Mobile Suit Gundam SEED: Athrun Zala (ISFP)

Fi:

“I’ve thought about a lot of things that I’d seen and heard, about what is right and what is wrong. What am I understanding and what am I not? I don’t have the answers to these basic questions yet, but it’s clear to me now that all of you people share the same hopes of this world that I do, and that’s how I feel right now.”

“He’s nothing but a misguided fool. He insists that he’s not a soldier yet he’s still piloting that thing. He’s just being used, but he justifies it, something about protecting his friends.”

“Look don’t pretend to be somebody you’re not, but you don’t want them to think you’re an amateur.”

Athrun Zala from Mobile Suit Gundam SEED is guided by his own feelings and values. He fights on the side of the war that he believes is right, and rationalizes every action within the war according to his beliefs. When Kira calls him on things, he never just claims that he was falling orders, or that war is war and there will always be casualties. Instead, he explains why the action was right, and defends the side that he is fighting on. He is quick to verbally judge Kira, and attempt to convince him that he was fighting for the wrong side.

When he starts to realize he may, in fact, be the one on the wrong side, Athrun is thrown into a state of confusion. He detaches himself from the side of the coordinators, but he doesn’t side with the naturals either. He speaks to Kira to gain some insight, and essentially explains that he’s trying to figure out what he should be fighting for. This conflict within Athrun is very clear, and he’s unable to just pick a side without first looking inside himself for the correct course of action.

From a temperament standpoint, Athrun is clearly very quiet, supporting him being introverted. Lacus describes him as a “kind individual” and “on the quiet side.” He appears to be relatively emotionally supportive and empathetic, unless in business mode. For instance, he volunteers to his friend that he had enjoyed going to a concert with him, which ends up being a lie for the sake of the friend.

Se:

“Haru doesn’t have any emotional component to him at all, Lacus.”

Athrun appears to be an Se user. He’s relatively laid back in his natural state, when detached from the military. This is shown clearly while he’s biding time on the island where his Gundam crashed. He runs into Cagalli and helps her, in spite of her being the enemy. However, he doesn’t tie her up, or even feel compelled to keep an eye on her. He threatens to kill her if she turns on him, but otherwise Athrun literally falls asleep right in front of her. Cagalli is confused by this, knowing that he is leaving himself wide open and at risk. When she takes advantage of this opportunity, Athrun stops her and then allows her to remain free once again, clearly unbothered and dismissing the risk. Beyond this incident, you can see examples of his Se temperament in situations where he’s unbothered by delays or falls asleep in a concert with his friend.

Athrun focuses on what’s right in front of him, and what he can see. When Lacus makes a comment about Haru being excited to see him, he points out how that is incorrect, since Haru is not programmed to feel. He also initially wants to believe that Lacus hadn’t turned traitor, but accepts the video evidence without question.

Athrun is also prone to reacting in the moment, when things get heated enough. When surrounded by soldiers with guns, Athrun impulsively rushes at his father, an action which in no way could have been successful. However, in the moment, Athrun screams angrily and rushes in after being triggered by the words his father said.

Ni:

“I don’t know… but maybe I already know the answer. It’s a tough choice.”

Athrun’s Ni comes out in his more singular mentality and the way he answers questions that he’s uncertain of. Whenever searching for truth, Athrun is typically only seeking the answer to one question, rather than many. When he speaks with Kira after learning that he may be fighting on the wrong side of the war, Athrun mostly just listens to Kira, and then asks him one question. When confronting his father, he also adamantly declares that he only has one question to ask.

Beyond this, when Athrun is asked what he intends to do in reference to the war, he gives a vague answer (quote at the top of this section). Essentially, Ni is suggesting that he already knows the answer within himself, but he’s struggling to recognize it or reconcile it. He never appears to openly speculate. He later gives another “non-answer” answer to Mu La Flaga, when confronted directly about if he could handle fighting against his former comrades. He essentially describes uncertainty, and explains that he can only tell him what he feels right now (Fi-Se). As a general rule, he’s not too quick to jump to conclusions as a tertiary Ni user, since they would be less confident in their assumptions. The prime examples of this in Athrun is his desire to talk to someone before declaring them an enemy (IE: his father and Kira), especially since his Fi wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Te:

Athrun’s inferior Te is relatively well developed, due to his military discipline and the example his father set forth. He fits well within the structured environment, which is not abnormal for healthy inferior Te users, since they tend to naturally desire a small amount of structure or order. However, beyond this, Athrun’s Te manifests in his harsh judgements of others when he’s in disagreement with them. A specific example (beyond what was generally stated in the dominant Fi section) can be seen in Destiny, when Athrun is quick to berate Kira for his lack of involvement and desire to remain detached from the upcoming conflict.

By nature, Te is about gaining external control making Te users prone to desiring power. As a result, inferior Te users tend to fear being powerless or weak. In Destiny, Athrun can be seen warning Shinn about desiring power when one feels powerless and weak. During this conversation, Athrun briefly flashes back on his own personal experiences, and then goes on to warn Shinn about how dangerous it is to seek and use power for personal gain. This exchange suggests that Athrun fell into the grip of his Te at one point in time, and has since matured and learned from the experience. People naturally tend to put down their inferior function, and this is what Athrun is shown doing here.