Among readers of romance webtoons, tsundere male leads are popular because their unpredictable nature builds suspense and excitement around their development. While these love interests are first introduced as temperamental and standoffish, a secret side of them is gradually revealed to the audience as they learn to love.
Tsundere is a label given to characters who are initially aggressive and cold but eventually become gentle and warm over time. They offer a greater challenge when it comes to winning over their hearts, which leads to a bigger payoff once they finally open up. These five tsundere male leads will melt webtoon fans' hearts with their cold exteriors and hidden tenderness.
Killian (Archduke) Axias - Like Wind on a Dry Branch
Like Wind on a Dry Branch stars an infamous prince known throughout the kingdom as the "Rampant Outcast Prince." As the Archduke of Axias Manor, people tremble in fear in Killian's presence and obey him without question. He's known for killing his own brother and throwing his severed head at the emperor, with talks of bloodshed and death following him wherever he goes. Given the rumors about his violent and merciless nature, he shocks everyone when he arrives unannounced to a nobleman's funeral and saves Rieta Tristi before she's buried alive by her own people as a sacrificial corpse bride.
Killian admires Rieta's beauty and detests the barbaric practice of burying women alive. He takes her back to his palace and offers her a house in Axias to live in where she can practice being a mage. Rieta is shy and agreeable, constantly apologizing and trying to keep her head down so she won't upset the infamous royal. While most in the palace fear him, Rieta gradually distinguishes between the truth and lies within the widespread rumors. Despite his intimidating attitude, he shows signs of weakness and genuine care toward Rieta as Like Wind on a Dry Branch goes on.
Yikyung - To Love Your Enemy
Yeonhee and Yikyung become college classmates years after a heated encounter in To Love Your Enemy. Yeonhee was once unknowingly part of a pyramid scheme and had convinced Yikyung's rich mother to buy their products. After discovering his mom had been wasting all their money on useless things, he storms into a company event to call them out on their scam. After seeing Yeonhee there, he remembers her face and blames her for taking advantage of his naïve mother.
When Yikyung first sees Yeonhee at school, he instantly recognizes her and swats her away when she tries to ask for directions. He claims she's a manipulative fraud for changing her name and identity before attending school. Yikyung constantly glares at her from afar and avoids speaking to her, believing she shouldn't be allowed in the business school after being involved in illegal practices. However, Yeonhee truly believed the pyramid scheme was legitimate at the time and wants to shed her shameful past. As rumors spread that the two are dating, Yikyung gets to know her better as his aggressive and irritable demeanor slowly diminishes in To Love Your Enemy.
Number 4 - Devil Number 4
Devil Number 4 stars Hanna Yoon and Number 4, who is a former angel turned devil. Number 4 is one of the top devils known for his extraordinary ability to convince humans to sign over their soul. His next target is Hanna Yoon, an extremely poor and depressed college student who doesn't value her life. Seeing an easy target to manipulate, he first appears in front of Hanna in her dreams. Number 4 intervenes to make her life worse by getting her fired from her low-wage job to send her further into a state of despair.
However, Hanna is not as easy a target as Number 4 originally predicted. Despite having nothing, she has no desires to tempt her into exchanging her soul. To the shock of Number 4, she rejects his offers of riches and happiness. As his job becomes longer and harder than anticipated, he's forced to be around Hanna more to figure out how to get her soul. As they spend more time together, the devil begins to feel human emotions like love for the first time. His arrogant and devilish personality drastically changes, to the excitement of Devil Number 4 readers.
Kyro - SubZero
Kyro and Clove are natural-born enemies who agree to get married for the greater good of their people in SubZero. After centuries of misery and bloodshed, the Crimson and Azure Dragon reincarnations will unite for the first time to bring about peace. However, the pair had never met prior to their engagement and continue to hold past grudges. Once Clove arrives in enemy territory, she feels vulnerable being surrounded by the Crimson Clan, who may want her dead.
Clove is nervous about marrying Kyro, who is infamous throughout the lands for being ruthless and bloodthirsty. He in turn is reluctant to marry a girl he's never met and tries to intimidate her when they first meet. Clove stands her ground, knowing this marriage is the best option for her suffering people back in the Azure Clan. While Kyro maintains a threatening aura with the full power of a dragon to fuel his rage in SubZero, he uncovers a gentle and loving side toward his future wife once they get to know each other.
Amon - My Gently Raised Beast
In My Gently Raised Beast, the male lead Amon is from the Great Divine Leopard Clan known for their power and aggressive nature. With a threatening reputation that makes humans fear them, Amon has the ability to destroy anyone in his path. When Blondina first spots Amon in his leopard form, she mistakes him for a cute talking cat. He gets defensive and initially rejects her offer to become friends. After claiming he doesn't want to know her name and that he's going to leave once she treats his injury, he suddenly decides to spend more time with her.
Amon decides to shift into his human form to reveal his true nature to Blondina while telling her all about the leopards and their unrivaled power. As a notorious black leopard known to be the cruelest of the leopard clan, Amon uses intimidation and his powers to fend off those who threaten or bully Blondina. While he has a rough exterior and a sharp tongue, he has a hard time saying no to her. Amon even shifts into his cat form and lets her treat him as a pet whenever she's upset, but that doesn't stop him from teasing her when the mood strikes.
