#narrative characters

Premise

Anime and manga offer a variety of stories, archetypes, and characters, and they aren’t just the sum of some stereotypes and clichés. However, we also like to analyze this topic to see if there may be MBTI-related elements to discuss.

So, our purpose is to dissect the typical anime and manga protagonist, which often is, especially in shonen works, an ESFP. Thus, we’ll use MBTI as a tool to see how common archetypes or clichés are tied to the ESFP personality or, at least, the stereotyped ESFP. We always say that cognition must be separated from behaviors, so we’re aware of the risk involved in an article like this. This is why, on a final note, we want to reaffirm how not all ESFPs (especially in real life) are impulsive, reckless, or excessively idealistic. At the same time, we find it intriguing to see correlations between a particular personality type and common tropes related to anime and manga.

The role of protagonists

As we said above, anime protagonists usually share common traits that can be summarized in the xSFP MBTI types, especially the ESFP one. It’s interesting to notice how those elements are usually found in shonen works since they target a young audience. Why are those protagonists often represented by the ESFP type? And why does this happen mostly in battle shonen?

These characters tend to be quite simple (with some exceptions we’ll address later), and this isn’t a bad thing since this way, it’s often easy to sympathize with them, their cause, and their ideals. They’re the protagonists of stories aimed at younger people, so it’s crucial for them to be understandable (remember: shonen is a target, not a genre.) They usually fall in the ‘kind-hearted’ and ‘overly idealistic’ tropes, they easily befriend people and gain lots of allies gathered in a group, a crew, a school class, or something on those lines. This is often caused by the protagonist’s will to protect the weak. At the same time, the typical shonen protagonist possesses a strong desire to win and, when he loses a competition (usually against their rival) they’ll train to become stronger, overcoming their weaknesses and thus growing more mature and conscious.

Cognitive functions and protagonists

Going deeper, we can see how ESFP’s cognitive functions work together following common shonen tropes.

As a Se dom, an ESFP protagonist usually shows proactiveness and impulsivity. Those traits lead to situations where they must train not only to improve their abilities but also as a way to improve their self-control, thus becoming more cautious.

ESFP is a perfect personality type for the main character since it allows them to take risks, make mistakes, and learn by them. Also, stories revolve around conflict and need lots of unexpected events to progress and create anticipation and curiosity in the audience. Therefore, a Se dom protagonist that is prone to action and to recklessly challenge themself is a simple and functional way to tell a story.

Fi aux usually implies strong ideals to follow, so it’s easier to sympathize with those characters (if those ideals are positive and not excessively ordinary or dull). This isn’t a rule, yet at the same time, it isn’t difficult to understand why a strong-willed protagonist often catches the audience’s attention, thus creating an emotional connection.

Being a P usually implies a more adaptable approach to problems than the one used by Js. Since shonen works are often dynamic and fast-paced, a character who takes action by blindly following his heart allows the story to progress quickly and offers great opportunities for conflict and growth.

The root of the phenomenon   

It probably all stems from Dragon Ball and Goku. Toriyama’s work shows exactly what is now considered the basis of every battle shonen: a young, impulsive, idealistic protagonist with strong power, but lacking the maturity/ability to use/control it properly. This knowledge is then gained through training and trials such as tournaments or exams. In addition, there are friends to protect, a rival, and enemies becoming stronger and stronger. 

So, DB may be truly considered the root of modern anime and manga shonen. Lots of tropes are now tied to it: sometimes there’s a school or an academy where characters study, train, and also mature as people. The protagonist may also have a tragic past, have lost their memory, or be the chosen one (but they aren’t usually aware of it, at least at first). What it is tied to Goku as a character archetype may also be seen in Rufy, Naruto, Ichigo, Natsu, and many others - we cannot mention them all, but you’ve probably understood what type of characters we are referring to.

Exceptions

Exceptions of course exist, like Gon from HunterxHunter. In this case, he’s only presented as a positive character at first but reveals a way darker side of his personality later on. Gon is an example of what may seem a perfect and always upright boy, the classic protagonist that enjoys challenges because they’re fun and cares deeply for his friends and family. However, there’s definitely more depth in him. Without going too far into spoiler territory, it’s enough to say that at a certain point he deviates from the standard shonen protagonist path, and acts in a more selfish, arguable way, and becomes a pretty negative character if one separates him from his role in the work.

Antagonists

By now, it should be clear how ESFP cognitive stack may lead to behaviors tied to common anime and manga tropes. The opposite is also often true for antagonists in these works:

Antagonists tend to be I rather than E, they’re more withdrawn and often dislike the world as it is and live best on their own. When they’re E, they are usually Te or Fe dom with an evil plan that aims at gaining absolute power or reforming society as a whole;

They tend to be N rather than S, and, seeing the big picture, they’re more prone to follow abstract goals and patterns;

They tend to be J rather than P. Antagonists are often planners with a step-by-step project and a long-term vision of how things should be. In case they’re P, they may have Ne rather than Se, always being ahead of their opponents and open to new hypotheses and countermeasures.

What about ISFPs?

ISFP-types often represent a ‘side cluster’ of tropes, with a focus on shadier, less upright characters who may pursue revenge as their main goal. ISFPs have the proactiveness of high Se users but, as Fi doms, they possess an even stronger sense of self. So, it’s interesting to notice how ESFPs are usually positive characters, while ISFPs may be presented as antagonists, or protagonists bearing a burden or being flawed/vengeful. We typed Lio from Promare on our blog, but other examples may be found in Dimitri from Fire Emblem Three Houses or Simon from Gurren Lagann, who is commonly typed as ISFP and starts his journey as very closed, scared and following others’ lead, and becomes a more positive and proactive character later on.

Sources

For further reading, we invite you to read those articles and guides:

https://mbti-notes.tumblr.com/spotting#fiction

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ShonenDemographic?from=Main.Shonen