Myers-Briggs Type in Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End: Fern (ISTJ)

Fern from Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End is widely recognized as an ISTJ, so this analysis shouldn’t be surprising. We considered multiple Myers-Briggs personality types (colloquially known as MBTI) for Fern, such as ISFJ and INTJ, but ultimately landed solidly on ISTJ. The alternate type that we considered the most was INTJ, but the case for Si ended up being stronger. Hopefully this makes sense. We intend to release an analysis for Frieren and Stark soon.

The Myers-Briggs Personality Type of Fern

Dominant Si:

“He would make things safer, and our journey’s headed deeper into the unknown from here.”

“I did my best to do everything by the book.”

Fern concerns herself with physical matters, essentially micromanaging those around her. She makes sure people get up on time, don’t overspend, etc. In some ways, she acts like Frieren’s mother in the sense that she’ll brush her hair, remind her not to fall asleep with her hair wet, makes sure she eats, cleans up her messes, etc. Of course, their finances are specifically something that Fern makes sure to track and manage as best as possible. Fern struggles with overspending and indulging, because she wants to ensure that they remain financially secure. (This is why she disapproves of Frieren for her indulgent spending, and stops Stark from buying her a gift that was too expensive.)

Fern explains to Sense that, when training to become a mage, she did her best to do everything by the book. This is a standard Si approach, reflecting their desire for security. Fern essentially follows the tried and true methods to ensure a specific result. Similarly, when it comes to her training, she sticks closely to what Frieren says, and doesn’t experiment beyond it. When an opposing mage in the exam questions her use of basic attacks, Fern responds by saying that she’s just following her master’s instructions.

Auxiliary Te:

“Let’s search as efficiently as possible.”

“Stark, you’re wasting everyone’s time. Help me.”

“Goodness. You’re so disorganized.”

Fern is task-oriented and orderly. As a child, she fixates on a goal and works determinedly toward that goal. After she begins travelling with Frieren, Fern focuses on optimizing their efforts, so as not to get stuck meandering in one area for too long. She tries to encourage efficiency, in both Frieren and Stark. Fern finds it frustrating when they do things like waste time or forget tasks. She also struggles with how disorganized Frieren is. She makes a comment to this effect while watching Frieren rummage through her suitcase, searching for a specific item.

Fern’s focus on tasks and structure leads her to come across as cold and callous. Initially, Fern refers to Stark formally, keeping to polite language. The moment he tells her that she can address him as an equal, Fern instantly starts berating him for wasting time, and demands that he help her. Generally speaking, she’s quick to scold others, and shut down any impractical decisions they try to make. (This is why Stark constantly gets upset and calls her rude.) Oftentimes, Fern acts like the boss of the group, even though the large scale decisions are ultimately being made by Frieren. Frieren may be choosing the direction and the ultimate goal, but Fern constantly makes the decisions regarding their time and money.

Tertiary Fi:

“People who gamble are the lowest of the low.”

“Even for you, that’s cold.”

Fern possesses strong values, which she expresses without hesitation, such as her distaste for gambling. In addition, she makes sure Frieren helps people with any significant problems, in spite of Frieren’s more selfish impulses. For example, Frieren expresses a desire to move on from the village that has been struck with a sleeping spell, stating that it smells like trouble. Fern calls her cold, and they end up helping. In another instance, she makes sure they clear a blocked path of the rubble, rather than just lifting the traveler’s carriage with magic.

Fern possesses strong sentimental attachments, as a result of her Si-Fi combination. When her staff is broken, Fern gets extremely upset at Frieren‘s suggestion to get a new one. The staff has been nearly shattered, so fixing it is unlikely and impractical. However, Fern has a personal attachment to it that ties into her past, so she can’t imagine replacing it.

Inferior Ne:

“I devoted my life to achieving that goal without considering what my world would look like afterwards. Maybe that’s the problem. I spent all my determination. Now I’ve got no passion left.”

Fern shows little to no interest in exploring or speculating, outside what is required, which could suggest inferior Ne. When speaking to Sense, she explains that she devoted her life to a single goal, without considering what her life would look like beyond it. Now that she’s completed her goal, Fern is essentially aimless, lacking in passion and determination. Therefore, Fern sticks with what she knows, training under Frieren. She helps Frieren with her goal, and never shows any signs of forming a new vision for her future. Essentially, Fern fails to consider other possibilities for her life, or explore other potential interests.