Shinichi Kudo (Conan Edogawa) IQ
Shinichi Kudo's IQ is best estimated at 145 (range 132 to 158): an exceptional detective with hundreds of solved cases, outplayed at the start and still short of closing his main case.
Are you smarter than Shinichi Kudo (Conan Edogawa)? Shinichi's IQ is about 145. What's yours?
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Key facts
- Estimated IQ
- IQ 145
- Range
- 132 to 158
- Compare with
- L Lawliet, Sherlock Holmes, Light Yagami and Near
- Confidence
- High. A lot of on-screen problem solving to judge.
- Franchise
- Detective Conan (Case Closed). Manga and anime (Detective Conan / Case Closed, 1994 onwards)
Fan analysis by the LifeScore Editorial Team, reviewed September 2026. How we estimate
What is Shinichi Kudo (Conan Edogawa)'s IQ?
Shinichi is a serious detective: a huge case record, a police-recognised reputation and a dependable method of spotting small inconsistencies and turning them into a chain of proof. That earns a high estimate. It is capped because his deduction is domain-bound, because he is ambushed in the opening case, and because the Black Organization plot remains unresolved after decades of the series. A sharp reasoner, not a strategist who dismantles an enemy.
Age-normed for a 17-year-old, in a child's body for most of the story.
How they score
Six ratings out of ten, each based on what is shown on the page or screen. They show how the estimate is built; they are not averaged into it.
- DeductionSolving new problems from thin information
- 9/10
- StrategyMulti-step plans that account for other minds
- 6/10
- KnowledgeDepth and breadth of what they know
- 8/10
- InventionBuilding or devising something genuinely new
- 6/10
- AdaptabilityRecovering when the plan breaks
- 8/10
- Reading peopleUnderstanding what other people want and will do
- 7/10
Scene-by-scene evidence
A very long record of solved cases
Strong evidenceThroughout the series
Shinichi solves cases in his own body before the shrinking and hundreds more as Conan across the manga and anime. The scale is the point: solving one case is deduction, solving hundreds is a method. It shows sustained performance across very different settings, from locked rooms to alibi problems and disguised culprits. Fans and the police both treat him as the best young detective in Japan, and none of this depends on a single lucky insight, which is what puts him in the strongest group for on-screen problem solving.The Sleeping Kogoro system
Strong evidenceEarly Detective Conan
Because a child cannot solve cases for the police, Conan puts private detective Kogoro Mouri to sleep with a dart from his watch, hides nearby and speaks through a voice-changing bow tie, so Kogoro is credited with the deductions. It is a workaround with real logistics: timing, voice, positioning and a dependable supply of clues. It shows planning under a constraint, and the fact that it keeps working across so many cases without exposing him is evidence of care and repeatable method.Tropical Land and the shrinking
Moderate evidenceOpening case, Detective Conan
At the Tropical Land amusement park, Shinichi notices a shady exchange between two men in black and follows it. He is struck from behind and forced to swallow an experimental poison that shrinks him. The observation was good, and it was also a mistake, since he was so absorbed in the puzzle that he never checked behind him. It is the single most important data point on his error rate, and it comes at the very start of the story.Hunting the Black Organization
Moderate evidenceMain storyline
Conan gathers information on the organisation over many years while protecting Ran and hiding who he is from the people closest to him. Progress is slow, but it rarely involves a reckless move that exposes him, and he works with allies such as Ai Haibara and, later, the police and the FBI. It shows long-term patience and secrecy under threat, though the fact that it is still ongoing puts a limit on the score.Rivalry with Heiji Hattori
Minor evidenceRecurring cases
Heiji, the detective of the west, is treated as Shinichi's equal, and the two of them repeatedly solve cases together. Being matched by a second detective in the same series tells us that Shinichi is a top detective of the setting, not an unreachable one. That is a modest reduction to the ceiling, and an honest one. Rivals who compete on the same puzzle also make a cleaner comparison than a detective who beats mostly forgettable culprits.
What holds the number down
Ambushed at the start
Opening case
The person best at noticing details is hit from behind while watching two men. The mistake creates the whole premise, and a mind at the very top of the reasoning scale would have scouted before committing to the chase, or at least kept an eye on his flank.Kaito Kid slips away
Recurring Kid cases
The phantom thief Kaito Kid keeps escaping despite Conan's efforts, even though Conan often sees through the tricks and the lies. A thief who can repeatedly slip away from a detective this good is a real counterexample to a very high score, and it recurs across the series rather than happening once.The main case never closes
Main storyline
After a very long run, the Black Organization is still at large and Shinichi is still small. Some of that comes from the format of a long-running series, but on screen it means the detective has not yet solved the problem that matters most to him.
Why 145, and not higher or lower
On the rubric, Shinichi is very strong on deduction and on the knowledge of forensics and mystery conventions, and good on adaptability, since he works cases while disguised as a child. Invention and long-term strategy are moderate. The record is large, so confidence is high. The error column keeps him from 160: he is caught off guard by two men in black at the very start, and he stays trapped in a child's body for an extremely long time.
IQ estimates for fictional characters are fan analysis: an argument from what the story shows, not a measurement. Read the full method and the standards we hold every profile to.
The debate
Fans compare Shinichi to Sherlock Holmes and to L, and often say he is the smartest detective in anime. The claim is easy to test. He has by far the largest case record, but the cases are mostly self-contained puzzles, and he does not out-plan a determined adversary the way L or Light do. We rate him well above the usual fictional detective and below the extraordinary strategists, and treat the higher fan figures as fondness for the series.
- L Lawliet IQDeath Note · Reads a killer from thin data160
- Sherlock Holmes IQSherlock Holmes (Arthur Conan Doyle) · Deduces the world from small details165
- Light Yagami IQDeath Note · Ruthless planner, fatally proud155
- Near IQDeath Note · Wins by patience and preparation148
Shinichi Kudo (Conan Edogawa) IQ: frequently asked questions
What is Shinichi Kudo's IQ?
Is Conan smarter than Sherlock Holmes?
Why is Shinichi still a child?
Are you smarter than Shinichi Kudo (Conan Edogawa)? Shinichi's IQ is about 145. What's yours?
Shinichi's number is an argument from the story. Yours can come from a real test: 25 visual reasoning questions.
25 questions · about 12 minutes
Shinichi Kudo (Conan Edogawa) and Detective Conan (Case Closed) belong to their respective owners. LifeScore is not affiliated with them. This page is independent commentary and analysis, and estimates are our own opinion.