Top 10 Smartest My Hero Academia Villains, Ranked

*Here are the smartest My Hero Academia villains ranked, in ascending order.

My Hero Academia, by Kohei Horikoshi, is among the vast array of extremely popular anime/manga worldwide. As the name states, it is about youngsters and their journeys to become heroes that society can rely on. Wherever there are heroes, there must always be villains, which this series doesn’t lack in the slightest. The My Hero Academia villains tend to bring out both the best and worst in the heroes.

Some villains in the series are all muscles and no brains, but a couple is a peg above the rest. They are masterminds in plotting and scheming, and are also responsible for some of the heart-wrenching deaths we witness, among other events. They get us emotionally invested in them, either harbouring hatred or just raising questions. The My Hero Academia villains are so innumerable, but a select few raise eyebrows in terms of intelligence. You wouldn’t want to let these villains roam the streets unsupervised! Without further ado, here are our Top 10 Smartest My Hero Academia villains.

Related: My Hero Academia movies to check out this year.

10.  (Hero Killer) Stain.

Hero Killer Stain from My Hero Academia

Let’s face it. Technically, Stain is one of the reasons why My Hero Academia’s Villain society is as big as it is today. He gave most of them fuel; a cause to identify with. Although it may not take much wit or smarts to become as iconic as Stain, it certainly isn’t easy. Him being the lowest on the list of smartest My Hero Academia villains doesn’t dampen his shine.

Chizome Akaguro, a.k.a Stain, was the villain who called the fakeness of the Hero society into question. He considers all heroes, with the exception of All Might, fakes, and decides to take them down as a way of purging the world. His quirk permits him to immobilize his attackers for varied amounts of time once he has licked their blood. Before being apprehended, he successfully attacked 24 pro heroes, and killed 17. That’s quite a number, isn’t it? You’ve gotta have the brains to pull that off!

09. Skeptic

Tomoyasu Chikazoku, also known as Skeptic, is a key member of the Meta Liberation Army. Formerly a board member at an I.T company, Skeptic is a strategist who uses accumulated data to concoct elaborate plans. His quirk (meta ability) permits him to transform and control human-sized objects, though we haven’t seen him use it yet. Terrifying, isn’t it? He serves as the data pool and the mastermind behind the schemes of the Meta Liberation Army, and seeing the impact they’ve made, it’s not an overstatement to say he has done a good job. He also -willingly or unwillingly- helped Dabi to hijack the nation’s broadcasting network to unveil damning evidence on the hero society.

08. La Brava

Ranking 8th on our list of most intelligent My Hero Academia villains, we have Manami Aiba. Known by her villain name, La Brava is a self-taught, top-tier professional hacker, as well as all things technology. Authorities have asked her for assistance with her highly sought-after skills, but she refuses to use them if they aren’t for the service of her one true love; Gentle Criminal. 

As a freelance agent, she becomes the wheels of Gentle’s car and propels him to where he desired to be. From setting up his online channel, to editing and publishing his videos which helped him gain traction, she did it all. Even plotting all his crimes and single-handedly taking down U.A High School’s security program to make their infiltration easier was done by her without breaking a sweat. Coupled with that, her quirk, Love, helps her give a strong boost to her lover. The stronger the relation, the more power is granted. Who knows what would happen if All for One were to woo her into loving him? End of the world guaranteed!

Related: Top 10 Suprising Moments in MHA

07. Re-Destro.

Rikiya Yotsubashi, who sports the alias Re-Destro, was the head of the Meta Liberation Army, which was left behind by Destro. Re-Destro swore to carry his will over, which brought about the growth of the Army. On the surface, he’s the CEO of Detnerat, a support company for the hero industry, and it’s no shocker that his identity hasn’t been unveiled. The sole reason for that is his raw intelligence. Leading the Army, running his company and also putting his goods into the black market is probably a huge engagement for him, and brings him stress. That stress, however, is even a bigger plus, as his quirk allows him to convert stress into strength. A match made in heaven!

Giran is an infamous underworld broker who can get his hands on just about anything. From providing gear and equipment to even scouting mercenaries, Kagero Okuta, they’re just one call away. He’s also very loyal to his customers, in this case, the League of Villains. Giran foresaw the influence that Hero Killer Stain would have on society, which most didn’t. He is the individual who provided Mr Compress’ prosthetic arm, as well as Spinner’s blades, Twice’s villain suit and Toga’s gear. Also, he introduced Twice, Toga and Dabi to Shigaraki to join the League. With his smarts and sly nature, he has been able to evade being pinned down either by heroes or aggressive customers (most of the time). Manoeuvring relationships with clients probably does require a lot of wits, which would facilitate his line of work. 

06. Giran

Kagero Okuta is an infamous underworld broker who can get his hands on just about anything. From providing gear and equipment to even scouting mercenaries, with Giran, they’re just one call away. He’s also very loyal to his customers, in this case, the League of Villains. He foresaw the influence that Hero Killer Stain would have on society, which most didn’t. He is the individual who provided Mr Compress’ prosthetic arm, as well as Spinner’s blades, Twice’s villain suit and Toga’s gear. Also, he introduced Twice, Toga and Dabi to Shigaraki to join the League. With his smarts and sly nature, he has been able to evade being pinned down either by heroes or aggressive customers (most of the time). Manoeuvring relationships with clients probably does require a lot of wits, which would facilitate his line of work.

05.  Overhaul. 

Kai Chisaki is the young leader of the Shie Hassaikai yakuza group. Chisaki was scooped off the streets by the former Hassaikai boss, who later fell terminally ill. Overhaul, as a way of paying his debt to the boss, developed a genius plan to revive the gang and put them back on the map. This plan consisted of making a serum which, when injected into heroes, would make them lose their quirks. In order to make this serum, he would have to use the flesh of his boss’ daughter, against her will. Then they would sell the solution, an antidote which would restore quirks, and bingo, they’d have an economy in their hands, all while denting the hero society. 

Overhaul has proven that he has the intelligence to hatch masterplans, even if they don’t all end well. His plan to build his economy off the hero society failed, as well as trying to join the League of Villains, which backfired very violently. Although he may have gone down easier than other My Hero Academia villains, he was able to annihilate a pro hero with him.

04. Daruma Ujiko (Kyudai Garaki)

Garaki, a faithful pawn of All For One, is probably second to none other than All For One in terms of intelligence. In fact, we could dare to say he’s even smarter but lacks the power to complement it. As much of a pawn as he is, it doesn’t dumb down his smarts.

He’s the great dark mad scientist who worked on the revival of All For One’s body after his brawl with All Might. He also is the brains behind the manufacturing of Nomus and High Ends, and given that he owns multiple hospitals and orphanages, he has regular ideal test subjects. All right under everyone’s noses! His quirk enables him to extend his lifespan by taking on a physique much younger than his actual age. Given that he works in the shadows, he is able to escape the watchful eye of onlookers, but somehow, we were able to catch him to put him on this list…

03. Tomura Shigaraki

Tenko Shimura, now known as Shigaraki, killed his whole family with his own quirk (Decay). Leaving him with no one to turn to, he became a vagabond, and nobody offered him help, including heroes. This led to him resenting the hero society and vowing to plunge the world into turmoil just like his, by launching a series of atrocious attacks.

Shigaraki starts by plotting the attack on U.A High school at the very beginning of 1A’s school year, which made the League of Villains a household name. He kidnaps Bakugo in order to get the attention of the Hero society. He allied with the Shie Hassaikai to promote the League’s popularity, and destroyed it entirely along with Overhaul, leaving it with no arms to keep working. The same thing was done with Re-Destro and the Meta Liberation Army, and he cannibalised it till he came out on top. What a guy! Even if his plans weren’t always the most hard-hitters, they were always a success and got the job done. It is possible to say he is just another of All For One’s pawns, but we still think we should all watch him closely.

02. Dabi

Dabi, the devil cursed with powerful blue flames, deserves the 2nd spot among the smartest My Hero Academia villains. At first glance, he seems to be a very laid-back, unassuming, yet sometimes aggressive villain. Even among the members of the League of Villains, he seems to follow the others aimlessly with no drive of his own. Is that really the case though?

If life teaches us anything, it is that we should try not to judge a book by its cover, and the same goes for Toya Todoroki. He instantly earns a genius medal for pulling off a scheme so malicious that it shakes the Hero, Villain and regular human societies to their cores. He reveals Endeavour’s questionable deeds, from quirk marriages to maltreating his wife, to overworking and neglecting his children. The final nail on the coffin was revealing that he was indeed Endeavour’s very own son, who was supposedly dead. All this in a bid to show the world that heroes aren’t protectors, but rather scumbags using privileges for their own gain.

01.  All For One

Last but not least, the man who holds the reins of the villain society. The top smartest  My Hero Academia villain-you guessed it-, All For One. This man is the overlord of evil in My Hero Academia. As the polar opposite of the Symbol of Peace, he is the villain people dread the most. All For One’s quirk allows him to steal as many quirks as he likes, in addition to stockpiling and reusing them. Really, much is unknown about this character. Even though he is imprisoned for the greater part of the story, it becomes clear that he pulls the strings. It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say that everything that is going on is according to his plan.

There you have it.  Here are our smartest My Hero Academia villains, for your consumption. For people who may want the actual statistics on intelligence, the My Hero Academia: Ultra Analysis is your guide! Is there anyone you think should be on here but isn’t? Or even someone who should be ranked higher? As always, the list is subjective, as opinions differ greatly across the board.  In case you’re still looking for more brain action to tickle your brain, look no further. We’ve got your back! Read: Top 100 Smartest Anime Characters to see in action.