Some anime heroes and sidekicks use magic powers or huge muscles to win the day. Not all heroes are necessarily front-line fighters, though, and many anime shows today feature some of the most brilliant scientists and inventors in all of fiction. They might create a new lab-grown animal, build a robot or two, or even modify their own bodies to survive and adapt.
Scarily enough, some of these scientsts and engineers are villains, and the heroes must go up against some of their most terrifying contraptions and monsters of all. Many scientists are trying to change the world for the better, but some are looking to use science to unlock ultimate power and become immortal. Who are the ten most genius scientists, inventors, and tinkerers in anime?
10 Mei Hatsume (My Hero Academia)
Most of the hero students in My Hero Academia are front line fighters, akin to classic Shonen leads or Western comic heroes like Captain America, Batman, and the X-Men. But for every hero, there's an inventor or scientist building their gear and outfits. In this case, we get the quirky Mei Hatsume, who can't throw a punch, but she can build nearly anything. Her inventions (nicknamed "babies") can compliment and enhance nearly any hero's quirk out there, and she entered a televised combat tournament just to show off her gadgets. Tenya Iida made for a fine test subject, and later, when Izuku needed a new costme to enhance his power, he went straight to Mei for the job.
9 Senku (Dr. Stone)
Crunchyroll's new hit anime Dr. Stone is a sort of apocalyptic story, but this is no Mad Max adventure. Rather, we cheer as Senku, a brilliant high schooler, harnesses the power of science to restore civilization long after it collapsed. A mysterious energy wave turned all of humanity to stone, and 3,700 years later, Senku is ready to reinvent nearly everything. He's got two million years of science to rebuild, and this ranges from making glass to gas masks all the way to a hand-cranked power generator! The new Stone Age's natives are both terrified and impressed with his advanced contraptions. Another day, another idea!
8 Captain Kurotsuchi (Bleach)
Unlike some other scientists and inventors on this list, Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi is a front-line fighter. As one of the thirteen Captains of the Court Guard Squads, he's not afraid to get his hands dirty. He can use a sword like the others, but Captain Kurotsuchi can do more. He runs an advanced lab in the Squad 12 barracks with the aid of his Lieutenant, and he collects specimens from every corner of the universe. With these innovations, and good use of spy bugs, Captain Kurotsuchi can analyze any foe's combat powers and neutralize them. He defeated Szayelaporro Grantz in a science duel, and he later turned the tables on Sternritter "Z" Giselle Gewelle by studying her zombie-based power and exploiting it. All with science, of course.
7 Orochimaru (Naruto)
While Mayuri Kurotsuchi is a cruel good guy, Orochimaru is truly a villain who wields the dark side of science. He wasn't content to be a top-ranking shinobi of the Hidden Leaf Village; in fact, he's not even content to be mortal! Orochimaru wants it all, and he's got the cunning mind and scientific genius to research the very limits of the human body and jutsu alike. Orochimaru set out to learn every jutsu in the world, and his various labs are packed with specimens and gruesome test subjects. He also innovated the curse mark, which is no small feat. Too bad some of his creations turned on him later.
6 The Professor (Nichijou)
Known simply as "the Professor," this is a kid genius with a knack for invention... and goofing off! At age eight, the Professor created Nano Shinonome, a very convincing robot girl with a fully human mind. The Professor can also pack random gadgets and weapons in Nano's arms at will, showing off her whimisal genius. Just for fun, the Professor put a large hand crank on Nano's back, and she later invents a scarf that allows her adopted cat, Sakamoto, to speak perfectly. Talk about a wunderkind!
5 Satomi Hakase (Mahou Sensei Negima!)
This is one of the many girls in Class 3-A of Mahou Sensei Negima!, and she's a standout for being not a vampire or a ghost or Chinese martial artist, but being a master of technology. It takes time for Satomi to get much screen time, but once we see her everyday life, it's clear that she lives and breathes science. Satomi often spends the night in the class on Mahora Academy's campus, and she's a leader among the campus's science and tech students. Oh, and don't forget how she built Chachamaru, an android who is in fact one of the students in Negi Springfield's class. Don't just make friends with your classmates... build them!
4 Homare (Are You Lost?)
Strictly speaking, Homare is a survivalist, having learned many things from her tough-as-nails father. But a lot of her survival skills are based on science, such as understanding how to tell apart different plants, building traps, and all sorts of anatomy facts of the human body. Homare knows how to hydrate the body and find fresh water in various ways, and she knows the habits and biology of many different animals, too. You can't survive the wilds without understanding how it all works.
3 Kotaro Tatsumi (Zombie Land Saga)
Just how, exactly, did this young man bring several dead girls back to life to create a troupe of undead pop idols? Well, that's a secret! But there's no hint that magic was at play, so we can presume that Kotaro used some seriously advanced science to breathe life back into these girls. He also understands how zombies like them function, including how dried squid is their favorite food. Plus, but he's a master at cosmetics, and touches up the girls so they appear alive during live (what a pun) performances.
2 Professor Oak (Pokemon)
He's a sort of grandfather mentor to young Pokemon trainers around the world, and one of the key figures of the lore. This kind old man understands everything there is to know about Pokemon, and he's seen it all. Not only that, but the Professor is a kind and empathetic person who treats Pokemon with great respect, acting as a role model for relations between Pokemon and humanity. And he's always seen in a high tech lab somewhere, keeping the world of Pokemon running smoothly.
1 Dr. Genus (One Punch Man)
Now we get another character who harnessed the power of science not for good, but for evil. This brilliant man's scientific discoveries were rejected and scorned in his youth, but that didn't deter him. Rather, Dr. Genus studied well into his twilight years, and with science, he reverted himself to a younger man and plotted his revenge. In fact, he grew a whole platoon of clones of himself, and he created a fantastically powerful monster whose strength even he feared. His creations and underground lab, though, met an early end when Saitama blasted it all apart with one punch!
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