Zombies Ruin Everything

As far as rivalries go, there’s really only a few noteworthy examples in the massive world of fiction. It’s easy to write characters that have opposing goals but few succeed in making the antagonist and protagonist stand out in the crowded house of film, TV, and literature.

So while Death Note’s ultimate rivalry was undoubtedly between L and Light, Light’s continued battle with Near was also filled with suspense and excitement. Many take Light as an INTJ which is understandable to a point- until you meet Near. Here are some key differences and similarities between the two, as characters and their respective types.

For further reading on Light’s type, check this out.

• Light, as an ENTJ has a hard time keeping a straight face due to his desire to laugh in his opponents faces of impending victory, even giving himself away in the final conflict by speaking too soon after several minutes of “knowing” Near is about to die. The times he really lets loose are freeing moments for him as hiding himself is a strain. ENTJs rely on logic as well as a passion for their goals.

• Near as an INTJ seems to rarely even feel emotion and remains stone faced through the majority of his screen time. His voice also remains monotone and is raised maybe only a couple times throughout the series and even then, it’s nowhere as loud as Light gets. INTJs pride themselves on remaining as logical and direct as possible, through easy times and the rough ones.

• Light’s “partnership” with Ryuk is an imbalanced one, but Light seems to enjoy letting Ryuk in on his plans, whether it be his clever ways to hide the notebook, or how to escape L’s capture. Most of L’s suspicions are spoken only in his mind but Light keeps few things to himself while giving Ryuk the details he wants to hear to be entertained. The ENTJ does like their share of attention and would waste no time convincing someone of their newest offer that you can’t refuse.

• Near speaks to his subordinates coldly and really only to help carry out his plans that he can’t complete alone. The SPK team follows his instructions implicitly but Near rarely lets his true intentions known unless it’s crucial to his plan. No matter how great a plan the INTJ may have, their brutal truth and disparaging remarks may turn many away from their otherwise great idea.

• Light’s ability to talk his way in and out of sticky situations is very much an ENTJ behavior pattern. He dresses well and speaks clearly and convincingly, especially when it comes to getting people to trust him. ENTJs place certain emphasis on their appearance and the way others see them, knowing that presentation plays a great deal on people’s perceptions.

• Near has his intelligence and the truth on his side but has to work hard to get those around him to trust him entirely because his strictly logical and cold nature makes those around him wary. He dresses in pajamas and has no social skills to speak of and even arranges for one of his team members to come back to New York to bring him to Japan as he doesn’t know how to make flight arrangements on his own, even at his genius level intellect. INTJs work well in their area of expertise and forget about the “tiny” things like socializing and taking care of yourself.

• Light weaves through his Kira Special Forces while deceiving them the entire time. He’s an active member not only on the team, but also in continuing his killing as Kira. One way to get the team off of his back (or even L, in the beginning) would be to stop the killing for a while yet Light’s will and ego won’t let him stop, as he sees the fortitude to keep going as a testament to his image. ENTJs, as noted above, not only put importance on the way they look, but how others perceive them as people, never wanting to show weakness in any form.

• While Near has an active part in his team as their leader, he’s usually seen in a dark room with brightly lit TVs, giving out orders and making plans for their next move. He stays as far away from the action as possible, only revealing himself in the finale because he has to. INTJs have almost no regard toward their image as they believe, like INTPs, that their blunt, factual knowledge alone is what should sell you on their idea.

• Light’s desire to make the world a better place is just though his method is wrong; murdering “bad” people and those that get in his way of making things better. ENTJs have a way of steamrolling those that get in their way, especially those who disagree. You don’t want to be on their blacklist.

• Near’s plan to capture Kira is justified but he coldly gives out orders and manipulates others to achieve his goal, willingly risking others lives to get what he wants. INTJs also have a habit of running over those that don’t see eye to eye with them although the payment for your trifling may just involve a form of excommunication, as the INTJ would prefer to leave you alone altogether if you can’t be of use.

• Light is well liked and trusted despite being the world’s biggest liar but ENTJs have a way of selling people on even the most unreasonable of ideas.

• Near is distrusted and has no one’s cooperation despite being on the right track in catching a mass murderer. INTJs can seem unlikable due to their ruthlessness no matter how righteous the goal.

This entry was posted on 07/30/2013 at 9:24 pm and is filed under MBTI Rationals, MBTI Stuff, MBTI Whatever with tags comparison, death note, entj, intj, light yagami, mbti in fiction, near. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.