Cid_s_IQ,EQ.docx

NB:

It's quite a lengthy post; I've endeavored to maintain a balance between entertainment and information density. Yet, in the pursuit of thorough analysis rooted in logical reasoning and critical thinking, the text inevitably expands. Within it, I've conducted a comprehensive examination of Cid's IQ, EQ, and various other defining traits.

For some reason Cid is not given credit for how impressively intelligent he is. Actually, the part people blindly assuming Cid is complete moron kind of annoying. I am not saying that he is not stupid for being a lame chunni or denying that he has sociopathic traits, but it doesn’t mean that he is fully retarded. Cid is indeed very intelligent and here are some snippets of his intelligence.

Comparison in between the Anime, Manga, LN and WN:

Anime kind of went like the Overlord route. To be honest, the anime made Cid way too OP and dumber than he actually is. Cid in the LN and WN is incredibly smart, but in the anime, he is unbelievably OP and kind of dumb, depending too heavily on luck. Also, as the manga leans more on comedy, therefore Cid in the Manga is portrayed as even dumber than in the LN or WN. Examples of this include: in the LN and WN, Cid came up with the DC scenario after countless analyses, while in the anime, he just saw the wine bottle and read it to Alpha. Additionally, in the LN, he threw the knife where he thought it felt right or whatsoever, while in the anime, he completely missed, hitting the target by pure coincidence and mistake. The manga made Cid less OP and Chad while portraying him as dumber than he actually is in the LN and WN. An example of this is when Cid became grumpy after being released by the Knight Order during the Alexia Kidnapping incident. He was sullen while eating sandwiches and complained to Alpha that he had to endure all that torture while sitting on a sofa. Another example is his indifferent attitude towards Nina in the Manga, whereas in the LN, he views her as a great senpai and has a lot of appreciation for her who does anything asked of her, even the most whimsical requests; in fact, it was the first time in his life that he felt glad because he is the brother of an older sister who has such great senpai as her friend when he found out that Nina senpai is his sister’s friend. Also, in the Manga, even after the Alexia Kidnapping incident was resolved, Alexia manipulates Cid by throwing coins at him whenever he ignores her, whereas such incidents are absent in the LN or WN.

Now the reason that showcases that Cid is a genius are-

Cid’s geniuses on the deduction abilities:

Cid can perform brilliant level deduction with the barest minimum of information-

He was able to successfully deduce Lutheran to be the culprit without any sufficient lead.
He was also able to find out Yuka to be behind the murder of Sejima and the one who had sent assassins to kill Cid and also successfully identify the actual reason behind Sejima's death when Heitani, a veteran commander, couldn't find it out.
He was able to deduce that Isaac was one of the masterminds behind the terrorist incident and Eliza to be the culprit behind the student's death due to forceful magical collar bomb removal with the barest minimum of information.
Dude is able to acknowledge that Nina is way stronger than his sister and actually is very strong than she lets people see herself as. He also has been successful in understanding that she is doing this and hiding her real abilities for some surprising reasons. Later he deduced the same for Loki even when he had erased his presence completely.
He also created complex codes to leave messages to give indications about his future movements in ciphers during his JtR persona donning.

Self-Taught Warrior-Cid's Journey of Mastery:

Unlike many other protagonists, Cid never had any mentors or tutors to teach him how to fight or survive against weapons or firearms. In order to avoid any suspicion and ridicule, he kept all his training discreet while learning different fighting techniques and methods such as MMA, Karate, Kickboxing, Zen Meditation, as well as gaining knowledge on firearms and advanced fighting techniques. All the while, his only sources of help came from the TV, internet, and various reference books. All his development of skills on earth was completely self-taught and self-learned.

Cid is a genius inventor:

Cid has created items and found solutions to problems which were once thought to be totally impossible. Now, it can be argued that Cid had knowledge of science from his previous life, as he studied until high school but died before graduating. While this is true, by his own admission and from Akane's point of view, we know that Cid was never interested in his academic studies. From the way he skips his academic lessons in his current world, it can be assumed that he just made the barest of efforts required to pass exams, and due to his tendency to cheat in his current life, he probably cheated in exams in his last life too. Also, if having scientific knowledge is what is required to achieve such amazing accomplishments, then Akira Nishino, who has been described as one of the topmost accomplished researcher on Earth, would have been much more successful in coming up with ideas (overdrive, magical cure, using magic as an energy source, etc.) and producing revolutionary products like this. Now, as a counterargument, it might be brought up that Akira Nishino or any other Earth scientist didn't have as much time as Cid. Yes, it is true from Earth's perspective, but if we counter this argument with the fact that Earth experienced the exposure of magic leaking from another realm sometime after Minoru Kagenou's death, and it has been almost three years now that Earth has had magic. Cid was fifteen when he encountered Akane again, so by the standards of time in Cid's current world, one year on Earth is about five years in the TEIS world. It was also mentioned in the black rose arc in the WN, he even kept a surface level knowledge on areas relating to his EiS goals if it didn’t interest him much.

Cid was able to create revolutionary items like the slime bodysuit and slime sword, and what's most impressive is that he did it when he was only six. Later on, this suit and the slime sword were adopted by the SG as their primary defence option and weapon. He was able to develop a technique to transform this seemingly jelly-like monster into such a product, which even millennia-old cult scientists could never do.
Cid came up with the idea of the overdrive without inserting any foreign mana source of demonic nature into his bloodstream, like the pills that the cultists use. Instead, Cid simply uses the mana available in nature to enhance his abilities, rather than boosting himself with any artificial means of inducing a magical overload.
Cid found a way to cure demon possession, albeit unintentionally, while trying different methods to learn how to control a magical overload. He was actually attempting to gain control over the magical overload in order to have better command over it. The magical overload, which was causing Alpha's body to turn into a rotting pile of flesh, was then cured as a result of Cid gaining control over it. It can be said that he actually came up with the cure for demon possession. Even discoveries like Penicillin, which revolutionized clinical treatment in our world, were also accidental.
Cid found a way to increase his life expectancy without resorting to methods like those used by the cultists. His life expectancy became from 200 to 300 then to 500 and it finally became 600.
Cid discovered a method to combine meditation with magic, allowing his body to require only three hours of sleep instead of a longer duration.
Cid infused his body's cells with that of the slime, which was described as absolute madness by Maximillian when he explained the process to Maximillian (WN) . Maximillian outright called him insane and something just a monster would do he even called Cid a demon lord, and Cid himself admitted that merging the mana path with that of a monster is downright crazy, as it requires an insane amount of control. If something were to go south, it would be simply doomsday.
Eta uses slime as the main material for various of her inventions. The slime she uses is based on the process of converting slime to a jelly-like malleable substance which was originally an idea Cid had come up with.
Eta uses her artifacts to channel the mana from nature to utilize magic as an energy source, similar to how we use wireless power transmission and capturing to harness electrical energy on Earth. The basis of this technology lies in the same principle as how Cid can supply mana to different mediums, such as slime or even artifacts like the bomb collar. It was actually a theory that Cid first came up with and implemented in its preliminary form. Eta simply refined the idea to produce different artifacts.
Cid, after trying out various methods, was able to devise techniques to create massive explosions using mana, comparable to the nuclear explosions caused by fusion.
Cid was able to come up with techniques such as mana compression to its minute degree, using mana to move at an unimaginable speed, using mana for detection of objects like a radar, using the barest minimum amount of mana to accomplish the biggest result.
Cid was able to come up with a method to hide everything. He is so successful in hiding his magical abilities even the most skilled of magic users and fighters have trouble getting an actual read on his abilities. What is most impressive is he does this while keeping his magical detection process to detect any presence while he is in public.
Cid was able to devise a technique to fly which still now cannot be done by any members of the cultists and as of yet it cannot be done by any members of the SG yet.
Cid came up with techniques to manoeuvre and manipulate his body to its utmost extreme so he can dislocate his heart, dislocate and deform his body parts like hands or legs at any time whenever he wills.
Though it is rather backfiring than making him more of a forgettable person, while making him stand out more, but dude was able to come up with 48 Mob techniques and as per the manga, he updated it with a new technique, so it is now 49 mob techniques.

Cid can perform parallel brain processing:

All the while Delta relies on her therianthropic instincts to lash out at multiple enemies simultaneously, Cid, on the other hand, just for the sake of theatrics, uses parallel thinking, much like how Eta does.

Engaging in Battle Conversations and Strategic Thinking: During his fight with Olivier at the sanctuary, Cid had to perform a couple of processes simultaneously before defeating her. These included trying to engage in battle conversation, saving his vitals to minimize potential injury, finding an opening to strike Olivier, attempting countless ideas to bypass the sanctuary's magic barrier. And when he was later on fighting multiple Oliviers he had to focus on condensing mana to execute his IAARA move, relocating his heart to a safer position to avoid injury from Olivier's sword, and battling multiple clones of Oliviers while pushing them back with a single sword. All these strategic thinking and real-time decision-making showcase his ability to manage multiple cognitive tasks concurrently, surpassing the typical capacity suggested by Miller's Law, where the typical human can only retain around 7 (plus or minus 2) items in their short-term memory, and indicating a remarkable surpassing of conventional numerical values as proposed by resource allocation theory.

Dodging Attacks and Analysing Multiple Threats: During his fight with Aurora, she used more than a thousand needle like blood spears formed from her own blood. Cid was able to avoid all of those using fast movement and reflecting many with a single sword alone, all of which requires observations of multiple objects at the same time and making suitable decisions to counter them back. This requires processing multiple visual stimuli and making split-second decisions to counter threats, aligning with task switching theory, which suggests individuals can effectively switch between tasks, but there's typically a time cost associated with each switch. Moreover, Cid's ability to effectively counter each threat highlights efficient use of working memory components, as outlined in Baddeley's Model of Working Memory, where individuals are typically limited to processing information within the short-term memory span of 7 (plus or minus 2) items.

Counteracting Blood Arrows and Multiple Clones: During his fight with Elizabeth, she used more than a thousand of her blood arrows and multiple clones. Cid was able to counter and avoid all of those using the microscopic movement of his body and reflecting many with a single sword, which requires observations of multiple objects at the same time and making suitable decisions to counter them back. This task demands simultaneous processing of visual and spatial information, showcasing the capabilities of working memory components, as proposed by Baddeley's Model. Additionally, Cid's ability to counter multiple clones suggests efficient task switching and resource allocation to manage competing cognitive demands. This surpasses the typical capacity suggested by Miller's Law and other multitasking theories, where individuals are expected to struggle when managing multiple tasks concurrently.
Manipulating Soldiers in Battle: Dude was able to come up with a move called "Shadow Marionette," where he maneuvered more than a hundred soldiers and effectively manipulated their bodies and all of their movements to counter all their enemies' attacks. It required him to analyse and read every opponent that each soldier was facing and manipulate them accordingly so they could successfully counter their opponents and defeat them in turn. He did this by connecting his brain with the brains of the soldiers he was manipulating and sending the right signals at the right time to each one of their brains simultaneously, which requires processing multiple parallel brains at the same time. This feat requires processing information from multiple perspectives simultaneously, akin to managing parallel distributed processing networks in the brain. Cid's ability to synchronize the actions of multiple individuals showcases advanced parallel processing capabilities, exceeding typical cognitive limits suggested by Miller's Law. By his own admission the burden that technique put on his brain so much due to controlling and manipulating and processing so much information at the same time without any preparations it felt like his brain is going to explode.
Fighting Against Multiple Opponents: During the JtR fight, Cid efficiently assesses and neutralizes more than hundreds of opponents simultaneously. This involves rapid analysis of each opponent's movements and intentions, aligning with task switching theory. Cid's ability to maintain focus and make suitable decisions amidst a chaotic environment reflects efficient resource allocation and cognitive load management. During his JtR fight with more than a hundred magic swordsman at the same time, he needed to perform observations of multiple opponents at the same time and making suitable decisions to kill all of them without breaking a sweat, significantly surpassing the numerical expectations set by conventional cognitive theories, including Miller's Law.

Psychological Battle:

Dude completely toyed with Rex while tormenting him like a cornered rat when he played his advanced psychological warfare game with Rex.

Dude can successfully command and pullout a mission when required:

He was successful in devising and directing the students in formulating an effective plan when Fenrir carried out the terrorist incident (second terrorist incident) at Midgar Academy of Spell-Swords.
During the Orianna Civil War arc in the WN, he successfully led the team comprised of Epsilon, Kai, and Omega to carry out their stealth operation.

Cid studied complex philosophical topics:

Cid while teaching and storytelling Beta he taught her about Descartes' philosophy "Cogito, ergo sum" ("I think, therefore I am"). It is special for its role as the cornerstone of Cartesian philosophy, providing existential certainty, highlighting human self-awareness, addressing skepticism, and influencing diverse disciplines, ultimately encapsulating profound inquiries into human existence and knowledge, which by no means are easy topics to grasp (at least to me). Descartes' famous assertion, "Cogito, ergo sum" ("I think, therefore I am"), serves as a foundational concept in modern philosophy, emphasizing the certainty of self-existence through the act of thinking. However, philosophers like René Descartes, alongside contemporary thinkers such as Nick Bostrom with his "Simulation Argument," have contemplated the possibility that our reality might be a simulation created by advanced beings. Bostrom's argument suggests that if technologically advanced civilizations could simulate conscious experiences, then the probability of us living in such a simulation might be higher than we think. This idea has led to philosophical inquiries about the nature of reality, the existence of consciousness, and the possibility that what we perceive as reality could be a meticulously crafted simulation. Btw, Simulation Argument is a very good read.

Three types of fencing skills:

Dude devised three types of sword fighting techniques- his usual sword fighting technique that simply relies on the basics while cutting down all the unnecessary movements, his flashy sword fighting technique which is a form of art known as the stylish sword, natural sword where the movements are such so it is almost impossible to detect to be something separate from the nature.

Infusion of various martial arts:

Dude learned various martial arts on earth and infused them to minimize the extraneous parts to devise a fighting technique unique to its own which optimises the result.

Stealing of techniques from other:

Just like Zeta dude can reproduce intricate techniques just by seeing them once-

Epsilon just talked about how she come up with magical slashes after numerous try and perfected it dude just once after hearing from Epsilon gave it a try and without even knowing how it is performed and the result was even better than Epsilon even though she mastered it after countless hour of practising.
Dude stole epsilon’s body make over technique to hide the coins that he was looting from the red tower and in LN vol 5 when he impersonated Suzuki used her slime body makeover technique to shape his body like Suzuki.
He used Nu’s slime make over technique to reshape his face like Suzuki to impersonate him.
He stole Zeta’s cold emotionless eye technique.
He used black fog technique just once by seeing Zeta using it.
He paid back Fenrir with his own attack while improving it even more just once seeing Fenrir using it when it took Fenrir a millennium to master and perfect it.
He stole Aurora’s blood manipulation technique to replicate the same scenario with water all while during his fight with the Beatrix and Iris.
He knew his fight with Ragnarök can wreak havoc so in order to minimize casualties he decided to drive him out of the Capital.
He modified his steel war (JS) to mana thread to perform his birdcage of darkness move to ripping Ragnarök to shreds.
He can control magic outside his body like it’s a peace of cake. During his fights with Fenrir he uses magic to manipulate countless slime made pens and controlled them with magic. He later on when switched to his shadow persona from SH he manipulated all those pen that he threw away at Fenrir to pull them back again using the magic so that he can uses them for his shadow persona portrayal.
He used Cards made out of papers which has magical conductivity less 10% during his portrayal of the JtR personal any of the weapons that he never ever used once before.

Eta reaching her conclusions:

Eta, without a doubt a genius scientist, after numerous experiments and observations on Cid, reached the conclusion that his existence as a living being defies logic; as a scientist, this kind of conclusion is only reached through objective observations, controlled experiments, statistical analysis to collect sufficient data to quantify uncertainty.

Story Fabrication:

Dude has got the most wildest imagination and the ability to concoct any explanation for a situation all while mixing up the reality with the fictional plot of different fantasy and other plots to come up with the most logical and believable explanations that anyone would believe.

Presence of mind:

All while explaining the electricity and the poles Beta asked him various questions of which he has no knowledge of to give answer to those questions so he came up with various explanations that his mind could come up with and he was actually correct with the answers being accurate.

Master Actor:

Dude is a master actor who can baffle anyone. He in his past life before rescuing Akane baffled her and again later on baffled her after meeting her in his reincarnated self.

skilled pianist:

Dude is a skilled pianist who practiced so much during his last life that he can actually play classical pieces like "Moonlight Sonata" even in his sleep on the piano. Though I am not a pianist, I just tried playing the instrument just only three times. Being a violinist myself and talking with professional pianists to understand their thoughts on playing piano with such proficiency, what I gathered is that it requires impressive skill and talent to become that skilled.

Proficient in predicting movement and battlefield manipulation:

Dude is so proficient in predicting his opponents' movements and battlefield manipulation that he could detect every move that numbers 664, 665, and 66c were trying to pull off, making them dance on his palm as he wished. He later did the same with Getan during their fight.

Taught Gamma various effective business and marketing and advertisement strategy:

Dude is taught Gamma various way to draw customers through effective planning, marketing and advertisement.

Improvisation and minimal knowledge and information at hand:

Cid most of the time except during his JtR don works with the barest minimum amount of information. He only has almost 5% information in his arsenal and he tries his best to utilize all this information and tries to utilize every situation to create an impression that everything is all in accordance to his plan. He has an impressive improvision skill to counter each any situation if something out of his consideration happens and he does this with incredible proficiency whcih is a highlight of his incredible presence of mind.
Cid heard from Yukime that MCA is about to go on a war with the Mitsugoshi and while going shopping with Skel and Po upon discovering the existence of the Mitsugoshi bank and notes’ existence from both parties he was able deduce just from that bare minimum amount of information why is the reason MCA is so pissed of at Mitsugoshi and how to launch a counter plan and how to execute it.

Arguments to Cid being a stupid are:

He doesn’t know the ancient language:

While it is true that Cid can’t understand the message being sent to him by the SG due to all of these being ciphered in ancient language, but that doesn’t mean that he is stupid either. Cid never ever found any necessity for him to learn the ancient text as it has been absolutely unnecessary for him. He, by his own admission, puts exclusive emphasis on the things he is interested in and casts others aside. Ancient texts are learned only by people who are doing research on ancient runic artifacts, texts, magic scriptures, and historians. During the SS’s and Cid’s mission to rescue Claire, Beta showed Cid a lot of documents written in the ancient text, and Cid just ignored all of those and threw the knife at the map where he thought it falls right the most, and Beta immediately said that after all her recalculations and reanalysis, it seemed that the position Cid actually had pointed to indeed is the right location. So, due to the situation, Cid’s belief has cemented to the point that SG is actually making everything up to prepare the most entertaining stage for him to LARP, and there is no need for him to learn the ancient text.

He is stupid because the way he acts:

While it is true that Cid is a lame Chunni, but it doesn’t mean that he is fully retarded because he is super delusional all bcz-

Even people with very high IQ and bona fide geniuses like the Nobel-winning mathematician John Nash and the famous author Jack Kerouac were sufferers of heavy delusions.
He isn't stupid simply because he's an anarchist, sociopathic, social outcast; yes, all of these are true. However, even someone like the Unabomber Ted Kaczynski, with a certified IQ of 167, displayed similar behaviours. These traits indicate mental instability and lunacy, not stupidity.
He is stupid all because he practiced lunacy, all by his own admission, and did stupid things. Yes, true again, but even the very high IQ scientists like Jack Parsons delved into occultism and conducted strange rituals involving witchcraft, voodoo, and sex magic. Sir Isaac Newton pursued alchemy and the philosopher's stone alongside his scientific endeavours, delving into esoteric studies. Carl Jung explored the depths of the human psyche through the lens of analytical psychology, delving into dream analysis and archetypal symbolism. Nikola Tesla was known to engage in eccentric practices, including experimenting with cosmic energy and claiming to communicate with extraterrestrial beings. By the way, Jack Parsons's life story and his encounter with Aleister Crowley are truly fascinating; they're definitely worth reading and spending time on. Also, Cid noticed after reincarnating to another world that he was able to detect mana at the very moment of regaining his consciousness. So, rather than making him question the madness he practiced, he would be even more convinced that all the madness he practiced helped him find magic and can utilize it better than any other magic users to its full extent in a world where magic has existed for a long time. Even Jack Parsons thought that the new kind of unforeseen ideas that were coming to his mind came from the so-called belly of the all-knowing!

He is stupid because he doesn’t know very much about his current world, and he is very dense:

Cid doesn’t know very much of his current world because he thinks he has better knowledge due to living in his past world and learning about the noble life style fits nowhere in his pursuit of becoming the eminence in shadow.
Though it is true but is not dense bcz he is stupid but because he has been a social recluse and outcast in his both lives and as he has been putting a kind of mental barrier on his mind not to grow up. Cid is essentially someone who refuses to grow up. As he explained to Lutheran and rose, everyone has dreams, such as becoming the superheroes they adored in childhood. However, as they grow up, they automatically start losing their adoration for their heroes and go along with the flow of society, acquiring friends, lovers, spouses, jobs, starting a family, and having children—all part of the process of growing up. On the other hand, he refuses to do any of these things. To him, acquiring friends means growing up; falling in love or having a girlfriend means growing up; having sexual desires means growing up; marrying someone means growing up, and having children means growing up. In his past life in Japan, he was ridiculed for his childlike dream and called a nutjob and idiot. He was told to grow up already, get friends, have a girlfriend, and decide on a career and job. That's why, in the last year of his high school in Japan, he became desperate. This is the time when students are supposed to submit their future prospects and decide on their goals while consulting with their teachers. He realized that even if he still wanted to rebel against society and stay as a child, society would somehow force him to go along with it. He desperately tried to find magic so that he could become what he wanted to be. He used to be a typical Japanese otaku chunibyo shut-in, focusing only on his goals and refusing to partake in anything other than his goals, like having friends or a girlfriend.

He is stupid because he is 33 years in age now, but still a child:

There's a theory that Cid sees the SS girls as his daughters, which is incorrect. While it's true that Cid lived as a 17-year-old in his previous life, it's important to note that even in his thoughts, he addresses Claire as nee-san and Rose as Rose senpai. Although not explicitly stated in the English version of the officially translated LN, we can observe him referring to Claire as a sister or sis in his monologue. In the MTL version, he calls her nee-san, and in the Japanese version, he genuinely calls her nee-san. This is totally different from other isekai protagonists like Rudeous from Jobless Reincarnation, as in his mind, he always calls his parents, Paul and Zenith, by their names, being older than them in his last life. Also, another thing is in the manga; it was shown that Cid was very comfortable bathing completely naked with Epsilon, and in all mediums, it was shown that he saw Alpha completely naked and Gamma completely naked. If the father notion is correct, then Cid has to be some kind of nudist/naturist minded person who is completely comfortable seeing his daughters naked and flashing his private parts in front of his daughter as well. Additionally, when Zeta congratulated him on his 16th birthday, he immediately responded with, "Oh, I am 16 now, huh?" and conveyed that he doesn't care about birthdays as they signify aging and having less time in the world. In his last life, Cid faced ridicule for his childlike dream and was often labelled as a nutjob and an idiot. He was constantly advised to grow up, make friends, get a girlfriend, and plan for his future. Recognizing that embracing his dream meant forever being a child, he realized he had to accept this aspect of himself. Also, I am articulating an concept that I got from u/Master_Snort here- Living a repeated life as a 17-year-old in the past and a 16-year-old in the present doesn't inherently lead to greater mental maturity akin to a 33-year-old individual, as evidenced by various factors. Just as repeating the grade 5 for 5 times doesn't make one matured and honed enough to take the grade 11 course, the lack of novelty in experiences hampers cognitive development; just as a person reliving their first year for a century wouldn't mature into a 10-year-old. Moreover, emotional growth stagnates without encountering new challenges or diverse social environments—repeating the same circumstances doesn't provide opportunities for emotional resilience or empathy. The absence of varied social interactions and environmental influences also limits personal development; for instance, if the protagonist's socioeconomic status or access to education remains unchanged, their maturity may plateau. Additionally, cognitive plasticity is hindered by the repetition of experiences, impeding the brain's ability to adapt and learn. Furthermore, without exposure to different cultural norms or role models, the protagonist may lack diverse perspectives essential for holistic maturity; for example, if they're unable to learn from positive role models or adapt to different cultural expectations. Furthermore, without overcoming past traumas or having a sense of purpose, emotional healing and personal growth are hindered—illustrated by the protagonist's struggle to mature without addressing unresolved emotional wounds or finding clarity about their life goals. Lastly, lacking opportunities for self-reflection or meaningful peer interactions inhibits introspection and the development of interpersonal skills crucial for maturity; if the protagonist's social circle remains limited, they may not learn from diverse perspectives or experiences. Thus, despite reliving similar experiences, true maturity is a multifaceted process influenced by a combination of factors such as emotional, cognitive, and social development, which may not progress linearly with age or repetition of circumstances.

Cid acts stupid with delta:

Delta doesn’t understand normal matters clearly, so making her understand complex matters is simply ludicrous. Even when Cid was talking about Delta not meeting him while he is in contact with the surface people, she was having trouble understanding what Cid was trying to say. The way Cid converses with Delta is like how we simply converse with toddlers, all while simplifying the language so they can understand easily. Also, even Delta can sometimes provide good suggestions, like when she suggested that Alpha should learn the curing technique to cure human possession from Cid, when the smartest shades like Gamma or Eta couldn’t give any suggestion on that matter.

Cid is stupid because Shades are smarter in their respective fields:

Cid is considered stupid because the Shades are way smarter than him. But people forget that the Shades are only smarter in their areas of expertise; even if you put a shade against another based on one’s areas of expertise, it would be an unfair competition, as you can’t expect Beta to excel in areas where Delta shines or Delta to perform as well as Beta in literary plots. For example, Gamma can’t fight like Delta or be a researcher and architect like Eta, just as Eta can’t be a businesswoman like Gamma, who comes up with all the strategic plans for SG. The Shades may score 100 in their specialized areas, but they score absolutely zero in other areas. Cid, who can score well in all areas with scores even higher than those of Delta and Alpha in combat, is better at infiltration and stealth than Zeta, and is better at playing music and controlling magic than Epsilon, and so on, can’t be called stupid just because Shades excel in their areas of expertise. Additionally, Elves are considered to be a much higher race in fantasy stories than humans in terms of capabilities.

In some parts of Asia, competition is based on getting perfect scores/100. If you use that as a benchmark, then a student who consistently scores straight A+ in all subjects will be considered average or even stupid.

Cid is stupid because he miscalculated the time Beta need to master the Japanese language:

Again, just utilize the concept of time moving differently in different universes. There are even scientific theories that suggest if you move to another universe where time acts differently than in your original universe, then you would feel like you are experiencing time according to the current world you are in, but your brain will actually process time according to your original world’s time. Also, Beta is always immersed in literature, and Eta is truly a genius who operates on another level, so it is not surprising that she would learn more efficiently. Additionally, Elves are considered to be a much higher race in fantasy stories than humans in terms of capabilities.

EQ of Cid:

Self-awareness: A hyper self-aware person excellent at Intrapersonal relationship; he knows what he wants and what his goals are and solely works for the achievement of those with a single-minded obsession. He knows what his capabilities and limits are, never overestimating himself. Even achieving victories that he doesn't find satisfying can make him disappointed, such as the Scarface win and Mist Dragon fight. Instead of blaming others for having better abilities than himself or using means that he isn't able to pull off, he strives to become better every day. He gets disappointed in persons who just give up on themselves like Alexia and praises people like Victoria who try to become more skilled and better rather than blaming others for being too skillful, prodigious, or strong. He has only one goal in his mind and is ready to forsake all and every other thing for the sake of that goal.

Social awareness: Absolutely horrible as he has very bad interpersonal communication. He is a social recluse and outcast who has no idea about how a normal person thinks. He fails to understand situations and circumstances miserably. He thought Sherry had weird taste for thinking a normie is cool, not even understanding the underlying meaning behind it when she said that the way Cid always stood up while not giving up is very cool. He thought Rose was trying to convert him to her religion when she was just being affectionate with him. He thought Akane was a stalker when she was just showing how much she loved Minoru. There are other obvious and blatant romantic gestures from his SS friend which he never gets. He doesn't even realize why his sister is so clingy to him or being so affectionate to him. He just thinks Claire enjoys annoying the heck out of him as he is her favorite chew toy.

Relationship management: Absolutely horrible. All his perceptions and worldviews are based on his experiences from fiction and otaku culture. He is very bad at communication and often misinterprets things. Though he is good at collaborating and forming teams with others, he often runs away from situations that may hamper his relationships with others rather than resolving them.

Empathy: In navigating the complexities of his moral compass, he exhibits a profound empathy for innocence and vulnerability, staunchly refusing to cause harm to those he deems innocent or pitiful. This sentiment extends to his refusal to pursue Rose despite the tempting bounty placed on her head for her defiance. His anger towards Lutheren for exploiting Shery reflects his sensitivity to the mistreatment of others, even when he has only just encountered them. Returning Mary's money from corrupt soldiers underscores his commitment to justice and fairness. However, his empathy does not extend to those he perceives as morally corrupt or harmful to society, as evidenced by his indifference towards the killing of bandits and corrupted politicians, which is legally sanctioned in his world. His complex emotional reactions, ranging from profound grief at the prospect of harm to others to a callous dismissal of his sister's worth, highlight the nuanced interplay between empathy and personal biases in his psyche. While he may tolerate the actions of serial killers if they do not impede his objectives, his visceral response to accidentally endangering Millia's life and his subsequent retribution against Perv underscores the depth of his empathy, particularly when confronted with the consequences of his own actions.

Motivation: Absolutely impressive. He has just got an unbreakable will. Nothing anyone could say or regardless of whatever obstacles that he may face, he will always strive to achieve his goal. He cut off his sleep, discarded everything else in his life, practiced absolute madness, and inflicted self-induced harm if he could get what he wants. Never fazed even while facing enemies and opponents such as Mist Dragon, Aurora, Olivier, Ragnarok, Fenrir, or Freya. While others panicked, he just stayed calm and paved the path to victory.

Emotional expression: Absolutely horrible. When Akane was crying seeing him look so similar to Minorue in Minorue's costume and told him that she is sorry because she just got hit by a lot of emotions, he just said, "Don't worry about it," as whenever he remembers some sweet memories from his past, it just makes him break out laughing (thinking about some sweet Shadowbroker move that he pulled in the past). Went to show Rose that her mother is colluding with Perv even without thinking about the consequences.

Emotional perception: Knows what emotions he has and controls them, as he says, "I’m the type of guy who doesn’t have many likes or dislikes… mainly because most of those things aren’t worth thinking about. That’s not to say I don’t have any preferences. None of them are particularly important, and I could certainly make do without them, but I still like the stuff I like and dislike the stuff I dislike. Even when you try to separate those things out with logic, you can’t logic away your emotions. I call stuff like that unimportant likes and unimportant dislikes. Incidentally, one of those unimportant likes is hot springs." But absolutely horrible at perceiving the emotions of others though he somehow can sense the real situation about Elizabeth, Can do a battle conversation with Aurora, Can sense that Millia is just out of her consciousness and any sense.

Adaptability: Adapts himself to all situations that he faces while LARPing as the Shadowbroker, but absolutely adamant to undergo any change in his character. One of the defining traits of his character is that he refuses to become mature. As he explained to Lutheren and Rose, he is essentially someone who refuses to grow up. As he explained to them, everyone has dreams, such as becoming the superheroes they adored in childhood. However, as they grow up, they automatically start losing their adoration for their heroes and go along with the flow of society, acquiring friends, lovers, spouses, jobs, starting a family, and having children—all part of the process of growing up. On the other hand, he refuses to do any of these things. To him, acquiring friends means growing up; falling in love or having a girlfriend means growing up; having sexual desires means growing up; marrying someone means growing up, and having children means growing up.

Emotional agility: Despite Cid's resilience in pursuing his fantastical goals with unwavering determination, his emotional agility remains constrained by his Chunibyo delusions. While he may navigate through imagined battles and quests with apparent ease, his ability to adapt to real-world emotions and changing situations is limited. His rigid adherence to his fabricated persona and narrative may impede his capacity to process genuine emotions and respond flexibly to dynamic interpersonal dynamics.

Conflict resolution: Cid's conflict resolution skills may be hindered by occasional instances of his Chunibyo delusions, which could color his perceptions of reality and interpersonal interactions. While he may sometimes view conflicts through the lens of his fictional world, leading to misinterpretations and ineffective resolutions, he may also demonstrate moments of clarity and empathy when addressing real-world conflicts directly.

Authenticity: Cid's authenticity is intertwined with his Chunibyo tendencies, as he sometimes struggles to distinguish between his fictional persona and his true self. While he may perceive himself as genuine in his adherence to his imagined identity, others may perceive him as detached from reality and lacking in self-awareness. However, there are instances where he demonstrates authenticity by embracing his true desires and values, separate from his delusions.

Mindfulness: Cid's mindfulness may be compromised by his occasional retreat into his Chunibyo delusions, which could distort his perception of present-moment reality and emotions. While he may exhibit intense focus and determination in pursuit of his fictional quests, his awareness of genuine emotions and interpersonal dynamics could be obscured by his fantastical narratives. However, there are moments of clarity where he demonstrates mindfulness by acknowledging and accepting real-world emotions in a non-judgmental manner.

Assertiveness: Cid's assertiveness may be influenced by his Chunibyo tendencies, as he occasionally asserts his fictional identity and boundaries with unwavering conviction. However, there are instances where his confrontational approach to asserting his delusional persona may hinder genuine emotional expression and connection. Despite this, there are also moments where he demonstrates assertiveness rooted in genuine self-awareness and conviction, separate from his delusions.

Other:

Cid Is omniscient and all knowing:

While there is a common argument that the SG sees Cid as an omniscient, all-knowing being, I would say they don’t consider him omniscient. Based on their experience and observations, they believe he can draw various wise conclusions through his observations, whether in terms of science, commerce, or something else. An example that he is not considered all-knowing is that the SG regularly sends him reports. He asked Gamma what she was using on his face when she helped prepare to don as the MM, and when Cid asked Epsilon if she had any idea where Princess Rose Orianna is or where Queen Reina’s room is. Also, when Beta asked about how the pigs, despite being so weak, survived in the wild, he said that it is a mystery. Additionally, Alpha handed over the particulars of 13 knight swords to him in LN vol 6. If he were all-knowing, then they wouldn’t have done that, or Cid wouldn’t have asked them about those. Alpha even mentions in her management diary that, knowing Cid, she believes he has much better information than them regarding the Leven Country war. So, what they believe is that Cid is able to collect information much faster than them and can see ten steps further than them. In fact, sometimes these are true, as he was able to draw Rose to the underground cathedral just by playing the piano and waiting for her to arrive, or when he predicted Luther would be in his office, or when he said the exact thing that would happen when Alpha said to him that they are going to start a merchant corporation, or when he told Alpha that due to the rarity of the human possessed, it is highly possible that it holds some secrets that the cult wants.

Cid loves money:

Yes, he wants to save money, but he just wants to earn enough money so that he doesn't have to do any job and can spend all the money, whether it comes from looting the bandits or being thrown at him for being "Pooch" the dog or winning from card games against Skel and Po. Dude says he doesn't understand shit about alcohol; actually, he rather dislikes drinking it, but as it seems cool to him, therefore he spends a ridiculous amount of money (900,000 zennies for the vintage wine, and 450,000 zennies for the glassware) so that he can create his ideal kind of eminence in the Shadow scene for at most what? 5 minutes probably at the highest to Beta during her report him. He was thinking about saving enough money so that he can buy the cool Lion's mane, a dark vase, and so on, items that he holds dear in his heart as the eminence in Shadow items of a master collection. He doesn't have grand ambitions like getting an amazing mansion, eating good food, amassing amazing wealth, etc. The whole reason for his John Smith betrayal was so that he can, at the last moment, appear before the girls with all the money and finally become a real eminence in Shadow (who controls the world's economy and commerce as the leader of a shadowy organization), not the wannabe one or the pretending one. All the money he saves, he spends on his eminence in Shadow activities and buying the stuff related to it but not spending it on luxury stuff, food, or anything else that common people desire.

Both are part of Cid's Personality:

Cid or Shadow – which is his personality? A guy who has spent a ridiculous amount of time in his past life and has been training like a maniac, and still tries to figure out and find out how to become the perfect eminence in shadow; you can't say that his Shadow personality is not part of him. All of Cid's motivations are to become the eminence in shadow, not Minoru, Cid, or even Shadow; all the courses he has been taking are just preparation for him becoming the Eminence in Shadow. The fancy hoodlum slayer was his preparation on Earth to become the eminence in shadow, and realizing that he can't beat a nuke without magic caused him to look for ways to find magic and get reincarnated. The fancy bandit slayer was his preparation in the new world that led him to create SG and become Shadow. All the other personas like MM, JS, SH, JtR are his preparation for becoming the ultimate eminence in shadow, and he has decided to stick with the Shadow persona to have all the glories or notorieties it gathers to make this persona a legend because he has created a group of loyal friends and followers called SG who stick with his antics, and he is the leader of that group. Other than the JS persona, he revealed at the last moment to his audience that he is Shadow and he is the mastermind. The reason he didn't reveal JS to be Shadow is that it would immediately put doubt on his and SG's involvement in the war between MCA and the Mitsugoshi as MCA. Even though he doesn't know cults exist or SG is a legitimate underworld organization, just not a group of pretenders due to his actions of making SG and himself a terrorist and criminal, it would have meant he is letting the world and obviously MCA know who is behind everything as they didn't make SG get involved. Also, this indicates that both are Cid's personalities. (Link)

Religion:

Cid has no problem in starting a religion. When he thought rose was trying to convert him to her religion He in his mind outright says that while it is in my policy to get get involved with any religion and the only time he will be considering it if it means he is one starting one.

Kidnapping Royality:

If it means it will help him realize his goal, he will even kidnap royalty. In the LN, it was depicted like this:

"I did what I could to get through to Rose. Nothing anyone said could’ve stopped me from working to become an eminence in the shadow, so if she’s got the heart of a lion, I’m sure she’ll get back on her feet and raise the standard of rebellion. The rest is up to her. But on the other hand, if she doesn’t get back on her feet… 'I’d better crash the wedding.' There’s no two ways about it. I can be the eminence in the shadow who bursts into the wedding, shoots off a couple of profound quotes, and whisks the princess away."