Itachi Uchiha vs Shikamaru Nara: who is smarter?

Shikamaru is the best planner among Konoha's younger shinobi. He studies terrain, timing and an opponent's habits and prefers a trap to a brawl, and he beats enemies that outclass him. His skill is tactical, and he does not build anything new.

Itachi works on a scale Shikamaru never does. He plays several sides at once for years, manages the beliefs of people who would destroy him if they knew, and shapes his younger brother's life around a plan that only he understands. That is planning under uncertainty with the highest stakes, and it is the main reason he ranks higher.

One more thing separates them: Naruto credits Shikamaru with an IQ over 200, a number given by his teacher and never shown on screen. We do not find it credible, because a mind that high would rarely lose a game he was winning. Judged on what each does, Itachi is the stronger strategist and Shikamaru the tighter tactician.

Itachi Uchiha

• Accepting the clan mission on his own terms (Uchiha clan massacre backstory, Naruto Shippuden)
• Spying on Akatsuki from inside (Akatsuki arc)
• Safeguards left for Sasuke and Naruto (Fight with Sasuke, Naruto Shippuden)

Full Itachi Uchiha profile

Shikamaru Nara

• Chunin Exams match against Temari (Chunin Exams arc)
• Beating Tayuya at her own game (Sasuke Retrieval arc)
• Trapping Hidan in the Nara forest (Hidan and Kakuzu arc, Shippuden)

Full Shikamaru Nara profile