#i just fell into an intelligence tanget OOPS

[mango-dolphin]

idk if i sent this to someone else but i probably did and they just haven't answered BUT-

i love the idea of Ren and Itsuki being more, i guess, intelligent?? than Naofumi and Motoyasu. like high IQ, knows a ton of subjects and is VERY well versed in each, kinda way!!!

It makes sense kinda too, Ren is from a hi-tech world which likely needs a lot of extreme just to function in society NORMALLY, and i think he did good with A's and high B's. Itsuki went to a wealthy private school(based on uniform) for people with Superpowers and is probably a straight A honor student!!

that doesn't say anything about how dense/young they are, tho XD

Naofumi, though he is pretty smart, is canonically an otaku nerd who never went past highschool, and likely got like C's and B's. Motoyasu was in university, but with how stupid and stubborn he is i don't think he's too intelligent either XD; he seems like an Art Major(derogatory).

I can imagine Itsuki and Ren having a really engaged, in-depth, "high IQ" intelligent conversation and Nao and Motoyasu CANNOT keep up XD

tl;dr:

i agree that ren is probably a nerd but NOT because he's from a hi-tech world; i also agree that itsuki would be a huge nerd too but it is because he's from a world w/superpowers.

imo ren's range of knowledge would be wider than itsuki's and motoyasu's, but naofumi would have an even wider range and a greater depth of applicable knowledge because of how he spent his time in melromarc's world.

itsuki & motoyasu's intelligences would probably be confined to specific fields, perhaps even specific applications to a certain extent. their depth of knowledge would run pretty deep in that regard i feel

kizuna would also have a wide range of knowledge, some more shallow than others. she'd be a lot more practically (and emotionally) equipped than ren would, tbh

didn't mention it in the ramblings below, but i decided to add up my placements on all of the characters' intellects, and it looks like this: Naofumi > Kizuna > Itsuki > Motoyasu > Ren > Motoyasu again (because of the mental illnesses)

(DO note that these are in comparison to each other and not really how smart i think they actually are, which is something i could probably elaborate on later. there were some where i realized that the heroes would all be better than the average person, and there were a couple where i realized that the heroes weren't that smart in that category.)

however ren & itsuki would be so much better at, say, math than naofumi or kizuna would be. i'm sorry.

however i think motoyasu and naofumi would have soooorta equal math smarts (just different applications of what they know) so.

my actual post (sorry that it keeps getting so long)

hmmMMMM i will admit, as fun as these headcanons are, i don't know how much i can reciprocate...? i think there's a fallacy here wrt money, technology level, and education as they relate to knowledge: while having more of any one of those three can make access to knowledge easier, it doesn't necessarily mean that becoming more knowledgeable (either willingly or unwillingly) is a guarantee.

you ARE right that education doesn't say anything on how dense/young (immature?) they are. but i'd also like to call into question what we're calling "intelligence" here, as personally i think everyone has a different thing that they're "smart" in (if they're smart in anything at all). and the different heroes All definitely have a variety in that regard.

(personally i don't really buy into IQ points / IQ stuff either because it doesn't really say What that sort of intelligence is supposed to entail, i've always seen it as a thing white people use as a bragging right PRBTBBTT)

THAT SAID. i still think ren has a decent chance of being the (intellectually—i mean specifically logical*) smartest of the cardinal heroes just from his personality alone LMAO. i think the comparative list of logical intelligence looks like:

Ren

Naofumi (above Itsuki by a very close margin that only was made further after their time in Melromarc's world)

Itsuki

Motoyasu

Kizuna (including kizuna because she's a cardinal hero too and i like her.)

PLEASE note that i'm not trying to call Kizuna stupid here (in fact, i think she's decently smart; average intelligence for her age at the VERY least)—rather I'm trying to call Motoyasu smart (or at least. also average intelligence for his age w/some specializations)

(*invoking from the multiple intelligences theory, proposed by howard gardner. essentially, the theory claims that human "intellect" is actually split up into different modalities, rather than intelligence being one singular ability. i think this theory just Makes Sense™ because like. humans are far too complex. but also i didn't mean to bring in psychological theory just for headcanons HELP ME.

(further reading from the website this was taken from here!)

of course not everyone agrees that this theory is applicable to daily life or questions of intelligence, and additionally i may not even be naming more common reasons as to why people disbelieve this theory? but i support it and at the very least appreciate the classifications so i'm gonna borrow its basic proposed ideas for the rest of the post.)

i try to avoid Quantifying traits like intelligence tbh, but also there's no disregarding the fact that some people are just better at different shit than others. difference is a Thing. it Exists™. so with that, i'm gonna ramble about my headcanons/the vibes that i get wrt the 9 intelligence types in gardner's theory:

(NOTE: got tired in the middle of this so i'm not gonna comment on/define all of these. if you'd like me to, send me an ask for another category and i can go in-depth! i just realized that this post is getting LONG.)

Visual / Spatial (i rearranged this list SO FUCKING MUCH)

Best: Naofumi. Remembered that he got into jewelry-making; becoming a traveling trader probably unlocked some latent advertising/graphic design awareness locked in his subconscious after years of curating manga, anime, games, and doujinshi LMAO. Also has some great senses on the field, combined w/his stupendous leadership his ability to apply his intelligence here is off the charts.

(2) Itsuki. Great at visualizing things relative to where he is, and definitely would have to have that kind of awareness in order to be a good archer. Placing him this high because—ironically enough—I think he'd be close to the best at analyzing "chain reactions" (how things not only interact in a space, but how those interactions will affect everything else around them).

(3) Ren. Despite probably being used to cramped spaces more often than not, he's also used to VR, so he'd probably be more aware than most on what may be in his surroundings. Just as good at considering "chain reactions" as Itsuki would be. Probably knows a thing or two about graphics as well—not saying that he's an artist by any means, but rather he'd be exposed to art (in advertising) to the same degree anyone incredibly online or in a very urbanized space might be. Might have taken note of how all that stuff works—he seems like a curious kid.

(4) Kizuna. Pretty good at visualizing things in a 3d space—maybe not the most creative person out there (more resourceful than anything, which is a different skill), but has a strong sense of style. Also would be pretty good at observing and predicting how things would react physically—I could see her and Ren being tied, honestly.

Worst: Motoyasu. i agree so bad he'd be an Art Major (derogatory but also affectionate). Initially I put him at the top, then I recalled how the other heroes displayed their spatial intelligence in the anime and was forced to relent that Motoyasu's seeming inability to consider collateral damage (especially as compared to the other heroes) would put him squarely at the bottom. He sucks severely at thinking through the implications and consequences of things at their face. So even though I think he'd be the most artistically-minded and even potentially the most eagle-eyed of all the Cardinal Heroes (second to Itsuki on the latter part imo), he doesn't have the intelligence here to apply any observations he makes.

IN TERMS OF ARTISTIC ABILITY, HOWEVER! (from best to worst):

Artistic Scrutiny: Motoyasu, Naofumi, Kizuna, Itsuki, Ren Artistic Talent: Motoyasu, Itsuki, Naofumi, Kizuna, Ren Artistic Knowledge: Motoyasu, Ren, Kizuna, Naofumi, Itsuki Aesthetic Sense: Kizuna, Motoyasu, Naofumi, Ren, Itsuki Would realize the dress was blue and black and taken under weird lighting conditions: Motoyasu and Motoyasu alone, somehow

Naturalist

Best: Kizuna. IT'S A PERFECT DAY FOR A FISH HUNT. Kizuna is the Hunting Tool hero and has had to live away from civilization on her own for a very long time. Not to mention, just as the person she is, I doubt that she wasn't well-versed in nature and the world around her even before her exile. Loves to fish so bad

(2) Naofumi. Naofumi be multiclassing in everything, including plant-based magic (king)—however, before getting summoned, Itsuki would've known more than him by a long shot. (In fact, he'd probably rank above Motoyasu exclusively because of his affinity for animals!)

(3) Itsuki. Itsuki probably got some wildlife/survivalist training at his school, and his knowledge (even though he probably hasn't honed it too much so much as relied on what he knows) is probably close to Naofumi's. Maybe not the most comfortable around animals,

(4) Motoyasu. Wouldn't be the best forager or survivalist by a long shot, but would feel very comfortable (although not completely knowledgeable) in natural spaces. Most animals are probably ambivalent to him. Has more keen naturalistic instincts than the average person, so the gap between him and Ren is larger than his gap with Itsuki. It's not his fault that everyone else above him is just a nature freak. (Personally imagining him as a wild frat boy released into the apartment backyard woods hunting rabbits on all fours)

Worst: Ren. I don't know how urbanized Ren's home Japan was, but he doesn't seem like the type of kid who'd be spending all his time outside. Can't fucking swim. Would have learned enough from video games and (to his embarrassment) trial and error to get by, but do NOT forget the fucking Dragon Corpse incident holy shit. Probably hangs around civilization as much as possible. Legitimately worse at this than the average person prove me wrong

self-explanatory imo.

Musical

Best: Itsuki

(2, tied) Kizuna & Motoyasu

Worst, tied: Ren & Naofumi

apparently itsuki became the Vassal Music Instrument holder? good for him! i really need to read the light novels help me god.

musical headcanons are a BIG THING for me so i get really picky about them, but personally i don't know enough about these characters to really say one way or the other quite yet. my placements are just vague vibes, i'll feel more comfortable elaborating on a musical hc for these guys once i know more about the story.

Kizuna & Motoyasu probably have good grasps on musical concepts—i thiiiink motoyasu knows how to play guitar? and kizuna feels like someone who's played an instrument at some point.

Logical / Mathematical

Best: Ren. Probably did a lot of in-depth stat calculation when playing his video games, he gives me those vibes. His mathematical knowledge is best geared towards statistics and calculations, and he probably makes great assumptions/hypotheses when he's given the space and opportunity for it.

(2) Naofumi.

(3) Itsuki.

(4) Motoyasu.

Worst: Kizuna.

Talked about this earlier lmao.

Existential

Best: Kizuna. Her entire character arc :]

(2) Ren. Seems very thoughtful when he gives himself the space, in the LNs he seems to be giving himself that space for sure in alongside of how much he's trying to atone. I care him

(3) Motoyasu. Doesn't seem interested in this kind of thing admittedly, but would have some surprisingly profound ideas hidden underneath his whole idiot college boy facade. I think he has the capacity to be more spiritually intelligent/considerate than anyone might give him credit for. It'll take him a bit, but. Y'know. (gestures vaguely)

(4) Naofumi. He seemed incredibly dismissive about any sort of existential purpose he might have until recently I think? He never thought very much about his place in the world aside from how much the world hated him, and only recently (in the anime) started thinking about existential topics. He was just trying to survive for awhile, so philosophy outright didn't matter much to him. Could probably start outclassing Ren & Motoyasu if those two stagnate as he progresses.

Worst: Itsuki. Hates thinking about existentialism. Black and white thinking lends itself poorly to thinking about the possibilities of something, and spiritual/philosophical questions tend to introduce grey areas and mess with that kind of thinking.

idk who added this type or when, i think it's essentially spirituality? or at the very least how to keep going. idk. philosophy is also under this umbrella. idk how to tackle it

Interpersonal

Best: Kizuna.

(2, tied) Naofumi & Motoyasu. Naofumi theoretically wouldn't be that good with people (what with his anger at the world and subsequent introversion), but the entire series has demonstrated over and over that he's naturally good at making meaningful connections. On the flip side, ever since Motoyasu's mental breakdown in the LN it's been getting worse, but he's naturally charismatic and has been the people person out of the rest of the heroes. Motoyasu is good at making friends—Naofumi is good at keeping them.

(3) Itsuki. lol. lmao

Worst: Ren. He's doing so bad and he's going to continue to. I'm so sorry.

Bodily-Kinesthetic

Best: Naofumi, hands down, tied with Kizuna. It's kinda crazy how good at moving around and just throwing himself around the field the anime makes Naofumi. He's a natural fighter, great at defense. I could elaborate more but. Tired. Go king go

Kizuna, meanwhile, Probably has the best hand-eye coordination of the group, behind or tying with Itsuki (who'd probably train that as well). She's above him, however, due to probably having a better instinctual skill in using her body in combat. As in, good at getting into position, out of position, timing shots and attacks etc etc etc. Probably pretty good at physical skills as well. Honestly

(2) Motoyasu. Honestly I can see him having great motor functions, ranking below Kizuna only because he doesn't seem like he'd have gotten into many fights pre-summon (not that fighting a lot = more bodily-kinesthetic intelligence) and his batch of Cardinal Heroes haven't been at it this long. Being an artist (particularly someone who sews & designs) probably makes him aware of how to fine-tune certain things, as well as a higher awareness than average on how the body moves and how it could be restricted. Skilled with his hands, probably has some great footwork too. Also he probably has a pretty good understanding of his body because of. Because. Because he'd. You know how. It'd be because he'd have a lot of. Y'know. It's because he f

(3) Itsuki. Sure, he had to undergo training in his boarding school for superpower stuff, but I never got the impression that he was necessarily good at it. His power, "Accuracy" (able to hit targets accurately with any ranged weapon/device if not blocked), would probably make him instinctually good at positioning himself, but wouldn't necessarily make him naturally good at bodily mechanics—in fact, his power could've even made him complacent in that regard. Sorry to be so consistently harsh to this boy I know he's trying. Probably better than average because of his schooling, but he was also considered one of the weakest powers in his class so that probably affected him (at least mentally).

Worst: Ren. Can't fucking swim. King (sorry i know this isn't fair. he's probably actually better than itsuki in this regard but i decided to throw itsuki a bone by being too lazy to think it through at this point)

kinda tempted to put motoyasu above kizuna & naofumi but the results don't lie lmao

Linguistic

Best: Motoyasu. Rather poetic, probably incredibly well-read. I thiiiink his vocabulary is larger than the rest of the heroes? He gives me that vibe at the very least. Definitely a great actor if he tried, can put a lot of oompf in his words and—if he really feels like it—could craft incredibly effective speeches to evoke ideas he doesn't even state. Master at utilizing connotations without even realizing, imo. Would be a dangerous political opponent if he cared for it / used his talent/skill to the best of his ability. The royals love him.

(2) Naofumi. Doesn't try very hard to speak up for himself, which is a shame as he's gotten so much better at speaking in general. Great at conveying ideas when he needs to, has worked out his conversation & convincing muscles. Frankly the best speaker out of all the heroes due to skill, losing out to Motoyasu only because I think Motoyasu's just that talented.

(3) Ren. Not the most well-spoken in plain conversation, but is thoughtful enough to use his words properly and effectively. Pretty good at making and reading into inferences.

(4) Kizuna. Particularly blunt with her words, which is as much of a good thing as it can be a bad thing. Is also an otaku, so she's definitely reading a lot of media and I should hoooope thinking a lot about it too. Only slightly behind Ren if only because of the time she spent exiled, but could easily surpass him with time, age, and care for linguistic-focused skills.

(5) Itsuki. Alright conversationalist, decent public speaker. Due to his black and white thinking, however, he struggles to read between the lines. Can sense poor intention well enough, but if you've a good enough poker face, Itsuki won't be able to discern your true intentions through speech.

Worst: Wait a minute.

No.

No fucking way.

IT'S ALSO MOTOYASU. HOLY SHIT. Yeah, for all this "natural talent" and the flowery language he can put out, Motoyasu isn't precisely the best at communicating meaningful ideas when the going gets tough—and only gets worse as time goes on. Furthermore, due to his willful ignorance, he struggles a lot with reading between the lines. Can even completely ignore what's outright said to him if his mind is made up. After his mental breakdown in the LN, his ability to even understand half of the population gets stripped away by delusion (the. pig thing). Although I feel he has a natural affinity for linguistic intelligence, the Mental Illnesses™ afflicting him severely handicap his access to that affinity. sorry king.

Intrapersonal

Best: Kizuna. Better than everyone else by default, but has also spent a lot of time on her own. In fact had a whole arc in her backstory about coming to terms with herself and what she was going to do to get out of the Infinite Labyrinth. Has a strong sense of self I feel, knows who she is and what she wants, and more or less accepting of herself too.

Worst: Everyone else sucks here. I'm sorry. Naofumi would've outclassed them (by being an average person) before getting summoned, then unlocking his Curse Series (Wrath). With his party's help, he's been able to steadily climb back to "average/moderate intrapersonal intelligence" status, and is currently sitting next to Ren (who beats himself up far too much; this negative self-image clouds his ability to fully self-conceptualize. Ren would be above average otherwise imo). Itsuki struggles blaming himself for problems and deliberately tries to ignore his flaws, having a faulty understanding of himself.

Special Worst Category for Motoyasu who, if we were scoring this on a scale of 1 to 5, would have –5 points. There's so much wrong with him. Stop Asian Boy Stop.

i hope this makes sense. i will probably change my mind on most of these in a few days (and when i read thru the light novels/manga lmao)

#long post #mango japery #ask #small-spark-of-light #sorry again y'all. i ddidndent mean it #naofumi iwatani #ren amaki #itsuki kawasumi #motoyasu kitamura #kizuna kazayama #shield hero #THERE'S SO MUCH IN HERE THAT I COULD ELABORATE ON BUT I WROTE. SOOOOOOO MUCH #i should've focused more on how i think the characters would've been educated like i initially intended to #i just fell into an intelligence tanget OOPS #i could make a different post on how i feel about these guys' education later JKFNSEJKFN you could tell i was GEARING UP #for a DIFFERENT POST #and also my assessments may change at a later date. i do not think i was accurate enough #but fun fact. if i did my math right #naofumi got 18 or 19 points?; kizuna got 20; itsuki got 22 #then ren hit me with the FUCKING 28. #i ignored the Special -5 Points category for motoyasu but that's because he technically already had one in linguistics #so he would have 25 if linguistics was counted as first place #and 29 if linguistics was counted as fifth place. #i think ren would do the best out of the other heroes if he did a pen and paper test #he just kind of failed to measure to everyone else because he was just generally disconnected from parts of life #meanwhile motoyasu's ignorance is Fucking Slaughtering Him. #girl help the delusions ! #i don't think mental illness makes you stupid by any means it just makes shit Harder #headcanon