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The creation and implementation of strategies is an important aspect of anime and manga, especially in shounen series. These strategies are typically formulated by characters who have demonstrated intelligence far above the average in their respective series. Whenever these specific characters appear on screen, other characters in the series and the audience know something amazing is about to happen.
These strategists also work behind the scenes. They will rarely ever be seen on the frontlines fighting with other warriors due to being much weaker physically than others. However, without their help, various fan favorites would have been completely obliterated. This list will go in depth on various iconic strategists that anime has to offer.
Note: This is a non-exhaustive, unranked list that reflects the author's opinion. It also contains spoilers for each of the anime series mentioned.
10 anime tacticians that can take down any enemy they face
1) Mavis Vermillion (Fairy Tail)
Known as the Fairy Tactitian in the Fairy Tail world, Mavis Vermilion is undoubtedly one of the greatest strategists in anime. Long before the creation of the Fairy Tail guild, Mavis led various armies to victory using her knowledge of war strategy. When she and her soldiers were cornered with no way out, Mavis was able to come up with ways for her team to succeed in the end.
After creating the Fairy Tail guild and becoming its first master, Mavis was able to lead Fairy Tail to victory against other guilds. Even guilds much more powerful than Fairy Tail took caution when encountering them due to Mavis's unmatched ability to strategize.
2) Shikamaru Nara (Naruto)
Every Naruto fan knows Shikamaru Nara is the greatest strategist in the series. Even as a child, Shikamaru was capable of winning fights using just the plans he came up with, despite not being one of the strongest characters. His fight against Temari during the Chunin Exams displays this perfectly. Despite being pushed into a corner due to Temari's powerful Wind Style Jutsus, Shikamaru was able to strategize a way to easily defeat her without having to overpower her.
During the Fourth Great Ninja War, Shikamaru was able to lead the Shinobi Alliance to victory against Madara Uchiha and, subsequently, Kaguya Otsutsuki. Shikamaru's intelligent mind has been instrumental in Hidden Leaf Village winning many battles during the series.
3) Armin Arlert (Attack on Titan)
Armin Arlert was definitely the dark horse of Attack on Titan's main cast. Initially, he had an incredibly timid nature and was a pacifist. He hated fighting anyone, even when he was getting bullied by those older than himself. However, as the Attack on Titan series went on, Armin slowly lost both his timidity and pacifism in the war against the titans. He has become a dangerous genius who is not afraid to kill anyone if it means keeping his friends and Paradis safe.
Despite the character development Armin has undergone, his skill as a strategist remains unparalleled in the Attack on Titan series. He has single handedly developed strategies that allowed Paradis forces to easily overwhelm their opponents and win their battles. However, as the Rumbling began, he began to regret the actions he took that allowed Eren to get to where he is today.
4) Lelouch vi Britannia (Code Geass)
Starting off as an innocent student, Lelouch quickly became one of the most notorious rulers of Britannia in the history of Code Geass. Due to his incredible intelligence and being the son of Britannia's 98th emperor, Lelouch was able to strategically climb the ranks of Britannia's aristocracy in order to become the next emperor. Unfortunately, he was exiled from the kingdom, causing him to become the leader of the rebellion. However, he soon founded the Black Knights and came very close to liberating Britannia due to his well-thought-out military plans.
Thanks to his unmatched intellect and strategic mind, Lelouch was able to lead his team and become one of the strongest anti-Britannia legions in the series. In fact, he caused his team to become a military branch of the United Federation of Nations.
5) L Lawliet (Death Note)
L Lawliet was an incredible detective, easily one of the best in all of anime. His ability to solve incredibly complex and mysterious crimes with limited evidence is unmatched. Due to this, he was brought in by the Japanese government to figure out the true identity of Kira and bring him to justice. This caused L to unknowingly become Light Yagami's biggest threat and largest obstacle during the series.
Despite dying before the end of the series, L's ability to strategize and analyze information allowed him to haunt Light from beyond the grave. L was able to lure Light into a false sense of hope with his death, allowing Near to swiftly uncover Kira's true identity and launch a manhunt for Light.
6) Shiro & Sora (No Game No Life)
Shiro and Sora are a brother-sister duo with an affinity for playing board games. They are capable of creating a strategy to win board games such as chess immediately upon entering a game. Although they are incredibly intelligent on their own, together, they are an unstoppable force capable of taking down even the strongest of beings. In the beginning of the series, they successfully defeated the God of Play himself, Tet, in a game of chess, showcasing their ability to skip several steps ahead.
Shiro and Sora further display their strategic ability while ruling the Commonwealth of Elkia as a King and Queen pair. As excellent tacticians, they create strategies to take on any enemy that tries to attack Elkia. They prefer to take out the leaders of enemy nations through large-scale board games rather than commanding troops, making them some of the most unorthodox rulers in Disboard.
7) Nine (Terror in Resonance)
Terror in Resonance features two main characters, Twelve and Nine, who created a terrorist organization known as Sphinx. Throughout the series, the two often rebelled against Rising Peace Academy to stop their selfish goals. Nine was capable of using his genius-level intellect to outsmart the researchers at the academy, allowing him and Twelve to escape and eventually bring it down.
Although Twelve is much more of a people person and plays pranks all the time, Nine tends to be more reserved and calculating. Nine acts as the head of Sphinx and spends much of the series formulating strategies for their organization to follow. Due to Nine's intellect, the pair was able to avoid law enforcement for years until the Rising Peace Academy came after them. This forced the pair to finally reveal themselves at the end of the series, causing their unfortunate downfall.
8) Wen-li Yang (The Legend of the Galactic Heroes)
Wen-li Yang is a main character in the most iconic military-based anime of all time, The Legend of the Galactic Heroes. He held the position of admiral in the Free Planets Alliance space fleet, where he constantly strategized ways to take down the Galactic Empire and Reinhard von Lohengramm. Due to his constant outclassing of his peers, Wen-li Yang quickly became known as one of the greatest strategists in human history.
One of Wen-li Yang's greatest achievements was making sure his fleet successfully retreated from the Battle of Astate. Due to the terrible decision making of Wen-li Yang's superiors, the Galactic Empire was able to decimate most of the Free Planets Alliance's 36,000 ships despite being outnumbered. Fortunately, Wen-li Yang took over the fourth fleet and was able to recover before the Empire took them both out. This was when Wen-li Yang gained the moniker The Hero of Astate.
9) Shiroe (Log Horizon)
As leader of the Log Horizon guild, Shiroe has gained immense respect from all of the players in Elder Tale. However, it is his role as the Debauchery Tea Party's lead strategist that allows him to test the depths of his knowledge. The Debauchery Tea Party was created as a way for the strongest players to meet up and take on some of the most difficult dungeons and bosses in the game. If it were not for Shiroe, many of these bosses would have been impossible, even for the best players.
Even after the Debauchery Tea Party disbanded, Shiroe continued to demonstrate his strategic prowess by participating in various raid teams. The Round Table Alliance Expeditionary Force, the Abyssal Shaft Raid Party, and the Shibuya Raid Team are the three main teams he led and strategized for. As a result, he was able to defeat countless bosses while uncovering hidden truths about players getting trapped in the Elder Tale game.
10) Touji Souya (March Comes in Like a Lion)
Touji Souya is an important character in March Comes In Like A Lion season 2. He is not a military or battle strategist like the other characters listed above; instead, he is a master at board games, specifically Shogi. He has achieved the title of Meijin, the highest possible professional Shogi title in the anime. This indicates that Touji Souya has become the greatest Shogi player in the series as a result of his masterful strategies. Even those who are of the same professional rank as him do not stand a chance against him in a match.
Rei Kiriyama, protagonist of the anime and upcoming Shogi prodigy, got the chance to play Touji Souya during the anime. He was surprised by how impossible fighting him was. Any move Rei Kiriyama made was immediately countered by Touji Souya. In the end, Rei forfeited the match without making much progress against the Meijin.
Final thoughts
Strategists are integral to various combat-based anime series. Without them, these series would be unable to fully develop and become the legends they are today. Fortunately, there is an abundance of incredibly intelligent characters that have made their respective series unmatched. Many of these characters are also fan favorites, such as Lelouch, Shikamaru, and L Lawliet.
