a great detective, but he’s got nothing on Conan, who has solved over 300 cases (and counting) throughout his series. For me, Conan is the embodiment of the phrase “smartest person in the room”. Seriously, I doubt that anyone would be surprised by how smart this guy is considering just how long he’s been doing his thing. Fun fact: The episode count is now over a thousand at the time of this writing. Not only is Conan incredibly smart, but he’s also very adaptable, and is a quick thinker in every sense of the word. Very few anime characters can match Conan in a battle of wits. Hypothetically, this distinction would’ve surely made him one of the most notable Ravenclaw students in history.
1. Senku Ishigami
Anime: Dr. Stone For our number one spot, we have Senku – who proudly represents the Kingdom of Science and is one of the most intellectually gifted anime characters. There’s no doubt in my mind that Senku would’ve been a great Ravenclaw, and for several good reasons. Firstly, it’s because Senku is just too damn smart. He’s able to think up inventions and intricate plans on the fly and is quick-witted enough to contend even with enemies more powerful than him. And his thirst for knowledge is also about as unquenchable as they come. Now I’m not exactly sure as to how his innate curiosity and intellect would apply to magic vs. science, but who knows? Maybe he would’ve even found a connection between the two and used it to his advantage. After all, this is Senku we’re talking about.
