The world of Japanese animation is home to thousands of colorful and unique characters, and fans can categorize these myriad characters in many ways, from their MBTI personality types to archetypes such as the responsible big sister type or even the himbo type. And of course, there's a handful of -dere types, a phenomenon unique to anime.
The -dere character types all reflect how a given anime character handles their affection toward others, with "dere" describing affection, and it can be a suffix for several different words. Tsunderes and yanderes are common, but they use extreme methods to express their affection. By contrast, a deredere character is well-balanced and easy to like, making them easy to spot when they appear in a show.
Derederes Don't Get Jealous
It's natural for a person in love to feel jealousy if someone else starts getting close to the object of their affection, and a yandere anime character will go to extreme lengths to chase off or even harm romantic rivals, while a tsundere will certainly get angry. By contrast, deredere characters don't get jealous at all; they feel comfortable "sharing" the object of their affection with someone else. In fact, if the other suitor is a better match for that love interest, the deredere character may actually help set them up.
Momiji Sohma is a deredere from the hit shojo series Fruits Basket -- a kind-hearted half-German boy who adores Tohru but doesn't feel threatened when Kyo Sohma forms a serious relationship with her. The only exception is if a third party actually means harm to the love interest, in which case the deredere will probably try to intervene.
Derederes Don't Often Fixate On A Single Character
Most of the -dere character types describe someone who has a single love interest, such as a yandere being a stalker or a tsundere having rouble admitting their feelings for a special someone. A deredere character is more likely to spread the love, so to speak, and maintain strong personal connections with everyone around them.
A deredere character might have a special object of affection in mind, but they often don't, and they prefer to cheer up and hang out with everyone around them equally. A deredere is happiest in a group of friends, and they don't like having petty drama come between those friends. Chika Takami from the idol anime series Love Live Sunshine!! can be described in these terms.
Derederes Are Open & Honest About Their Affection
Notably, a deredere character might still hesitate or deny their feelings if they are pressured about their love life, and they may have some dandere or kuudere tendencies. Even a sweet and outgoing deredere like Uraraka Ochaco/Uravity might get defensive when someone pries into this topic, but those feelings will be fleeting. Derederes are more direct and honest than the other -dere types, and on average, a deredere will openly express their strong affection for someone, without any tricks or conditions.
This makes the deredere type the most straightforward, and almost like a control group for the others. Derederes don't play games -- if they really like someone, they will say so, and might even cuddle up with them, provide homemade lunches, send them love notes and more.
Derederes Rarely Have Any Extremes
The other -dere types have one or more extremes, such as a tsundere being prickly and standoffish or a dandere being shy and timid. Then there are deredere characters, who are conventional, ordinary lovers who don't resort to any particular extremes to express their affection and get what they want. They are the best-balanced of the -dere types, even if they borrow a few aspects from other -dere types.
Inoue Orihime from Bleach is an example -- a cheerful and fun-loving girl who doesn't feel the need to stalk Kurosaki Ichigo or throw verbal barbs at anyone who pries into her love life. She may have her dandere moments, but overall, Orihime is a stable, well-rounded deredere who doesn't like to make games out of love. She needs no special tricks to win Ichigo's heart -- she just has to be herself, and eventually, it works.
Derederes Are Energetic & Cheerful
The typical deredere anime character is a cheerful and outgoing person who can liven up any scene where they are found, and they're usually in a good mood. Deredere characters will act like this whether or not they have a particular love interest, meaning it's their default mood.
Even if a deredere such as Valac Clara falls for someone, their behavior won't change that much, aside from perhaps some dandere-style shyness at first. Derederes might even act juvenile or obnoxious at times, but not always, and they never mean any harm by it either. They just want to have a good time with everyone.
