Bleach: Kisuke Urahara (INTP)

Ti:

“We’ll figure something out.”

“Of course not. Just watch. There is a method to my madness.”

Urahara is about as laid back as they come. He rarely, if ever, displays interest in controlling his external environment, like a Te user would. Rather, he leaves people to do their own thing and make up their own mind. Initially, Urahara strikes as somewhat shady, and even farther along in the show, he does things that make you wonder whose side he’s actually on. He appears to have a lot of underhanded schemes, and keeps a lot of his true intentions to himself. This is a fairly standard trope for a high Ti user. He’s not prone to making value statements, and his thinking rarely seems straightforward. A good example of his Ti can be seen when he explains the history of the Quincys, and essentially rationalizes the viewpoint of both sides, claiming that he can understand both points of view. He never makes any kind of moral judgements.

Urahara makes a lot of open-ended or qualifying statements, which is common for Ti users. He can also be very unsympathetic or cold when the situation calls for it. (An example being when he informs Orihime that she cannot take part in the upcoming battle. He basically shut her down instantly.) As a whole, while he can appear very jovial and good humored, Urahara from an emotional standpoint tends to be detached, with the exception of occasional displays of sympathy.

The biggest dilemma we had with Urahra was whether or not he was an ENTP or an INTP. We arrived at INTP for a few reasons. First, Urahara seems very standoffish and passive. He tends to avoid getting involved, and tries to remain fully behind the scenes, which is why he does so little fighting. Second, younger Urahara who has been newly made captain seems very meek and mild. He struggles dealing with his new squad, because he is essentially acting like a pushover. Shinji gives him advice that essentially points this out.

Ne:

“But I know you’re wondering why it is I’m still alive. It’s only natural that you’d be curious. The answer is right here… A portable gigai!”

“Well I suppose that’s one way to look at it.”

Urahara displays the standard quirky nature of Ne, from the random jokes to the message he leaves in “blood” for Ichigo to read. He’s very inventive, and shown making random gear throughout the show. Of course, to mess with Ichigo, he makes up an embarrassing line which he claims Ichigo has to yell out in order to activate the device, which is yet another display of Ne. He does this to Ichigo more than once. His true love or passion appears to be more in the realm of research and invention. When he comes captain, one of the first things he does is transform his quarters into a lab.

Urahara is described as the type to imagine the worst case scenarios, which is demonstrative of Ne. This is stated specifically by Yoruichi after the hollowfication incident during his backstory. As a whole, he appears to be the type to run possibilities, and find ways to prepare for him.

Lastly, Urahara’s extraverted perceiving nature is very clear. He tends to mix work and play, which can make him appear lazy or lacking in ambition. His room is shown to be a disaster while he is in the midst of a project, which he fails to notice until it’s pointed out (Ne).

Si:

“I know that attack. I can’t get hit by it anymore.”

Urahara’s tendency to prepare for possibilities and worst case scenarios is Si. This was briefly mentioned in the Ne section, because imagining scenarios is Ne. However, the preparation for these scenarios is Si driven, because Si desires to be ready and prepared. He also states during one battle that once he’s seen something once, he can’t be hit by it again. That also strikes as Si, since it indicates very specific memory recall. He talks about analyzing the structure of his opponent’s techniques, and how their muscles move. He claims to be able to match their timing exactly to cancel out their attack. This all speaks to the precise and consciously observant nature of Si (rather than the instinctual nature of Se/Ni). Urahara also seems to find enjoyment in explaining these methods to others mid-battle.

The specific or referential nature of some of Urahara’s jokes could also be seen as Ne, like making up a very specific line that Ichigo needs to yell out to activate a gadget.

Fe:

Urahara’s Fe is defined mostly in his laid back conflict avoidant behavior. While he has no problems goofing around with people and teasing them, he generally skirts more serious topics and avoids arguments. When dealing with his new squad and lieutenant, Kisuke refuses to retaliate to any of Hyori’s violent attacks on him. His main strategy is to try and be as agreeable as possible no matter what they do to him. Shinji eventually approaches him and points out the flaw in this tactic. Ultimately, Kisuke declares that he refuses to get mad at anyone who insults him, but he would become angry if anyone insulted his squad, which is a rather Fe stance to take.

Kisuke keeps his laid back attitude throughout the series, never getting angry when his young female employee messes up, simply saying he would take care of it. Later in the series, Kisuke advises and tells Orihime to stay out of the fight with Aizen because he might want her power. However, he does acknowledge later that this was a miscalculation because he forgot to take Orihime’s feelings into consideration, which suggests inferior Fe.