| For the 2 that are still reading, let me first provide you with some context. Once upon a time when I first made my MAL account, I was considering putting my MBTI score on my profile, and I opted to because I didn't see the harm in it. Then when I created the club and attempted to market it to get people in, Zoushu arrives and we start chit chatting. He brings it up and I think the dialogue went a little like this: Zoushu: "Hey I saw you put that your an INTP on your profile." Me: "Yeah I did, what about it?" Zoushu: "You like MBTI personality test!?" Me: "I mean I took it and I want people to know who I kind of am before they meet me." Zoushu: "Oh let me show you this website, its really cool." Me:  This website is honestly a never ending rabbit hole of content, but before we dig into why I think it's so important, we need to directly establish what exactly MBTI is. Now the history is a jumbled mess of people coming up with ideas, people stealing other's idea, people going down totally separate paths, and people on the side shitting on all of it. None of that is really that important unless you want to hear Zoushu go string theory mode in explanations. Whats important is that there are 4 key variables. Extraversion (Enjoy social settings and people) VS Introversion (Enjoys time alone without people) Intuition (Spends a lot of time in their head thinking) VS Observation (Spends a lot of time observing their surroundings) Thinking (Prefers logical thoughts over emotional ones) VS Feeling (Prefers emotional thoughts over logical ones) Judging (Makes plans for the future and wants to control their surroundings) VS Prospecting (Usually is aimless and nonchalant about their outcomes) This isn't perfect, and I bet Zoushu will come in with a more nuanced take on what I have said, but the points I am going to present requires a level of looseness. Now with that said, lets go back to that website. The site operates as a user rating site, where people give MBTI scores (among other tests) to characters, people, colors, you name it. The point is to categorized someone's personality under the confines of this system to allow a complex ideas to be shortened into a digestible 4 letter word. Now of course it's not perfect, in the way that the MBTI system isn't, and in the way that user ratings aren't, and you can tell when something can't be conveyed when one of the figures of a character's score goes under 70%. But whats your point Ringtomb, you may be asking. You (I) have been writing about an MBTI scoring site for the last half hour, and you haven't explained why this is even here on this club. Well I'll tell you, it's because characters when broken into this system, can be easily compared and quickly understood with the context of his/her role in the story. And to explain this, I'm gonna need to bring in an example. And that example is going to be Demon Slayer  I know not a manga, but I feel Demon Slayer is the perfect vehicle to drive home a point like this because demon slayer is very simple. And I'm not gonna spoil anything so you all will be fine, but I'm sure almost all of you have already seen demon slayer before. So first lets start off with Tanjiro  Tanjiro is classified as an ENFJ. What that means is he is exceptionally kind with people(ExFx), yet deterministic to accomplish his goals, which he will never lose sight of(xNxJ). This is the protagonist of our story, and I think it's good to see the connections he has with other characters.  Our deuteragonist is the adorable Nezuko. She is the sister to Tanjiro, who has turned a demon after demons attacked their house when Tanjiro had went to the village to get supplies. She is an ISFJ, which means she is a quiet and reserved person who speaks with her actions. She gives earnest compassion to her family ("Humans are your family.") and deadly to the demons who try to hurt them. So first lets analyze what she has in common with Tanjiro. They are both FJ, as they love each other and the people around them and they are committed to saving Nezuko and protecting each other. Where they differ is in Nezuko's ability to communicate with others, making her an IS, as she is very simple in nature compared to the rest of the cast.  Next we will be looking at Giyuu. He is the demon slayer tasked with killing Nezuko at the beginning of the series. He is an ISTJ, almost a complete opposite to Tanjiro, with the exception of they're shared interest in killing demons. What makes this confrontation unique is that all 3 of thier differences come into play. Giyuu's IST logical, uncaring, and pragmatic stance that Nezuko has turned into a demon contrast with Tanjiro's ENF hope filled actions to save her. Of course, Giyuu is right, because we know that demons are dangerous beings that have terrorized rural japan for ages, letting one on the loose would be irresponsible and dangerous. It's only when Nezuko leaps to his unconscious brother's body defending it, that he gains hope that she can be saved. Not because he cared for Nezuko and didn't want to kill her, but because there was proof that she could be saved. Here we see the best of both of these character's personalities, and that they aren't 100% concrete. Would Giyuu have killed Nezuko even if she didn't go to defend her brother just because she's a demon? Or did he actually put his logical mind aside to give Tanjiro the goal to save her?  The main villain of Demon Slayer is Muzan Kibutsuji, and he's definitely very odd when compared to Tanjiro. Side by side, they are almost identical, as Tanjiro is a ENFJ while Muzan is an ENTJ. But it's makes sense why they are so similar, as he shows who Tanjiro could become if he, instead of treating people with warmness, he treated with with a cold, pawn-like, demeanor. Many of the demon's Tanjiro faces are created by Muzan to serve him in his enigmatic goals. This is the driving conflict of Demon Slayer. The warm kindness of Tanjiro fighting against the brittle coldness of Muzan. Really, thats the whole point of this. Each of the 4 elements of an MBTI score can be used for conflict or connection. How should we interact with people? (I vs E) How should we view the world? (N vs S) How should we value emotions? (T vs F) How should we value control? (P vs J) Each one of these can be sided one way or another in terms of conflict, or have a duo come to 2 different conclusions to solve a trivial problem, or have a lover teach another human the value of a trait they don't have. Theoretically, you could see MBTI scores conflict any two (robust and non-disputed) characters interact. Of course creating characters is way, way more then MBTI scores and what not. But if your main conflict of the story can fit into one of the 4 categories, I would at least take note. But what else have you guys found? Any other series you see characters clash in ways that are worth noting? |
| I think something like MBTI is a great way to categorize or analyze characters. It's also a good tool to help flesh out some basic aspects of a character's way of thinking, making decisions and interacting with themselves and the world. At its core MBTI is concerned with thought processes rather than behaviour specifically, as I understand it, and what it describes may not be synonymous with "personality" exactly. Because of that, one "personality type" can contain a lot of diversity in what it can look like. They can be used in a similar way as archetypes, I think. I'll try to make an example but this might not work out well lol. In Steel Ball Run, the seventh story arc of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, which takes place in the late 19th centruy USA, the protagonist Johnny Joestar participates in a great horse race spanning across the country, together with Gyro Zeppeli who is basically a second protagonist. So on personality-database the consensus is that Johnny is INTP and Gyro is ENTP. Very similar types, but the "attitude" differs, and their personalities also contrast each other in many ways. Johnny is anxious and believes fate is against him. He is also a bit ruthless and selfish at times, putting his own goals above else for the most part. My impression of him is basically that of a "serious" kind of character. Gyro on the other hand cane be seen often sharing jokes, singing silly songs, and mocking opponents and competitors in ridiculous ways. Gyro has a more positive outlook on life, believing that he can overcome any obstacle if he follows a virtuous path, and his main motivation in the race is helping another person. Ignoring MBTI, the idea of a lively/ easy-going character teaming up with a more reserved/ serious one is pretty common I think. And then not ignoring MBTI there we have it, the opposites compliment each other omg. Anyway what is an xNTP? From my understanding these things can be said: -They have many ideas and like to do things their own way. -They preter to rely more on themselves than others regarding figuring out what is true. -They tend to improvize and see what happens. Doesn't necessarily mean they are good at improvizing. -They rarely shower. -They like horse-riding. And from what I heard one can see it like INTP = nerd, while ENTP = smug bastard. They certainly do get into those improvization-heavy moments a lot, both of them. I think regarding xTxx, you can say they are both a bit cold towards other people, which is like a stereotypical T thing. An example of this is when Gyro meets a man who is going to die, and cannot be saved from that fate. So he frankly declares what the situation is, without extending sympathy though he surely holds some. I think this is one part where he differs from Johnny. Gyro is more direct because he has an extroverted style of interacting with people. Johnny might be less direct about it, or not speak as much of it. Honestly it's been a while since I read this so I don't remember much and I think I am running out of the braincells I need to continue writing so this will be the end for now. |
| can dis sig fit |
| I use a lot of MBTI to put a base personality trait on my characters. Having read a ton about it for a long time, it took years to assimilate the concept and how some interactions work. I'm less familiar with some types because I lack examples of them around me (ESTJ...) I think one of the most interesting dynamics is between Gon(ESFP) and Killua (unhealthy INFP) in Hunter x Hunter |
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