The Doers: Examples of ESTP Anime Characters

Hello and welcome to Anime Rants! Every Wednesday, I’m looking at examples of anime characters with one of the 16 MBTI types. This week we have the ESTP, who are sometimes called the Doers, the Entrepreneurs, or the Promoters. An ESTP is energized by interactions, loves sensory experiences, makes choices based on a logic system, and needs a flexible lifestyle. The cognitive functions for ESTP are Se, Ti, Fe, and Ni.

The short description at the Personality Page says of the ESTP: “Friendly, adaptable, action-oriented. ‘Doers’ who are focused on immediate results. Living in the here-and-now, they’re risk-takers who live fast-paced lifestyles. Impatient with long explanations. Extremely loyal to their peers, but not usually respectful of laws and rules if they get in the way of getting things done. Great people skills.” For more information about ESTPs, see the descriptions at Personality Page, 16 Personalities, or Humanmetrics.com.

Perhaps more than any other type, the ESTP is wild, reckless, and defiant. Unlike ISFPs, which share the defiant trait, ESTPs lack gentleness and idealism, instead being pragmatic and realistic. As long as you don’t piss off an ESTP, they are fun and cheerful friends. According to the 16 Personalities website, every MBTI type has a healthy (assertive) variant and an unstable (turbulent) variant. The turbulent ones are imbalanced and psychologically unhealthy. There are examples of both assertive and turbulent ESTPs on this list.

Arisa Uotani (Fruits Basket)

Arisa is a memorable supporting character in Fruits Basket. She exemplifies the punk gangster-girl aesthetic and speaks in a masculine way. Tough, nonconforming, and sensory-oriented, Arisa hates feeling boxed in. On the other hand, she’s undyingly loyal to her best friends. She’s usually very practical and isn’t good with high level academics. Although she’s similar to an ESFP, Arisa tends to be a more objective decision maker, sometimes even disregarding her own desires on the basis of them being emotional.

Calamity Mary
(Magical Girl Raising Project)

Mary is a troubled, alcoholic woman who abused her son. When she became a magical girl, she got drunk with the power – pardon the pun. As if bullying and fighting with other magical girls wasn’t enough, Mary later creates mass destruction in the city and kills many normal humans. Normally, ESTPs would try to be logical and less driven by pure hate and hedonism. However, Mary is a turbulent type ESTP who has no control over her temper or her desire for thrills.

Chuuya Nakahara (Bungo Stray Dogs)

Chuuya is a powerful Gifted ability user and a member of Yokohama’s crime syndicate, the Port Mafia. He is pragmatic, sometimes lacking in imagination, and prone to anger and impatience. Like many ESTPs, Chuuya has a defiant, stubborn attitude and may refuse to listen. However, at the end of the day, he will heed logic over the worst of his angry impulses. He is also very loyal to the Port Mafia and its boss.

Ekubou/Dimple (Mob Psycho 100)

The stereotypical fictional ESTP is very driven to get things done, and tends to seek self-satisfaction more than anything else. Ekubou is a good example of this. He wants power, which is why, as a spirit, he is in the business of possession. Despite selfish tendencies, however, Ekubou is not a villain and ultimately becomes loyal and helpful to Mob.

Envy (FMA: Brotherhood)

There is amble evidence to support the idea that Envy is a nonbinary character, so I will use they/them pronouns. In the traditional fashion of an ESTP, they are voracious for power, thrills, and self-satisfaction even if it comes at a high risk. The risk is part of the fun for an ESTP like Envy. Unfortunately, they are an antagonist with basically no redeemable qualities other than their zeal for life and unique style.

Faye Valentine (Cowboy Bebop)

Faye is an iconic female character from the classic anime Cowboy Bebop. She is a gambler with a massive debt and a bounty on her head. Impulsive and stubborn, Faye is also opportunistic and a good escape artist. Her love of life and thrill is obvious, suggesting that her dominant function would be Se (extraverted sensing). Faye’s secondary function would be Ti (introverted thinking) since she is more of a thinking type than a feeling type.

Inosuke (Demon Slayer)

Inosuke takes the ESTP desire for action to the extreme. He never calms down and is always looking for a fight. ESTPs usually have decent senses of practicality and logic to moderate their desires, but that’s apparently not the case with Inosuke. However, I don’t think he counts as a turbulent variant, as he’s reasonably content and can cooperate with others. I think he’s just over-the-top because a) he’s still very young, and b) he was basically a feral child.

Inuyasha (Inuyasha)

Though I haven’t seen Inuyasha, I wanted to include some more popular, iconic characters. Inuyasha is an ESTP according to the recent consensus at Personality Database.

Irina Jelavić
(Assassination Classroom)

Irina is an assassin who seduces her targets and then kills them. In Assassination Classroom, her job is to train the young students of E-class useful skills for assassination. Irina may not be the most moral character, but I still personally hate the way she is constantly disrespected by the other characters in this anime. The butt of every joke, she is constantly verbally abused.

That aside, Irina is either an ESFP or an ESTP. I tend to think ESTP is the better fit because Irina, despite acting goofy or melodramatic, typically has a logical mindset when it counts. Logic and good mental analysis are necessary for being a good assassin.

Joseph Joestar (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure)

The second JoJo in the series, Joseph is extraverted and cheerful, with great physical skills and a thirst for adventure. Compared to some of the ESTPs on this list, he’s better at thinking of creative ideas. That said, he’s still more sensing than intuitive in general. While he’s a risk-taker with a wild side, Joseph is normally very reasonable and follows a system of internal logic to make decisions. This beloved character is a great example of a healthy, assertive ESTP.

Juuzou Suzuya (Tokyo Ghoul)

Juuzou is a Special Class Ghoul Investigator. Despite being horrifically abused by Ghouls for his whole childhood, this unusual boy doesn’t seem hateful. Instead of hunting Ghouls out of hatred, he just thinks it’s fun and exciting. Fighting and killing is all he knows how to do, and it’s a thrill he treasures. When interacting with others, Juuzou is usually cheerful, friendly, and direct. This boy is a good example of a neurodivergent ESTP who was terribly traumatized but still found a good place for himself in society.

Katsuki Bakugo (My Hero Academia)

Bakugo is a wildly popular character from MHA who is training to be a professional hero. I have only seen two and half series of MHA, and my memory is not the best. Nevertheless, based on what I saw, Bakugo is definitely the textbook ESTP. Despite this, there is a crowd of people online at the Personality Database who think this character is an ENTJ. I am difficult to convince, but if you want to have a go, leave a comment with your argument.

Kenny Ackerman (Attack on Titan)

In charge of the military police, Kenny is an extremely skilled fighter and killer. This man’s lust for violence and thrills is only tempered by his great personal loyalty to King Uri. If not for his love for the king, he would have been a directionless criminal forever.

Kyoko Sakura (Madoka Magica)

A temperamental magical girl from a faraway city, Kyoko comes to town looking for fresh witches to hunt. She is a great example of an ESTP who is pragmatic, logical, and more concerned with what works than what feels good. Kyoko is a big enjoyer of sensory experiences like combat, dancing, and food. She is almost never seen without a snack in her hand or mouth.

Ladd Russo (Baccano!)

As much as I personally dislike him, Ladd is a great example of an ESTP man in anime. He’s extraverted, cheerful, has great physical skills, and tends to be rather insane with his impulses and reckless desire for action.

Leone (Akame ga Kill)

Leone is a skilled fighter who became even more powerful after she started using a magical weapon called an Imperial Arms. This magical tool allows her to partly transform into a ferocious and mighty beast. Though Leone enjoys battle and training, she also recognizes the seriousness of violence. She is very logical and pragmatic. With her friends, Leone is usually upbeat, laidback, and a fun companion.

Mahiru Fuwa (Blast of Tempest)

Mahiro is an important character in Blast of Tempest as the best friend of the protagonist. This kid is one of my favorites. Though he is practical and capable of good logic, he doesn’t give a damn if the world ends, or even if he’s the one who ends it. To be fair, Mahiro was traumatized by the sudden tragic death of his younger sister. He hasn’t been right in the head since.

Rebecca “Revy” Lee (Black Lagoon)

I just love her expression in this picture! Revy is a bad-ass mercenary and extremely skilled with guns. If she gets too crazy with her violent impulses, her friend/boss Dutch can usually rein her in again. Usually. Revy is temperamental and emotionally unstable: a turbulent-type ESTP. Despite her unpredictable and insane nature – or perhaps because of it – Revy is a popular character, often seen as inspiring, attractive, and a self-empowered woman.

Thanks so much for reading my work. It means a lot to me. Come back and visit soon!

Original post edited on July 1st 2023.

PATREON