Controller and control method for internal combustion engine

A controller for an internal combustion engine, the internal combustion engine including an exhaust passage and cylinders, the exhaust passage including a catalyst that purifies exhaust gas, wherein the controller is configured to execute:

• a temperature-increasing process that increases a temperature of the catalyst by deactivating fuel supply to one or some of the cylinders and supplying fuel to remaining ones of the cylinders other than the one or some of the cylinders;
• a misfire detecting process that detects a misfire;
• a determining process that determines whether a number of misfires detected by the misfire detecting process in a number of times combustion control has been executed in each of the cylinders is greater than or equal to a given value;
• and
• a decreasing process that decreases an amount of temperature increase in the catalyst when the number of misfires is greater than or equal to the given value as compared with when the number of misfires is less than the given value.