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MBTI appeal of Death Note anime?

Do you enjoy Death Note?


  • Total voters
    205

Dark Razor

New member
Joined
Apr 23, 2007
Messages
271
MBTI Type
ENTJ
Enneagram
8w7
I think you're forgetting that he was very good at manipulating the people around him, which would point me towards NF.
He wasn't really idealistic to begin with, though. The whole "world is doomed" view. Only thing that changed that was the Notebook. It became more than a Muse.. to slate his boredom with and then his vision which was NEW. He never thought of doing it before then-- Once given the tool, he thought about it. If he were an INFJ, he'd probably have thought about it a long, long time ago, especially when confronted with his dad's work all the time or helping out. The "What if (I could change the world/I could help/etc)?" never occurred to him until then. If wrong about that last bit, correct me, my memory is fuzzy now qq

I would attribute this more towards an insufficiently fleshed out character. After all, you can only apply a personality matrix intented for real people to fictional characters within certain limits. So something you see as proof for or against a certain Type may just be sloppy writting, or may refer to something that is not relevant for the story. For example we know very little about how Light's views before he found the Notebook beyond "this world is rotten", simple because it is not needed to develop the story.
 

Kiddo

Furry Critter with Claws
Joined
Sep 25, 2007
Messages
2,790
MBTI Type
OMNi
I find it intriguing that not a single INFJ has voted that they disliked Death Note. :shock:

But yeah, Light is extremely complex.
 

Haphazard

Don't Judge Me!
Joined
Apr 14, 2008
Messages
6,704
MBTI Type
ENFJ
But yeah, Light is extremely complex.

Or, is he extremely simple?

It may be that he was in the story to fulfill his purpose, because the story is a mystery, only it's told from the other side. His intelligence and good memory may simply be needed by the story to fulfill the plot, and, even though the story is developed through the killer's point of view, the murderer is still left underdeveloped.

Or it could be simply that I didn't like Light as a character very much after a certain point. So I could be biased.
 

Kiddo

Furry Critter with Claws
Joined
Sep 25, 2007
Messages
2,790
MBTI Type
OMNi
Or, is he extremely simple?

It may be that he was in the story to fulfill his purpose, because the story is a mystery, only it's told from the other side. His intelligence and good memory may simply be needed by the story to fulfill the plot, and, even though the story is developed through the killer's point of view, the murderer is still left underdeveloped.

Or it could be simply that I didn't like Light as a character very much after a certain point. So I could be biased.

You know, the lack of development really bothered me. I was really hoping that after Light discovered that he had been Kira, that he would turn over a new leaf. The fact that he could go from hunting Kira and then back to Kira in an instant when he recovered his memories just proves what a sociopath he was. People who have that much of a superiority complex and who can devalue human life so much, are suffering from some serious mental issues. I think Light needs to just be declared untypeable. :yes:
 

wedekit

New member
Joined
Nov 10, 2007
Messages
694
MBTI Type
INFJ
^

Right. Okie. Good for you.. :blink:

I recall you mentioning how bad it was for you to recall info for school in one of your threads. For a class you weren't familiar with, right? In your Xian college, right? Fascinating and all, but it was hard to shove through all the info, right? And you tried your best to memorize but it was too hard !_!

So, how's your Si, hmm?

My memory is excellent when it is stuff that I am actually interested in, which was not the case in that particular post. And just to mention, my performance in that class has improved because I now read the assigned text and then journal articles from online databases that critique them. This helps me get a clear idea of what the professor is looking for and how that particular piece relates to the overall class topic.

However, my Si is exceptionally good when it comes to topics I am more comfortable with. Let me use psychology for an example. I can name off for you any famous psychologist, what school of psych they were part of, how they contributed, what experiments they did, what their theories were, what criticisms about them were, and how their findings affect modern psychology. I also have most statistical formulas memorized for hypothesis testing, as well as when to use which ones and the criteria that must be met for the results to be considered valid. I can go on and on.

Please also note that a lot of times in fiction they add qualities (such as a career) to a person that doesn't really match their personality style; it just makes them interesting. This is especially true when it comes to Japanese characterization. They will have a completely innocent IxFJ type of female character who also happens to be a deadly assassin and weapons specialist. This isn't consistent with her personality, but it adds a new dimension to her characterization. Sometimes they add qualities solely for the convenience of furthering the plot or adding a twist.

Let's also take note that Japan is a collectivist culture and so much of what we assume about personalities here can't necessarily be applied there. The first chapter of my Theories of Personality class stated that almost everything that is taught in the book (including MBTI) can only be applied to Western society unless otherwise specified. Collectivists believe that contributing to society is more important than concentrating on individuals, and so I'm sure this needs to be taken into account. Killing off the detriments to your society can definitely be seen as helping the society as a whole with skewed thinking.

I'm not even close to finishing the series but maybe more episodes can reveal more about him to me so that I can form a stronger opinion about his type.
 

Mondo

Welcome to Sunnyside
Joined
Mar 1, 2008
Messages
1,992
MBTI Type
EsTP
Enneagram
6w7
Here's what I think of the characters and their types.


Yagami Light-ENTJ (I've heard INTJ but given his 'god complex' and ways of dealing with people- you see more of a power-hungry, highly intelligent, and charismatic ENTJ than an INTJ. An extravert doesn't have to be a lover of people- especially an Extraverted Rational).

L-INTP (What else could he be?)

Near-INTJ (Seemed more confident in his deductions but less precise than L)

Mello-ENFP (Despite his extremely high intelligence, one of his problems was that he let his emotions control what he did- only in the way that XNFP types let them do. I could see ENTP or even ENTJ.. but Mello's Fi is definitely stronger than his Fe and if he was ENTJ that would make Fi his inferior function which it is definitely not.)

Chief Yagami-ISXJ (Seemed very T towards the beginning but got more F-ish later on, I'm leaning towards ISTJ though, I don't think an F would berate himself as much for 'acting on his emotions'.)

Matsuda- ESFP (What else? Impulsive and often served as comic relief.)

Teru Mikami- ISTJ (A serious Guardian who was in love with justice)

Ryuk- ENTP (He hates boredom and loves apples.. both lead me to say ENTP.)

Misa Misa- ENFP (In love with Light only in a way that an ENFP could do so. I thought ESFP for some time but she doesn't seem very Artisan in the Keirsey sense but more Idealist. The only argument I have seen for Misa being an S is, "LOL!! SHE IS TOO STUPID TO BE MY TYPE GRRR!!!!" :p)

Mogi- ISTJ (A quiet and cautious type who was devoted to the Kira case. I used to think ISFJ but his enthusiasm as Misa's manager seemed way too overdone and planned for an F type. I've seen ultra enthusiastic ISFJs before and they are actually crazy, )

Aaizawa- ESTJ (Assertive and his strong Te led him to the obvious conclusion that Light has to be Kira and he never seemed to stop believing it after the '13 day rule' proved to be fake).

Watari- INFJ (L's loyal partner- played an SJ-ish role without seeming SJ-ish in terms of personality. His devotion to helping gifted children develop their strengths suggests a strong NF type).

Takada- ESFJ (Her love for Kira was similar to that of Teru Mikami but she had a much warmer personality and unlike Teru could never get herself to actually use the Death Note)

Rem- INFP (She sacrificed herself in the end to save the life of Misa, even though, she seemed to have a good idea of what would happen from the very beginning.. she never took much of an assertive stance against the humans, which suggests INFP. Ryuk's reasons for letting Light do what he desired were very different than why Rem let things go on).

I have some characters here that haven't been discussed so much in this thread.
 

mysterio

New member
Joined
Jan 7, 2009
Messages
168
MBTI Type
ENTP
Here's what I think of the characters and their types.


Yagami Light-ENTJ (I've heard INTJ but given his 'god complex' and ways of dealing with people- you see more of a power-hungry, highly intelligent, and charismatic ENTJ than an INTJ. An extravert doesn't have to be a lover of people- especially an Extraverted Rational).

L-INTP (What else could he be?)

Near-INTJ (Seemed more confident in his deductions but less precise than L)

Mello-ENFP (Despite his extremely high intelligence, one of his problems was that he let his emotions control what he did- only in the way that XNFP types let them do. I could see ENTP or even ENTJ.. but Mello's Fi is definitely stronger than his Fe and if he was ENTJ that would make Fi his inferior function which it is definitely not.)

Chief Yagami-ISXJ (Seemed very T towards the beginning but got more F-ish later on, I'm leaning towards ISTJ though, I don't think an F would berate himself as much for 'acting on his emotions'.)

Matsuda- ESFP (What else? Impulsive and often served as comic relief.)

Teru Mikami- ISTJ (A serious Guardian who was in love with justice)

Ryuk- ENTP (He hates boredom and loves apples.. both lead me to say ENTP.)

Misa Misa- ENFP (In love with Light only in a way that an ENFP could do so. I thought ESFP for some time but she doesn't seem very Artisan in the Keirsey sense but more Idealist. The only argument I have seen for Misa being an S is, "LOL!! SHE IS TOO STUPID TO BE MY TYPE GRRR!!!!" :p)

Mogi- ISTJ (A quiet and cautious type who was devoted to the Kira case. I used to think ISFJ but his enthusiasm as Misa's manager seemed way too overdone and planned for an F type. I've seen ultra enthusiastic ISFJs before and they are actually crazy, )

Aaizawa- ESTJ (Assertive and his strong Te led him to the obvious conclusion that Light has to be Kira and he never seemed to stop believing it after the '13 day rule' proved to be fake).

Watari- INFJ (L's loyal partner- played an SJ-ish role without seeming SJ-ish in terms of personality. His devotion to helping gifted children develop their strengths suggests a strong NF type).

Takada- ESFJ (Her love for Kira was similar to that of Teru Mikami but she had a much warmer personality and unlike Teru could never get herself to actually use the Death Note)

Rem- INFP (She sacrificed herself in the end to save the life of Misa, even though, she seemed to have a good idea of what would happen from the very beginning.. she never took much of an assertive stance against the humans, which suggests INFP. Ryuk's reasons for letting Light do what he desired were very different than why Rem let things go on).

I have some characters here that haven't been discussed so much in this thread.

I was thinking about starting a Death Note character thread, but a search I was almost too lazy to bother turned up this relic. A highly addictive series. One of my favorites. It’s ingenious and intricate with distinct characters that aren’t just along for the ride. Anyway no need to post my own list because I agree with all of Mondo’s.
 

Moiety

New member
Joined
Aug 3, 2008
Messages
5,996
MBTI Type
ISFJ
I started watching this, but it started to get boring after like 15 episodes or so.
 

hakuna

New member
Joined
Nov 14, 2008
Messages
32
MBTI Type
INFP
Enneagram
4
Thought provoking with an addicting plot. Impressive.
 

Asterion

Ruler of the Stars
Joined
May 6, 2009
Messages
2,331
MBTI Type
INTP
Enneagram
5
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
I started watching this, but it started to get boring after like 15 episodes or so.

It was great until then... It just started to get messy and pointless I think
 

Little Linguist

Striving for balance
Joined
Jun 23, 2008
Messages
6,880
MBTI Type
xNFP
Instinctual Variant
sx/so
"I'm loving it" is technically grammatically incorrect.

Sorry, that was the first thing that came into my head.

And the second was, "What the hell is that?"

I don't know...:huh: I'm not an anime fan...
 

kyuuei

Emperor/Dictator
Joined
Aug 28, 2008
Messages
13,964
MBTI Type
enfp
Enneagram
8
I LOVE this show. Absolutely. :heart:
 

eNdvanIshing

New member
Joined
Aug 6, 2009
Messages
3
MBTI Type
INTP
Enneagram
5
It's very intresting that more INTPs enjoy the Death Note anime and manga more than any other type. It makes sense though.
 
Joined
Dec 13, 2009
Messages
30
MBTI Type
IXFX
Enneagram
2
What about some of the minor (but insanely popular) characters?

Naomi Misora - ISFJ: She's quiet and cautious but extremely cares a lot about those she loves (i.e. her fiancee Raye Penber). She is careful not to reveal her real name to Light but I reckon the F part of her made her too trusting of him in the end.

Raye Penber - ENFJ: I'm not 100% sure about him but I've seen others type him as an ENFJ.

Matt - ESFP: Fun loving and loyal to his friends as only an ESFP would be.
 

InfiniteIntrigue

New member
Joined
Aug 4, 2009
Messages
215
MBTI Type
INTJ
Enneagram
1w2
Instinctual Variant
sp
One of the few animes I could watch entirely. I liked Death Note. My brother watches it a lot (An ISTP).

L is an INTP :]
Light is an ENTJ? He's a lot better with people than I am, that's for sure.
 

Jon Snow

New member
Joined
Sep 21, 2009
Messages
92
MBTI Type
INFP
It was pretty good, until a little after Near gets introduced, i just lost interest after that point.. :doh:
 

Bubbleboy

New member
Joined
Oct 30, 2009
Messages
116
MBTI Type
ENFP
I think we're all pretty much agreed that Ryuk is an EXTP.

Yagami Light: INTJ
L: INTP/INTJ
Mello: ENTJ
Misa Misa: ESFP
Near: INTP/INTJ

Rem is a complete idiot. Probably an ESFP like Misa Misa, or an ISFP. I also always wondered how they knew Rem was a girl. It was like just looking at her they could tell, but I couldn't. I first thought she was definitely male.

Why were all the women in this series SO stupid? I loved this series, but that irritated me.

Other than that, I wish it would have gone on longer. L is by far my favorite character in any series.

I also wish that Light had had a vulnerability, or an emotion I could relate to. L appealed to me so much as a character because he did experience sadness, and he did see flaws in himself. He also felt a certain fondness for Light, and admitted that Light was the only person he'd ever come close to befriending. Light saw no flaws in himself, and I never saw an emotion other than fear and anger in him. I could not relate to him because he was never vulnerable or human. Sure, he was a psychopath, but even psychopaths have vulnerabilities. Maybe he was a megalomaniac. Anyway, he was an incomplete, unsatisfying character by the end of the series. He wasn't really human, because he never had the uncertainty or sadness that I think every human has.

I actually think Misa is pretty clever. Her skills are primarily with communication and relations, and she does that pretty well considering she's a little girl. and of course she (and 98% of the world's population) seems like an idiot compared to L and Kira. There are plenty of scenes where Misa is berating L and Light, where the two of them are acting like competitive children and/or emotional retards.
 
Last edited:

Bubbleboy

New member
Joined
Oct 30, 2009
Messages
116
MBTI Type
ENFP
I think Light and L are not clearly -not- the same type. One is an archetypical judger and the other is an archetypical perciever. There's no need to beat that dead horse any further.

While typing a while back though, I was struck with something though. Mikami seems a clear INFJ, right? Could Light be INFJ? They both think of themselves as crusaders on their personal quest towards a better world. They both take things personally, and the people they both relate to the lest are traditionalists. If Light was INTJ, would the SJ police officers need him to rephrase and explain his thoughts all the time?

One of the few animes I could watch entirely. I liked Death Note. My brother watches it a lot (An ISTP).

L is an INTP :]
Light is an ENTJ? He's a lot better with people than I am, that's for sure.

Imo Light has just learned to extravert better than L. He still does his best work on his own, and only has people at his side if he's forced to. I know plenty of introverts who are much better at handling people than Light.
 
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