5 Dragon Ball characters with the lowest IQs and 5 with the highest

One of the most intriguing aspects of the Dragon Ball franchise is how many different ways there are for various characters to shine, whether it be through battle or other means. While combat is the most prevalent example of this, several characters have never stepped foot on the battlefield, yet they make some of the most significant contributions in the series.

On the other hand, there are those characters who shine on the battlefield, yet are shown to be essentially useless outside of it throughout the overarching Dragon Ball franchise. Unsurprisingly, there seems to be a strong correlation between the areas where each of these characters shines and their suspected IQ scores.

Goku, Janemba, and 3 other Dragon Ball characters who have the lowest IQs

1) Son Goku

While certainly the most iconic Dragon Ball character, Goku is also one of the least intelligent (Image via Toei Animation)

While Goku is far from the lowest IQs on this list, he’s nevertheless one of the Dragon Ball characters with the lowest IQ in general. Part of this stems from his being a Saiyan, with the race known primarily for their combat prowess rather than intelligence. It also has to do with how he was raised, lacking any formal education in his childhood.

There’s also the fact that Goku has suffered several severe head injuries at a young age, especially the one that gave him amnesia regarding his true origins. While current real-life studies suggest there's nothing about brain injuries that inherently affect one’s IQ, it does make learning harder due to how the brain is affected. Likewise, all these facts combined point to Goku as having one of, but not the lowest, IQs in the series.

2) Majin Buu

Majin Buu's lovable nature is unfortunately a result of his relatively low intellect (Image via Toei Animation)

Majin Buu certainly makes a strong argument for being the character with the lowest IQ in the franchise thus far. His behavior alone indicates this, with Majin rarely acting with any thought outside of the primal desires he feels at that moment. While this is especially true early on in his introduction, it’s still valid even after Hercule domesticates him.

Furthermore, the areas in which Majin Buu tends to show a higher level of thought are mainly restricted to combat, although there are a few exceptions to this generalization. Nevertheless, battle IQ is an entirely different concept and doesn’t help him in this situation.

3) Hercule (Mr. Satan)

Hercule's contributions throughout Dragon Ball typically aren't associated with high intellect (Image via Toei Animation)

While Hercule, also known as Mr. Satan, is likely the smartest Dragon Ball character amongst the other entrants in this section of the article, there are still times when his relatively low IQ shines through. One key example of this comes during the final fight against Kid Buu, in which the character thinks he’s dreaming and legitimately tries to fly through the air. Without a doubt, he has one of the lowest IQs in all of Dragon Ball.

4) Nappa

While a memorable character, Dragon Ball fans typically don't associate Nappa with a high IQ (Image via Toei Animation)

Both in battle and outside of it, Nappa is definitively shown as having one of the lowest IQs among all series characters. A great example is his fight against Krillin, in which he convinces himself he can tank the Destructo Disc attack. If it weren’t for Vegeta warning him at the last second, he would’ve been cut in half due to foolishly assuming he’s stronger than any Earthling attack.

Much like Majin Buu, Nappa is also shown to primarily give in to his carnal desires without much thinking or consideration beyond them. His destruction of the various planets he and Vegeta visit on their way to Earth highlights this, as does his destruction of an innocent Earth city upon their immediate arrival. While one could argue that this is confidence, the level of thinking he shows during these acts emphasizes that it’s largely an issue of intellect.

5) Janemba

Despite his memorable appearance, Janemba undoubtedly has one of Dragon Ball's lowest IQs (Image via Toei Animation)

Finally, Janemba is likely the character who can best compete with Majin Buu for the Dragon Ball character with the lowest IQ overall. In both of his two different forms, Janemba is shown unable to speak or communicate at all, even seemingly unable to acknowledge when people are trying to communicate with him.

While he does show some intelligence in his second form, this largely seems to be battle IQ rather than general intellect. With Majin Buu at least able to form words and have conversations, it’s likely that Janemba is the Dragon Ball character with the single lowest IQ overall.

Bulma, Gohan, and 3 other Dragon Ball characters with the highest IQs

1) Bulma Briefs

Despite lacking in combat prowess, Bulma more than makes up for it with her intellectual contributions throughout Dragon Ball (Image via Toei Animation)

Without a doubt, Bulma Briefs’ legacy is cemented as one of the characters with the highest IQs in the series, if not the highest overall. Her creation of the Dragon Radar, discovery and creation of time travel, natural inventive ability, and scientific genius cement this beyond any doubt.

Bulma is also shown to be able to understand and reverse engineer alien technology via her recreation of the Saiyan battle armor and piloting the Nameless Namekian’s Spaceship. While these accomplishments indicate her accolades in canon, several other non-canon scenes and feats further drive home her intelligence.

2) Piccolo

Even if only for his fusing with Kami and Nail, Piccolo almost certainly boasts one of the series' highest IQs (Image via Toei Animation)

As Piccolo currently is in ongoing Dragon Ball material, there’s little to no doubt he has one of the highest IQs in the series overall. One major piece of evidence to support this stems from the fact that Piccolo technically has the smarts of three different people—himself, Nail, and Kami. Likewise, the addition of Kami’s IQ is especially key to his inclusion here.

There’s also the fact that he’s constantly shown as having some of the best foresight and planning of anyone in the entire series, even in an impromptu context. This is especially true during the Buu Saga following Goku’s return to the Other World, where he takes charge of the Z Fighters, comes up with a plan, and is unafraid to bet on himself and his intellect.

3) Dr. Gero

The series' notorious mad scientist definitively boasts one of the franchise's highest IQs (Image via Toei Animation)

For his work on robotics and cybernetics alone, Dr. Gero undoubtedly boasts one of the highest IQs amongst any character in the series. Bulma’s praise of him during the Android saga further solidifies this, as does her father’s recognition of the name Gero and discussions of him. His achievements when working with the Red Ribbon Army further support this.

However, his creation of Cell and the supercomputer that he built for the same especially emphasize this and also show that he’s quite shrewd and cunning. Combined with the fact that he somehow managed to turn himself into an Android, there’s little to no doubt that Dr. Gero is one of the series’ most intelligent characters.

4) Dr. Briefs

Dragon Ball's most infamous inventor undoubtedly has one of the series' highest IQs (Image via Toei Animation)

Likewise, Dr. Gero’s colleague Dr. Briefs has one of the highest IQs in the Dragon Ball franchise. The revolutionary invention with which he’s most heavily associated, Capsule Corp’s Dynocaps Capsule, cements his inclusion here alone. However, there are several other instances throughout the series that emphasize how intelligent he is.

One of the most definitive examples is when he modifies and improves the Nameless Namekian’s Spaceship despite it being his first foray into alien technology. Not only that, he becomes familiar enough with the tech to reverse engineer it and make a second spaceship in the image of the original. His additional repair work and inventions seen throughout the franchise further justify his inclusion here.

5) Son Gohan

Son Gohan undoubtedly has one of the series' highest IQs (Image via Toei Animation)

Lastly, Son Gohan certainly has one of the highest IQs in the franchise. Much of this comes from his love for knowledge and dedication to learning, to the point where he even abandoned being the strongest fighter on Earth for the sake of going to high school and becoming smarter.

This love of knowledge continuing into adulthood is also a major reason why his IQ is regarded as one of the highest in the series. Without a doubt, Gohan is one of the smartest characters in the franchise thanks to his natural love for knowledge and the efforts he’s made to broaden his own.

In conclusion

While there are many Dragon Ball characters above whose rankings and even inclusions would be different in a discussion of battle IQ, that’s not the case for this list. As a result, when excluding battle prowess, the above 10 characters make up those five with the highest IQs and those five with the lowest in the franchise.