What does he consider to be the most crucial psychological quality for a successful short-term trader? (e.g., discipline, patience, decisiveness?)

Regarding this topic, we can certainly discuss it. Speaking of Takashi Kogakukawa (widely known as BNF), he can be considered a legend in the realm of day trading. Many are curious about the secret to his success, particularly regarding the psychological aspects.

If forced to choose the most critical factor among discipline, patience, and decisiveness, many who understand him would likely say these are merely surface-level traits. His most fundamental and distinctive psychological quality is actually an almost machine-like, absolute calmness and objectivity.

Let me explain this in plain terms.

The Core: Detaching Human Emotions from Trading

You can understand it this way: when ordinary people trade, seeing money increase in their account brings happiness, while decreases cause distress and panic. These emotions directly influence our judgment:

When Profitable: We may become greedy, thinking "I can make even more," thus abandoning the original plan, failing to take profits, resulting in surrendered gains or even losses.
When Losing: We may become fearful, rushing to sell at a loss, or conversely, develop a "gambler's mindset," refusing to cut losses while thinking "it will bounce back," leading to deeper losses.

Kogakukawa's most remarkable skill lies in his innate or trained ability to minimize—almost eliminate—these ordinary emotional reactions. He views trading the way we might view a mathematical game or a computer program.

For him, price movements aren't "my money increased/decreased," but simply "Data A changed to Data B," a feedback signal from the market.

How Does This "Calmness" Manifest in Actions?

Precisely because of this core "absolute calmness," the often-mentioned excellent qualities naturally arise:

1. Ironclad Discipline

Ordinary Person: "This stock fell below my stop-loss... I'll wait a bit longer, what if it rebounds right away?" — Hope is interfering.
Takashi Kogakukawa: "Price touched preset Point A, execute sell order." — No emotion, no hesitation, like a program executing code. His unwavering discipline stems from the absence of emotional interference.

2. Unhesitating Decisiveness

Ordinary Person: "This opportunity looks good, but what if it drops immediately after I enter? I'll watch a bit longer..." — Fear and hesitation are interfering.
Takashi Kogakukawa: "The market fits my trading model, Signal B appears, execute buy order." — His decisiveness comes from absolute trust in his system and objective reaction to data signals, not "feelings." When the data aligns, he acts—no inner turmoil.

3. Sniper-like Patience

Ordinary Person: "The market is so dull today, I need to do something, right?" — Boredom and anxiety are interfering—the common "itchy fingers" syndrome.
Takashi Kogakukawa: "The market doesn't fit my trading model, no signals present, execute waiting protocol." — His patience isn't "enduring," but "waiting." Like a top sniper who can lie motionless for days—not because they can "endure," but because the target isn't in range. The moment the target appears, he pulls the trigger without hesitation. No opportunity? He rests.

To Summarize

So, if asked what Takashi Kogakukawa believes is the most crucial psychological quality for a successful day trader?

I’d say it’s not simply answering "discipline" or "patience." It’s the root that governs it all: the ability to completely "de-emotionalize" trading, viewing it as a pure game of numbers and probability.

It’s like he's playing an extremely complex video game, seeing only the data on the screen, the charts, the rules, and the "score" (profit/loss). He doesn’t get euphoric over a high score (a big win), nor does he crumble after a "Game Over" (a losing trade). He calmly analyzes the trade, then impassively clicks "Next Game."

It is this level of "equanimity" that is both his most formidable attribute and the most valuable lesson for us.