There is Personality in the Blood

Ever wonder what is up with all the blood types in celebrity bios and anime? Well, apparently in Japan blood type affects personality. The idea started with Furukawa Takeji and his paper “The Study of Temperament Through Blood Type” published in the scholarly journal Psychological Research. Since then, blood type is used as shorthand for anime character personality.

Blood types are sometimes used to gauge personality compatibility and even have horoscopes attached to them. By the way, scientifically there isn’t any solid correlation between blood type and personality. That doesn’t stop it from being used as shorthand, match making or …. bullying. Yeah. People are bullied because of their blood type. Some corporations even group people based on blood types.

Type A

These people have a deep-rooted strength that helps them stay calm when everyone else is panicking in a crisis. They tend to avoid confrontation and are very uncomfortable around people; these people are shy and withdrawn. They also seek harmony and are very polite but never feel like they fit in with others. Responsible, individual, creative, artistic and perfectionist also are characteristics.

Type A’s are depicted as stressed and conscientious.

Examples in anime: Jet Black,Hyuuga Hinata, Vincent Valentine, Yuffie Kisaragi.

Type B

People with type B are the most practical. They are specialists and follow directions to the letter. All their focus is placed on what they are doing. They stick to their goal despite impossibilities of reaching it. They are individualists that don’t cooperate very well, preferring to following their own ideas. They come off as cold and serious because they are focused on their thoughts more than their feelings.

Type B’s are relaxed and unconventional but not to the point of being annoying. Off-the-wall and impulsive, well meaning characters fall into this group.

Examples in anime: Faye Valentine,Ten-Ten,Tifa Lockhart, Cid Highwind.

Type O

Considered the “best” and “average” in Japan, type O’s are outgoing, energetic, and social. They are the most flexible of the blood types. They easily start projects but struggle to follow through; they give up easily. Flighty and undependable, type O’s say what is on their mind. They also value the opinions of others and enjoy being the center of attention. They are also extremely self confident.

Examples in anime: Spike Spiegel, Haruno Sakura, Aerith Gainsborough

Type AB

Considered the worst blood type, AB has the characteristics of both A and B types and swing between them. They are both shy and outgoing, trustworthy and undependable. They don’t mind helping others as long as it is on their own conditions. They are interested in art and metaphysics.

ABs are considered sensitive and considerate, just not enough to balance their “bad” (from the Japanese point of view) characteristics. They are too unpredictable for Japanese taste. Anime villains are often in this group.

Examples in anime: Uchiha Sasuke, Cloud Strife

Matchmaking

Much like astrology signs, some blood types are thought to be more compatible with certain types than others. Women’s magazines often focus on matchmaking through blood types.

A is most compatible with A and AB
B is most compatible with B and AB
AB compatible with all types
O is most compatible with O and AB

That should demystify blood types a bit. Types are used as shorthand for character personality and gives people an idea of how anime characters relate to each other. A character of type O won’t necessarily get along well with a character of type A. There isn’t any science backing the idea of personality being influenced by blood type. This didn’t stop astrological signs from being used in the West for the same purposes. Newspapers and morning shows have blood type horoscopes in much the same way we do with astrological signs.

South Korea also embraces blood typing. Type B’s reportedly have the hardest time finding dates and are difficult to date. South Korea even has movies and songs that deal with this “fact.”

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