In all of the major comic book universes, many consider Batman to be one of the most intelligent characters to ever exist. Over the decades of his publication, Batman has been given mental feats that have him even outsmarting gods. Due to the wide variety of Batman writers throughout time, his exact intelligence can be hard to pinpoint. Still, even on the average Gotham patrol in the average story, Batman is still no slouch when it comes to brains.

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But when it comes to intelligent characters, many fans instead look towards anime to find ones that boast true strategic genius. These characters may not be able to outwit Batman in his most overpowered stories, but they sure as hell could outsmart the caped vigilante on his average night.

10 Hunter X Hunter: Meruem Beat Humanity's Best At Less Than One Year Old

Meruem Thinks To Himself In Hunter X Hunter

At the core of the Chimera Ant arc in Hunter X Hunter was a threat to all of humanity. The Chimera Ants represented the next stage of evolution for humans and, with only a few months of life, already possessed the capability to wipe out mankind for good. At the top of that hierarchy was the Ant King himself, Meruem.

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Meruem was the perfect being in almost every way. Despite being a glorified infant, only two humans could ever match him in any regard, physical or mental. It's hard to imagine even the smartest version of Batman being able to take this Ant on.

9 Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood: Hohenheim Was The Master Of Prep

Hohenheim from fullmetal alchemist

Fans who've spent time in comic book debate forums know that most arguments end in favor of Batman if the character is given enough prep time. If a writer gives Batman a month to prepare, he could do just about anything. If any character in anime could match that level of prep, it would be Hohenheim of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.

Hohenheim is one of the most genius characters in anime, not just for his raw intellect, but for his ability to make complicated plans that play out over a long, long time. This may be the one opponent Batman could not out strategize.

8 Naruto: Shikaku Led The Entire Shinobi Alliance

Shikaku Nara frowning in Naruto

Batman has done a lot of crazy things with just the power of his intellect. But in the average story, his genius is contained to just the city of Gotham and its inhabitants. One of Batman's greatest benefits is being a lone wolf or, at most, leading a team of just a few other superheroes.

Rarely is Batman's mental bandwidth put to the task in terms of sheer numbers and multitasking. In that regard, Batman loses out to the biggest genius in all of Naruto, Shikaku Nara. Shikaku was the father of Shikamaru and strategic leader of the war effort in the final, climactic arc of Naruto. Without his genius, an entire army would've been left to die against a much more powerful foe.

7 The Promised Neverland: Norman Showcased Immense Potential As A Child

Norman thinks deeply at a table

Batman is one of the most gifted strategists in the world of DC. Matched up against genius villains on the regular, Batman has pulled out time and time again with his knack for crafty ploys. But when it comes to schemes, it's hard to overlook the young boy who overcame an entire world of demons from a glorified prison.

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It's debatable whether or not Norman could beat out Batman at this very moment, but when factoring in his age and potential for growth, Norman would easily outsmart the detective with just a few more years under his belt.

6 One Punch Man: Metal Knight Is Anime's Iron Man

Metal Knight S-Class OPM

Fans recognize Batman as one of the smartest characters in all of comic book fiction. But one of the most iconic debates among superhero fans concerns the bat vigilante against the Marvel tech genius, Tony Stark. These two have gone head to head in comic book forums for decades with different verdicts each time. But generally speaking, fans seem to agree that Tony Stark may just barely edge out the victory in regards to their mental fortitude.

With that logic, one must look no further than Metal Knight in One Punch Man to see anime's very own Tony Stark. By the transitive property, it's not hard to imagine Metal Knight also beating the caped crusader.

5 No Game No Life: Shiro Would Destroy Batman In Chess

Shiro looks to the side

Batman may have a wealth of combat knowledge at his fingertips, but there is more than muscle when it comes to games of intellect. One of the most mentally demanding games in all of history is chess. As far as anime characters go, there is no better chess player than Shiro from No Game No Life. Having never lost a game in her entire life, even against actual gods, Shiro would easily sweep the floor with Batman in this game of wits and strategy.

4 Hunter X Hunter: Ging Has More Than Meets The Eye

Ging Freecss Hunter X Hunter Chairman Election Arc

Admittedly, Ging may not seem like much at a glance. From his surface-level appearance, Ging looks like nothing more than just a common beggar. But fans of Hunter X Hunter know that Ging is one of the most calculated, intelligent characters in all of anime.

Nothing happens around Ging without him fully exploring all of the consequences of its actions and deciding whether or not to allow it. When it comes to sheer processing power, Ging operates at a speed that Batman likely could not match.

3 Death Note: L Is The World's Greatest Detective

L standing in the rain

While Batman is known to face off against geniuses like the Riddler and Scarecrow, none of the Gotham regulars can come close to the threat posed by the Kira case in Death Note. Joker may threaten to poison all of Gotham, but Kira had the entire planet in fear. Batman is no joke, but the difference in scale of these threats is simply too large to ignore.

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One distinct advantage L has over the likes of Batman is a lack of physical presence. Simply put, Batman's time in the gym may be holding him back from overtaking the sickly yet gifted intellect of someone like L.

2 Code Geass: Lelouch Operates At A Larger Scale

Lelouch Removes His Helmet In Code Geass

Batman may have saved Gotham countless times against any number of crazy, genius supervillains. But when it comes to sheer scale, saving Gotham has nothing on the accomplishments orchestrated by the villainous hero, Lelouch of Code Geass. Lelouch presented a facade to the world and subtly led to the liberation of his country and political shift of the entire globe.

While the Dark Knight has led similar lies to Lelouch, they're almost always contained to the citizens of Gotham. When fans need a character to fall on the sword and save the world, they know to look past Batman and pick Lelouch.

1 Dragon Ball Z: Bulma Is Batman's One Fatal Weakness

Dragon Ball's Bulma is angry in bunny outfit

Batman may be one of the most intimidating figures in the entire DC universe, but fans of the character know he has one fatal weakness: beautiful women. Time and time again, Batman has let himself be tricked by a femme fatale figure like Catwoman or Talia al Ghul. Still, these women are more than just good looks, so their anime equivalent couldn't be lacking in the brains department.

Bulma from Dragon Ball Z matches all of these requirements. With her beautiful appearance, she'd easily distract Batman and then overtake him with her comparatively deep wealth of science and tech gear.

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