Lex Luthor and Detective Conan (real name Shinichi Kudo) are two of the smartest characters in all of fiction, and it’s a shame that a crossover is highly unlikely. One hails from the world of DC Comics, while the other is a legendary manga hero.
The bigger question here isn’t who would win in a fight, but who’s smarter? When you pit an evil genius against the world’s greatest detective (who’s not Batman) in a battle of wits and intellect, only one can emerge victorious.
10 LEX LUTHOR: He’s The Number One DC Villain
Of all of the supervillains in DC’s multiverse, Lex is a constant thorn on the heroes’ side. Whether there’s an ongoing crisis or a new evil union rises, the villains always look to Lex for leadership and inspiration. Lex will always be there to command DC’s worst denizens, and this authority is something he’s more than happy to prove more than once.
Lex’s position is impressive given that his competition includes geniuses of the otherworldly (ex. Brainiac) and superhuman (ex. Gorilla Grodd) variety, especially since he’s just a mere mortal. Conan, meanwhile, can’t have a similar boast since he can only use his genius in secret (more on that later) and his best rivals are on his level, not below him.
9 DET. CONAN: He’s A Heroic Child Prodigy
To be fair, both Conan and Lex are child prodigies. Lex was a gifted scientific genius while Conan is a master detective. They diverge in how they used their gifts, since Conan aids Japanese authorities in upholding justice while Lex tried and failed multiple times to make himself king of the world.
Academic intelligence is impressive, but emotional intelligence is what makes or breaks a genius. In that regard, Lex loses because all he could think of were schemes with the goal of making himself the literal center of the universe. Meanwhile, Conan was smart enough to use his intellect for good, helping those around him instead of his ego.
8 LEX LUTHOR: He’s A Successful Multi-Billionaire
When it comes to finances, Lex easily dominates. Even before dedicating his life to annoying Superman, Lex was a wealthy and influential businessman. Depending on the writer, Lex either turned his father’s unimpressive company around or he built LexCorp himself; both interpretations are impressive in its own right.
Whatever money Conan has would barely register as a blip to Lex. Conan, before and after being turned into a kid, is a minor; whatever money he has is probably his allowance. Even if he uses 110% of his brainpower, Conan would never be able to earn even the tiniest fraction of Lex’s worth.
7 DET. CONAN: His Cover Has Yet To Be Blown
Conan has to balance not one, but two secret identities. The first is Conan, a cover for his real teenaged self and his current alias. The other is Kogoro Mouri, his girlfriend’s determined but bumbling detective father he helped become the real deal. Despite some close calls, Conan has been able to keep both facades up, keeping his real identity safe while still solving crimes.
As for Lex, he can’t hide his villainy because of his very public persona. Lex may have a great PR team at the ready to spin disasters into publicity, but the distractions never last long. At times, Lex just owns up to his villainy but he only does this when he’s in a corner with no options left.
6 LEX LUTHOR: He’s A Scientific Genius
Before turning to economics, Lex was a textbook supervillain who invented dangerous superweapons to fight Superman. Even if these proved useless against the Kryptonian, Lex created these devices himself; that alone is an achievement. Right now, his most recognized creation is his suit of armor that allows a him to fight Superman on equal ground.
Conan, smart as he is, could only pull of a MacGyver at best. Whatever gadgets (ex. his signature tranquilizer watch) he has were made by Prof. Agasa, not him. Conan puts these to good use especially in emergencies, but he’ll always need the good professor for that technological edge. Meanwhile, Lex will never be caught without a high-tech superweapon he made on a whim.
5 DET. CONAN: He Turned His Disadvantage Into An Advantage
For a 16-year-old who was forcibly reverted into a child, Shinichi took his transformation surprisingly well. More than once, Conan used his second childhood to his benefit, saying and doing things a teenager normally wouldn’t be able to – especially in a grisly crime scene.
Lex, in contrast, is motivated by his contempt for his mortality. Driven by his hatred and envy of everything Superman represents, Lex rarely uses his humanity (something Superman ironically yearns for) to his benefit. Instead, he failed more than once to achieve godhood through unsavory, selfish means.
4 LEX LUTHOR: He Became President
One of the craziest things to happen in DC Comics was world-renowned supervillain Lex Luthor becoming president. This wasn’t an alternate universe tale like in Elseworlds; this was canon. Lex’s presidency was the fruit born from his long game following No Man’s Land and it worked masterfully, giving him immeasurable power unattainable to supervillains.
Conan, on the other hand, has no political ambitions and would fail at it if he tried. Granted, politics and forensic investigation are worlds apart. But the fact that Lex is a master of the former proves just how far advanced his intellectual capacities are when compared to someone who’s just an anime Sherlock Holmes at best.
3 DET. CONAN: He Cracked Countless Unsolvable Cases
Not counting those he already closed before turning into a child or the original anime-only mysteries, Conan has solved more than 200 cases. Since Case Closed is far from over, it’s safe to assume that his tally will keep rising. Meanwhile, Lex’s intelligence varies from writer to writer.
Sometimes, Lex can see right through the Justice League’s attempts to stop him, or he only realizes he lost when it’s too late thanks to his gigantic ego. To add insult to injury, Lex only learns about the Clark Kent/Superman connection whenever his writers feel like it. For someone who prides himself as the smartest man in the DC Universe, Lex can’t even see the literal god hiding behind a pair of dorky glasses.
2 LEX LUTHOR: He Maintains Spotless Publicity
The most impressive feat Lex pulled off is his squeaky clean public persona. Despite nearly killing Superman more times than anyone could count and stealing 40 cakes, Lex is still someone people look up to. Lex is so good at managing his image that he can survive the fallout of his supervillainy, make a profit, and still convince people that he’s in the right for trying to murder the Man of Steel.
In his defense, Conan doesn’t have to worry about his reputation that much since his real concern is his secret identity. But the fact remains that if Conan were to ever go after Lex for a certain crime, he’d inevitably fail to bring him to justice because Lex’s PR machinery makes him practically untouchable.
1 DET. CONAN: He Actually Outsmarted & Beat His Rivals
Over the course of more than 2,000 chapters and episodes, Conan defeated some of the greatest masterminds and sleuths of his time. From expert liars to the mysterious phantom thief known as the Kaitou Kid, Conan beat them all at their own games. Granted, rare exceptions like the Kaitou Kid remain at large but Conan is only a few steps from making his victory final.
In contrast, Lex’s career is defined by loss and humiliation. No matter how well thought out his plans are or how personal things could be thus motivating him more than usual, Lex is fated to lose to DC’s heroes in every timeline and reboot he finds himself in. He might eke out a few sneaky wins, but they’re usually only by technicality. Lex likes to proclaim himself Superman’s true match but at the end of the day, he’s just an annoying mosquito in the face of a literal god.