Yu Yu Hakusho: Yusuke Urameshi (ESFP)

Yusuke Urameshi from Yu Yu Hakusho is most often believed to be an ESTP, so it may come as a bit of a surprise that we’re suggesting ESFP. Of course, everyone is welcome to their opinion, but we personally see no significant indication that this character has Ti/Fe, which are the judging functions of an ESTP. However, we do see signs of Yusuke having Fi/Te, which would indicate ESFP.

If you’ve visited this page in the past, you may not recognize this introductory section. That would be because we recently gave Yusuke’s analysis a significant update. We originally published this article back in 2019 by request, and didn’t bother with any of the other characters, until they were requested nearly 5 years later. After completing the analyses for the other main characters, we realized this one was severely lacking. For the record, it has not been completely rewritten, but some bad evidence has been removed and some better evidence has been added. Hopefully the case makes a bit more sense now.

Se:

“Don’t have to worry about Yusuke being afraid at least. Risking his life is the only constant strategy he has.” – Hiei about Yusuke

“Shut up. Something always comes to me at the end.”

“Wow. Yusuke has learned a lot, huh? Six months ago, he would have dumped all his energy into one blow without thinking about his next move. Now, he’s planned ahead. I’m very impressed.” – Jorge says, and then immediately learns from Koenma that Yusuke is bluffing.

“I don’t deal in what ifs.”

Yusuke from Yu Yu Hakusho is impulsive and prefers to live in the moment, taking things as they come. He is not one to speculate or deal in “what ifs”. Preferring to live in the here and now, Yusuke usually doesn’t bother to plan in advance, and is known for being that way. He prefers things to approach things in a straightforward manner, and skip straight to the action. As a general rule, Yusuke has no issues rushing into a situation without a plan, and he frequently wins his battles via sheer luck. (Hiei gets rather irritated by this.) For instance, Yusuke may fall at the last minute, or find a cigarette on the ground, which turns out to be just what he needs to take down his opponent. There are countless other examples of Yusuke just winging it and managing to come out on top.

Yusuke spends most of the show fighting, or looking for a fight. He is quick to speak, yells a lot, and has little sense of boundaries (looking under his crush’s skirt, touching her butt, etcetera). Yusuke desires freedom and hates anything that imposes structure on him, like rules, school, etc. He is often chided for laziness and quitting when things get hard. He also has a tendency to joke around while in battle, and talk to his opponent, which suggests extraversion. His jokes and insults are usually straightforward and situational (IE: a joke about “hanging out” when he’s physically being hung from a rope by his opponent). He also takes statements in a more physical manner, like assuming “let’s use our heads” means headbutting the opponent.

Fi:

“I refuse to apologize for dealing with this the only way I knew how.”

“This is for my friends, you jerk!”

“You heartless *******! How could you kill off your own friend?”

Yusuke, while not always appearing to have a strong moral code, is value driven. He is quick to declare certain actions or events as not fair, or not right. He is also quick to declare his opinion in a very black-and-white manner, and judge his opponents. For instance, he once states that “ugly people shouldn’t be allowed to smile that much.” (Values are not always morals.) When fighting in the tournament, Yusuke and his team learns that the team they are currently facing is being forced to fight against their will. While Kuwabara appears upset from an empathetic/emotional standpoint, Yusuke acts morally outraged. He is also shocked by certain evil actions that he sees his enemies commit. In addition, he uses his emotions as fuel or strength to win his battles. People are quick to learn of this tendency, and utilize it to their advantage. In his final fight in the tournament, his team has Kuwabara pretend to be dead so that Yusuke will get the emotional motivation that he needs to win.

Yusuke is not emotionally expressive, and keeps everything inside, which is common for Fi, since emotions are very personal to them. He expresses a distaste for being touchy-feely or showing any kind of weakness, which hints toward his Te as well. In addition, Yusuke is not at all tuned into the emotions of those around him, which contradicts the common ESTP theory. He deals with things his way, without any hint of remorse for how it affects those around him. Granted, healthier FPs wouldn’t be so callous about it, but the fact that his emotional experience is so distinct and independent of those around him indicates Fi rather than Fe.

Te:

“This guy’s pushed me too far. He’s dead!”

“You can’t die!”

“He’s just another idiot that’s abusing his power.”

Yusuke’s tertiary Te shows up in a few different way. His open disdain for authority is one of the strongest indications. Yusuke is constantly antagonizing those in authority over him, or anyone who would try to control him. However, it goes a bit beyond him not wanting to be controlled. On a broader level, he hates those who abuse their power and authority. This a common way low Te manifests, since Te naturally fixates on external hierarchies and structures. Low Te wants to overthrow the bad structures. In comparison, an ESTP (or a TP in general) would rather act like the structure doesn’t exist or is irrelevant, unless slapped in the face with it.

Yusuke tends to be very absolute and even abrasive. He constantly expresses very strong and forceful opinions. Overall, he appears to lean somewhat heavily on his Te, which is why he’ll come off as harsh, brash, or overly forceful in the things that he says and does. This is all Te attempting to exert control over its environment. Similarly, he prefers to do things in the most direct way possible, facing every obstacle head on, submitting the environment to his will. For example, when making his way through the forest during one of Genkai’s tests, Yusuke decides to run in a straight line, which specifically demonstrates his Se-Te combination.

Ni:

“I don’t know. Something tells me I should trust him, Botan.”

“Planning out my future’s never been my style.”

While it doesn’t happen too often, Yusuke does get hunches which he is usually willing to follow. For instance, he decides to initially trust Hiei based on a hunch. However, in a negative sense, his inferior Ni is shown through his impulsiveness and disregard of the future. He usually lives fully in the present, incapable of thinking very far ahead. (Yusuke has no qualms admitting this to others.) This often puts him in danger or causes him to act hastily. When Kuwabara is kidnapped in the Chapter Black Saga, Hiei has to intercept Yusuke and force him to slow down, to think. He warns Yusuke that he needs to be better prepared, else risk ending up exactly like Kuwabara.