Persona 5: Makoto Niijima (ISTJ)

Persona 5 has a massive story that spans many hours of game play. It is an enjoyable experience that I would highly recommend it to those of you who have yet to play it. You can purchase the game here if interested: Persona 5 Royal. (We may receive a small commission for any purchases made through this link.)

Before launching straight into the article, I’ve pasted the quote below because it sums up Makoto’s ISTJ function stack quite well.

“However, after considering all the facts, I concluded there are no errors in their acts or principles. Thus, upon deeming them to be on the side of justice, I have decided to end my investigation.”

Si:

“That Niijima sure is thorough!” – Morgana

“Impossible? May I see the evidence you have that leads you to believe so?”

“There’s no need to hurry. We should spend some time thinking it over.”

“Kaneshiro is a true criminal. We should go about this as cautiously as possible.”

“…You don’t have one? Wait. The Phantom Thieves were acting without any plans!?”

“U-Um, I’m not exactly the most well-versed in these matters, so allow me to confirm this… Do you… like me?

Cautious, reserved, and detail-focused, Makoto has all the hallmarks of an Si dominant. When she is conducting her investigation to uncover if any of the students at the school are the Phantom Thieves, Makoto takes a research-first approach. She follows the characters around until they finally screw up and admit in conversation with each other that they are indeed the Phantom Thieves. Makoto is able to get a recording of this exchange. Once she has this irrefutable evidence in hand, she finally confronts them.

When she initially joins the Phantom Thieves, Makoto quickly finds out that they are operating almost entirely by the seat of their pants. She is in disbelief as to how they manage to function without having any kind of plan or taking time to think things through before making decisions or moving forward. This clearly demonstrates that she (unlike them) operates through careful planning and by assessing the details of the situation in order to make a plan of action.

She later demonstrates her detailed nature when she is able to produce the combination to Kaneshiro’s safe, much to the other’s disbelief, simply because she had observed him opening it multiple times in front of her. This suggests Si because memorizing the safe password wasn’t specifically relevant at the time, yet she decides to memorize it just in case it’s useful in the future.

Makato has a preference for not approaching new situations blind and would rather learn from someone else who has experience. This is demonstrated when she goes to the arcade with Ren. She wants to try the game, but asks that Ren teach her how to play rather than just figuring out the game herself. This supports dominant Si’s preference for learning from a concrete source of information and wanting to observe the details of how something is done before making an attempt.

This is again demonstrated when Makoto feels uncomfortable with the idea of failing a test that is based on love. She expresses that she doesn’t know how to study that subject because she has no material to reference and no one to practice with. When Ren suggests that he can be her partner, She is initially stunned and then needs to clarify what he meant by that statement. She then proceeds to ask him very directly if he likes her in order to leave no room for doubt. This need for clarity further supports her Si dominance.

Te:

“I think we should get some proof before we do that.”

“I need to talk to him. Now let me through!”

“We’ll crush him like a fly. I’ll make him regret making me angry…”

“I refuse to be called that. Sounds too much like a smuggler. Next.”

“I need to live up to your expectations now that I’ve taken up your time.”

“It seems my role is to be the brain of this team. I’ll analyze Mona’s information and give out orders.”

Once Makoto decides upon a plan, she is very effective in executing it. The way that she gathers information is very Te in nature. She gravitates toward proof that can be physically demonstrated. When trying to get in contact with Kaneshiro and gather information on him, Makoto is very direct in her line of interrogation. She doesn’t mince words, asking the lackeys very directly if she could speak to their boss.

This attitude follows her into the cognitive world. Even though she is initially thrown off by the twisted reality of Kaneshiro’s heart, she recovers relatively quickly, marching right up to the entrance of his palace and demanding that she be allowed in to talk to him. She makes this request in a very bold manner, taking control of the situation and asserting her right to have a discussion with him as his ‘customer’.

Even when speaking about their upcoming showdown with Kaneshiro, she declares they will crush him like a fly, emphasizing that she will make him regret making her angry. This is a further demonstration of the absolute and somewhat extreme nature that Te can take on.

Makoto is curt and business-like with the other members of the Phantom Thieves when they are trying to come up with a name for her. She quickly dismisses each suggestion with a brief explanation as to why the name doesn’t fit, and then moves on to the next suggestion. At one point, she even declares that she refuses to be called by one of the names. This is a demonstration of how Te wants to move through a task efficiently without distraction.

Makoto also takes other people’s time very seriously. She feels an obligation to complete her role to satisfaction in order to give the other person something that is the worth the time they invested into her. She makes it a goal for herself to feel useful. This ties back to Te’s desire to be effective in the real world.

She acknowledges quickly that her role in the group is to be the brain of the operation. Relying on her strengths of detailed observation and effective planning, she proclaims that she will analyze Mona’s information and give out orders based on it. This is a good picture of how dominant Si and auxiliary Te operate with each other, taking in information and developing orders based in it to get things done.

Fi:

“…No. I didn’t do anything. Had I cared enough, I could’ve done something…”

“I kept telling myself I wasn’t at fault because I was simply following orders… It felt like I would be admitting my own worthlessness had I not shifted the blame off of myself.”

“The old me is dead. Makoto the sycophant is gone… and the corrupt adults who controlled her are next!”

“ There will be no need for that. I intend on getting into a good college by my own merit.”

“I guess, but he’s more likeable since he stays true to his ideals.”

Makoto has to come to terms with her Fi and develop it as the story progresses. She first has to acknowledge the type of person she is and introspect upon it. Once she starts interacting with the Phantom Thieves, she realizes that, if she had cared enough, she could have done something to stop the school from covering for Kamoshida. This shows the regret she has for failing to do what she perceives as the right thing.

At the beginning, Makoto provides herself with excuses, diverting the blame away from herself and pushing the moral responsibility off on those who were telling her what to do. She later realizes that she would be admitting her own worthlessness if she didn’t shift the blame off of herself. By providing an excuse, she was able to avoid introspecting to a limited degree.

Once she realizes her mistake, Makoto is pretty quick to correct it in any way that she can. She resolves that the old her is dead, and that she will go after the adults that had controlled her. She spends much of the game after this point trying to figure out what she actually wants and what the point is of everything she is doing. No longer focusing on fulfilling the expectations of the adult authorities in her life, Makoto comes up empty on a purpose for her studies and performing well. She starts to slowly seek new purpose through figuring out what she wants to do and what she finds important.

Makoto also admires those that stick to their ideals. She states that Yusuke is more likeable because he stays true to his ideals. This shows a respect for Fi and the ideals that it produces, because that is something that she is also striving for in herself.

Ne:

“It’s a navigation app, right? Couldn’t someone easily access our history on the server? Wait, why are you looking at me like that…? Has nobody thought of this before!?”

“I think… I-I will need to broaden my horizons somewhat.”

“Of course that was just a game, but I wonder if I could apply some of the techniques I learned here during battle. Perhaps going somewhere I don’t normally frequent is what helped me come up with that idea.”

“I’ve had all kinds of new experiences today… and it’s even been a little fun.”

“Phew… I keep thinking in circles here. I need to stop dwelling on the negative.”

“My mind totally went blank when we got caught in that quicksand… Let’s watch our step from here on out.”

Makoto struggles when faced with situations that she is not prepared for. When the others first explain to her how the meta verse navigation app works, she immediately jumps to asking if it is even safe to use and what dangers are associated with it. She wants to clear up any unknown risks.

She struggles with improvising in the moment, which shows weak use of her extraverted perceiving function. An example of this is when she proclaims that her mind went completely blank due to suddenly being stuck in quicksand. She struggles to react to the sudden new circumstances, and it causes her brain to freeze. This displays inferior Ne because of the fact that her Ne completely stops working in a critical moment due to her not utilizing it very much.

She, on another occasion, expresses relief that Ren was with her, stating that she would have been totally lost if she had been by herself. She realizes that expanding her horizons is a weak spot for her and works toward trying new things and experiences in a slow and controlled way. Using Ren as a type of fallback, she tries out new experiences realizing that they can be useful and even a little fun.

When stressed, Makoto is prone to thinking in circles and dwelling on the negative possibilities. She is relatively self -aware and chides herself for this tendency. This is another common weakness for those who have inferior Ne. Ne will keep generating negative possibilities, causing the user to circle around on potential negative outcomes.