The manga I'm looking for can be in both or one of these categories.

First thing I'm looking for: So this is pretty simple: characters who are strategic geniuses. Chessmasters. Light Yagami, Akagi, David Xanatos, Lord Vetinari. You get the idea.

However, I'd like the series to have some depth to it, too, so "strategic genius" isn't just an informed attribute, the way it is in that one Death-Note-ripoff where the guy hypnotizes people. Like I'm looking for Batman levels of crazy-prepared and planning ahead here.

One thing that appeals to me about Light is that his strategic mind doesn't stop at the Death Note: he's so hard to catch for a reason. He's not one of those dudes that stops being brilliant just in one realm; it carries over into his life.

Second thing I'm looking for: Manga that actually -show- scarily-intelligent characters

In comics/manga, it's easy to portray smarts in the same way people portray strength or "power levels": someone says "Whoa, Professor Chaos! His IQ is OVER 9000!" But anyone who's read a lot of fight mangas knows, it's easy to say a character is tough, it's harder to show that he is. What I'm looking for are mangas where you've gone, "holy shit, that character is smart." This usually because the creator has -shown- us the character is smart, not just told us.

Let me use Death Note and Akagi as examples here. In Death Note, we're told Light's the number one student in Japan and his sister refers to him as a genius. But that really hit home when

we see the lengths to which Light has gone to use the Note, how he's filled it out; how he's actually applying time management to writing in the Note; how he rigs up his desk drawer to explode if it's opened the wrong way. And all of this is before the -really- big battle of wits begins!

By contrast, in Akagi, none of the characters tells us the lead is a genius (though the narrator does.) We get a sense of it, though, when

Akagi has a confrontation with those three guys his own age and outfoxes them or when ! Akagi and that blind dude are having a pissing contest with the gun, and the blind due says, "You counted how many times the barrel turned, didn't you? You never bet. Neither do I."

That's what I'm looking for. Series where the creators do the work in showing us insanely smart people.

Well I'm not sure if these will fit your description but:
Oresama Teacher - I actually thought Mafuyu is a quite a genius sometimes(by how she plans her attack).
Ghost Hunt - Maybe, by how knowledgable Naru was towards the supernatural stuff.
Btooom!
Tantei Gakuen Q - I'm amazed by this manga! It definitely explain the actions of the characters and their thought process.
Liar Game - It's a total recommend!
Spiral: Suiri no Kizuna
Tobaku Mokushiroku Kaiji - I haven't read this yet, but I'm so going to cause the movie was awesome!

"A Lady Needs Time To Prepare. Even If It Takes A Year, A Gentlemen Must Wait." ~ Wilhelm Mölders(Emma)

Souten Kouro Smart and Intelligent
Heat Clever and Imposing
Usogui Smart and Clever
One Outs, What you're Looking for
Historie Smart, Intelligent and Clever
Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei (Novel) Smart and Intelligent

If you want to succeed
Then you don't need Good Luck
You need the ability to overcome Bad Luck

Happines and Light needs a source to exist
Hatred fuels itself and Darkness exist where there is no Light

[img]http://www.nodiatis.com/pub/7.jpg[/img]
† Lightmare †

Well I'm assuming you're talking about light before the near arc (where he pathetically lost...by such easy and obvious methods aka kidnapping. really?) In that case...

Usogui
One outs
Liar Game
Denpa Kyoushi
Gamble Fish (kinda...)
Medaka Box (a huge stretch but it eventually deals in somewhat interesting stuff?)

Quote from mrphantomship

Series where the creators do the work in showing us insanely smart people.

Honestly, I haven't been very impressed by the characters and the series you mentioned. If you're ok with a novel, and want to read something that really screws your mind making you feel a retard for always guessing wrong and totally losing your battle of wits with the characters, then Hakomari is the story for you.

Quote from anngeelaah

Spiral: Suiri no Kizuna

A very intelligent main character is the trademark of Shirodaira Kyou. I believe Vampire Juujikai and especially Zetsuen no Tempest can be mentioned too.

What I like in Trivial Pursuit style. Pick your category:[img]http://i379.photobucket.com/albums/oo233/Reid4891/Manga/trivia-1.jpg[/img]

h

Tower of God has Koon and Yu Han Sung, they pretty much fit the bill.

Tokichi Toua from One Outs