Every anime is better with an INTP character. That’s right. Without them, the plot often fails to progress in a logical fashion. (In fact, a lot of people get their understanding of logic from their experience with anime.) Given their quiet nature, people may not realize that these characters are the ones keeping the show together — but without them, well, things fall apart.
If you’re an INTP, there’s a good chance you’ll find yourself relating to one of these anime characters types. What’s more, we’ve done the legwork and found some series that are perfect for INTPs (and INTP-minded folk) , proving once and for all to the world that we’re not weird or anything.
1/23. Sai Yamanaka (Naruto Shippuden)
Sai’s got a fairly quiet personality, but it won’t be long before he finds his voice. When he first meets Naruto, Sakura and the rest of their team in The Last: Naruto the Movie , you’ll see him working hard to understand how others feel — and how to express his own emotions in return. He’ll build true friendships with them, and they’ll become the best kind of family — the kind you fight alongside with.
2/23. Franken Stein (Soul Eater)
Sometimes you feel like your work is being held back – maybe people aren’t taking your ideas seriously, they want to control every step of your process or they’re not willing to give you the tools you need. Stein from Soul Eater can relate. And you know what? He’s still awesome. Stein is obsessed with collecting knowledge, and his quest for knowledge will always be in high gear as long as he’s alive.
3/23. Lain Iwakura (Serial Experiments Lain)
Serial Experiments Lain is a web-based anime that came out in 1998, and follows the INTP protagonist Lain Iwakura as she has interactions with The Wired, a virtual world that’s so spot on it could be the Internet. The deeper Lain is IN The Wired (capitalized for branding), the more she loses touch with reality.
Lain is an introvert — and no, it’s not because she chose to be. It’s because she lives in a world of infinite possibilities. Lain, who lives in the ‘real world’ (where most viewers live), is an INTP. But in the ‘wired’ virtual world, her personality changes design and shape — sometimes even into that of another person altogether.
4/23. Kenma Kozume (Haikyuu!!)
Kozume Kenma is not the strongest or fastest player on the court — but what he lacks in muscle, he makes up for in his brain. He is a very reserved, logical person who does not show emotion on the court. But his teammates know that if Kozume has an idea about how to go about a certain play, it is most likely a sound strategy.
5/23. Toge Inumaki (Jujutsu Kaisen)
In Jujutsu Kaisen, curse techniques come in all shapes and sizes. For Toge, his voice embeds curse energy — but first impressions are often deceiving! He may be quiet and hard to communicate with at first, but underneath that exterior is a caring, charming friend who’s hard-working and won’t hesitate to do whatever it takes to help his friends.
6/23. Ginko (Mushishi)
Ginko is a Mushi master who travels around studying supernatural beings and their effects on people. Mushi are semi-real, elemental beings that mimic real-world things both good and bad. Ginko is calm and collected, but takes the work of a Mushi master very seriously. He’s just not as serious about himself, which makes him an easy-going person with a great sense of humor!
7/23. Killua Zoldyck (Hunter x Hunter)
I’m an INTP, and my Myers-Briggs personality is that of a thinker. I like to plan out everything in advance because I know exactly how things should happen. But because I use logic to find my way through life, I often fail to pick up on the detail of human nature. Humans are more than just the patterns we show, and it’s important to remember this when trying to understand a person.
8/23. Shiro (No Game No Life)
Meet Shiro, an intelligent 11-year-old girl who is highly introverted, and likely suffering from social anxiety. She and her brother Sora team up to solve the world’s problems — though they both have very different methods of working through these issues. While Sora works hard to bring attention to his problem solving skills, Shiro wants to stay out of the limelight entirely.
9/23. Senkuu (Dr. Stone)
Senkuu is a character from the Dr. Stone anime, and if you’re not familiar with this anime yet than I am very, very concerned with your anime watching habits. Probably even more concerned than I am with your scientific ones. Senkuu spends much of his time creating things, both at home and at work, only stopping to eat and sleep.
10/23. C.C. (Code Geass)
C.C. from Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion is a member of the Black Knights, an organization that seeks to overthrow the architect of their dystopian future — the Holy Empire of Britannia. She has a traumatic past which molded her personality into an INTP type. Although she is detached from others and has little care for the people around her, she does open up to Lelouch, the person who takes interest in her.
11/23. Armin Arlert (Attack on Titan)
Armin Arlert may be a bit weak, but he makes up for it in strength of character. Although 17 years old, Armin’s wisdom and strategic prowess is unlike any other. He is determined to find ways to achieve the best possible outcome without sacrificing the safety of his comrades. And he will challenge you to think about the real world in a whole new way!
Erwin is pretty good at coming up with plans of action, too — whether he’s got all the facts or not. That’s why his plan to capture Annie was so solid: it was a good guess that she’d come along and try to stop him, but it was also a hunch based on the limited information he had at the time.
12/23. L (Death Note)
Enter L. He’s probably the most famous example of an INTP personality. You might know him from the show Death Note, where he is the leader of the Kira Investigation Team. As the leader, L is constantly scheming and suspecting of Light. To the viewers’ benefit, Light is also a genius which highlights L’s intellect when he’s put into precarious positions.
13/23. Shouta Aizawa (My Hero Academia)
Shouta Aizawa is an INTP hero and teacher of Class 1-A at U.A High School. Though his quirk Erasure has a few flaky moments, it’s not to say he doesn’t make great use of it. Shouta judges situations with experience and a clear head before using his power to achieve the best outcome for all involved, students and villains alike.
14/23. Kusuo Saiki (The Disastrous Life of Saiki K)
When we talk about the smartest anime characters of all time, Saiki’s name is on every tongue. This young boy has an unparalleled intellect, but as his high school grades are proof of, he doesn’t seek knowledge in order to improve the world around him. Instead, he’s set his sights on a place where he can be comfortable. Saiki has a phobia of insects and will immediately teleport himself away when coming across one.
15/23. Yuu Koito (Bloom Into You)
Yuu does not like people, prior to meeting Touko. As shown throughout Bloom Into You, though she’s standoffish and reserved, she does show interest in what others have to say — provided they aren’t talking about cats. She comes across as someone who really doesn’t want to interact with others when, in fact, she wants to more than anything in the world. Her idea of love is skewed because of how it was presented to her by her parents.
16/23. Tomura Shigaraki (My Hero Academia)
Shigaraki wants to be the best villain he can be. It sounds simple, but for him it means controlling his anger and focusing on his goals. He’s quirky and cute, but there’s something more sinister hiding inside that coat… On Shigaraki’s path to villainy, he learns a lot about himself. In order to become the best, he has to become the best version of himself first.
Shigaraki’s Quirk gives him the ability to create, control and manipulate anything that is made of calcium. Though this is a useful set of powers, it can be extremely destructive and dangerous. Shigaraki’s superpower also comes at a cost: the more that he uses his Quirk, the more his sanity deteriorates.
17/23. Kakashi Hatake (Naruto)
Since several of Konoha’s most talented ninjas have already been listed, we’ll take a look at one of them you may have overlooked and give you a few ideas on how to use him. Kakashi Hatake’s INTP personality type is expressed in his actions, and often surprising to those who only know him superficially.
18/23. Kisuke Urahara (Bleach)
Urahara is a quiet, stern man. He takes his work very seriously and rarely cracks a smile. But those who know him well can tell that he’s always watching, thinking. He knows how to manipulate people using idle conversation.
Stubborn and self-reliant, Urahara’s natural born leader ability eventually shines through at the end of the series, his growth being one of the most significant in Bleach’s characters.
19/23. Naofumi Iwatani (The Rising of the Shield Hero)
Naofumi can be grumpy and ungracious, but his heart is always in the right place. He’s not a big talker, so sometimes he may seem standoffish or uncaring, but just give him some time to get used to you and you’ll see the change start to happen!
Naofumi has a lot of fans who love his realistic approach to life. He’s often oblivious to the romantic advances of others — but in a good way! He takes such good care of his ‘saves’ that they often wonder if he’s their savior instead of the other way around, but luckily Naofumi’s all-too-human, and will let you know when he needs saving, too.
20/23. Gowther (Seven Deadly Sins)
Gowther is a prime example of how INTPs can often blunder without even knowing it. He has his heart in the right place — he wants to do the right thing, whether that means giving up his own freedom to ensure others can be free, or doing harsh calculations to save everyone’s lives — but the end result is always unintentional offense. How relatable!
21/23. Tsuyu Asui “Froppy” (My Hero Academia)
Froppy is the type of friend you can count on whenever you need help or have an idea—she’s incredibly loyal and dedicated. Her unflappable sense of reason makes her a pillar of strength to those around her, and she’s sure to bring both laughter and karaoke nights wherever she goes. She’ll even make your day better with a fresh smoothie!
22/23. Pieck Finger (Attack on Titan)
Pieck is a natural leader because of her relationship-based approach to risk-taking and strategy. She combines her logical side with her feeling side in order to solve problems and understand the needs of every member of her team. Her ability to relate to others on an emotional level also means she can easily motivate them to complete even the most difficult tasks.
23/23. Ranpo Edogawa (Boungou Stray Dogs)
Ranpo Edogawa, shockingly intelligent and possessed of keen powers of deduction, was able to solve crimes almost instantaneously because of his ability to formulate theories and then use his ability to find the necessary facts to support them.
Edogawa has a passion for the fantastical and unbelievable. He’s great at noticing patterns and following logic, but gets lost easily in real life. He works hard to figure things out, but usually ends up asking for directions from a policeman instead.