Kakegurui is a popular shonen anime series starring the wild heroine Yumeko Jabami, who subverts a variety of standard protagonist trends. Yumeko doesn't aim to become a queen or prove herself to the world. Instead, she is a hedonist who lives only for the thrill of gambling.
A smart and crafty high school student, Yumeko can't stand the thought of conspiracy or cheating. To her, a high-stakes but fair contest is the one true form of gambling, and she will accept any challenge and take any risk -- as long as each party has a fair chance to win or lose. Yumeko cares nothing for rules or tradition, only her own pleasure, and that reflects in her MBTI personality type.
Yumeko Jabami's MBTI Personality Type: ESFP-A, The Entertainer
Yumeko's MBTI personality code is ESFP-A, making her an assertive version of the Entertainer -- the most lively and whimsical of the four "explorer" personality types. Paradoxically, while they are highly sociable and define their lives with spur-of-the-moment pursuits, Yumeko is also noted for being an insightful strategist who can easily look far ahead and prepare a countermeasure for her opponents' plans. She has repeatedly foiled a rival gambler's cheating and schemes, being both a careful planner and "make it up as you go" sort of character. This combination makes her an unpredictable and effective gambler at Hyakkou Private Academy.
She may have elements of the INTJ "Architect" personality type as well, being a cunning strategist who thinks things through. Even so, Yumeko is primarily an Entertainer who's happiest by living freely, making up her own rules and pursuing her own idea of fun. Entertainers are extraverted and proactive people, and while Yumeko may not be a total party animal, she does make friends easily, and isn't afraid to meet new people and see what makes them tick. That way, she can either make use of an ally -- such as the meek Ryota Suzui or her best frenemy Mary Saotome -- or simply prepare strategies to take that person down later.
Entertainers are known for their bold and adventurous nature, always seeking new experiences and thrills in the world around them, and Kakegurui's Yumeko loves trying her hand at a wide variety of games, never fearing any challenge. They also tend to be experimental and non-traditionalist people, making them flexible and whimsical in their everyday life. An Entertainer is unlikely to lecture anyone about rules or tradition, and sure enough, Yumeko soon gained a reputation for being like a bull in a china shop where Hyakkou's rigid social hierarchies and rules are concerned. No one can tame her.
Yumeko Jabami As An Entertainer In Kakegurui
Yumeko has been a model Entertainer since her debut in Kakegurui, when she accepted Mary Saotome's polite but cunning invitation to play a rock-paper-scissors variant. This doesn't mean she's simply a carefree ESFP, however -- she is the assertive type, meaning she never doubts herself and fears nothing. Being assertive is vital in a cutthroat school like Hyakkou, and when it comes to confidence and having nerves of steel, no one can beat Yumeko.
No matter the odds or stakes in a gambling match, Yumeko never fears a potential loss, instead finding it thrilling to be on the razor's edge between a sudden windfall or crushing debt. That was the case when she gambled on stage with the wealthy student council member Kaede Manyuda. Everyone was on the edge of their seat as the stakes rose to over 10 billion yen, an astonishing pot even by Hyakkou standards, yet Yumeko never flinched. In the end, it was Kaede who blinked first and lost it all.
What makes Yumeko so different is that she never has a particular goal or plan in mind, being an unusually aimless protagonist who reacts to everything around her rather than forming her own plans and ambitions. This sets her apart from her scheming rival, Mary Saotome, and the student council president, Kirari Momobami, who have very clear goals in mind and tirelessly work toward them. Yumeko is paradoxically assertive and passive at the same time in Kakegurui, idly wandering Hyakkou until someone challenges her to a gamble, and then her assertive, cunning side emerges.
Yumeko's Entertainer personality is thus split in half, with her people skills, carefree nature and observant side all being present outside of a gamble. During a clash, however, Yumeko will be both whimsical and purposeful, planning ahead to foil an opponent's ploy while also allowing random chance to decide her fate, in the true spirit of high-stakes gambling. She never wants to know what will happen next.
