Hunter X Hunter: Killua Zoldyck (ISTP)

This article was requested by one of our loyal followers a little over a month ago. I watched around 90 episodes to gather enough evidence to type Killua as an ISTP. 

Ti:

“The people who act like they’re smart are the ones that usually fail.”

“I was too focused on logically making the right move.”

“Yeah, that isn’t logical.”

Killua puts logic above feelings or principles.  Killua rarely demonstrates emotion. His speech is sharp and critical. He focuses on whether or not things make sense, and is bothered when they don’t. A couple of examples of this can be seen at Heaven’s Arena (before he learned Ren), and when trying to understand Hisoka’s motives during the Greed Island video game. Killua isn’t often shown trying to take control of his environment, which indicates that he isn’t a Te user. In addition, Killua rarely demonstrates clear ideals or standards. At times, he’s needlessly cruel and usually chooses to run when facing an opponent he doesn’t know he can beat. (I understand that he was taught this, but he also could choose to ignore it like he refuses to partake in the family business.) I considered the possibility of him being a Ti aux (ESTP) rather than a Ti dominant, however he’s too cautious in battle (a flaw other characters have pointed out in him), and he doesn’t appear to struggle with impulsiveness or any other common Se dominant flaw. (Plus, his Ni use appears to be higher than inferior.)

Se:

“We can’t limit ourselves. We need special attacks that fit our specialties, and that can minimize the risk. Something practical and effective. That’s what we need to come up with.”

“If I’m not willing to take chances, I’ll never advance.”

“There’s no point stressing about it.”

“Dunno. I guess I’ll just think about it when the time comes.

“Look, I don’t really do these hypotheticals.”

“Look, I already told you. I don’t know what I’d do, okay? I never decide ’til it’s time.”

Killua is relatively laid back, and focuses on the here and now. He doesn’t like making decisions before they are necessary, or thinking about things too far in advance. He’s not usually interested in speculating needlessly. He strategizes easily when he wants to and needs to. Killua is also not big on asking a lot of questions, which would not be the case if he was an Ne user (IE: INTP). He is shown specifically thinking that it is nice having Gon around because Gon never shies away from asking questions. At the beginning of the show, Killua takes the Hunter’s exam for fun, rather than with any specific goal in mind. He usually just goes with the flow, and tends to lack clear goals of his own. Initially, he just piggy-backs off of Gon’s goals. (This also indicates a lack of Te.)

Ni:

“If I don’t put a little fear in him, chances are he’s only gonna get distracted.”

“Be more specific, man!”

Killua’s tertiary Ni shows up especially clear when Gon starts getting distracted from his current objective. Killua’s Ni helps him focus on whatever goal him and Gon are currently working toward. Whenever Gon decides to go off on some unrelated side quest, Killua gets instantly frustrated and starts arguing with Gon. A couple of examples can be seen when Gon wants to learn magic tricks amidst trying to retrieve a copy of Greed Island, and when Gon wants to help Kurapika with one of his missions. Killua gets visibly frustrated when someone takes too long to get to the point, and is frequently shown asking what the point is. Killua also tries to find the hidden meaning behind things like the clues Gon’s father left behind, and on occasion, has eureka moments when things click into place in his mind (Ti-Ni). Of course, as mentioned in the section above, he doesn’t tend to needlessly speculate or entertain many possibilities, which indicates him having Ni rather than Ne.

Fe:

Killua shows very clear inferior Fe. He’s easily embarrassed when Gon says anything the least bit emotional about him. For instance, Gon once simply thanks Killua for joining him on Greed Island and Killua immediately yells at him for saying embarrassing stuff. This type of thing happens many times, since Gon has a tendency to express his appreciation and friendship toward Killua. Killua is also shown feeling insecure because he has never had a girlfriend yet Gon has. On a positive note, Killua’s Fe makes him very loyal and helpful to Gon. At Heaven’s Arena, he refuses to continue training in Nen until Gon is able to make a full recovery from an injury he had received during one of the matches.