Well in Japan "genius" can also refer to talent. But since I define genius as "intelligence" I'll go with the boy with the over 200 IQ
Not even Itachi can touch that and I think it was telling Madara complemented Shikamaru and recognized what he was dealing with.
Plus he will end up a better version of his father who is the smartest guy in the series.
This is what I said essentially. Right now, Shikaku has him beat. Recall they last played Shogi after Asuma's passing, and Shikaku beat him. Shikamaru has more potential, but he needs to utilize it, war is perfect for that and to surpass his father.
why is Minato not included
Quoting the OP:
I didnt put Minato on there because there are a lot Minato fan boys on this base so it would be unfair.
Personally I disagree (I mean it's not like a zombie film where they're gonna come storming in voting for Minato and wanting brains. Further, the number of Itachi fanboys is just as insane as Minato's. Half the poll is Uchiha's.), but it's not my poll/thread. That's your answer.
This totally defies me, as I quote the OP:
When I say genuis I mean the best thinkers and who has the a lot of jutsu to use against opponets and who can analyze situations.
I believe that literally describes Kakashi verbatim; a jounin at 12 before the Sharingan who learned both the Rasengan and invented the Chidori. He mastered the regular Sharingan better than most Uchiha, and is one a a handful to ever have a MS. Kakashi the Copy Ninja with over 1,000 jutsu to use against opponents and who can analyze any situation it seems (ex. deriving the deva realm 5s rule, and basically every fight he's fought).
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Finally, Anub has asked kindly and repeatedly. Why the hell is Sai on here (I used hell, apologies)? If you're going artistic genius with Sai, you need to go to Deidara (my favorite, which is kind of obvious, lol) or Sasori depending on if art is a blast (Deidara) or something that should last forever (Sasori), respectively.
However, the poll options don't seem to reflect the OP's definition of genius for some characters like Sai. How many jutsu have we seen other than ink dogs, snakes, and birds of various types. Supposedly he has some sealing jutsu too according to Kakashi (mentioned when Kakashi wanted to use ROOT sealing jutsu against the KG and 7-swordsmen Edo Tensei, yet Sai seemed unclear as to what he was referring to).
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Also, this is to debate. Naruto is a genius trainer, he's awkward to train because he views things in an unorthodox style, which is why Gamakichi's explanation on senjutsu was more effective than Fukasaku (Pa Toad). Sasuke the Yin to Naruto's Yang is the opposite. Aside from Jiraiya, Orochimaru and Tsunade felt it was impossible for a runt his age to master the Rasengan, let alone in a month. Lee, was called a genius by Kakashi when he opened the 5 gates.
Thus there's lots of ways to define genius. It was good that the OP defined what he meant by genius, or this would be a total mess with debates on what makes a genius.
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Furthermore, one thing I strongly disagree with this entire thread is first part of the definition of genius. It was Orochimaru who felt that genius or the most important property of a shinobi was defined by the ability to learn as much if not all the ninjutsu in the world, whereas
Jiraiya felt that the most important ingredient in a ninja was the guts to never give up or go back on one's word. Legendary guts have defined Jiraiya, Minato, Nagato, and Naruto. Further, they're a requirement for even learning senjutsu. Thus, someone like Sasuke could never learn sage mode no matter how smart he is.
Given the enormous power that comes with Senjutsu (see Jiraiya/Naruto vs. Nagato and Naruto vs. Kyuubi), it's improper to dismiss it or not include it. This is why people like Jiraiya and Naruto get underestimated by some (many people think Jiraiya is invincible to an extent). For example, the people that complain that Naruto doesn't have 100 wind release jutsu, etc. There's more than one way to skin a cat, and I feel that that should be acknowledged if not in this post, in others.
Naruto against Nagato displayed an excellent ability to analyze the situation, even though he was being given information on the six bodies. For example, he used the natural shroud of natural energy to punch the fat Pain even though they were using shared vision, since they can't see nature chakra. Also, when he was captured, he went still and absorbed nature chakra so that that body of Pain became a toad statue. Further, he used shadow clones to absorb Shinra Tensei, which Nagato thought was impossible. Finally, of course is his use of disguised shadow clones. Thus, if guts were included in an alternative definition of intelligence (1A, 1B) or maybe not intelligence but some other trait, Naruto's in the game. I'd still vote for Shikamaru/Shikaku though based on the thread, and Naruto would still not get my vote.
I will agree with the latter half of the definition, which is to adapt to the enemy and surroundings and analyze them to develop counter strategies. Further, as I said before, I don't know if guts, really count as intelligence, or something else entirely. Thus, no I don't think Naruto should win this poll. The whole having "
guts" seems related to the gateways of decision-making, and other executive processes as opposed to associative areas of learning. Nonetheless, guts do appear to accelerate learning by making greater assesments of risk/reward benefits analysis, and ninja with legendary guts have revolutionized the world (Jiraiya, Minato, Nagato, and Naruto, to name a few).
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Maybe this could be rephrased as the most important properties of a shinbobi, and who displays it thus far. Again this is your thread, poll, and rules. I've adhered to them in my answers to you and others, including my vote. However, I feel the thread is ripe for discussion, or to serve as the spring board for a new thread of discussion where we discuss what makes genius and the most important properties of a ninja.