Attack on Titan: 10 clever anime characters Armin Arlert can out-strategize

Attack on Titan portrays Armin Arlert as an intelligent and strategic mind, where often the safety of his close friends and humanity is checked by his brilliant intellect.

His mentality of thinking ahead, analyzing complex situations, and keeping a real plan makes him one of the brightest tacticians in the series. Armin's calm under pressure and will to make difficult decisions show him a sharp strategic skill to outwit even powerful foes.

While there are a lot of intelligent anime characters, what separates Armin from most of them is the combination of insight and adaptability that allows him to take that extra step forward when he's cornered. Here are the ten clever anime characters Armin Arlert can out-strategize.

Disclaimer: This list is ranked in no particular order and contains the writer's opinion.

Edward Elric, Eren Yeager, and 8 other clever anime characters Attack on Titan's Armin Arlert can out-strategize

1) Gon Freecss (Hunter x Hunter)

Gon Freecss is known for his fast, instinctive strategies in combat, but his plans often are based more on emotion and impulse than on any careful strategy. Gon adapts better to swift movements; however, he sometimes forgets the long-term consequences, putting himself in danger.

On the other hand, Armin Arlert in Attack on Titan thinks really well in methodical and analytical ways, enabling him to plan ahead concerning his competitor's moves much farther than theirs. In such a more calculated scenario, thinking several steps ahead clearly gives Armin an advantage.

2) Monkey D. Luffy (One Piece)

Monkey D. Luffy (Image via Toei Animation)

Moneky D. Luffy is a great fighter with incredible instincts in battle, but often shines more by gut feeling than planning. Though he can adjust to changing situations, Luffy usually leaps headlong into most challenges without first assessing the outcome of those actions.

However, Armin's strength lies in carefully analyzing a situation to predict the outcome and crafting great strategies where even minor details are included. Since Luffy is one of the impulsive characters, Armin could easily outsmart him in a battle of brains and make him one of the smart anime characters Armin Arlert from Attack on Titan can out-strategize.

3) Yugi Muto (Yu-Gi-Oh!)

Yugi Muto is a brilliant strategist within the universe of Yu-Gi-Oh!, winning high-stakes duels and solid strategies using the intellect of complicated tricks in interesting plays. The problem is that his strategies largely hinge on the card game rules that limit his thinking to such frameworks.

Armin Arlert's tactical brilliance works on a much larger scale, fighting for life and death, upon which a person's response-ability to think quicker and more agile comes into play in the situations. The facts considered by Armin in live combat scenarios give him an advantage when things are not that straight and simple for the person involved.

4) Norman (The Promoise Neverland)

Norman of The Promised Neverland is meant to be a genius, scheming up plans of evasion and always taking the upper hand in his adversaries and opponents. However, his reliance on logic and deliberate thinking does make him predictable, particularly when unknown emotional variables are present.

Conversely, Armin from Attack on Titan thrives better in situations wherein more emotions and human connections are at play, and he can adjust himself and outmaneuver people like Norman, who are less adaptable to the situation.

5) Edward Elric (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)

Edward Elric is a quick, sharp-witted, and resourceful alchemist of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. However, Armin from Attack on Titan has a strategic mindset that helps him understand situations much more holistically.

While Edward is perfecting his combat skills and improvisation, Armin's skill to predict and decipher the enemy's moves makes all the difference when things become desperate. His high understanding of human psychology and his knowledge of strategic maneuvers make him very important in planning complex strategies.

6) Shikamaru Nara (Naruto Shippuden)

Shikamaru Nara (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Shikamaru Nara is perfect for strategy and tactical planning, often breaking down the situation to come up with a solution. However, relying on the established patterns might sometimes make it inflexible to ambiguous situations.

On the other hand, Armin Arlert's creativity and thinking on his toes facilitate novel strategies, especially in high-pressure situations. Armin Arlert, who can reassess situations and consider alternative, unconventional tactics, has a big edge in dynamic environments.

This makes it possible for him to outwit Shikamaru, thus counting himself among the smart anime characters that Attack on Titan's Armin Arlert can outsmart.

7) Izuku Midoriya (My Hero Academia)

Izuku Midoriya relies mainly on raw power and physical abilities, which often plan his battle approach. Although he is strategic enough, especially in analyzing the opponents' quirks, he seems more inclined to action and less inclined to think deeply.

However, Armin Arlert, in Attack in Titan, excels in developing rounded strategies that alter effectively after understanding a new development. This enables Armin to forecast different possible outcomes and develop complicated tactics that would outmaneuver Midoriya.

8) Eren Yeager (Attack on Titan)

From the same universe of Attack on Titan, Eren Yeager relies on his raw power and in-the-moment decisions, which can sometimes cloud his judgment. Even though he exhibits some tactical brilliance, his emotional motivations often lead to rash actions that forget the details of a larger strategy.

Using this analytical view, Armin can identify most of the weaknesses and development plans considering Eren's acts' long-run consequences. Since he is aware of the nature of Eren, Armin can build counter-strategies that will help them boost their chances of winning.

9) Kars (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)

Kars (Image via David Production)Attack on Titan

Kars is the leader of the Pillar Men in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, with very high intelligence and combat capability; however, overconfidence is the thing that often blinds him to strategy subtlety and human emotion.

Such a weakness can be taken advantage of by Armin Arlert by using tactics that will be deception and manipulation but would include Kars in traps he wouldn't anticipate. Further, Armin can adapt based on the situation to think on his feet and thus make decisions that will neutralize Kars's plans effectively.

10) Kiyotaka Ayanokoji (Classroom Of The Elite)

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji is considered one of the very smart, manipulative, and strategic thinkers of students in the Classroom of the Elite. He mainly sits at the back and uses tools to go unnoticed and get what he wants. However, it stunts him if he finds himself overly secretive or proves anything without going head-to-head with his opponent at times.

Armin Arlert, meanwhile, in a reverse scenario, stands ahead in the scheme of things. Here, his real-time ability to adapt to crises and willingness to work together with others for the realization of mutual goals makes him stand ahead. Armin is pretty open concerning communication and proactive while strategizing, which makes him a more potent leader.

Final thoughts

Armin Arlert in the anime series Attack on Titan is undoubtedly one of the best strategists in anime and one of the brightest characters among such a great cast. His incredibly think-heavy, fast-moving mind with calm thought puts him far above the level of characters like Gon Freecss, Monkey D. Luffy, or even Yugi Muto.

Even characters like Edward Elric and Kiyotaka Ayanokoji are very intelligent, at some moments, their setbacks—such as impulsiveness or secretiveness—can hinder their effectiveness in critical moments.

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Edited by Toshali Kritika