“Determined,” “strong-willed,” and “logical.” These are some common descriptions given to people displaying the ESTJ (Extroverted, Sensing, Thinking, Judging) personality. Interestingly, many anime characters have ESTJ traits. This can sometimes be a bit surprising to learn as, initially, the characters didn’t seem to possess them.
Examples include Shoto Todoroki, who at first glance appears introverted, and Vegeta, who can be quite cold-blooded. However, while some anime characters do not immediately display ESTJ traits, a closer look at them and how they behave shows that they do indeed.
By examining the personalities of anime characters, we can see how it’s not always easy to determine someone’s personality. Our perceptions of people’s first impressions can sometimes be incorrect. With this in mind, let’s explore some of the biggest ESTJ anime characters.
Top 7 ESTJ Anime Characters
Popular nicknames routinely given to the ESTJ personality include “The Administrator” and “Guardian Supervisor.” This is because ESTJ traits include honor, responsibility, authority, and structure. These traits can be seen in a variety of famous anime characters, such as the seven in our list.
Shoto Todoroki – My Hero Academia
Shoto is a superhero that has a half-cold, half-hot quirk, allowing him to control fire from his left side and ice from his right side, and he inherited these abilities from his parents.
Although he attempted to banish these powers because he battled to learn how to control them, he persisted and learned how to control them.
He is intuitive and knows how to make calm observations, and he’s a big planner – even when he finds himself in combat. The “T” in ESTJ stands for “Thinking,” which refers to weighing up facts and principles, and Shoto does both of these regularly.
As an ESTJ personality, Shoto depends on his common sense, and he will focus on facts instead of letting his feelings cloud his vision.
Although one might assume that Shoto is introverted because he initially seemed to isolate himself, his approach changed when he fought hero Izuku Midoriya at the U.A. Sports Festival. This encouraged him to make friends and increase his social circle, therefore revealing some extroverted traits.
Similarly, at the start of My Hero Academia, Shoto is a character who appears to be aloof and cold at times but later comes out of his shell.
Asuka Langley Soryu – Evangelion
Asuka is a child prodigy who has worked hard to achieve a university degree even though she’s still a teenager. She completed years of training to become a pilot for the Evangelion.
She feels pride about being one of the most skilled pilots and wears her A10 nerve clips in her hair to let people know that she’s one.
Female ESTJ personalities are usually strong-willed and independent, and Askuka’s journey reveals this. She’s opinionated and knows what she wants. Asuka also displays a strong level of extroversion and is quite opinionated and confrontational. She has no problems or hesitation when being a leader.
The potential drawback linked to her strong will is that although Asuka has feelings for Shinji, she doesn’t express them or share her vulnerabilities. This is what prevents her from opening up to him. She wants to be independent and therefore struggles with asking for help or connecting emotionally with others.
We later discover this is because of how she has been hurt by many adults in her life. This makes viewers more sympathetic toward her.
Vegeta – Dragon Ball Z
Vegeta is the hero who inspires others because he is persistent and never gives up. While he started as a villain, the reasons for his cold-blooded cruelty stemmed from the abuse his Saiyan race experienced at the hands of Frieza, the main antagonist in Dragon Ball Z.
As Vegeta’s journey progresses, he shows signs of redemption. When Cell kills his son, Trunks, Vegeta attacks Cell, revealing that he is willing to fight for someone else.
Vegeta ticks many ESTJ boxes: he focuses on the evidence of things that have worked for him in the past when planning for the future instead of acting spontaneously, and he takes a leadership role in helping others achieve success.
He stops trying to be the victor in all his battles, such as when he allows Gohan to kill the insectoid villain that he distracted so they could bring him down. He keeps other people in line and on track to success, an ability he uses for good when he starts to fight evil.
Sebastian Michaelis – Kuroshitsuji / Black Butler
Sebastian, a demon butler who works for Ciel, the protagonist of the series, might not appear to be an ESTJ personality at first because he has to follow Ciel’s orders. But as we get to know him, we see characteristics of this personality shine through.
As a butler, Sebastian practices discipline and runs the household. He’s organized, works long hours, and is a good example of the ESTJ personality in that he is determined to achieve his goals. He becomes frustrated when people are late or don’t follow the rules.
He is an extrovert and deals well with people, but one of his strongest ESTJ characteristics is that he’s a big thinker. As a demon, he spends a lot of time thinking about humans and their nature.
Sebastian, who could sometimes be described as cunning and manipulative to some, isn’t afraid to express his opinions to get what he wants. We see this when he explains to Baldroy the steps he should follow to make delicious roast chicken.
Nami – One Piece
Since she loves being the center of attention and displays excellent people skills, Nami can be seen as an extrovert. She is entertaining to watch, but she always knows how to use her skills to achieve her goals.
Nami focuses on making plans and achieving them in the most efficient ways. This sometimes causes people to see her as bossy (a problem that some people with an ESTJ personality experience), but she knows what she wants and encourages others to help her achieve her goals!
Nami prioritizes logic over emotion. For example, when she aligns herself with Luffy, she uses him so she can sell him out to Buggy, and does this without focusing on the emotions of others. Even though others might think she’s quite blunt, harsh, and critical, she prides herself on being honest, practical, and realistic.
Sanemi Shinazugawa – Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
Sanemi is a character who feels hatred toward demons because they killed many of his loved ones. This is what drives him to become a demon slayer. True to the ESTJ personality type, Sanemi is strong-willed and can’t be swayed from his goals. He displays great courage and drive, not just during victorious moments but also when he encounters defeat.
He remains focused on his cause of removing demons from the world, and this can be seen when he recovers quickly from the death of his brother to help Demon Slayers fight the Demon King, Muzan.
One could say he has a no-nonsense mindset because he’s unafraid to take charge when he needs to and get his hands dirty. He’s a master of leading people through difficult situations by drawing knowledge, wisdom, and guidance from previous experiences.
This can be seen in the Crimson Red Nichirin Blade battle when he uses his sword to strike Gyomei’s spiked flail. This turns both of them red temporarily. To prevent this, the next time he fights against Muzan, Sanemi smashes his sword with his opponent, Giyu’s sword, so that their blades become red – this is a smart move that enables him to block the Demons’ regeneration.
Tatsu – Gokushufudou / The Way of the House Husband
Tatsu, the protagonist of Gokushufudou, used to be a gang member of Yakuza who changed his ways to become a full-time househusband to Miku, his wife.
He is serious about his work and is also a people person. Tatsu fills his days with tasks such as cooking, cleaning the home, and finding good food deals at the supermarket. He approaches these tasks with determination displayed by many people with the ESTJ personality. His goal is to maintain the smooth functioning of his home.
Even when Tatsu is told to take it easy by one of his previous employees, Masa, he doesn’t stop doing his tasks around the home, which shows how determined he is.
He also displays other signature ESTJ traits: he will go the extra mile for people in his life that he loves and he’s extroverted, which can be seen when he socializes with his friends.
Other ESTJ Anime Fictional Characters
Here’s a list of some other ESTJ fictional characters from Anime and Manga:
- Akito Sohma, Fruits Basket by Natsuki Takaya
- Assistant, Humanity has Declined
- Asuka Langley Sohryu, Evangelion
- Azami Nakiri, Food Wars!
- Dianna Soreil, Turn A Gundam
- Doug, Kurau Phantom Memory
- Elias, The Ancient Magus Bride
- Endeavor, My Hero Academia
- Erza Scarlet, Fairy Tail
- Ferio, Magic Knight Rayearth
- Gau Ban, Shadow Skill
- Gintoki, Gintama
- Gon Freecs, HunterXHunter
- Grandfather, Humanity has Declined
- Heero Yuy, Gundam Wing
- Izuku Midoriya, My Hero Academia
- Jean Kirstein, Attack On Titan
- Jotaro Kujo, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure
- Kagura Mutsuki, BlazBlue
- Kakeru Naruse, Orange
- Kanji Tatsumi, Persona 4
- Kato Marika, Bodacious Space Pirates
- Kihel Heim, Turn A Gundam
- Kou Mabuchi, Blue Spring Ride
- Kurau’s father, Kurau Phantom Memory
- Labrys, Persona 4
- Lin Beifong, Avatar: Legend of Korra
- Mello, Death Note
- Misty, Pokémon
- Nami, One Piece
- Naofumi, Rising of the Shield Hero
- Naoto Kurogane, BlazBlue
- Noboru, Our Home’s Fox Deity
- Olivier Mira Armstrong, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
- Qrow, RWBY
- Rangiku Matsumoto, Bleach
- Rudol Von Stroheim, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure
- Sakura Haruno, Naruto Shippuden
- Sanemi Shinazugawa, Demon Slayer
- Seiji Amisawa, Whisper of the Heart
- Shoryu, The Twelve Kingdoms
- Smoker, One Piece
- Socie Heim, Turn A Gundam
- Sol Badguy, Guilty Gear
- Takaya Abe, Big Windup!
- Takumi Aldini, Food Wars!
- Tenya Iida, My Hero Academia
- Tobirama Senju, Naruto Shippuden
- Tohma, Fantastic Children
- Toka, Inari Kon Kon
- Tomomu Masaoka, Psycho-Pass
- Triela, Gunslinger Girl
- Yang Xiao Long, RWBY
- Youko Nakajima, The Twelve Kingdoms
Conclusion
There are many anime characters that display ESTJ personality traits. Although some of the characters that we featured in this article might not appear to have ESTJ traits at first glance, once we take a closer look at their personalities and story arcs, it’s clear to see that they do, such as that they’re usually determined, hard-working, and logical.