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Tensai (天才): what it means in anime
天才
てんさい · tensai · genius; prodigy; natural gift JLPT N1
Tensai means "genius" or "prodigy". Anime is full of them, and the word is said with admiration, envy or self-mockery: 天才だ ("a genius!"), 俺は天才だ ("I am a genius").
Where you hear it 2 of 42 series
Lines from the Japanese subtitles of episodes 1–3 of each show. A translation is shown only when it clearly matches the line; counts are subtitle lines containing the word.
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Kaguya-sama · 7 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 1
おいしいです 会長は天才ですThis is delicious! You're a genius, President!
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Steins;Gate · 6 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 3
黙れ！ 天才変態少女 くううっ…Perverted Genius Girl!
Usage and nuance
Kaguya-sama's subtitle calls its leads 天才たち, and Steins;Gate's Okabe styles himself a mad scientist but calls Kurisu the 天才. The kanji are 天 (heaven) and 才 (talent): a gift from above.
The counterpart is 努力 (doryoku, effort), and the 天才 versus 努力 debate runs through Haikyu, Naruto and every sports anime.
天才的 (tensaiteki) means "brilliant", and 天才肌 (tensai-hada) describes someone with a genius temperament.
Hear 天才 in Kaguya-sama7 lines in episodes 1–3 · tappable subtitles · free, no account