Naruto’s Shikamaru Nara and Death Note’s Light Yagami possess a combined IQ that crosses the 400 mark. The two characters are the most intelligent men in their respective franchises. Comparing the ninja with a highly proficient serial killer based on their mental capabilities has led to some interesting conclusions.
Shikamaru Nara is the most brilliant strategist in the Naruto verse. He was appointed the leader of the Sasuke Recovery Team to prevent the Uchiha from leaving Otogakure village, the proxy-general for Gaara after being assigned to the Fourth Division, and later became the advisor to Naruto. He became the 8th Hokage in Boruto: Chapter 81 after Naruto was sealed by Kawaki.
Light Yagami in Death Note is a talented man with a natural genius. He is highly perceptive to the criminal activities around him and tries to end all evil after finding Ryuk’s death note. Throughout the series, Light dodges the authorities after committing many murders as ‘Kira’, even going to the length of cold-heatedly using his family and friends to save himself.
Is Shikamaru Nara More Intelligent Than Light Yagami?
Shikamaru Nara is a natural genius similar to Light Yagami. At the beginning of the Naruto series, he showed an exceptional ability to learn techniques and was able to master many shadow-based abilities. The Nara clan member can use his vast pool of knowledge to predict incoming attacks and subsequently counter them by devising a hundred scenarios in his mind.
Speaking of Tsugumi Ohba’s creation, Light Yagami has a supremely practical and bookish intelligence. The first episode features Yagami reciting lines when being asked by a teacher even though he was not paying attention in class. Also, he manages to make a construct in his drawer that would burn the death note (evidence of his crimes) if it fell into the wrong hands.
Light Yagami is definitely smarter than Shikamaru Nara when it comes to practical intelligence and strategizing. Unlike Naru, who had ninjutsu powers, Yagami had to rely sheerly on his concocted plans to save himself and remain blameless. He outwitted L with his detective-level skills and also had the ability to manipulate a secret agent into writing all the FBI agents’ names.
While Nara’s mental capacity didn’t reflect in his grades in the written Chunin Exams, Light Yagami was the top scorer in his high school for years. Yagami is also believed to have a higher IQ than Shikmaru, considering that the latter is revealed to have an IQ of 200 by Asuma while Light’s IQ is considered to be in the range of 210 to 235.
Light devious mind is not held back by any moral conscience after declaring himself “the God of the New World.” He compels Misa to relinquish her death note to him, forgetting everything associated with the notebook, and turns a blind eye to the torture that L puts her through. Even Kiyomi Takada, Light’s school friend, isn’t spared from his plan as she met a horrible fate after killing Mellow.
Yagami knew how to pull the strings of those who loved or rather ‘worshipped’ him. In Shikamaru Nara’s case, most of his plans or advice backfire. He gets a bad reputation for inciting wars although is a highly respected figure in Naruto.
Also Read: Boruto Chapter 81: 6 Shinobi Who Would’ve Been a Better 8th Hokage after Naruto Than Shikamaru
Naruto’s Shikamaru Nara Does Beat Death Note’s Light Yagami In One Aspect
Shikamaru Nara is obviously better than Light Yagami in battle intelligence. The 8th Hokage is capable of manipulating many shadow techniques and relies on his quick thinking to spot a weakness. He is much more experienced in terms of combat compared to Yagami as the latter is merely human and plays his part by writing in a notebook.
Naruto’s Nara also has a much better fate compared to the Death Note character. After losing his mentor, participating in multiple wars, and training himself, Shikamaru ended on a high by attaining the 8th Hokage position. Light Yagami, in the meantime, thought himself to be victorious after killing L with his notebook but ended up being outsmarted by Near and Mellow.
Succumbing to the gunshot wounds from Matsuda, Yagami took his last breath before Ryuk wrote his name on the death note. His soul attains neither heaven nor hell but is trapped in the void.
