In anime, villains are typically depicted as cocky tyrants with more strength than intelligence. This affords the heroes a number of clever and unpredictable ways to defeat them in spite of their status as underdogs.
However, there are a number of anime villains who fight with their wits in mind, their sinister intelligence enabling their many atrocities. Leaving no detail unaccounted for, they have ensured that almost no counterstrategy is sufficient to defeat them. Some of their respective heroes weren't even able to overcome them at all.
10 Light Killed Dissenters From The Shadows (Death Note)
Death Note's Light Yagami is perhaps the most classic example of a villain who uses intelligence to prevail. Whether in possession of his notebook or not, he manipulated almost everyone around him, barring L and his successors.
In many instances, Light will exploit the notebook's nefarious qualities to take enemies out. For example, he made one of his pursuers kill themselves, making her death seem like a natural occurrence rather than Kira deliberately trying to throw his pursuers off his trail.
9 Fraudrin Turns His Enemies Against Each Other (Seven Deadly Sins)
Fraudrin's possession abilities are both a blessing and a curse in Seven Deadly Sins. Although it limits how much damage he can cause to the series' heroes, it also means that he cannot underestimate them. By possessing Hendrickson, Fraudrin turned the holy knights against Meliodas and his allies.
He hoped that, regardless of how they reacted, there was no way for them to win. In theory, they will either kill their pursuers and weaken Britannia or die themselves. Unfortunately for the demon clan, Fraudrin was exposed before he could fully corrupt the nation.
8 Gray Fly Used The Environment To His Advantage (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)
Out of all DIO's minions in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Gray Fly has reliably proven to be one of the most cunning. By carefully making his attacks on planes, trains, and boats, he limits how much enemies can retaliate if they are indeed Stand users at all.
Responsible for numerous acts of terrorism across the world, Gray Fly has an extremely high body count regardless of how relatively weak his Stand is. Should Kakyoin's Hierophant Green not have countered him, it's likely that the villain would have remained undefeated.
7 Annie Fought More Intelligently Than The Other Warriors (Attack On Titan)
The Warriors were the first antagonists of the Attack On Titan series. Despite being physically the weakest among them, Annie's fierce intelligence and combat sense compensated for her shortcomings. For example, she had the foresight to wait until the Scouts were in the open before pursuing them and Eren.
Even after being forced into the forest and surrounded by wires, she called nearby pure titans in order to create the perfect distraction. Annie's superior resourcefulness is on account of being trained since youth by her father.
6 All For One Was Japan's Criminal Mastermind (My Hero Academia)
All For One led the villains of My Hero Academia on more than his impressive Quirk. He was prepared for every situation, as proven when All Might's pros ambushed and nearly detained Shigaraki.
Considering that All For One has been alive for over a hundred years, he is vastly more experienced than even the most seasoned hero in the series. His intelligence was seen during the battle against All Might when forcing him to choose between his own safety and a bystander's life.
5 Ozai Chose His Battles Wisely (Avatar)
.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=750&dpr=1.5)
Considering that Ozai ruled the Fire Nation for many years, his leadership capacities bode well for his intelligence. He proved even more competent when fighting against Avatar's heroes, namely Zuko and Aang. He endured the former's attack and waited until Sozin's comet before engaging with the latter.
As the meteor significantly enhanced his bending abilities, Aang never would have been able to defeat him without complete mastery over the Avatar state. Unfortunately for Ozai, it would be the last time he ever used his bending since Aang took it from him.
4 Pain Used His Six Paths Excellently (Naruto)
There were numerous qualities distinguishing Pain as more intelligent than typical Naruto villains. In addition to leading the Akatsuki and capturing a majority of Tailed Beasts, he was also able to use the Six Paths in perfect harmony with one another.
For example, he would intercept Jiraiya's attacks with his chakra-consuming body to buy time for another vessel's resurrection. Pain also destroyed Konoha systematically rather than instantly since he wanted to give Naruto the chance to come out of hiding. Although Pain may not have Orochimaru's scientific knowledge, few can employ their abilities in battle as effectively as he does.
3 Spec Was Proficient At Underhanded Tactics (Baki)
As one of the escaped convicts, Baki's Spec was already a formidable warrior. His ability to use literally any resource to his advantage proved even more impressive, especially when combined with his penchant for dishonorable tactics.
For example, Spec caught Hanayama off guard before shoving high-quality police explosives into his mouth. Predictably, this scarred his opponent for life and nearly even killed him. Should Spec have been fighting an opponent even moderately less durable, his cunning plan would have paid off in his favor.
2 Yoshikage Kira Was An Exceptionally Smooth Criminal (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)
Despite being the weakest main villain of the series, Kira's intelligence compensated for his deficiencies. Between turning a doorknob into an explosive to kill Shigechi and forcing Aya to change his face, he was proficient at covering his tracks. It would have been impossible for Josuke's crew to catch him if he didn't fall back into his old habits.
To make matters worse, Kira's "Bites The Dust" Stand allowed him to reset time whenever someone learned of his true identity. As a result, he nearly got to repeat the final fight with Josuke simply because a nearby nurse heard that he was the Morioh killer by accident.
1 Caesar Clown Was A Brilliant Scientist (One Piece)
One Piece's Caesar Clown ranks among the most brilliant scientists in the entire series. A former associate of Vegapunk himself, he earned the respect of both Big Mom and Kaido through his various discoveries. Clown's intelligence was also displayed on the battlefield.
He used his gaseous Devil Fruit to snuff out Usopp's flames and suffocate Luffy into unconsciousness. In the end, Luffy was only able to defeat him due to his Devil Fruit's flexibility and overall superiority. Should it not have countered Clown so perfectly, the battle could have yielded a different outcome.