Kaguya-sama: Love Is War: Yu Ishigami (INFP)

People often type Yu Ishigami from Kaguya-sama: Love Is War as an INTP, rather than an INFP. However, we see strong evidence Fi/Te, rather than Ti/Fe. Honestly, his personality type seemed clear, early on in the series, unlike some other characters. Continue on down the page to read a breakdown of Yu Ishigami’s INFP cognitive function stack.

Fi:

“In those days, I had a strong sense of justice, and zero tolerance for any kind of crap. I wasn’t about to stand by and let a good person get hurt.”

“You have no idea how I feel. You don’t understand…”

“Doing what I want when I want is what I usually do.”

“What an underhanded trick, you fraud! And you got caught before you even had a chance to take advantage of it. How embarrassed are you right now? …I’m embarrassed for you. I’d pack up and be half home. Shame, shame, shame…”

Ishigami has a strong sense of self. He has a close connection to his feelings and values, which is apparent nearly every time he speaks. For instance, he expresses a disgust for people who join clubs purely for social points rather than to do the club. He also berates Chika for cheating in a game, declaring her to be a fraud. In his earlier days, he describes himself as having a strong sense of justice, which is proven by his actions. In middle school, he learns that his friend’s boyfriend was cheating on her, and tries to stand up for her. Later, he gets himself expelled in an extreme effort to protect her.

Ishigami remains true to himself, and encourages others to do the same. In addition to following his values, this often manifests in extreme stubbornness, refusing to do anything that he doesn’t want to do. Similarly, he advises Shirogane to not apologize for something that he doesn’t feel guilty for.

Ishigami has a distaste for anyone he deems to be shallow, and often refers to people as “normies”. That mindset, generally speaking, is common for dominant Fi users, although not all will be as harsh about it as Ishigami is.

Ishigami feels deeply, and often comes across as melancholy or depressed, as a result. He believes that no one can actually understand how he feels. He’s prone to grudges, getting lost in his emotions, and making melodramatic statements such as “I wanna die, so I’m going home.” At one point, he randomly starts crying while imagining a guy saying that he was too busy for his girlfriend. He then passionately admonishes Shirogane to give his girlfriend (if he had one) the attention she deserves.

Ne:

“She’s a trained assassin, Pres. Only a pro would use the edge of a couch to strangle someone. If she wasn’t trained, then it must come naturally to her. There’s blood lust in her eyes. Fujiwara’s in even more danger than I am. Have you ever noticed the way Shinomiya stares at her? My best estimate is that she has another two months to live. Max. ”

“No, President. It’s another trap. She may look alive, but it’s only because Shinomiya performed some horrible surgery on her.”

Ishigami’s imagination often gets the better of him. He’ll invent wild scenarios off of tiny details that he notices, and commit to these scenarios wholeheartedly. His debut episode is a prime example of this. Right from the beginning, Ishigami meets up with Shirogane to inform him that he needs to quit the council. When Shirogane asks him why, Ishigami explains that Kaguya is a trained assassin, who’s out to get him. He has an in-depth explaining as to why, and acts like it’s perfectly rational.

A little later, during their discussion, Kaguya bursts in, carrying a knife and wearing a garment spattered in blood. Chika joins the theatrical scene shortly thereafter, and Kaguya stabs her. Naturally, the fact that it’s an act is revealed, and Shirogane laughs it off. Ishigami, on the other hand, proclaims that it’s another trap, and that Shinomiya must have performed surgery on Chika to make her appear alive. These types of paranoid hypotheticals are a common occurrence for Ishigami.

However, paranoia isn’t the only way his Ne outlets. He’ll occasionally share other ideas, although not always practical. For instance, he expresses a desire to impose a happiness tax on the sport’s club, in which they have to pay 50,000 yen per girlfriend.

Ishigami excels at putting words to his thoughts, which makes him prone to ranting and long-winded explanations. At times, he regrets this tendency, because he’ll share too much information. For instance, he asks Chika if she had changed her conditioner. When she confirms and then questions how he knew, he explains far too much. Chika calls him creepy, as a result.

Si:

“Maybe it’s about time I started looking forward. Can’t keep dwelling on my failures. Gotta try and enjoy life more. I want to enjoy life more.”

“It’s like clockwork. When I stick my neck out, I fail every single time.”

Ishigami values precision, which surfaces in the way he speaks. He often shares oddly specific details or data, when explaining his thoughts to others. For instance, he gives Shirogane a technical explanation of the eye’s connection to the mind, and then asserts that he can see five to six percent of someone’s true nature just by looking into their eyes. However, Shirogane then points out that he could achieve that much simply by guessing. This specifically indicates low Si, due to honing in on ultimately irrelevant or impractical details.

Ishigami spends most of the series stuck on a past failure. He dwells on it, allowing it to halt his life. He fears that sticking his neck out will result in repeated failure. As a result, he isolates himself from others and struggles to enjoy life. A major part of his growth within the series involves him letting go of his past, and moving forward.

Te:

Ishigami struggles with discipline. He often does the minimum necessary, barely making passing grades. At one point, Kaguya steps in to help him study, to ensure he passes a test. She does so against his will, essentially imposing external structure upon him. He fights against her efforts, but ultimately needs it in order to not fail. Similarly, he struggles to form his own ambitions. His place on the student council is purely the result of Shirongane seeking him out.

Ishigami can be quite blunt with his opinions and thoughts. In addition, his reaction to his friend’s boyfriend, when the guy continued to cheat, is an example of his inferior Te. When he realizes his attempt to fix the situation had failed, Ishigami snaps and goes into a blind rage. He beats the guy up, which while extreme, ends up achieving his original goal. Unfortunately, it has drastic personal consequences for him that might have been avoided if he had been more calculated.