If you are an anime fan, I’m pretty sure that you have heard of the term “Dere Types.” Like many other terms that have become somewhat famous due to social media, dere types are no different. Multiple types of dere types exist. The famous ones include- Tsundere, Yandere, and Dandere. However, some character archetypes are less prominent than others. Darudere and shundere might be examples of such types. Today we will look into the meaning of the Yandere type. I have also prepared a list of all the famous characters who belong in this category. You might even find some of your favorites on the list! Without any further delay, let us get into the details of the archetype.
Meaning Of Yandere
Like most other dere types, the word yandere is a combination of two different words – Yanderu, which means to be sick, and deredere, which here means lovey-dovey. The term started getting highly popular in the late 1980s in Japanese media due to anime and manga. It was classified as a dere type in the 2000s.
Yandere characters are sweet innocent, and gentle on the outside. However, they are obsessed with their love interest. They can go to the point of killing people if they get touchy with their love interest. Jealousy and obsessiveness are the key points that drive them to display such behavior.
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They tend to get psychotic and violent very quickly if someone tries to hurt their love interest, even if it’s not that serious. Another word to describe them would be over-protective. They are mentally unstable and use such acts of extreme violence to express their feelings. They might appear to be soft and sweet on the outside. However, they are obsessive and insane on the inside.
Yandere characters might even go to the extent of killing their love interest’s family members if they are close. That is the horror mentality of them. They tend to see other people surrounding their love interest as an enemy and would go to the extent of torturing them. However, while talking to their love interest, they are sweet, cute, innocent, and expected, but they are far from ordinary in reality.
The roots of yandere characters go back to the era of Mesopotamian goddesses. Some say it was inspired by the goddess Ishtar/Inanna, who killed her lover with a bull because he rejected her affection for him. Another character is the Hawaiian goddess Pele, who killed many of her love interests because they cheated on her or dismissed her.
Famous Yandere Characters
- 11eyes – Yuka Minase
- Aikatsu (Tarte Tatin) – Sumire Hikami
- 14-sai no Koi – Aoi Shiki
- Amnesia – Toma
- An Uncomfortable Truth – Nam Yoseob
- Baccano – Monica Camapanella
- Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu – Mizuki Himeji
- Beastars – Legoshi
- Black Butler – Grell Sutcliff
- Blood+ – James Ironside
- C³ – Fear Kubrick
- Canaan – Liang Qi
- Heaven’s Lost Property – Mikako Satsukitane
- Charlotte – Konishi
- Code Geass – Mao
- Date a Live – Kurumi Tokisaki (manga only)
- Death Note – Misa Amane
- Diabolik Lovers – Kanato Sakamaki
- Gunslinger Girl – Elsa Di Sica
- Handa-kun – Miyoko Kinjou
- Dragon Ball Super – Kale
- Elfen Lied – Lucy
- Maison Ikkoku – Ibuki Yagami
- MÄR – Candice
- Majo no Tabitabi – Selena
- Prison School – Hana Midorikawa
- Midori No Umi – Makina
- Mirai Nikki (Future Diary) – Yuno Gasai
- Monogatari Series – Nadeko Sengoku
- Puella Magi Oriko Magica – Kirika Kure
- Munou na Nana – Yuuka Sasaki
- JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken – Enrico Pucci
- Murciélago – Minako Suou
- The Villainess is a Marionette – Emperor Rezef Hill
- Tokyo Ghoul – Rize Kamishiro
- Tokyo Mew Mew – Quiche
- Kill la Kill – Nui Harime
- Killing Stalking – Bum Yoon
- Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun – Haru Yoshida
- To Your Eternity – Hayase
- Valkyrie Drive: Mermaid – Momoka Sagara
- Wonder Egg Priority – Frill
Conclusion
Yandere characters tend to be highly problematic and troublesome. I’m not too fond of this archetype because their over-obsessive behavior harms the other characters around them.