Top 10+ Anime Where The Main Character is Smart But Lazy

Are you a fan of the anime characters who are smart but lazy? Despite being smart, these characters choose to be socially aloof and stay away from all the activities that take effort. Here’s a list of anime where the MC is lazy but also smart!

Do remember that not all of them are both super smart and super lazy. Some of them are more on the lazy side, and some of them are more inclined towards the smart side. There are also some characters who are known to be academically brilliant but don’t show their smartness elsewhere in the anime. Anyway, without any further ado, let’s jump into the listing!

Top 10+ Anime With Smart But Lazy Main Characters

13. The Genius Prince’s Guide To Raising a Nation Out of Debt

As the name of this anime suggests, the story is about a prince saving his nation. This anime’s MC is smart and very royal-like when in the presence of others. But when he is by himself, he is very lazy.

His white haired assistant girl has to keep pushing him to get things done.

This is a comedy anime, set in a fantasy historical setting. It is all about the genius ways our MC tackles different situations and makes his nation debt free.

12. Tanaka is always listless

Tanaka is the very definition of laziness. As the title says, he is always listless. To put it in perspective, he is the kind of guy who’d rather starve than reach out to grab the food, which is just a tiny bit out of his arm’s reach. While he isn’t exactly the “smart but lazy” type like most other characters in this list (he is more lazy than smart), he is smart in his own ways. He is an adept at reading situations and people. He also somehow manages to be listless all the time without any pressure, regardless of the situation.

To top it all off, this anime is extremely relaxing. Seeing Tanaka doze off, along with the beautiful, but minimalistic background music, will relax you to the bones.

11. Himouto! Umaru-chan

Umaru is a perfect high school girl who is admired by everyone. She is seen as an angel who is kind, smart, hardworking and loving. However, she has another side. Once she gets home, she becomes a completely different person. At home, she is a spoiled little girl who is an extremely lazy otaku.

Her big brother has to take care of everything and cater to Umaru’s every needs as she is unwilling to do anything.

10. Cowboy Bebop

Cowboy Bebop is a legendary anime from the 90’s. This anime has somehow managed to maintain its popularity in the anime community even after 20 years!

The main character of this show, Spike Spiegel is strong, smart, but lazy and laid back. While he is not Light Yagami level smart or Tanaka level lazy, he is your average lazy guy who does things in a laidback manner.

9. Legend of Legendary Heroes

The main character of this anime, Ryner Lute is a smart but lazy man. At first sight, he might seem like a carefree guy with no motivation. However, that personality is just a mask that hides the huge burden that he is carrying on the inside.

He is the carrier of “alpha stigma” that makes him go berserk and destroy everything. Having already witnessed the death of several of his friends, he is now somewhat motivated to save the world by looking for legendary artifacts that might put an end to the long lasting wars.

8. Robotics;notes

Robotics;notes is the creation of the same author as Steins;gate. This is a mecha anime about some kids building their own robot and ultimately saving the world. This may sound cliched and uninteresting, but trust me, it’s far better than I make it sound like.

The main character of this show, Kaito Yashio, is a relaxed, lazy but smart guy who is also blunt and sarcastic. He is extremely rational and doesn’t bend words to make others feel better. While he has no interest in building robot in real life despite being a part of the robotics club, he loves to play an online robot fighting game all the time.

7. My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, As I Expected (Oregairu)

Oregairu is one of the few anime where the MC is smart but lazy, but also kind of hardworking. It’s contradictory, I know. You have to watch it to understand.

This show is about a bunch of anti social students who have been forced together in a club meant for helping people. The main protagonist of the series, Hikigaya Hachiman, has one the most unique personality in the history of anime. His thoughts, beliefs, actions, and their consequences are a treat to the viewers.

Hikigaya Hachiman has an extreme narcissistic and semi-nihilistic tendencies. He firmly believes that the joyful life of the youth is nothing but a farce, and everyone is just lying to themselves.

He is a pro at providing solutions to life problems even at the cost of his own reputation.

6. Akashic Records of a Bastard Magic Instructor

Do you know what happens when a lazy, unmotivated guy is forced to become a teacher? It becomes a self study class! And the students lose any respect for the teacher. This is exactly what happened when Glenn Radars became a teacher in a distinguished magic school.

He was indifferent towards magic and life in general. He barely ever used magic and almost seemed like he had not talent in magic. There was even an instance where he lost to his student on purpose.

But it turns out Glenn was unimaginably powerful and was a military veteran.

This anime is all about how he warms up to his students and also deals with the evil that is growing in the shadows. If you are looking for an action packed anime with a smart but lazy MC then this one is a must watch!

5.Classroom of the elite

Kiyotaka Ayanokouji is your average guy who doesn’t stand out in anything. But that is only because, he wants it to be that way. He is actually super smart and controls things from the shadows. While he isn’t exactly lazy, he always looks bored which might make him feel like he’s lazy.

Being in a school where students are discriminated by their scores in exams, he purposely gets the bare minimum mark to pass and stays at class D, where the worst students of the school are dumped. But why would he do that? Who exactly is Ayanokouji? You’ll get your answers if you watch the anime!

4. Alderamin on the Sky

Alderamin on the sky is a war anime which is centered around our main protagonist, Ikta Solork.

Despite being a solider, Ikta hates war. Ironically though, he is military genius, but is also lazy to the core. Which is why he was eventually called the Lazy Invincible General. He compensates for his lack of combat skills with his genius strategies.

This is a pretty underrated anime that hasn’t been talked about that much. However, I can guarantee you that it will be worth your time!

3.Hyouka

Hyouka is a slice of life detective anime where a group of friends play detectives and unveil mysteries about their school. It is the ideal example of an anime having a main character who is smart but lazy.

It’s main character Houtarou Oreki is an “energy conservation” enthusiast, (also known as a lazy guy with a reason for his laziness) who only does things when he must absolutely have to do it.

He avoids physical labors at all cost. However, his decision to join the classics club leads him to investigating the 45 year old mystery of the club room. Although he is unmotivated and lazy, he is super smart when it comes to his detective skills.

This anime is a perfect slice of life/romance anime.

2. Utawarerumono: Itsuwari no Kamen

Utawarerumono is a wildly underrated anime series where the MC is Smart But Lazy. Honestly, this show deserves more love and attention in the anime fandom. Because too many anime fans are sleeping on this epic series.

The story is about a lazy guy who is a genius at strategy. Be it a fight or just regular physical labor, our MC always tries to find the quickest way to finish the job so that he can relax. This leads him to invent new ideas that revolutionize everything people have ever known.

That said, the main attraction of this anime is the story itself. It is an epic tale that gets darker and more realistic as the story progresses. The first half of the anime is fun and full of hilarious harem moments. The second half is dark, with tons of scenes that would make you emotional.

The main character of this show wakes up one day without any memory of his past. He soon finds out that the world he lives in is full of dangerous monsters. He was saved by a cat girl, with whom he spends the rest of his time. However, one thing happens after another, and his mysterious past is revealed. It turns out that the fate of the world is in his hands.

1. Gintama

The main character of Gintoki is the laziest bum in all of anime but he is also smart. He doesn’t even have a proper job, and he does not pay rent on time. He wouldn’t mind scamming people if it meant getting away with some sort of benefit. No matter how you look at him, his way of life is just pathetic.

However, in reality, he is a far more capable man than he lets the world see. He used to be a legendary samurai who fought against the aliens that invaded their country. But after Japan was defeated and aliens became their overlords, Gintoki is now just a guy who does odd jobs to make a living.

This anime starts off as a parody show with no decent plot but slowly builds a grand story. Maybe because it takes its time with the story progression, the serious arcs of Gintama are always legendary. Especially when things get dark and depressing, anime shines the most.

That’s it for this post! Hope you found something new to watch!!

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