Gods in the anime world don’t really need to be intelligent. Smarts and common sense may be essential for life on earth, but for overpowered deities, in many cases, it seems like immortality can bring boredom and bad behavior.
Still, in some cases, anime gods add superhuman intelligence and vast stores of knowledge to their other formidable strengths, and in very few cases, they actually help humans with that wisdom.
10 Ryuk’s Intelligence Lies In Knowing Just How To Corrupt & Manipulate Humans (Death Note)
When it comes to Shinigami, conventional smarts aren’t really useful or advantageous. With a death god’s power, though, comes boredom, at least in Ryuk's case. His true genius is for improvisation—and he has an almost scientific way of relieving that boredom via trial and observation.
He decides to experiment with his Death Note by leaving it in the human world. He alternately helps and hinders Light, sometimes for his own gains, often just to see what happens, but all along, he’s in control of the ultimate outcome.
9 Momo Is A Shinigami Who Tries To Help With Her Intuitive People Skills (Momo, Girl God of Death)
Momo is a Shinigami, the Girl God of Death, and she wields the traditional scythe of death gods. She’s dressed all in white. But, instead of just reaping souls, Momo tries to help the people she comes across, and in some cases, she doesn’t reap them at all.
She knows how to help them because her genius lies in understanding human nature. Because of that, she can immediately see what they need, and pushes them in the right direction—although sometimes her ‘push’ can be a little rough around the edges.
8 Benzaiten Is The Goddess Of Knowledge, Art, & Beauty (Noragami)
Benzaiten is popular as one of the Seven Gods of Fortune in Noragami. Personality-wise, she’s kind to shinki, and is sympathetic to vessels who are used and abused to kill. She’s also a bit of a stickler for maintaining a respectable reputation.
Her actions don’t reveal a great intellect, but nonetheless, she’s also the Goddess of Knowledge, Art, and Beauty, and leans towards music in particular. It can only be assumed that she has vast stores of wisdom to draw on if she ever needs them.
7 The Lifemaker/Mage Of The Beginning Has World Building Genius (Magical Teacher Negima)
In Negima! Magister Negi Magi, or Magical Teacher Negima, a student by the name of Negi encounters various enemies—such as the student who is actually a vampire—in his search for his father.
It's complicated, but he encounters a Mundus Magicus (Magical World), and the true story of his magical parents. The Lifemaker/Mage of the Beginning appears only briefly, but he is the one who created the Magical World. He’s over 2,000 years old, and possesses the wisdom and knowledge to create life.
6 King Kai Has Gained His Wisdom Over Centuries Of Life (Dragon ball)
King Kai is the king of Universe 7's North Area. The Kai are Core People, a type of deity in the Dragon Ball universe. He’s got a great sense of humor, and tells a lot of bad jokes, but that doesn’t take away from his great intelligence.
He’s not only smart, but he’s also gained centuries of wisdom during his lifetime, along with the techniques that he shows to his trainees. Despite that, he’s not above immature behavior and is known as an eccentric character overall.
5 Athena Is Much More Than Heretic Goddess Of Wisdom (Campione!)
In the story of Campione!, middle student Godo Kusanagi kills a god of war, and claims its power and title. What he becomes, however, is a god slayer or Campione, tasked to battle Heretic or Rogue Gods like Athena. She's not always in full deity form, but she was once a goddess of earth, sky, life, death, and wisdom itself.
She was demoted to Athena, daughter of Zeus, and Medusa, the snake-headed monster, but is still clairvoyant and has Spirit Vision to add to her knowledge.
4 Sousuke Aizen’s Genius Was Done In By Arrogance (Bleach)
A Shinigami or Soul Reaper in the world of Bleach, Sōsuke Aizen was once a captain of the 5th Division in the Gotei 13. Ambitious and cruel as a captain, he was also known for his formidable genius-level intellect.
He manages to gain followers and partially enact his plan for domination by betraying the Soul Society, but in the end, it’s ego and arrogance that lead to his downfall. Interestingly, after his imprisonment, he seems to have gotten the message.
3 Homunculus Was Created By A Forbidden Alchemical Act (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)
Father is the original Homunculus in the world of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. He was created in the long-gone nation of Xerxes, using the blood of a brilliant alchemist called Van Hohenheim. Father used the souls of the people of Xerxes to become a kind of living Philosopher’s Stone, and gained the ability to create other Homunculi.
After essentially ridding himself of the seven deadly sins, he’s left with pure intellect, and the patience to enact his plan for world domination over centuries.
2 Deus Ex Machina Is An Unbeatable Force Of Nature With Access To All The Knowledge In The Universe (Future Diary)
As the god of time and space, Deus Ex Machina created the survival game that traps the characters in the world of The Future Diary. He’s an ancient god, and he rules over the laws of cause and effect, and may even be able to unravel the course of time.
He controls the Akashic Records, which is a universal storehouse of knowledge as well as history. Along with his ability to create artificial life forms and mess with the lives of whoever he likes, he’s extremely intelligent and knows all.
1 Tet, The One True God, Looks Like A Boy, But Is All-Powerful (No Game No Life)
Tet, the One True God, lives inside a king chess piece in the world of No Game No Life. He has the appearance of a child and the same kind of cheery disposition and playful energy, but he's all-powerful. Along with superhuman physical abilities, teleportation, levitation, and shapeshifting, Tet has enhanced senses and genius-level intelligence.
He's a physical embodiment of the game's central concept, born from Riku’s imagination and magic, and he can manipulate life, energy, and reality itself.