The world of anime features a dazzling variety of characters who appear in many literary genres, from the classic "girl next door" or responsible big-sister or cool older brother type to the shy library girl archetype. When it comes to romance, characters with distinct personalities may fit into one of the -dere types, and the most extreme of these is the yandere.
Not all anime have a yandere character, but when a yandere does appear, that character tends to dominate the show, with most scenes centering around that yandere and their interests, activities and dialogue. Casual anime fans may want to know more about what makes a yandere and what common traits these characters have so they can be identified on sight.
Yandere Characters Are Often Female
The -dere archetypes apply to both male and female characters, and indeed, any character of any sort can be a -dere if their personality and behavior match the archetype. However, the yandere archetype is most typically reserved for female characters -- in particular, adolescent girls. Sato Matsuzaka from the short series Happy Sugar Life is one such example, and Yuno Gasai of Future Diary fame is often considered the ultimate yandere -- a character most anime fans have at least heard of. An even more recent example includes the villain Himiko Toga, a shapeshifting character from My Hero Academia.
Yandere Characters Are Deceptively Cute Or Harmless-Looking
Some anime characters are genuinely happy all the time, such as the deredere character type -- a warm and likable lover who isn't extreme like a yandere or harsh like a tsundere. However, yandere characters such as Sato Matsuzaka and Yuno Gasai only look harmless and happy under certain circumstances. Such characters are two-faced, having a cheerful and cute exterior but a vicious and monstrous interior, making them almost like a creature from folklore or mythology.
These yandere characters may even look like a princess on the outside, to the point where it looks suspicious, as though they're trying a bit too hard to hide their monster side. Sato and Yuno both have pink hair, for example, and Himiko wears an ordinary girls' school uniform and has her hair done up in innocent-looking hair buns.
Yanderes Often Have Simple But Effective Weapons
The other -dere character types aren't usually known for carrying around particular items, but yanderes are different. A yandere isn't just a vicious character -- they also carry around weapons to harm perceived love rivals or intimidate or coerce other parties. Even if a yandere lives in an ordinary setting, they will soon obtain a trademark weapon and often carry it around, such as Yuno Gasai's ax or Himiko Toga's many knives. Yanderes can grab a kitchen knife before stalking someone, or they might even obtain a firearm or simply swing a shovel at someone's head. They'll use whatever they can get their hands on, and they tend to get soaked in their victims' blood as a result of all this violence.
Yanderes Are Nearly Always Possessive
One of the most common traits of a yandere is having a possessive and jealous streak, and they are in agony if anyone else shows affection for their love interest. Jealousy is an ugly emotion even in the best of times, but yanderes take it to another level entirely. An anime character who tries to isolate another character to be alone with them is almost certainly a yandere, and they might even use manipulation, deception or physical means such as kidnapping or violence to make sure they can be alone with the object of their affection.
Ren Yamai from Komi Can't Communicate is a recent example of this. This is usually why yanderes carry around weapons -- to chase off or even kill perceived or real love rivals of any gender. The yandere might not even want their paramour to have regular friends or contact with their family.
Yanderes Have Blank But Intense Eyes When They Are Upset
Yanderes have a few visual cues, just like the other -dere types, and being soaked in blood is just one of them. A yandere may look fairly normal at first glance, but when they become excited, jealous, angry or otherwise provoked, they are liable to have their eyes go blank. They might also have a mask-like face to match, their whole body freezing up as they process their sudden surge of emotions and formulate a plan of attack. However, despite the potential blank expression, a yandere's eyes can be frightfully intense as well.
