#se inf

INFJ

Functional Order: Ni - Fe - Ti - Se

Spoiler warning

This article will contain spoilers about the main plot of the game and Maruki’s confidant, as a way to provide the most comprehensive analysis.

Perceiving Functional Axis

Introverted Intuition (Ni) / Extroverted Sensing (Se) 

Maruki is a pivotal character in Persona 5 Royal, with a complex and well-written personality. As an INFJ, Maruki lives following a clear goal envisioned by his dominant Ni. Even if it may seem unbalanced at first, Maruki’s perceiving axis is a developed one, since a common problem regarding immature Ni revolves around the inability to give purpose to one’s life with a concrete project in mind. Maruki, however, knows precisely what he wants and how to gain it, thus he’s able to take advantage of the vacant spot left after Jaldaboath’s defeat as a tool to realize his vision. Dominant Ni discards data provided by Se in order to build a sound visualization of a feasible future scenario. Maruki, in fact, isn’t a daydreamer stuck in a loop of unattainable results, he’s rather aware of how his vision will affect both him and the world, as well as other people. Letting Rumi behind and sacrificing a peaceful reality where he’ll be satisfied with his life is just a step to shape a better reality for everyone. 

Rumi needs further attention because, as always, cognition must be separated from behaviours and past traumas. So, regarding Maruki, it’s clear how his relationship with Rumi influenced his vision of the the world and how it affected him emotionally. At the same time, Maruki isn’t trapped in a loop where he disconnects from reality following a distorted dream. Rumi isn’t part of the equation, Maruki surely holds her memory dear but he goes beyond his grief to build a better world. He experienced directly the pain he sees in other people which is, ultimately, what really moves him forward.

Maruki’s Ni is balanced by a solid inferior Se. Usually, young or immature Ni dom users suffer of inaction or passiveness, they set unrealistic goals, they don’t plan a realistic and step-by-step plan to realize their dreams. Maruki is the opposite: he is well aware of his potential, and knowing what he can achieve he envisions a feasible reality. Maruki doesn’t aim to rebuild society from its very foundations, he rather tries to create a new scenario through a series of concrete actions. In short, he doesn’t start from zero, he corrects what (in his opinion) needs to be adjusted - a much more realistic approach to fixing problems compared to what is generally the ‘ultimate plan’ of other villain masterminds.

During the game Maruki is always focused on the future, not in a cliché way but with a practical approach to problems: he has a power he doesn’t clearly understand yet and he knows how this source may lead him to a future scenario similar to the one he dreams about, thus he follows little steps to reach it. Maruki does it by interacting with the Phantom Thieves, in this way he’s able to gain knowledge about the Metaverse and, at the same time, receives feedbacks through counseling sessions, thus constantly reshaping his utopia. 

Judging Functional Axis

Extroverted Feeling (Fe) / Introverted Thinking (Ti)  

Maruki is so focused on other’s needs he falls in a savior complex. He doesn’t limit to mourning Rumi or helping others through normal counselling, rather he constantly harbors a deep desire to help others, no matter who they are. This is a clear sign of high Fe: Maruki doesn’t fight for a single cause, a specific belief, he instead does what he considers the best for everyone. Maruki sees the world as a place full of people where everyone should be happy. He hasn’t a deep bond with Sumire when he starts to help her, he simply cares for her since she’s a human being undergoing a tremendous trauma. This is an approach based on objective feelings, on shared wellness, on preserving social harmony and thus allowing people to be happy together.

Maruki is Shujin’s counselor, however he still overthinks his actions and words because he fears to break the emotional environment. Even while talking with students his focus is clearly centered on other people and their well-being, he puts his needs aside and do his best to soothe their pain.

Maruki’s Fe is what aids his vision. As we stated above he has the power to shape reality almost as he wants, this is where the auxiliary function comes into play: the reality envisioned by Maruki is a summary of his philosophy, a world where no one suffers, where people experience joy and happiness. As a human being with high Fe Maruki cares for the emotional atmosphere of his surrounding. As a counselor he extended this to a whole school and as a persona user he went even further, trying to nurture society as a whole. 

His Fe is thus balanced with tertiary Ti. This function can be seen in his methodical approach to problems: he has a vision (Ni) related to people’s wellness (Fe) and he implements it through a logical and rational approach. Maruki’s Palace isn’t a mere cognitive expression of his personality and inner self, it’s also an organized clinic with specialized staff, rules, routines, areas dedicated to specific tasks, all of this with a focus on people: rooms have an aseptic white appearance, they are spacious and designed to be comfortable - in sharp contrast with the storage and monitoring areas, which aren’t meant to be seen by visitors. Since a Palace is by definition the manifestation of their ruler’s deside it’s safe to assume that it simply reflects Maruki’s methodical and rational approach to tasks, even considering smaller details. Ti is a function based on building a subjective (since it’s introverted), rational system as a tool to solve problems. Maruki applies this tool to solve intangible problems tied to the realization of a future where everyone can experience only positive feelings (Ni and Fe).

INFJ

Functional Order: Ni - Fe - Ti - Se

Trigger warning

This article will contain spoilers about the main plot of the game and Haru’s confidant, as a way to provide the most comprehensive analysis.

On a side note, since Haru has a well-balanced stack, we didn’t focus our article on splitting her mourning from her cognition, due to how well she reacted.

Perceiving Functional Axis

Introverted Intuition (Ni) / Extroverted Sensing (Se) 

Haru isn’t a textbook INFJ, but her stack is well balanced. This is especially true considering how well she reacted to her father’s death, never falling into loops or grips. Even if she isn’t the stereotypical INFJ, her dominant Ni is sound and only improves during her confidant. When we first meet Haru, she doesn’t even take into account the option to use Ni as a tool to assess her future: since her father owns a big company in the food market, he planned an arranged marriage for her, thus preserving the wellness of his business. 

After her father’s death, though, Haru finds herself in a tough position. Talking about cognition, her Ni shows during her confidant, in which Haru understands how she can’t live her life following blindly her father’s will or, even worse, being under the influence of shareholders who only want to take advantage of her for the sake of mere profit. Therefore, Haru begins to question herself about what she really wants to do and her answer is to develop her passion for coffee beans and vegetables into a business, similarly to her grandfather’s café.

This is also a clear indicator of her well-developed inferior Se. Haru defines a concrete, plausible plan using Se as a tool to realize her wish. She doesn’t think about an abstract and intangible idea, she neither ruminates on future possibilities. On contrary, she listens to the protagonist’s advices, she clears her mind, and then she speaks to Okumura’s Food shareholders about her future in the company. So, in the end, she can follow her dream by taking concrete steps.

Haru’s inferior Se is initially less balanced though, she blindly follows Morgana without thinking about the consequences of her actions, and thus she finds herself questioning her behaviours. But as a healthy Se user, when the team tells her the truth she no longer lies to herself and accepts reality as it is. 

Haru further nurtures her inferior Se growing vegetables on Shujin Academy’s rooftop. This may seem a little detail, especially compared to how her Se plays a role in her search for a meaningful activity to do as a living. But practical hobbies that require to use one’s senses are in general a great way to nurture inferior Se and Haru does it in a surprisingly healthy way.

Judging Functional Axis

Extroverted Feeling (Fe) / Introverted Thinking (Ti)  

Haru is deeply concerned with the environment’s emotional state and her main focus is on the well-being of her teammates. When the phantom thieves help her to defeat Okumura’s shadow, she invites them to spend a night at Tokyo Destinyland, making a reservation for the entire park. Even in more trivial situations, Haru is always focused on people: she’s extremely polite, be it in face-to-face interactions or on the group chat, never stepping on someone’s toes, because breaking social harmony scares her and she really wants to get along with everyone. 

Haru also has a surprisingly balanced Fe, especially considering how she reacted to her father’s death. She initially suspected the phantom thieves but, to be honest, this is a human reaction to a tragic event that left her in sorrow and without a stable emotional support system. Yet, after few days, Haru apologizes with the group, thus she starts again to use her Fe in an healthy way. 

During her confidant, Haru’s Fe aids her dominant Ni when she tries to define a suitable and meaningful future for herself. Her wish to open a coffee chain like her grandfather did isn’t only a choice driven by Ni, as she also cares about how this activity will positively impact the life of her customers. Haru then uses her Fe to influence the emotional environment of Okumura’s Food shareholders. She takes action (Se) with a clear goal in mind (Ni), aware of her role in the company (Ti), to find a common ground for everyone (Fe).

Haru’s Fe is paired with tertiary Ti, although finding clues about her Ti isn’t simple. During her confidant, Haru takes her time to dissect Okumura’s Food, so she can understand “the rules of the game” and create an internal logical system to apply in her decision-making process. She then figures out the hierarchy in the company and the dynamics underlying it (this is also due to her Fe). So, even if the game focuses more on her tendency to ease the emotional environment and her research of a meaningful activity to do as a living, her Ti shows a little in her confidant. At the same time, Haru never makes choices based on the most efficient way to solve a problem and her approach is always people-oriented, which excludes Te from the equation. And given how we think it’s undeniable that Haru has Fe in a high position in the stack and that she’s an introvert, this implies tertiary Ti by a process of elimination. Finally, as a teenager, it’s common to have a tertiary function not so evident.

Also typed as: INFP, ISFJ

Another consideration about Haru revolves around how Ni and Fe may mimic Fi when placed in high positions in the stack. Haru’s auxiliary Fe is clearly visible in all her behaviours, but for the sake of discussion we would like to distinguish it from dominant Fi. 

Ni and Fi are both introverted function, thus they are subjective. The biggest difference between them resides in how Ni searches for a meaningful future, opposed to how Fi prioritizes activities which enhance and express one’s sense of self. Dominant Ni, even if subjective, operates as a perceiving function, thus the judgement stems from the auxiliary one: Te or Fe. As we stated above, it is clear how Haru aids her choices not with a logical and efficient approach (Te), but rather with one based on people’s well-being (Fe). Dominant Fi may lead an IxFP to pursue a people-based cause, but Haru does it as a way to create and maintain social harmony, not because she thinks it’s right or her duty. 

So, even if one doesn’t clearly see how Fe is Haru’s judging function, Fi can also be excluded since it implies Te and because there’s a difference between what is subjectively perceived as meaningful through Ni and what is subjectively felt as meaningful through Fi.

Another take on Haru’s type is ISFJ. We don’t think Haru is a Si-dom because her methods and motivations doesn’t remind of Si. As always, understanding the difference between two function is a process based on cognition rather than behaviours. Sure she is quiet and maybe one could say she’s traditionalist, but dominant Si means using the past and the information one gained as a constant comparison to find patterns that worked well and that can be applied to the present. Haru doesn’t do that, as her focus lays way more in the future and in how she envisions a meaningful outcome in her life.Haru doesn’t look at the future in a stereotyped Ni-dom way, something people may misinterpret as future forecasting or mind-reading. Haru, on the other hand, tries to unravel abstract patterns, thus finding what she really want to do as a lifelong activity. So, in a less stereotyped and more realistic process, Haru relies on her dominant Ni to delve into possibilities. Ni doesn’t only refer to the actualization of a single vision, since it’s tied to Se: a healthy Ni must consider more than one option and need to be flexible enough to adapt its vision to reality and its limits. What Haru does may seem simple: to open a business creating a pleasant environment for her customers. However, since society is complex and subject to constant change, this is a more tangled puzzle to solve. 

So, especially seeing how many people unfortunately mistake Ni and Si motives with stereotypes based on the future and the past, it’s easy to mistype an INFJ as an ISFJ or vice-versa. The real difference is between how and why Haru consider the past and the future, not the mere focus on one or both of them. 

Let’s look at both Makoto (ISTJ) and Haru’s confidant themes. 

Makoto lived her life in a box with a narrow-minded attitude. At first she asks protagonist for help because she feels she reached a limit and wants to broaden her horizons and be more open (inferior Ne), and in the process she finds the true meaning of her studies and learns to be less judgy (healthy tertiary Fi).

INTJ

Functional Order: Ni - Te - Fi - Se

Spoiler waring

This article will cover Yusuke’s analysis and there’ll be references to Persona 5 and events from his confidant.

Perceiving Functional Axis

Introverted Intuition (Ni) / Extroverted Sensing (Se) 

Given how Yusuke is a well written, three-dimensional character and how Ni is famous for its complexity, it isn’t surprising that it’s difficult to spot this function -even if it’s in a high position in the stack. 

Ni, when dominant, always delves deeper, looking for a meaning in a constant, underlying process of collection, evaluation and exclusion of data provided by Se. Yusuke does it by incessantly searching for a universal, comprehensive definition of art -especially regarding the subject of desire. 

His whole confidant revolves around his slump, and the inability to progress and be satisfied through painting. Dominant Ni, when underdeveloped, filters the world with a narrow view and spirals in a vicious circle where a person doesn’t search meaning as a lifelong journey of self-discovery, but rather as an ultimate goal to reach in order to truly feel at ease and satisfied. 

Yusuke’s immature Ni leads him to a process of trial and error: he first goes in Mementos hoping for an epiphany, a single answer to a complex question. But once he exposes it in an art exhibition at Ueno, things don’t go as expected and his art piece, ‘Desire’, receives criticism: the audience finds it ordinary and dull. Yusuke tried to grasp a complex and multifaceted concept as a way to find meaning in his art, but he only exacerbates his slump finding himself with more questions than before. However, Yusuke sees art as a way to express complex and abstract concept, thus when Kawanabe offers him his patronage he instantly declines, as he can’t accept to make art for materialistic purposes. 

Yusuke’s Ni is clearly paired with an underdeveloped Se. First, during Madarame’s arc -even if Yusuke knew what his master was doing, he finally accepts the truth and then awakens his persona only when exposed to reality. His Se couldn’t provide a distorted view of Madarame anymore, leading Yusuke to accept the truth, even if it’s a painful one, and then allowing him to move on.

His slump, his narrow-minded search for a single truth and his frantic process of trial and error are all signs of an unhealthy Ni/Se axis. Yusuke breaks this cycle by finally understanding how difficult is to find a subjective pattern with whom filter reality in our complex, multifaceted world. He then accepts reality as it is, compromising his vision with a clear and feasible future scenario. A healthy inferior Se, in fact, doesn’t hope for an idealistic, perfect future, but it rather aids Ni providing an objective view of the world, thus making possible for a Ni dominant to envision a concrete way to reach a goal. So, by asking himself what he really wants (tertiary Fi) and by clearing his mind with a reasonable view of reality (healthy inferior Se), Yusuke finally starts to use Ni to make small steps toward his goal, winning the art competition with a painting which represent what he truly finds meaningful.

Judging Functional Axis

Extroverted Thinking (Te) / Introverted Feeling (Fi) 

Yusuke has a rational approach to problems and his auxiliary Te is clearly visible during his confidant. As we stated before, Yusuke tries to grasp meaning in a trial and error process due to his underdeveloped Ni. He has a rational way to solve problems and sees his slump as a task to complete more than a process of self-discovery, thus he starts to observe people in an analytical evaluation of their behaviour. His search for meaning doesn’t start from within (healthy Fi), but it rather arises from a cold view of people and human emotions. Even if he asks himself what the meaning of desire is, Yusuke observes it from a logical point of view. His unhealthy Ni/Se makes him narrow-minded and his auxiliary Te deceives Yusuke by making him take apparently logical actions to find a solution to his slump. 

A more light example is his approach to the phantom thieves, where he shows little social awareness and crosses personal boundaries asking Ann to pose naked for one of his paintings. A direct, rational action to reach a goal in the most effective way. 

Yusuke’s Te is paired with tertiary Fi. Even if, deep down, he knew how pitiful Madarame’s actions are, he truly believed in him because he’s the one who raised him and he felt like he owes him his respect. His view changes only when he must face the truth, which leads him to lose faith in Madarame and to fight against his shadow. 

Yusuke can’t accept how Madarame has disrespected his mother’s painting and her memory, the counterfeited Sayuri also represents a materialistic view of art, merely based on gaining money and status. 

After acknowledging his master’s mistakes, Yusuke still has a place in his heart for him, as he understands the duality and complexity of human beings and sees also what Madarame did to help him. He then decides to let the protagonist take Sayuri, because he prefers to leave it in a place far from artistic competitions and worldly desires. What we see in Madarame’s arc is Yusuke’s strong resolve and how he doesn’t care about breaking social harmony. Even if tertiary, his Fi leads him to follow the phantom thieves in a mission to steal his master’s heart, the treasure of the man who raised him as an orphan, because the phantom thieves exposed Madarame’s true intentions. 

Also typed as: IxFP, INFJ

We think INTJ suits him well and, for the sake of discussion and to better aid our analysis, we’ll explain our take on what we think are common mistypes. 

Yusuke is sometimes typed as a Fi dom. This is no surprise, because as an INTJ he still has Fi in his stack. Yusuke’s Fi shines in Madarame’s arc and it’s easy to understand why it may seem a higher function. However, as we stated above, Yusuke has a logical and rational approach to problems and constantly searches for meaning in what he does. He shows clear sign of how a J approaches tasks and life in general: as an INTJ his main focus is to understand meanings and patterns, and he does it in a methodical and analytical way (aux Te). He seeks meaning as a way to gain certainty and structure in his life, a typical J trait. 

INFJ

Functional order: Ni - Fe - Ti - Se

Spoiler warning

This article will cover Reg analysis with spoilers and references from the first anime season. We’ll avoid talking about the manga, so if you haven’t read that yet, this article is safe for you!

Perceiving Functional Axis 

Introverted Intuition (Ni) / Extroverted Sensing (Se)

Even if Reg’s true nature is still unknown, no one is willing to discover what lies behind it (besides Riko, but the topic is a little more complicated than that.) Reg, however, deeply cares about his identity. This needs a clarification first: talking about identity doesn’t always imply high Fi. Why? Because Reg isn’t trying to unravel what he truly is as a way to pinpoint his sense of self, he’s rather searching for meaning. This is a perceiving, abstract method aimed to gather information and patterns, merging them together in a subjective interpretation of reality. Then, Ni looks at it as a guideline, strategizing a realistic course of action to take in order to reach a meaningful goal. 

Reg is surely young (if we can talk about age referring to what seems a robotic being), affected by amnesia and unsure about who or what he really is, so it’s reasonable to see only the first stages of Ni development: Reg is still trying to figure out his true nature and, even if he’s a J, he seems open to new possibilities and interpretations, since he knows little about the Abyss, its treasures and secrets, but is willing to learn more and more. 

Reg, as a young Ni dom, shows some of its negative traits: he possesses a daydreamer attitude, not in a stereotypical way, but rather as a general approach to his and Riko’s journey: Reg is constantly quiet, silent and he clearly needs Riko’s proactiveness (which is often recklessness, too) to proceed.

Those elements are all tied to his inferior Se: Reg is unable to react quickly to problems, issues and dangerous beings that he and Riko face traversing the Abyss - Ozen clearly points this out, and the story shows it in more than one situation. When Reg takes action he either acts too late, causing troubles, or he makes mistakes far worse than mere inaction (for example in the brawl with Ozen, or against the Orb Piercer). We don’t know yet how Reg’s Se works with his Ni in an abstract evaluation of a pattern, but it’s clear how this function is still underdeveloped. This is also one of the reasons behind Reg and Riko’s chemistry: Reg’s inferior Se balances Riko’s dominant one by being more cautious and taking time to plan, and vice-versa. 

Judging Functional Axis

Extroverted Feeling (Fe) / Introverted Thinking (Ti) 

Reg has a well developed auxiliary Fe: when he meets Riko and her friends he quickly becomes part of the group and it’s appreciated by all of its members. Reg understands the rules behind social interaction and, even if he still can’t bind them as he wants (something even more mature high Fe users can’t do properly), he’s still able to respect them. So, despite not even being a human, Reg instinctively learns social norms and how they apply in different contexts. This is also true for the emotional environment: Reg easily blends in groups, he respects the status quo and knows well what’s going on. 

Auxiliary Fe implies an external focus on people’s emotions and this, in younger INFJs, may lead to a lack of sense of self. This is a treacherous topic since Reg’s identity issues are more complicated than that: his true nature is unknown and this goes far behind the discovery of one’s true self. However, Reg shows signs of high Fe: he never takes action going against the group or his friends/allies, he prefers to respect social rules rather than breaking them and he adapts to the emotional environment.

Reg’s Fe is balanced by its tertiary Ti. Even if he may not be human, Reg appears and acts like a child, so it’s reasonable to see a Ti less obvious than Riko’s one, who’s an ESTP.

Reg shows signs of Ti regarding his attitude towards patterns and ideas: he always tries to put them together in a way he finds logical and coherent but, as a young INFJ with an underdeveloped Ti, he’s more prone to overthinking and losing contact with reality while trying to match all of those elements in the abstract perception of his dominant Ni.

INTJ 

Functional order: Ni - Te - Fi - Se

Spoiler warning                                                                            

Griffith is, along with Guts, one of the main characters of Kentaro Miura’s Berserk. He’s a pivotal element in the story, especially in the ‘golden age arc’ where he leads the ‘Band of the Hawks’. This long flashback is the foundation of Berserk and gives us context about his motivations.

Perceiving Functional Axis

Introverted Intuition (Ni) / Extroverted Sensing (Se) 

Griffith pursues a dream, and his actions are all tied to his vision. He possesses a rich symbolism, which he uses to create a concrete association between the tangible and the intangible. The castle and the hawk are the main metaphor to consider. The castle is a symbol of the kingdom he wants to create and the white hawk is a representation of his team, purity, strength and the possibility to fly and stand among other men. 

Griffith can foresee the outcome of a battle and counterattack properly. He’s always one step ahead of the enemies - for example, he predicted how to interact with Midland’s aristocracy as a tool to gain status. As a member of the ‘God Hand’, Griffith/Femto had enough power to realize his dream and create Falconia, an utopia where men and monsters live together in a society based on cooperation and advanced technology.

His inferior Se is well developed. He uses it as a tool to balance his dominant Ni by taking action, and he always knows when and how to act. Griffith gained status and power through a series of concrete actions to actualize his vision, like battles and social climbing. He can improvise and he doesn’t ruminate on the future, but acts in the real world and obtains tangible results. 

Griffith acted on impulse when he lost against Guts and slept with Charlotte, a sign of impulsive inferior Se.

Judging Functional Axis

Extroverted Thinking (Te) / Introverted Feeling (Fi) 

Griffith lives for his vision and the way he implements it into the world is through logical and practical actions. The end of ‘The golden age’ arc is a clear example of his Te. Griffith sacrificed the ‘Band of the Hawk’ to become a member of the ‘God Hand’, and thus gained the power he craved to realize his dream. All the steps he took to fulfill his vision were rational and based on the most efficient and fast way to obtain what he wanted, like the collaboration with the king of Midland and all his schemes at the royal court. Even Guts, the only person he cares about, were a tool for his plan. He used him as a powerful asset in battle and as an assassin when he started his social climbing. Griffith sees people as weapons he can use to shorten his path, be them friends or enemies.

Griffith doesn’t care about social harmony and he always obey his moral code. Even if he accepted all kind of soldiers in his squad and created a merry group of mercenary, he put his own desires above his team. Griffith built the flourishing kingdom of Falconia following his dream and sacrificing everything, first and foremost his teammates, because that’s what he cared most about when he had to take a decision. Griffith Fi can also be seen in his relationship with Guts. When they first met, Griffith asserted dominance winning against him in a duel. Later, when Guts leaves the ‘Band of the Hawk’, Griffith challenges him again in an attempt to control him, losing to him. Guts isn’t only a tool in Griffith’s team but also the only person he cares about, a loyal servant. Griffith couldn’t stand the defeat also because he cares immensely about social hierarchy and, as a leader, defeat is not an option. 

Also typed as: ENTJ