Naruto Series: Sai (ISFJ)

As far as I know, most people type Sai as an INTP, which is completely understandable. However, after studying the character closely, given his history and initial unhealthy state, I believe ISFJ is actually more accurate.

Si:

“I know this was personal for him, but he shouldn’t have gone to face him alone. It seems reckless. Do you think he’s okay?”

Naruto: “Would you forget all these books and try reading the situation?”
Sai: “How do I read something I cannot see?”

“The best plan of action is to just wait and see what happens.”

“The manual said that the first way to appeal to someone is with a smiling face. I’ve practiced but I’m still unable to make this facial expression.”

Sai is a quiet and cautious individual who avoids reckless behavior and usually carries out missions in a calculated manner. He’s observant, often shown watching Naruto or the others in order to better understand what’s going on around him. Sai is also extremely literal, which points to being a sensor. This is shown when Sai is asked if he knows what a comrade is, and he responds by writing down the word.

Sai relies on manuals and books in order to understand what to do or how to act, in addition to often questioning others. He constantly references books throughout the show, whether for his own personal benefit or to explain what he’s reading to one of the other members of Team 7. Many examples of him doing this revolve around improving his ability to relate with others, which also supports his Fe, but that will be discussed later. However, Sai generally focuses on learning physical steps or behaviors, in addition to learning how to identify physical cues. He expresses a desire to trust what he can see. This is demonstrated when Naruto tells him to forget the books and read the situation, and Sai responds with: “How do I read something I cannot see?”

Sai struggles to adapt to new scenarios playing out around him if the previous knowledge he has gained is not adequately helpful. This is largely shown in social situations. He’ll be shown referencing something he has previously read in an attempt to figure out what to do next or to analyze how his last action brought about undesirable results. Sometimes this happens mentally, while other times he literally pulls out the book on the spot to find some sort of answer to the newly created dilemma. This shows a struggle to adapt to new situations, which points away from being a perceiver, but also specifically supports Si, since he defaults to gathering new information, consciously accessing past knowledge, and/or learning from past experience.

Fe:

“Just think if it were Sasuke…how you’d feel. It would be like if you two had lost him and his body was stolen. That’s true, isn’t it?”

“But even I can tell that Naruto really loves you. Naruto’s been shouldering that promise for a long time… I think he means to shoulder it for the rest of his life. I don’t know what you said to him, but it’s just like what’s been done to me – it feels like a curse. Sasuke causes Naruto pain, but I think you do too.”

“I’ve come to understand her feelings, and why she couldn’t tell you.”

“Lately when I look at Naruto I’ve been able to feel it… his sadness.”

“A smile can get you out of a tough situation, even if it is fake.”

While Sai’s Fe is initially bad, his focus on it seems much stronger than one might have as an inferior Fe user. Sai is undoubtedly unhealthy when the character is first introduced. He was conditioned to suppress his emotions, taught jutsu to aid in this suppression, and underwent trauma early on. As a result, Sai spends large portions of the series in an Si-Ti loop. However, as time goes on, he expresses a desire to regain access to his Fe, and puts a lot of effort into this.

Sai’s efforts to develop his Fe seem more in line with a higher Fe user. He doesn’t just try the easy things, like faking a smile. He reads books and asks questions in an attempt to learn how to better connect with others. For instance, Naruto’s bond with Sasuke is something that Sai spends a lot of time trying to understand. Sai also tries giving them nicknames. As the show progress, he tries offering comforting and supportive statements. At one point, he even attempts to wipe Naruto’s brow, which is going a lot farther than I would expect for an inferior Fe user. While I’m certainly not saying an IXTP can’t be friendly and supportive, Sai seems too discontented with his bad Fe, hence the strong focus on trying to develop it.

Later on in the show, Sai beings to express stronger feeling of empathy and loyalty to the team. He gains the ability to understand them on an emotional level, and gives them advice based on this new understanding. For instance, in the quotes at the top of this section, he expresses an ability to feel what Naruto is feeling. In another instance, he confronts Sakura, and explains to her the pain that she’s been causing Naruto, due to the promise he’d made her. There are other examples as well, where Sai feels the need to interpret how one person is feeling for the sake of someone else. This all demonstrates Sai’s more emotional focus, which seems consistent with what is shown of Sai when he’s younger. His brother even describes him as far too kind and naive.

Ti:

“You don’t understand. I was only trying out a certain personality type. That’s all.”

“I’m nobody. I’m merely a tool for Lord Danzo. I don’t even exist, so no matter what you say or do, it’s meaningless.”

“I have none of what you’d call emotions.”

Sai’s initial emotionless state can be attributed to his Ti, or more specifically, his Si-Ti loop. His Ti gets over-emphasized as a result of the Fe suppression, making him sharp and direct with others, to the point of often offending them. He sees himself as blank or empty, which is usually the result of an over-emphasized Ti (regardless of position). In addition, he doesn’t feel like he has any true identity of his own, believing himself to be nobody. Viewing one’s identity as undefined tends to be common for Ti users.

However, with all that being said, Sai appears to demonstrates signs of having a low identity function, which in this case, suggests that his Ti is low. Right from the beginning, he’s shown “trying out” different personality types, rather than remaining consistently in his own. In addition, Sai never appears content to default back to his emotionless “Ti” state, which ought to be the case if it is one’s dominant function. Instead, he constantly tries to fake emotion/behavior and constantly studies hard to improve his ability to relate to others.

Ne:

“I’ll bet that mine collided in mid-air and was knocked off course. I’m so unlucky.”

Sai’s Ne appears to be weak, aligning more with inferior Ne than auxiliary. He doesn’t display the typical speculating or scattered nature of a higher Ne user, but instead appears much more literal. An obvious example is the one already mentioned in the Si dominant section. Another indicator of him having weak Ne is seen when he’s trying to come up with nicknames. He only attempts once or twice, and the attempts are more along the lines of straightforward observations, rather than anything witty or creative. (Of course, I’m not saying you have to be a high Ne user to be witty, but typically higher Ne excels at producing off-the-wall comments or sharing odd connections. Sai rarely does this – he’s much more direct and straightforward.)

Lastly, an example of weak Ne is seen when Sai is younger. When Sai is training with his brother, his kunai misses the target. He immediately jumps to the conclusion that his must have gotten knocked off course by a mid-air collision, proclaiming himself to be unlucky. This is essentially him using Ne to speculate as to why he missed, but the fact that we only really see him do this in the negative suggests low Ne.