Myers-Briggs Types in Attack on Titan: Jean Kirstein (ESTJ)

Attack on Titan has a variety of characters with a wide of range of Myers-Briggs personality types (colloquially known as MBTI). Back when we first watched Attack on Titan, I read an interesting theory that posited that Jean Kirstein is an INTJ. I latched onto it a little too quickly, because, well, it was interesting. We then published an article on Jean Kirstein being an INTJ, and moved on with life. Recently, I looked back, and realized that a mistake may have been made. After reassessing, we’re republishing our case for Jean Kirstein, only this time we’re in line with the popular theory of ESTJ.

The Myers-Briggs Type of Jean Kirstein

Dominant Te:

“First of all, I’m a whole lot smarter than Eren. We’d replace this suicidal maniac with a gifted leader who shows good judgement in all situations, a rare specimen who can perform whatever duty is required. I don’t much like getting his hand-me-downs, but hey, I’m the best candidate for the job.”

“I’m all right with judgement calls, but I don’t have some genius plan for getting us out of this.”

“Show us what you’re worth. Prove it to us. We’re asking you to make us believe that you’re worth dying for.”

“Better to play the system than get gnawed on.”

“Come on, guys! We said we’d do it if it ever came down to this. So let’s go!”

Jean is a natural leader, which others (such as Marco) point out. In fact, Jean actually good at taking command and being decisive. He frequently takes command on the battlefield, when in an isolated group of his peers. During an instance with Armin, he tells Armin that he is fine with making judgement calls, so long as Armin can come up with the grand plan. (He recognizes that Armin is more effective at strategy, and naturally yields that role to him.) In addition, during battle scenarios, Jean is often the one compelling others to action, and reminding them what has to be done.

Of course, Jean’s dominant Te also compels him to be blunt and abrasive. He’s good at speaking his mind, which can create conflict with those around him. This is shown right from the beginning of the series, as he openly butts heads with Eren and other classmates. He likes to call people out on their nonsense, no matter how many people are around to hear it. For instance, when Marco talks about it being a great honor to protect the king, Jean cuts him off and says that Marco’s desire to serve in the interior had nothing to with protecting the king, but rather his own selfish desire for safety and comfort.

Jean places emphasis on being effective, which is why he shakes his head in disgust at the MPs later in the series. He sees how worthless they actually are, and comments that he can’t believe he once wanted to be one. Similarly, he demands that Eren prove his worth when people start touting him as humanity’s hope. He wants to see that Eren is capable of achieving what they are claiming. It’s also worth noting that when he demands this of Eren, he uses collective terms, as if assuming the right to speak for the entire group.

Jean is prone to playing the system, and tends to put the mission over his own personal desires. He complains constantly about having to do what he doesn’t want to, but he ultimately always yields to the hierarchy or structure that he’s under. As a result, Jean openly admits (early on in the show) to playing the system so he can get a job in the interior, in order to be safe from the Titans. He doesn’t hide the statement behind a value, but states it plainly, without shame. This all shows Te being prioritized above Fi.

Auxiliary Si:

“I’ll have them set me up with some prime real estate in the interior. All day and night, I’ll sit and sip on the finest liquor money can buy. I won’t care what anyone says about it. After what I’ve gone through, my wife and kids and their kids deserve to live the good life.”

“The ones who really suck are the suicidal maniacs who think the only way to fight is to charge in blind, right?”

“What’s wrong with you people? Am I seriously the only who saw this coming?”

“All I can think about is how it’ll end, which one of us is next, and whether it’ll be me.”

“We have to pick our battles. If we want to wage all out war someday, we have to conserve all the manpower we can. This was the right call. Just be patient.”

Jean Kirstein values comfort and stability. Of course, he wants to work for the MPs in order to stay alive, and safe from the Titans, but that specifically is weak Si evidence since a majority of characters in the show think that way given the extreme threat. However, he does want an easy, safe life, which is why he struggles to make decisions opposed to that desire. At one point, he describes his ideal life (after all the fighting is over), in which him and his future family have all the comforts and commodities, in addition to some prime real estate in the interior. The specific and concrete nature of this ideal suggests Si.

Jean has a strong distaste for reckless behavior, which he often harasses Eren about. Whenever possible, Jean tries to act in a way that minimizes risk. He understands and values picking battles strategically, conserving resources, and keeping new recruits away from the front lines so they can gain experience.

Lastly, Jean is always focused on predicting what’s going to come next, which is something often attributed to Ni. However, this is common for high introverted perceiving, whether Ni or Si. Jean wants to be prepared for whatever is coming in order to avoid disaster, so he constantly looks ahead into the future. Due to this mentality, Jean seems shocked when people fail to anticipate certain happenings. In his mind, it should have been obvious. As a result, he often berates people for this failure, and at times, says statements equivalent to “I told you so.”

Tertiary Ne:

“Am I the only one who wonders what happened with the whole logistics base thing? Or why we didn’t go galloping home after he female Titan showed up? Why are we suddenly all playing birdhouse? Oh wait, no. I know the last one. No Titans allowed in the center ranks nature retreat.”

“Maybe he’s looking for a nice, shady spot to throw all the rookies a celebratory picnic.”

“Tell me. What if his goals are the same as Zeke’s?”

Due to his desire to anticipate the future, Jean openly speculates about whatever is currently going on. The Female Titan arc is a prime example of this. He spends nearly the entire time conversing with Armin, wondering why everything was happening, why didn’t they retreat, why stop here, etc. He questions just about everything, and feels the need to vent all of his frustrations out loud. He hates being in the dark, and dealing with the unknowns. So, he uses Armin as a sounding board, and invents potential scenarios, some quite ridiculous. (Of course, he knew they were ridiculous. He was just frustrated.)

On a strategic level, Jean’s tendency to question what might happen, and play out the “what if” scenarios is quite useful. He’ll pose questions to the team to make them think about what might happen if that take a specific action, or if they find out a certain piece of information. For instance, when Armin wants to talk to Eren about his goals, Jean immediately asks “What if his goals are the same as Zeke’s?

Inferior Fi:

“Honor doesn’t have any d*** part of it. You just want a nice cushy job in the interior playing glorified sentry.”

“Don’t cry for him. He would have done the same thing to us.”

“C’mon, stop playing the tragic hero. Of course, you’re too weak to accomplish jack by yourself, but no one expects you to.”

“You’re right. If I had any sense at all, I’d be sitting in my room with my ears plugged right now. But no, then that burning pile of bones would have haunted me for the rest of my life.”

Jean displays general signs of low Fi, such as being driven by a sense of moral obligation which runs counter to his actual desires. He pushes himself forward to do the things that he should do, in spite of not wanting to do them. In other words, he can never get his head and his heart to sync up, so he complains incessantly about everything he has to do. In addition, he demonstrates low feeling, in instances such as when they’re about to deal the finishing blow to Reiner. He tells everyone not to cry for the man who would have done the same thing to them.

Jean doesn’t fall into the pitfall of some inferior Fi users. Meaning, he doesn’t lose track of his own values or cross his own moral lines. However, he likes to bash people for heroism (whether false or otherwise). For instance, he calls out people who claim to be joining the MPs for values “honor”. In addition, he rebukes Eren for playing the “tragic hero”. He sees their efforts as collective, not the sole responsibility of one individual, or “hero”.

Lastly, Jean’s announcement for joining the Scouts seemed like inferior Fi. Up until that point, he had adamantly declared that he was going to join the MPs. After changing his mind, he doesn’t quietly go about his business and wait for the selection day to arrive. Rather, he announces it to a group of his classmates, almost as if he’s looking for validation or trying to convince others to join with him. (Although, he didn’t say that directly.)