There are many interesting yandere characters in anime, including Yuno Gasai, Shion Sonozaki, and Misa Amane, who is your favorite?
Even though we do not have a precise definition of this anime character archetype, we know what it means in general.
Yandere characters are madly in love, to the point of obsession and violence. Think of them as the crazy ex-girlfriend or boyfriend archetype.
These characters will do anything to keep their love interest, often resulting in murder or manipulation. Yandere combines two Japanese words: yanderu meaning “mentally ill,” and deredere, meaning “lovestruck.”
Anime Yandere Characters
Yandere characters are often romanticized or sympathetic despite their crazed actions. There are Yandere characters in all genres of anime. The following are examples of yandere and an explanation of what it means.
The typical depiction of Yandere’s is that they experienced some childhood trauma. This is usually related to losing someone close to the Yandere, such as a family member.
Perhaps the person, or persons, did not die but could have rejected the Yandere, so they are dead to the Yandere but very much alive in the story.
There may be impending death, or they may be too ill to interact with anyone. This may partly explain Yandere’s, overzealous love.
36Yuno Gasai

Anime: Mirai Nikki (Future Diary)
Creator: Sakae Esuno
A dangerously unbalanced character, Yuno Gasai, is the protagonist of the manga and anime series Future Diary. Yuno becomes obsessed with Yukiteru Amano as a teenager and will stop at nothing to be his “queen” in their imaginary game of death. Even those she considers friends or loved ones, she will kill anyone and everyone who gets in her way.
35Shion Sonozaki

Anime: Higurashi: When They Cry
Nickname: Shii-chan: by Rena
Shii: by Rika
Nee-nee: by Satoko
Although she seems more girly and refined than Mion, thanks to her schooling at St. Lucia, she is incredibly shrewd, manipulative, and delinquent. As a result of various misdemeanors, she often got in trouble with the administration. During her escape plan, she studies the school’s security systems, guard schedules, and the behavior of the administration staff, manipulating them into believing she is having an affair with a male teacher.
34Satou Matsuzaka

Anime: Happy Sugar Life
Nicknames: Matsuzaka/Matsuzaka-san
Having thigh-length bubblegum pink hair, Satou is a beautiful fair-skinned girl. Her head is adorned with two tiny buns, the left one with lace around it and the right one with a red plaid pattern ribbon. Dark crimson eyes dominate her face.
On the surface, Satou appears to be a kind girl who enjoys spending time with her friend Shōko Hida. In addition to her friendly nature and ability to handle any situation effectively, Satou seems somewhat of an idol to her coworkers.
Satou has been stalked several times before, Shouko reveals. In addition to her popularity at school, she is well-educated and practical, and she always lifts her coworkers when they do not look like her.
33Misa Amane

Anime: Death Note
Notable aliases: Amane Misa, Kira II, Misa, Misa Misa, Second Kira
She is a short, slender, attractive young woman with long, straight, golden-blonde hair. Her hair is long, straight, golden-blonde, and usually styled with pigtails tied with red ribbons, but sometimes she wears it loose. She appears to have been a brunette in the anime.
Due to her tendency to speak in the third person, she is hyperactive, impulsive, and childlike. In addition to being outgoing, Misa is also quite popular due to her career. She draws a large crowd during her visit to Light’s university campus.
32Lucy

Anime: Elfen Lied
Type of Villain: Dissociative Misanthrope
Powers / Skills: Ability to project telekinesis-generated invisible arms, which she can use to manipulate objects
A protagonist and anti-hero of Elfen Lied, Kaede is also known as Lucy in her mad form or Nyu in her amnesiac form. She is the evolutionary offshoot of the human race known as Diclonius, the Queen of the Race of Diclonius. As well as being the love interest of Kouta, she also plays the role of the deuteragonist.
There are at least three personalities that Kaede has called alters as a result of Dissociative Identity Disorder. She began to suffer from this disorder when she was a child. There are three main alters of Kaede/Lucy: Nyu, the DNA voice, and her authentic self.
31Griffith: Berserk

With his well-mannered, exemplary mannerisms and keen intellect, Griffith was often astounded at his humble origins given his mannerisms and intellect.
Highlights
- Ends the Hundred-Year War by recapturing Doldrey.
- He defeats Emperor Ganishka and triggers the Great Roar of the Astral World by stopping the Kushan invasion of Midland.
- The Band of the Falcon is sacrificed for kinship with the God Hand.
30Minatsuki Takami

Anime TV: Deadman Wonderland
A shy and gentle girl, she appears at odds with her situation when Ganta meets her for the first time. She also seemed to love flowers, which confirmed her love for them. As a whole, she displayed a very caring and kind personality. She uses this reserved and quiet personality to hide her true nature from those around her and to deceive them into believing she is secure.
By watching others suffer, she becomes sexually aroused, as if she were a sadistic psychopath. As the series progresses, it is revealed that some of these personality traits are not all farces.
29Haruna Niekawa – Anime: Durarara!!

Age: 16 (at start) 17 (Dragon Zombie Arc)
Haruna is half-mad by Saika’s influence and deludes into believing she controls the demon blade when it is the other way around. She fell in love with her teacher, Nasujima, when a daughter blade of Saika influenced her.
In order to avoid being caught, she was forced to transfer to another high school in West Ikebukuro after trying to injure Nasujima with Saika’s daughter. Despite her obsession with Nasujima, her mental state appears more stable now than when she was introduced in volume 8.
28Elena Aoki – (Gleipnir)

Elena is an emotionally unstable person who is infatuated with Shuichi Kagaya, which leads to her acting timid around him while exhibiting a selfish, murderous attachment to him.
She turned Shuichi into a costume-like monster, intending to “become one” with him by entering inside him like Clair.
Deranged and psychotic, she can drastically change her emotions at a mere flip, acting with murderous intent towards her would-be attacker.
27Altair

TV show: Re:Creators
Played by: Aki Toyosaki
Unlike other Created, Altair is aware that he lives in a fictional world and knows nothing about his Creators, unlike the other Created.
Altair was deeply in love with her creator, Setsuna Shimazaki, who was completely au fait with her own existence, the real world, and her creator. Upon discovering Setsuna’s suicide, Altair shows a great hatred for the real world, wishing to destroy it.
26Hisoka Morow – (Hunter X Hunter)

Notable alias: Hisoka Morow
Creator: Yoshihiro Togashi
Also known as – The Magician / Grim Reaper
The appearance of Hisoka is similar to that of a magician or jester. With light skin and a very muscular body, he is tall and has a light complexion. Each story arc requires him to wear a different outfit, which is usually adorned with various suit symbols.
As with his attire, his face paint in the 2011 anime occasionally changes colors with a star on his right cheek and a teardrop on his left cheek. On Hisoka’s left middle finger, he wears the Greed Island Ring during the Greed Island arc.
25Shuu Tsukiyama – (Tokyo Ghoul)

The first few episodes of Tokyo Ghoul introduced Tsukiyama as a confident, friendly, and intelligent ghoul. Nevertheless, these actions were merely meant to lure his “prey” into the Ghoul Restaurant and hide his cruel, selfish, and eccentric behavior.
It was not uncommon for him to resort to any ruthless tactics in order to achieve his goal of devouring the most refined meals he made of his “prey”. Consequently, most ghouls in the 20th ward disliked him.
24Mikasa- (Attack on Titan)

Notable aliases: Mikasa Ackerman, Mikasa Ackermann
Creator: Hajime Isayama
A cheerful, outgoing, and gentle child, Mikasa appeared to be before living with the Yeager family.
Because of her innocence, she could push anxious thoughts to the back of her mind and continue to live happy life with her parents and loved ones. As Mikasa grew up, she became more emotionally withdrawn and dangerous, sometimes intimidating her enemies or even her comrades.
23Boa Hancock – (One Piece)

There is no doubt that Hancock is one of the most beautiful women in the world. Even though her sisters are abnormal and immense, she has a well-proportioned figure. She is very tall and slender, with long black hair that extends past her waist.
22Lindo – (Dance With Devils)

As a determined individual, Lindo cares about the people he loves, making her a priority in protecting Ritsuka Tachibana. Despite suffering hits for her, he remained stoic.
Ritsuka will never stop being protected by Lindo, who never gives up. In addition to being intelligent, resourceful, and determined, he is also resourceful and resourceful. A loyal friend of Azuna Kuzuha, he was saddened by her death at the hands of Jek.
21Haru – (My Little Monsters)

Despite his good intentions, Haru appears to be violent and intimidating. His aggressiveness is a facade; his innocence, naivety, and cluelessness are revealed as the plot unfolds.
As a result of a traumatic incident in middle school, Haru also has awkward social skills. It is only when he is with Shizuku Mizutani that he can communicate appropriately with people.
20Rena- (Higurashi: When They Cry)

In the beginning, Rena appears sweet and friendly, but when threatened or angry, she becomes quite frightening.
Though part of her extreme reaction may be imagined by Keiichi, who suffers from the Hinamizawa Syndrome in this arc, Rena’s reaction strongly suggests that she indeed hates lies, especially from friends.
Whenever Rena is determined, she can become viciously cruel and cunning.
19Shouko Kirishima- Baka To Test – Summoning The Beasts

Shouko shows deep affection for Yuuji throughout the series, poking him with scissors or shocking him if he gets close to her. Jealousy is also a problem for her. Akihisa Yoshii attacked Yuuji for being unfaithful after sending her a slightly profane message.
18Medusa – (Soul Eater)

Played by: Houko Kuwashima
Creator: Atsushi Ōkubo
TV show: Soul Eater
In her role as DWMA’s nurse, Medusa portrays herself as a caring and supportive employee, even caring for Maka Albarn when she displayed her insecurities as a meister and showed “concern” for other students.
The academy knew her for being a kind and caring faculty member who treated students and counseled them.
17Ayase Aragaki – (Oreimo)

Her best friend and classmate Kirino Kousaka, whom she adores most, are also lovely to Ayase.
In addition to being soft-spoken and refined, she can display a more aggressive side, primarily when people lie to her.
Many of her peers called her a ‘yandere’ because of her reserved, aggressive side. Although refined, she still maintains a kind and sweet personality toward those she cares for.
16Seijuurou – (Kuroko No Basuke)

It is shown that Akashi has an extraordinarily intimidating and condescending personality when he first appears in the series.
As their leader can control the Generation of Miracles, as they all follow his instructions. Despite his lack of confidence in his teammates’ abilities, Akashi respects and admires them.
Akashi developed a winners mentality during childhood because he grew up, believing that winners get everything in life while losers get nothing. As someone who has never been defeated before, victory itself comes naturally to him.
Taiga Kagami disobeyed Akashi’s commands and he attempted to stab her with scissors borrowed from Shintarō Midorima when Kagami disobeyed him.
15Nadeko Sengoku – (Bakemonogatari)

Fictional universe: Monogatari Universe
Despite being shy, Nadeko has a good sense of humor. As for her pants, she tends to guard them more than her hair (especially her forelocks).
Whenever she speaks to anyone, she looks down at the ground.
Her tendency to refer to herself in the first person is often considered childlike in Japanese culture. Her childish manner of speech is further emphasized by using a lowercase “i” as her first-person pronoun in the English translation.
When Nadeko comes into direct contact with another person, she hates the feeling of transmitting heat, even from her parents.
14Belarus – (Hetalia: Axis Powers)

Her older brother Russia is her deep love, and she has a deep infatuation for him to the point that she wants to marry him. Despite this, he feels disturbed by her very presence and does not feel the same way.
She is shown carrying a knife at points, most notably in “Meeting Of The World,” where her brother scares Latvia with it.
Additionally, she is not afraid to use violence and can be quite the sadist, as shown when Lithuania asks her out for a date, and she breaks all of his fingers.
13Alois – (Black Butler)

Despite hardships and misgivings, Alois appears cheerful and effervescent.
However, he often loses interest in things fairly quickly since his emotions are unpredictable, fluctuating from enthusiasm and hyperactivity to anger and cantankerous the next.
Alois often uses harsh and impolite language, such as “bloody” or other swear words, regardless of whom he is speaking to. He frequently tries to attract the attention of his butler, Claude, one of his few consistent traits.
12Konishi – (Charlotte)

Ayumi Otosaka’s classmate Oikawa is in love with Konishi. Due to the boy’s attraction to her rival’s sister, Konishi wants to get rid of him. A yandere, Konishi appears to be polite, shy and kind at first, but later turns violent, aggressive, and sadistic.
11Akane Hiyama – (Renai Boukun)

In love with Seiji Aino, the sweet Akane can transform into a psychopathic monster, as she is madly in love with him.
Because she is the only person who can harm him, she is willing to attack and eliminate anyone who tries to date Seiji. She does not hesitate to stab Seiji if she feels betrayed. She shows a bit of Mayadere too. After Seiji died in episode five, it was proven that she would kill herself for him.
10Shuka Karin – (Darwin’s Game)

Shuka tends to be friendly, but he can become deadly if the situation calls for it. Although she fell in love with Sudou Kaname after he beat her, she initially became interested in him because he was a rookie and defeated Banda-kun.
9Esdeath – (Akame Ga Kill)

Since she lived by her father’s philosophy (“The strong survive and the weak die”), Esdeath was a manipulative and barbarous sadist who lacked empathy for the weak. Both physically and emotionally, she enjoyed inflicting pain on her enemies.
8Touko Fukaw – Danganronpa

Toko is highly suspicious of other people due to the constant bullying she experienced as a child. Although she claims she is just being honest, her free and extreme opinions can be perceived as mean and can irritate people.
7Levi Ackerman – (Attack On Titan)

Played by: Hiroshi Kamiya
Creator: Hajime Isayama
Notable aliases: Captain Levi, Levi, Levi Ackerman
Levi is described by those who know him personally as a “clean freak” because of the environment, and he prefers to be spotless due to his early childhood.
6Kurumi Tokisaki – (Date A Live)

Trying to understand Kurumi’s character is problematic. With most Spirits in her debut, she shares a dislike of humanity that borders on mistrust.
Her skill as an actor lies in her ability to portray an innocent, curious young girl when needed. In registering as a student at Raizen High School and speaking politely, she demonstrated this skill.
5Satou – (Happy Sugar Life)

Aliases: Satou-chan, Matsuzaka-san
Satou seems like a kind, friendly girl who likes spending time with her friend Shōko Hida. As a friendly individual who knows what to do in any situation, Satou is somewhat of an idol for her coworkers and is admired by those close to her.
4Mizuki Himeji

Played by: Hitomi Harada
TV show: Baka and Test
Since elementary school, Mizuki Himeji has been the first love Akihisa Yoshii. Despite having similar feelings for Aki since elementary school, she did not realize they were loved until she took the summoning exams.
She can, however, act up when she is drunk or when her emotions are stirred.
3Balder Hringhorni – (Kamigami No Asobi)

As a cheerful Light god, Balder attracts a lot of people because he is admired by many. It is common for him to trip over things that aren’t there. As much as he loves meat, he would eat it every meal if he could.
Types of Yandere
There are several types of yandere characters, each with unique quirks and behaviors.
First, the traditional yandere is utterly obsessed with their love interest and will take extreme measures to keep them by their side.
Then there is the possessive yandere who may not necessarily be in love with the object of their affection but sees them as their possession and will do anything to keep them under their control.
Finally, the manic pixie dream yandere appears charming and quirky on the surface but is unstable and dangerous beneath that façade.
No matter their type, yandere characters all have one thing in common: an intense, possibly deadly obsession with someone else. Make sure you watch out for suspicious behavior from your crush – they might be a yandere waiting to strike.
Let’s have a closer look at just a few personality traits to look for.
1. Harmless | Mugaigata |
As their love interests’ needs are taken care of, they see to their education, emotions, and souls’ perfection with the most excellent care. They may even decide not to marry their love interest, so they can pursue whomever they wish.
2. Obsession | Shuuchakugata
They can’t consider anything else more important than their love interest, so they are always interested in what they are doing, how they are doing it, how they think, and what they need.
3. Stalker | Sutookaagata |
As they follow every move of their love interests, they learn what they like, what they do, and pretty much everything they do. They stalk their love interest to find out if they are being honest with them and if they are always around.
4. Self-Sacrifice | Jiko-giseigata
These yandere characters will sacrifice their time, desires, and work to save their loved ones from bullets or dirty diapers. To maintain the relationship and their love interest, they are willing to do almost anything. Self-giving and self-sacrificing are essential to their relationship, and they push themselves to do them more and better than anyone else.
5. Dependence | Izongata |
Yandere Dependence is a term used to describe an obsession and dependence on someone to the point of being willing to harm others. In anime and manga, characters may go to extreme lengths to win over their love interest. Yandere’s behavior can also be seen in real-life situations, though it is often considered unhealthy and dangerous.
Some possible signs of Yandere’s Dependence include possessive and controlling behavior, extreme jealousy, and violent outbursts. Recognizing these red flags in relationships is important as seeking help if necessary.
While Yandere Dependence may seem romanticized in media, it is essential to remember that it is not a healthy way to express love and can have serious consequences. If you or someone you know may be experiencing Yandere Dependence, it is essential to seek professional help and support. Remember, a healthy relationship should involve mutual respect and communication, not manipulation and fear.
6. Monopoly | Dokusengata |
They give their love interest constant and unending attention, believing their love interest wants nothing more than them. They believe that it is not enough to have a love interest, so they make every effort to spend as much time with them as possible, even reducing the amount of time the love interest spends with other people to spend that time with them.
7. Worship | Suuhaigata |
They view themselves as insignificant compared to their loved ones, having an aggrandized view of them. It is not uncommon for them to compare themselves to inanimate objects, such as tools used by their loved ones.
8. Manipulative | Sousatekigata |
By manipulating their love interest’s feelings and perception of the world, they try to get them to care about and respond positively to them. Some people believe that their love interest cares for them only partially or not. It is also possible that others may think that their love interest wants to be “in love” with them or be “happy” with them; therefore, they attempt to address their emotional states in a way that makes them frequently feel “in love” or “happy.”