Deredere are favorable to anime fans because of their bright and warm personalities. "Deredere" is a Japanese term to label characters who offer their unconditional love to nearly everyone they meet. With sympathetic and kindhearted dispositions, they are full of love and affection that they're always ready and willing to give. Here are five anime to watch if you're a fan of the cheery and positive deredere archetype.
Fruits Basket
After the recent completion of its reboot, Fruits Basket is a must-watch for any deredere fan. The series' protagonist, Tohru Honda, is one of the most easily recognizable deredere in the anime universe. Given her positive and compassionate nature despite her difficult life as an orphan, Tohru's agreeable personality is nearly too flawless. She is warm and loving to everyone she meets, including Akito, who repeatedly threatens her life and those she cares about. Her unconditional love toward the Sohmas leads many of them to view her as a mother figure who will nurture and care for them despite their flaws and tragic pasts.
If Tohru's extreme deredere personality isn't enough, Momiji is a major supporting character who's also a deredere. Despite being around the same age as Tohru and the other Zodiac members, Momiji has a childish and carefree attitude that puts others at ease. While he occasionally makes witty remarks at the expense of Kyo and other characters, he's empathetic to their situations and typically puts their needs above his own. Not only does the extent of Momiji's love come out whenever Tohru's around, but it's also evident in his devotion to his little sister.
Sailor Moon
Sailor Moon and Sailor Venus are both deredere in the hit anime series Sailor Moon. As the anime's titular character, Sailor Moon's kind and compassionate personality provide an ideal role model for young girls and anime fans who watch the series. Also known as the Sailor Guardian of Love and Justice, Usagi Tsukino's deredere disposition makes her an understanding and exceptional leader of the Sailor Senshi.
Meanwhile, Minako Aino is the modern incarnation of planet Venus, which is known as the love planet and is associated with the goddess of love in Roman mythology. Stemming from mythological love, it's no surprise why Sailor Venus would share the loving and compassionate nature expected of a deredere. Even Minako Aino's name translates to "beautiful child of love" in Japanese, making her the perfect embodiment of love itself.
Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun
Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun stars Chiyo Sakura, a popular deredere who wants nothing more than the love and affection of her classmate, Umetarou Nozaki. Chiyo's devotion to Nozaki is unwavering despite his odd quirks and being completely oblivious to her feelings. When she finally musters up the courage to confess to Nozaki, he mistakes this as an offer to help him with his manga work. Not knowing that Nozaki was a famous manga artist and having no idea how to work on manga, Chiyo still agrees to be his assistant just to spend time with him. As a deredere with pure intentions, it's hard not to sympathize with Chiyo throughout her clumsy yet always hilarious struggles to win Nozaki's love.
Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions
Many anime fans think of Rikka Takanashi from Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions when discussing notable deredere. Despite being childish and stuck in a chunibyo state due to past trauma, Rikka experiences pure and innocent love for the first time after meeting Yuuta Togashi. Her apartment neighbor and new classmate when they meet on the first day of high school, it's soon revealed that Yuuta has a deep chunibyo past of his own.
As the person who originally inspired Rikka to delve into the world of fantasy and delusions as the alter ego known as the "Eye of the Wicked Lord," Yuuta accepts and embraces his embarrassing past as the "Dark Flame Master." While the couple's love for each other blossoms, they must overcome the fact that the chunibyo lifestyle doesn't offer room for real romantic love. Understanding that their love and relationship may differ from a typical couple their age, Rikka maintains her deredere personality through it all.
A3!
Sakuya Sakuma from A3! is arguably the most cheerful and kindhearted male deredere in the anime world. Sakuya is a passionate amateur actor who becomes the leader of the Spring Troupe because of his extraordinary ability to motivate and support his fellow actors. Finding it virtually impossible to say anything mean or negative, everyone naturally gravitates toward Sakuya's bright and pure personality. As the main character of this reverse-harem anime, Sakuya's deredere nature gradually spreads to his fellow troupe members, offering viewers an emotional feel-good plotline about friendship and teamwork.
