Kara no Kyoukai: Souren Araya (INTJ)

Ni:

“I was curious to see if humans could reach a different death. I believe that a deviation will occur in the spiral if I repeat the same death thousands of times. But so far, the results have been the same.”

Araya was a bit tricky, in part due to his lack of development, but we ultimately came to the conclusion that he is an Ni dominant. First off, Araya does all of the typical cryptic speech and operating from the shadows that Ni dominants are known for. He has brief cameos in most of the movies to show that he has an underhanded role in nearly everything that is happening in the series. Most of the main antagonists in the various movies somehow tie back to him and his overarching plan. He manipulates characters like Fujino and Shirazumi for his own purposes.

Araya is very careful and calculated. He’s highly confident in his own strategies and seems unconcerned when Touko suggests that he may have missed something. We considered Araya being an ENTJ, but his experiment in the apartment complex suggests otherwise. Repeating something over and over again in an attempt to see if the results would ever change seems far to passive and mundane for an extraverted dominant (especially a Te dominant whose primary drive is to see results), and more in line with an introverted perceiving dominant, whose primary drive is to gather information. We considered that his method of experimentation could be Si specifically, but Touko making comments about Araya’s brash nature causing him to make mistakes in his methodology also suggests Ni over Si, since Si dominants tend to be very meticulous. (A good example of him glossing over an obvious detail is when he fails to restrain Shiki properly.) In addition, him allowing Cornelius to officially kill Touko (the head), in spite of understanding the risk, is something an inferior Ne user would never do, and ultimately played a part in his downfall.

Te:

“I’m nobody. I just want a conclusion. These ugly, dirty, filthy, ignorant humans. If that’s all that’ll be left in history after they die off, I would be relieved to know that the value of humans is in their ugliness.”

Araya is driven by a goal and a desire to reach a conclusion, which is the main driver for every Te user. While he is driven by his own underlying values, he embodies the ideology of the end justifies the means. He doesn’t show any regret or concern for what he has done or is doing. He sees everything as necessary since the goal is all that matters.

Araya’s actions are calculated and planned, and he’s very self-confident. He typically appears calm and collected, and never appears impulsive. He’s demanding and domineering. This is shown clearly with everyone he interacts with, especially Cornelius Alba. Araya displays the standard physical rigidity that Te users are known for. He’s insensitive and cold, never displaying any empathy whatsoever. He’s primarily concerned with using others for his purposes.

Fi:

“Do not lower your own value.”

In general, Araya appears to have very few standards as to what is or is not morally acceptable, which points to low Fi. However, aspects of Araya’s Fi are very pronounced. For instance, he mentions on several occasions how he is seeking wisdom only within himself. He believes that to be the only place in which he can find true wisdom. He seeks to ultimately give meaning and value to human death, which by itself is a noble desire. His means for achieving it is just warped. Araya also rebukes someone at one point for lowering their own value. That ties back to Fi users placing importance in their internal self. The fact that Araya feels compelled to correct someone in regards to this suggests higher Fi, considering the fact that the person was working against him.

Se:

Araya does not operate on impulse. His advantage and strength throughout the series was due to the extreme level of preparation. He doesn’t seem concerned when Touko suggests that he made a mistake, simply because he believed that he had accounted for everything. He states this plainly. Within the apartment complex, Araya doesn’t often face people directly, and uses his connection to the building as a shield, allowing him to flee at a moment’s notice. The times that he does confront people head on, he is typically using an artificial body, or a puppet, which once again suggests inferior Se, or detachment from the physical world. To face someone head on using his real body is most definitely not his first instinct. He’d rather give the appearance of facing them head on, while simultaneously keeping his true person concealed and safe within the shadows.