Naruto Series: Shino Aburame (INFP)

We considered so many types for Shino… and this is where we eventually landed…

Fi:

“I am not interested in being a part of this team anymore… Because I have no right to be a part of it. Without a doubt, I’ve grown stronger, but I have no faith in my ability to watch your backs.”

“I am a member of the Hidden Leaf Village’s Oborami Clan. When we fight, no matter how puny our opponent is, we don’t mock them. We face them with full strength.”

“Taking some time to converse once in a while…That’s a part of being on a squad isn’t it?”

Shino from the Naruto series is very proud of his identity and his clan. He embraces his bugs as a part of himself, and doesn’t try to hide them from others, in spite of the odd looks and reactions that he gets from time to time. He also sets high standards for himself, and is very hard on himself when he fails. He briefly tries to quit the team due to be taken down by an enemy in close combat, which was a known weakness of his. The others have to help him regain confidence in himself, and this type of situation prompts Kiba to say that Shino has a lot of pride. While Shino can be very blunt in certain situations, he is much more passive aggressive in his social interactions. Shino feels left out when not included in the mission to save Sasuke, and is also hurt deeply by Naruto’s tendency to not recognize him. He frequently makes off-handed references to these occurrences, making it clear that he’s actually sensitive, in spite of his typically stoic appearance. Of course, dom Fi users can easily appear stoic due to directing emotions inward and being introverted. (Bear in mind, that I’m not saying a Thinker wouldn’t have been bothered by these things, but a Thinker is unlikely to keep bringing up something that hurt him.) Shino also has no interest in faking emotions. For instance, he once explains that laughter that doesn’t come from the heart is agony and not real laugher. I did consider ISFJ for him, because sometimes his Si seems very strong, but he’s on average far too blunt for the typical aux Fe user. He also at one point makes the bold declaration that they wouldn’t have failed to bring Sasuke back if he had been on the mission with them, which struck me as very Fi/Te or at the very least, anti-Fe. He also initially didn’t want to accept any help with training from Kiba and Hinata.

Ne:

“I wonder if Shikamaru figured out a solution. Doubtful. There’s no way of knowing whether the fight is over. We can’t even rule out the possibility that all these battles were just diversions.”

Shino is referred to as being analytical frequently, but in his particular case, I think it’s more accurate to say that he considers everything and everything piece of information. He’s absolute in some matters, as an Fi user would be, but in others he seems very uncertain. For instance, not knowing whether or not he has any friends because he doesn’t know if anyone else considers him to be a friend. He also struggles to get to the point due to the overwhelming amount of information that he desires to share with people. He constantly needs to explain his reasoning and the why rather than just giving the answer, which is more typical of Ne/Si vs Ni/Se. In addition, Shino can be quite creative when he desires to be, like when he made up a funny song at a funeral for the sake of the mission. His Ne also surfaces quite a bit in Boruto, via his tendency to try out-of-the-box or non-traditional ways to teach his students. Shino is generally in his head a lot, and is even shown staring off at the sky at one point, completely zoning out Kiba.

Si:

“Iruka Sensei. I’m afraid you’ve chosen the wrong person for this. The shuriken jutsu is not something the Aburame Clan practices. For all forms of warfare, we rely almost exclusively on parasitic insects. We house them inside…”

“I wish he’d make up his mind. You can’t be constipated and have the runs.”

Shino is very detail oriented and observant. He has a tendency to explain every little piece of information, the technicalities, what he’s doing, everything he knows, and etc. He also gets hung up on minor details on occasion, which Kiba calls him out for. He also draws in a lot of sensory information when he’s paying attention. For instance, he specifically notices Kurenai Sensei’s trembling hand and uses it as a way to identify whether or not she is lying. He also has a tendency to cling to the past hurts and hold grudges, considering that even years later he still constantly brings up Naruto forgetting his name and being left out of the Sasuke mission.

Te:

“It’s essential that I demonstrate the results of my training as well.”

Shino can be very blunt and absolute when he wants to be. In certain matters, he cuts straight to the point, not wanting to dance around the issue, and that is when his Te shines the brightest. Additionally, when given a position of authority, he has a tendency to over assert his authority, like a lower Te user might, rather than naturally feeling confident in his control. A good example of this was on the mission to hunt for the Bikōchū bug. Adult Shino also struggles to create and maintain order, which is typical of inferior Te.