Yuzuru Hanyu's MBTI (personality type)

[Salior]

After thinking about it for months, researching a LOT about cognitive functions, and asking around those who are well-versed in it, I think I've finally came to the conclusion: 

 

Yuzuru Hanyu is ISFP [Fi, Se, Ni, Te]

 

Before I go on, I'd recommend everyone to learn about cognitive functions from this site: https://mbti-notes.tumblr.com/masterposts .

• Cognitive function describes our preferred ways of "receiving" and "analysing" information. A successful individual will be able to utilise all functions well, but it doesn't change the fact that we often still default to our "preferences", as it is the "comfort zone" to us. 
• The site collects info from various research, and is extremely detailed in describing how each function manifests in different people, according to stages of development, and even unhealthy usages. 
• To accurately type with cognitive functions, we need to quote his own words, instead of stating our "impressions of his behaviour". This is because cognitive functions measures "thought processes", not "behaviour" which can have different reasonings behind it. 
• Why cognitive functions? Mainstream MBTI profiles only focus on the first 2 functions, which can throw people off if the person is mature enough to develop his 3rd and 4th function well. For example, INTJs who use Fi can be mistaken as Fe-dom/aux, and ISFPs who use Ni can be mistaken as Intuitives. 

 

Here's the compilation of his interviews I got from gladi's tumblr translations, just for reference.

• I arranged them according to cognitive functions. (warning: super long)

Quote

Fi - Feelings (Intraverted): Prioritise information by how they agree with his own subjective values 

Expressing something through skating is the most important thing to me now. If I express feelings using words, it may have some risks of being misunderstood and criticised, but when I express my true feelings through skating, how they are interpreted is up to the viewers. I can be completely myself and feel free. That is a "yay" moment for me.

There wasn’t ever a trial that I had been completely pleased with. Even at the NHK Trophy (where he broke 3 world records), I had been reflecting post-performance – “I could have rotated more during the spins.” And for the Grand Prix Final (where he rewrote all 3 records two weeks after the above), my mental condition had been terrible. I was feeling all over the place, that “I must bring that (clean) performance two competitions in a row” – and that was a big reflection point. After that, there hasn’t been a competition where I put together two clean (short and free) programs. Every competition left behind points of frustration and issues to work out, so I’m guessing that the Olympics will be the same as well.

I should express my true feelings through my skating. I think that was the basis of where I am. I want to win, I want to be praised and I want to be happy, which is my goal, if I can achieve that, I am very happy. I do not want to lose myself, I want to win at the competition.

As I have such feelings, when it does not happen, I feel a lot of regret, and sometimes I let those kind of words like "losing is same as death" come out of my mouth. I have to be careful, don't I!

Fe - Feelings (Extraverted): Rank information by how they affects others 

"Like that, I have been causing lots of trouble to my fans. I feel I have always been protected by my fans, but at the same time, I want to protect my fans as well. I think my fans have experienced something painful during this show, but I want to put performances which are good enough to let them forget those pains. My fans may have been hurt a lot by supporting me, people may say anything about them, whether it's true or not, just like what people say about me.

When I was skating at a junior level, I could reply to every letter and talk to my fans in person, but I have so many fans now. I am trying to treat all fans equally. For instance, if I say "thank you for always supporting me, my next program is such and such" to one particular fan, the person may have a hard time from others' envy. I would feel bad about it. I want to treat my fans fairly, which makes it difficult for me to say anything... so I am grateful that I have this kind of opportunity I can send my message directly to fans."

"The power of support is immense. To be rooted for, there is energy in that, in some way or another. It gets complicated to bring up the philosophical part so we’re leaving that out (laughs), but anyhow, there are various energies in [the support]. Amongst those who kindly watch my performance, there might be those who think “I really like figure skating,” or “I want to watch Hanyu’s performance.” Or even those who think, “I want to see performances that make such records.” All these various thoughts, they become forces. It also becomes pressure, and at times, a weight inside. But, it’s because it exists that I am able to get stronger––I truly feel that."

"No matter what I say, people will say (negative) things. Even if I’m just skating, (negative) things will be said. Things like that don’t just happen to me. I have attention gathered around me so it seems like it’s a lot, but I think it happens to people living normal lives as well. However, in the midst of all that, everyone here came to watch the show I held like this, raised their voices and released their stress, and I hope the show was able to become a part of everyone’s happiness.

That’s why, at one period, when a lot happened including with the weekly magazine, I thought “why am I living” and “I’ll just die” countless times. But, but in the end, everyone gave me lots of support like this, and above all, what made me the happiest was when the people I admire sent messages to me.

It happened right after the disaster as well, and everyone gave comments like “Yuzu, you’ll be okay.” I was really thankful, and I thought “I’m happy I’m skating.” Right now, I truly think “I’m happy to be alive.” Truly, thank you very much."

(he was a victim of the 2011 Tohuku earthquake, where he likely suffered PTSD for a while from his descriptions. His mum would always remind him to be thankful for the people who support him)

Si - Sensing (Intraverted): How things are seen from the lens of his past experiences 

Looking back, it's been a dramatic skating career. Almost to the extent that even I myself am not keeping up. As if I’m on a roller coaster. When I can’t win I really can’t win; then I train a lot and once I get into really good shape, I get injured. Rinse and repeat. The gap between good times and bad is extreme, and there are times when even I myself can’t keep up.

The reason why I never quit skating, was after all, mm, what is it. I think it's because I felt like there was this feeling of "ah, this is special" in what I was doing. Figure skating is something that you can't do on land after all. Of course as a child, the fact that it was hard on the finances, well I have an older sister who was skating so I had some inkling of the cost as I skated. Precisely because of that, I thought being able to continue skating that way was something special, and more than anything my teachers really saw me as special, really looked after me, and brought me up like this.

Mm, it's like, it's because I realised that, that I was able to come this far, that's what I think. It's just well, dreams, the number of people who are able to have theirs come true is very limited, mm, even my own dreams, I'm going to say this frankly but, even my own dreams, mm, the ones that came true, is this gold medal... only? If I say "only" it's a bit weird but, mmm... for as much as this dream of a gold medal come true, I had to give up on that many other dreams that I had. mm, so I think it's good to have a lot of them, dreams.

And, you definitely have the aptitude for something. Even if it's not a big goal, I think even a small goal can be considered a dream. Well from here on, many different children will do many different things whilst having many different dreams, and if, somehow, I said something that was able to, even just a little, create for them that moment of those dreams come true, if I said something that could become the start of that coming-true moment, it would be good. That thought was renewed within me.

Se - Sensing (extraverted): The "present" experience, enjoying life at it is 

I have been eating mum's cooking all the time. I do not dine out in Toronto or Japan. I do not want to waste my energy. It makes me tired because I have to be "Yuzuru Hanyu" (ie. be responsible for his trainings). (not sure if this matters but he also has asthma)

At home I want to enjoy my meals, stretch my legs and watch TV. I sometimes do not watch TV, instead, I watch the video of my skating, with a serious face.

Going out has never been my cup of tea. I love skating and I want to devote myself to skating. I am the kind of person who does not have a clear "on-off" mode. I tend to spend too much energy, so I get very tired. When other people may spend 80% of their energy, I spend 150%.

During ice shows, between my performances, I just lie down, and when my turn comes up, I get up, concentrate on my performance, do warm up and let all energy out for my performance.

I hardly talk to anyone either. After all, I get overtired and sometimes my stomach gets affected... I cannot eat. I want to meet the audiences' expectations and I also have an expectation for myself. I have a sense of mission.

“Eh, not to lie to myself, indeed, I do want to win a consecutive title. But, that isn’t my only aim, so I want to fully experience ‘the competition’, also bringing out ‘my own performance’, um, and this… the thing that is ‘the Olympics’… I want to experience it completely.”

"In Toronto, Canada, he focuses so much on his training that he rarely gets a chance to go out, and so Hanyu is almost always ok with wearing track suits everyday.

He took an interest in the not-too-formal, not-too-casual, student-like outfit (from the shoot), and especially the pants made of comfortable, stretchable fabric. “I don’t have pants made of this kind of fabric, so this is refreshing. It’s nice and easy to move in, isn’t it?”.

After the shoot, with his suitcase rattling behind him as he pulled it towards the station whilst wearing that outfit, he remarked “It kinda feels like (I’m on) a high school field trip!” and was in good spirits."

Ni - iNtuition (intraverted): Sees information by how it fits into his subjective "theories" of how things work 

I will keep doing my very best. Of course, I absolutely want to win in competitions that I participate in, but what comes up in my mind during interviews like this is, in the end, that sense of accomplishment from having achieved a second consecutive victory at the Olympics. Although, I definitely want to do the Quad Axel, and I feel incredibly motivated towards it. Techniques that I wanted to master, the level which I had aimed toward; to be finally reaching that place and starting to see these unfold before my eyes now –– the pleasure of all that lies within skating. Going forward, I intend to pursue my own limits in training, and enjoy myself while doing my best.

Even though I’ve studied the quad Lutz time and time again on my own, once I start doing it on ice, thinking that I’ve hit the nail on the head, it all comes apart in a day. I repeated that too much and ended up not knowing what I should do. Previously, because skating used to be an obligation, even [at such times] I would feel like “I must do it.” And in any case, I was getting it before I reached the point of thinking that. But now, it’s different. It’s not so much that I am feeling my limits, but rather that I feel the limits of my own ability as one single person. I think that is probably because, so far, I haven’t been creating my jumps while being conscious of the fact that I’m jumping a quad.

Right now, I am able to start the off season without any big injuries. Condition wise, I think that is one step-up from last year. It is important to maintain this condition. Various things will become harder from now on and [technical] difficulty will go up… so amongst all this, I must challenge many things. However, I enjoy improving myself in training and it’s accurate to say that I am skating because I like doing that. For this reason too, alongside taking good care of my body, I’d like to drive ahead during the off season. Because [this] period from now on is where I can improve my technique, while looking forward to that, I want to take care in avoiding injuries as well. I think I have been able to manage this quite well this season, so looking toward the next season, if I can gradually put together a plan as well…

Ne - iNtuition (extraverted): Sees information by looking into possibilities and choices in the real world 

Actually, I have another Olympic dream apart from getting the gold medal. From the Olympics I saw when I was young, scenes of athletes expressing their feelings of gratitude toward their mentors left a deep impression on me. After watching that, I thought, “Let me mention the names of all the teachers I’ve learned from at this place!” Almost every night since, I’ve simulated the scenario, whiling away many sleepless nights. Even now. (Laughs) Actually, I wasn’t able to say it and my dream went unrealized, but please allow me to take this occasion and express my gratitude.

There was a day separating the short and the free skate events. My immediate thought was that, considering everyone’s short program results, clean performances would probably continue [for the free skate portion]. Everyone performed with great confidence, and apart from me, everyone seemed calm. In that respect, the free skate was tough. Because the free skate involved a different amount of points on the table and was also my forte, I thought I could increase my score to a certain extent as long as I was clean. On the other hand, in the case of everyone performing well and going clean, a 10-point gap would be quite severe. When Javier defended his title at last year’s World Championships, for example, despite my decidedly higher personal best score at the time, as a result of mistakes on my part and a clean performance from him, my 12-point lead from the short program was reversed in the free skate. I was anxious since the 10-point would have been difficult to close without a similar situation. But, on the day, I focused solely on what I had to do and giving it my all.

I can’t say anything since it is a “what if” scenario. But I tried and fought until the end this season, and had I done the short without the 4Lo and with only 4T, 4S in my layout, I probably would have been able to continue with clean performances more consistently. However, even if I fail in the short program for instance, since I wouldn’t have been able to put two 3A’s [in my free skate] without a 4Lo*, in the end I am glad that I did the 4Lo. My intention of adding the 4Lo was that, look toward the following season, I wanted to get used to a 4-quad layout with this Loop using this entire season. I really wanted to gain experience in competitions with this layout, so in that sense, I wasn’t that impatient even when there were mistakes. Anyway, I just put in the 4Lo with the feeling that it is in preparation for the next season.

Ti - Thinking (intraverted): Ranks information by how well it "makes sense" to him logically

I certainly do not like losing. I don't know why. When I went home, I spent some time with my family, and I realised I was thinking that I do not want to lose to my family when I am talking with them. For instance, I want to win an argument, something like that. If my family says something to me, I have to speak back.

Because I was fifth (in the 1st round of the competition), I didn’t want to make any mistakes, and inside me, the strong urge to stand up to challenge came to the forefront. Above all, it was because this competition happened precisely as my second half 4S had begun to stabilize. Of course, there are ups and downs with the condition of the second half 4S, as well as times when the 4T is in a good state and the 4Lo is great. But the best thing this time was that this phase of improvement with the second half 4S––now that I have a certain sense of how to execute it––coincided with the competition. In that sense, peaking was successful. Especially with confidence in the second half 4S, I could focus on each aspect, listening properly to the sound of the music… and if I can try my best that way, I was thinking I could go clean. So first of all, I landed the beginning 4Lo and 4S, and then I focused on riding the momentum.

3Lz is a jump that I can absolutely land as long as I have enough speed going in, but I practiced that too in training. As long as I’m not too strangely conscious about it, it is not a problematic jump. I had experienced this in training: landing everything else and when trying to focus on the lutz at the end of the choreographic sequence, popping, or a touch down, mistakes like that. Therefore, I thought I could combine the images of when I executed good Lutz jumps, one by one. "What was my mental state when the jump was nicely executed from start to finish,” “how did it feel"… I guess I must have combined these images [for that jump].

Since I was confident about fulfilling [the other levels] as long as I solidly executed the level features I missed, that was where I focused my training. There were various things—at what tempo and what depth the steps should be while matching with the musical notes; in terms of angle, jumps and steps share the same point; an effortless angle and direction for executing even the Choctaw… I also researched how to use the trunk of my body and trained many different things, and I learned from Coach Tracy Wilson too. I guess [the level 4’s for both spins and steps] were the result of such training.

Te - Thinking (extraverted): Ranks information by how well it can get him to his goals

I don’t really like to speak of it, but recently I’m no longer able to resolve things on my own. In the past, I’d approached skating with a simpler mindset. Sort of like a sense of obligation, I was thinking “I have to do it.” Before likes or dislikes, it was the thought of “I’ve come this far, I can’t simply let go” and I was tied down by that. But now, I’m feeling none of that. I am skating, wanting to skate.

So far, even on my own, I’ve been able to overcome technical issues. However, when it comes to here (raising his hand to gesture around the top of his head), there are times when there is no other way but to seek help from someone. Left unattended, it becomes an issue and I get in over my head with my own feelings. There has been a good increase in my stamina, and if it were my old layout, I believe I could skate cleanly whenever. But now, I’m no longer keeping up (with what needs to be done) be it mentally or physically.

Right after the Olympics, I was saddled [with the feeling of loneliness] by myself. After the collision (with another skater at the Cup of China, November 2014), and after surgery (on the urachus) in December the same year as well, I was alone in a panic, feeling that “I have to do something somehow” “Because I’m the Olympic champion.” But, getting over that period, I no longer think I have to somehow get the job done all alone.

I was most conscious of the fact that I must raise the intensity of my training. In the first week of training, I increased the intensity to a level that completely exhausts me. At the same time, my highest priority was to figure out how to train without getting injured or catching a cold. Training efficiency is most affected when you end up not being able to train due to injury or illnesses, so I paid a lot of attention to that aspect.

 

 

After looking through these, the easiest way to determine his type is by taking into account the "Dominant" (1st function) and the "Inferior" (4th function). 

• The "Dominant" function is what drives a majority of his decisions. The "Inferior" function describes how he will respond during stress.
• You can find a guide for spotting dominant functions here. Highly recommended - it includes signs of when people is likely and is NOT likely to have the specified dominant function. 

 

Now let's try to figure out which cognitive function is in his stack, and in which order. 

• Judging from his interviews, it's clear that he utilises "Fi" a lot. That is, he is someone who hold very strong values and will live his entire life according to it. 
• He is likely not an "Se-dominant", as he has a few clear signs against it - he's not very particular about getting "new" sensory experiences, he went to Toronto for months and never went sightseeing, in fact he didn't want to go because it "drains his energy", wears the same black comfortable training gears everyday, etc. 
• He showed some signs of Fi-Ni loops, through his "murder look" when people disturb his focus, and obsession on mastering the quad Lutz, to the extent Brian lost his hair over it (haha). 
• He could be a "Te-inferior", as during times of stress, he becomes obsessed about "practicing", wanting to fix every problem that comes across him. 

 

Overall, the profile fits him decently well too. 

• ISFPs can be easygoing, but can also be VERY private individuals who find it difficult to let people into their social circles. Even Javi has never gotten the chance to go out with him for meals, throughout the 5-6 years they trained together lol. 
• He describes himself as the typical "hot-blooded manga protagonist", and most "hot-blooded manga protagonists" are ISFPs lol 
• Fi: Feelings (intraverted) - prioritises informations that fits into his subjective values 
  • Fi-dominants are most concerned about self-expression and being happy by living with their own values. 
  • As Fi-dominants, Yuzu drives almost ALL his decisions by considering whether it fits into his values, and throws them out if they don't. "I want to win on my own terms", "If I sacrifice this style, then it is no longer 'Yuzuru Hanyu'".
• Se: Sensing (extraverted) - perceiving the world "as it is" 
  • Yuzu described that he has an almost 360 degree vision in Aoi Hono, an acute awareness of surroundings that is likely indicative of strong Se. 
  • He learned most of his jumps by "watching" others, eg. 2A (His sister), 3A (Mao), 4S (Javi), and has difficulty landing if he can't visualise it. 
• Ni: iNtuitive (intraverted) - perceiving the world by how it fits into his subjective theory of how the world works
  • Yuzu uses Ni to support his Fi visions, by drawing links between information from his own research that will help him reach his goal. This can make him seem like an iNtuitive type, but again it's clear that he doesn't want to sacrifice his Fi under any circumstances, something unthinkable for Ni-doms. 
• Te: Thinking (extraverted) - ranking information by how it can bring him to his goals 
  • Yuzu is very capable of taking steps to reach his own goal, but from what he described in these interviews, it seems like it is a "step" for him rather than something natural to him, like how people with Te in their top two functions will relish and get energised by planning ahead. 
  • He is also willing to relinquish "efficient" strategies to prioritise his own values. 

 

Other options

• I have considered INTJ due to the Fi-Ni/Ni-Fi loop, but as an INTJ myself, it is very uncharacteristic for us to behave the way Yuzu does.
  • [Fi-tertiary] We tend to be uptight and don't show our emotions easily, I'll probably drive myself mad if I have to be as expressive as Yuzu when interacting with others (Fi-dominant).
  • [Te-auxiliary] It is also uncharacteristic for us to be as stubborn as he is, we tend to let go our "values" easily to prioritise more "efficient" options (Fi-tertiary instead of dominant, favours Te), while for years Yuzu is willing to let go of "easy shortcuts" just to get what he wants according to his values, even for the most important competitions. 
  • [Se-inferior] Se-inferior people like us tend to fall into addictions (ie. looking for excessive sensory stimulation) during times of stress, like gaming 20 hours a day or overeating for months, which we don't really see in Yuzu. Instead he frets and wants to fix everything, a sign of Te-inferior. 
• I have also seen ENFJ, but ENFJs are Fe-dominants, which is straight out of the question since it's clear how Yuzu uses Fi so strongly.
  • [Fe vs Fi] Treating other people well as motivated by Fe or Fi is very different - the entire thought process is the opposite.
  • Yuzu tends to not care about what others think when it comes to "living his own values", while Fe-dominants WILL care. 
• There's also ENFP, likely due to the similarity in Fi-auxiliary.
  • [Ne vs Ni] ENFPs are Ne-dominants, while Yuzu goes into Fi-Ni loop often during his "hyper focus" sessions. It is probably very stressful for Ne-doms to hyper focus for such long periods. 
  • [Ne-dominant] Ne-dominants often think about a LOT of possibilities before they take actions and like to confirm with others before they make their decisions, and use Fi to support their possibilities. Yuzu makes his decisions first with Fi, then consult others lol. He is also very decisive, and moves very quickly to zero in on a path he wants to take according to his values.  
  • [Si vs Se] Due to Si-inferior a lot of ENFP's ideas may not line up with reality or even their own experiences, and may end up being called "hypocrites", but we've seen how Yuzu is quite in touch with reality in his decisions (Se-auxiliary).  

 

I'd say he's a very mature ISFP! In fact the pinnacle of one haha, seeing how he can "put aside his happiness" to reach his goal before the Olympics by adhering to strict training and rehab regimes. 

 

[Lambari]

That's a lot to process here!  You really did a lot of reseach, it was great. And I think I could (maybe) understand it a bit better although these 'functions' still make my head spin.   I don't know much about MBTI, just took a test some time ago and found out I apparently fall into INTP but didn't go much further. The description sounded accurate to me though and almost wizardry , but I know that there's no scientific evidence about this thing, just think it is fun.  

I read briefly about ISFP and I think that it can be a great fit to him.  But is it accurate to evaluate people we don't know into these categories even if they never took the test themselves? I chuckled when I took the test and they suggested several celebrities that may or may not fall into the same category as mine.  I admit i'm a born skeptic, can't help it. 

 

Thought it was funny how they used a 'Cat' in this video.  He actually describes himself as a cat.  This is the pinnacle of evidence! Just kidding.   But I think the description at this video reminded me of him several times. 

This video is a bit overtly positive though, so I tried to find the 'weaknesses' part and among other things found this:

 

Overly Competitive - Can escalate small things into intense competitions, turning down long-term success in their search for glory in the moment, and are unhappy when they lose. 

 

But I also found that they tend to dislike long term plans. This seems quite off for someone who tried to plan all of his career already as a child. But people don't fit into these types perfectly obviously, they're more complex than that. What is your take about that? 

 

Thank you for the analysis!

[Salior]

Thanks! 

 

Personally I find it very difficult to swallow how people try to type "famous" people at face value too, I mean I've seen people typing him as ENFJ, ENFP, ESFP, even INTJ, and it doesn't feel very nice to speculate like that, but it's Yuzu and I couldn't resist OTL I did try my best to be as objective as possible, and be very sure before I post this. I only tried to type him after I went through in depth about cognitive functions in that blog, in which the author seemed very mature and not the typical "commercialised" sites who only tells you what you want to hear. It is a very powerful tool, I'd highly recommend everyone to learn it! Very applicable in real life too, to learn how to figure out people who think differently from you. 

 

I'd say the "dislike long term plans" comes from the stereotype of MBTI profiles that typically only describe the top 2 functions, which in this case is likely a stereotype of Se-dominants and Se-auxiliaries. Most mainstream profiles ignore the bottom 2 functions, which can lead to serious mistyping in well developed individuals. In usual cases it is true that Se-doms tend to dislike long term planning, perhaps someone like Javi lmao. But for Yuzu, his long term vision likely came from the Ni function, which Yuzu has as his 3rd function. Fi-drive can sometimes be mistaken for Ni as well, but the fundamental reasoning behind them are different. For the "coming up with plans", I'd say following a generic Ni-direction or Fi-drive is different from an objective Te-planning. Everyone can make plans, but the thought process behind them can be extremely different. 

 

In the end it boils down to the "reasoning" behind a behaviour, not the behaviour itself. I think that's why we need to look at the thought process by quoting their own words, instead of looking at behaviour which can have a lot of different reasonings behind it! 

[Noelle]

This is so in depth! I think your ISFP typing makes a lot of sense, at least, as much as this kind of thing can make sense! I especially appreciate how you referenced Yuzu's interviews rather than just observations from a distance. I'm kind of interested in personality analysis, but I admit every time I look into things like MBTI I get annoyed at its inadequacies.... The blog you linked to looks like a better source than many others I've seen, though! It's interesting to approach as a personal development/reflection tool, I guess. Or just for fun xD

 

This reminded me, there was a personality type discussion in the general chat a long time ago, if anyone's interested. It's pre-Olympics winter drought so proceed with caution... There's also a comparison of skaters to ice cream flavors... lol

 

 

Thanks for sharing your analysis!

 

[yuzuangel]

On 7/20/2019 at 7:39 AM, Noelle said:

There's also a comparison of skaters to ice cream flavors...

Now we know he is pop rocks

[ROSIESIMTE]

Thank you so much for your post sailor. 

If i may, can you please tell me a little bit about what happened with the daily magazines what he talked about in your Fe(5th para), i can't seem to find anywhere about that one, this has been bothering me and haunting me a long time, i can't be in peace until i know i guess. Thank you 

[102090]

I'm ISFP too!  

 

Wouldn't have thought Yuzuru would be an ISFP too hahaha, thanks for your analysis!!