There was a time when people were adamant about the fact that JRPGs were nothing more than a thing of the past, with the genre having little to no place in the gaming mainstream. It was easy to see why this mentality became oh so prevalent — turn-based combat wasn't something that people looked forward to as gaming became more complex and real-time combat became the norm.
So, by all accounts, Persona 5 should've been a mildly successful launch at best. On paper, it seemed like Atlus was going to release a title with outdated combat and mechanics in an era when high-end graphics and edge-of-your-seat combat were generally considered to be the norm. However, upon release, Persona 5 quickly established itself as one of the greatest video games of all time, and perhaps the greatest RPG ever made. The turn-based combat felt incredibly fast & fresh, the story was incredibly well-told & paced, and the music was excellent in every sense of the word.
But of course, one can't talk about the brilliance of Persona 5 without mentioning its colorful cast of characters, each of whom have established themselves as fan favorites in some way or the other. This list will adopt an interesting take and rank the main characters of Persona 5 on the basis of their intelligence... starting NOW!
9 Ryuji Sakamoto
Every character in the Persona series conforms to an anime trope in some form or the other. However, this is not necessarily a bad thing, and Ryuji perfectly exemplifies why. While he might look like your run-of-the-mill dumb character who's there just for comic relief, there's just so much more to his persona that makes him such a unique character.
However, in terms of intellect, it must be said that Ryuji is definitely one of the stupidest main characters. While that doesn't take away anything from his raw potential, there's no denying that he's not really all that bright.
8 Ann Takamaki
Next on the list is another classmate of Joker who joins as one of the first members of the party to infiltrate Kamoshida's palace. While Ann can definitely think quick on her feet when push comes to shove, it's still fairly evident that she's not exactly the brightest of the lot.
To be fair, Ann could've easily switched places with the next person on the list since their intellect is somewhat similar. However, we decided to give the benefit of the doubt to the next person instead.
7 Haru Okumura
It doesn't take an expert to say that Haru is perhaps one of the more forgettable characters in the game, and it's easy to see why this is the case. While she might certainly be an entertaining personality to have in your team, the fact that she comes a bit late to the party definitely hampers her overall impact in the grand scheme of things.
The fact that she's not exactly the brightest light in the party means that she can't even excel in that front!
6 Yusuke Kitagawa
The creative genius with a heart of gold, it goes without saying that Yusuke Kitagawa is a fan favorite for all the right reasons. While he might not be all that intelligent, the fact that he's a creative genius definitely plays out in his favor.
To be perfectly honest, Yusuke would be way down in the rankings had he not displayed any artistic zeal.
5 Morgana
This is where the rankings get kinda hard.
Morgana is your constant feline companion that guides you at every step of the way — an action that gets kinda irritating at times... but he's a cat, so everything's cool at the end of the day.
Of course, there's a reason why Morgana is an excellent voice of reason — this feline is able to assess situations and provide assessments that are quite well-thought-out. Not many people are able to accomplish such a feat with the ease that Morgana displays.
4 Goro Akechi
Next up on the list is Goro Akechi — a phenomenal detective who has all the intellect one might expect from a young prodigy.
Oh, and he also happens to be — spoilers for anyone who hasn't finished the game yet — the traitor who was pulling the strings behind the shadows and throws the protagonist under a bridge.
Honestly, he would've gotten away with it as well... if it hadn't been for the fact that other people in the team were still smarter than him.
3 Akira Kurusu (Joker)
One might argue that Akira Kurusu — or at least, that's what the protagonist's canon name is according to the anime adaptation — is only as smart as the player controlling them.
However, given the manner in which events unfold at the latter half of the game — coupled with the fact that maxing out Akira's intellect isn't really all that hard if the player is diligent enough — it must be said that behind Joker's silent persona lies a mind that is constantly calculating each and every move without fail.
2 Makoto Niijima
Is it any wonder that the student council president also happens to be one of the smartest main characters in the game?
It's kinda ironic that Makoto had such a massive inferiority complex when the fact of the matter is that her intellect is excellent in every sense of the word. After getting over this unfounded, Makoto's brains would be more than enough for her to excel in any department that she put her mind to.
1 Futaba Sakura
Unfortunately, when it comes to the smartest main character in Persona 5, it goes without saying that Makoto has to play second fiddle to the brilliant mind of Futaba.
The reserved adopted daughter of Sojiro Sakura stayed cooped up for the most part with her own devices. However, this didn't mean that she didn't develop any talents whatsoever — on contrary, one of the main reasons why Futaba was such a loner was because of her high IQ and eidetic memory, which alienated her from the rest of the common students who thought that she was a freak of some kind.
This wasn't even remotely the case. Futaba was just a genius of the highest order, which is why she bags the first spot in the rankings.