The first and
most well known of the deres is the tsundere. The “tsun” in tsundere comes from
the Japanese word “tsuntsun” which means to be aloof or high and mighty. Thus,
tsunderes are often stuck-up on the outside but loving on the inside.
Often,
tsunderes are embarrassed by or don't know what to do with their romantic
feelings and become even more belligerent and egotistical than
normal -- especially in proximity to the objects of their affections. Their
constant inner struggle between their pride and love is the key to how these
characters act.
As tsundere
characters develop and accept their feelings, they will often remain in “tsun”
mode in public but become more and more “dere” when in private.
If a character
ever utters the phrase “It's not that I like you or anything,” he or she is
pretty much guaranteed to be a tsundere.
Tsundere
characters include the following:
Asuka Langley
Soryu (Neon Genesis Evangelion)
Naru Narusegawa
(Love Hina)
Yukari Takeba
(Persona 3)
Lulu (Final
Fantasy X)
2. Kuudere
The “kuu” in
kuudere comes from the Japanese pronunciation of the English word “cool” and
thus is used for a person who is calm and composed on the outside. They are the
ones who are serious and always in charge of a situation. They never panic and
are who everyone else turns to in a crisis.
Kuuderes often
speak in a calm monotone and seem unaffected by the world around them. They
never seem to be overly happy, excited, or surprised -- just as they never appear
sad, annoyed, or angry. Extreme examples may even seem to be completely
emotionless.
Sometimes,
kuuderes are the class presidents that keep their schools running. Other times
they take the form of stoic, professional assistants to superiors that they
love and respect.
While kuuderes
remains strict and business-like, they are emotional underneath their
self-control. However, they tend to fear showing any weakness such as admitting
liking someone or coming to rely on someone emotionally as well as
professionally. Some, are unclear as to how to even express said emotions and
in extreme cases, are unsure what feelings actually mean.
Kuudere
characters include the following:
Rei Ayanami
(Neon Genesis Evangelion)
Riza Hawkeye
(Full Metal Alchemist)
Presea Combatir
(Tales of Symphonia)
Naoto Shirogane
(Persona 4)
3. Dandere
The “dan” in
dandere comes from the Japanese word “danmari” meaning silence. Thus a dandere
is a quiet and often antisocial character.
Danderes often
want to be sociable but are too scared or too embarrassed to talk. They tend to
fear that saying the wrong thing might get them into trouble -- or some other
socially awkward situation -- so they say nothing to be on the safe side.
Of course, once
danderes are befriended, they tend to lose their social inhibitions and become
rather cute and happy -- especially with the ones they love.
Dandere
characters include the following:
Yuki Nagato
(The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya)
Hyuuga Hinata
(Naruto)
Fuuka Yamagishi
(Persona 3)
Elize Lutus
(Tales of Xillia)
4. Yandere
And then there
is the yandere. The “yan” comes from “yanderu” which means to be sick -- in this
case, sick mentally. And unlike the others of the dere family, it is not the
“dere” part that is hidden inside. No, on the inside of a yandere is where the
crazy lies.
On the outside,
a yandere is often a normal girl: happy, social, and usually well liked. But
love makes her crazy -- often violently so. Fear is at the core of a yandere: the
fear that someone (usually another girl) will take the one she loves. To
prevent this, she is willing to do anything -- including kidnapping and murder.
There are
generally two types of yanderes, obsessive and possessive. Obsessives will kill
anyone and everyone who stands in the way of them having their “true loves.”
Possessives will go one step further and even kill the ones they love so that
they won't end up with anyone else.
In other words,
once you go yandere, you never go back... Mainly because you are handcuffed to
a bed with your legs broken.
Yandere
characters include the following:
Yuno Gasai
(Mirai Nikki – The Future Diary)
Kotonoha
Katsura and Sekai Saionji (School Days)
Catherine
(Catherine)
Hitagi
Senjogahara (Nisemonogatari)
Kimmy Howell
(No More Heroes 2)
5. Deredere
The Deredere
type refers to a character who is completely kind, happy, and energetic. No
matter what may happen, they quickly revert to their cheerful self.
This may be the
only character type that doesn’t have any abbreviation with the base
"deredere" word, although the definition isn’t simply lovey dovey
like the other types.
6. Himedere
The Himedere
type refers to a character who wishes to be treated like a princess by the
person she loves, even if they aren’t royalty in actuality.
7. Kamidere
The Kamidere
type refers to a character with a god complex. They’re highly arrogant and
proud, and aren’t afraid to speak their minds and show everyone how right they
are.
8. Mayadere
The Mayadere
type refers to a character who is often a dangerous antagonist of a series, but
switches sides after falling in love with another character. The character may
remain deadly and unpredictable for the protagonist or other main character in
the Anime or Manga.
9. Oujidere
The Oujidere
type refers to a character who wishes to be treated like a prince by the person
he loves, even if they aren’t royalty in actuality.
10. Undere
The Undere type
refers to a character who says yes to pretty much everything the one they love
says. They agree as much as possible to become as close as they can to their
love interest.
11. Yangire
The Yangire
type is similar in some ways to Yandere. It is a character who may start out
nice and sweet but becomes very aggressive and psychotic. However, unlike
Yandere, Yangire do not become violent because of they attraction to a
character. Instead, they may snap simply because they’re irritated with a
character that has nothing to do with their love interest.
12. Coodere
If she is usually so cold to you and sometimes becomes so nice such as Suzumiya Haruhi, she would be labelled as tsundere. But what if she is so cool rather than cold? And what if such an emotionless girl fawns upon you when she bursts into tears? Yes, she would be a type of coodere. Speaking of coodere girls, I can think of
Rei Ayanami (Evangelion)
Yuina Himoo (Toki meki memorial)
Mai Kawasumi (Kanon)
If you look at any bishoujo anime carefully, you might find this type of girl.
