Yandere Meaning: Here’s What it Means and How to Use It

If you’re an anime aficionado, you’ve likely discovered a number of new Japanese words and more than your fair share of tropes. 

You may have heard of tsundere, which refers to a fictional character who has an ice-cold exterior but gradually shows a warmer side over time. We’ve also covered kuudere, a fictional character who is always cool, calm, and collected. 

Another Japanese word commonly found in anime is yandere — but what exactly does it mean? We’ll tell you! 

Read on as we explore the term yandere to uncover its definition, origin, and more!

What Is the Definition of Yandere?

To truly understand the term yandere, it’s helpful to review multiple definitions from a number of reputable sources:

• According to YourDictionary.com, yandere is a fictional character who is genuinely loving, kind, romantic, sweet, merciful, and gentle. At the same time, they are psychotic, brutal, or deranged. 

• In another definition provided by Dictionary.com, the term yandere refers to a character who becomes violently possessive of a love interest. 

• Defined as a wide-eyed psychopathic love interest, Word Sense says a yandere is a character who is deeply in love with someone but acts out violently. 

After reviewing these definitions, we can conclude that the term yandere is a Japanese archetype commonly found in anime used to describe a character whose love, admiration, and devotion are so strong that it is expressed as an excessive obsession. 

In other words, a yandere is a character who is head-over-heels in love with someone, to their detriment. 

Often used for comedic and dramatic character displays, these love-hungry characters tend to enter a deep depression when away from their love interest.  

What Is the Origin of Yandere?

Yukako Yamagishi (山岸 由花子 Yamagishi Yukako) may have been a side character in the manga Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure. Still, she is widely known around the anime community as the first yandere character. 

ヤンデレ (yandere) is a portmanteau of 病んでる (yandere, meaning “to be sick,”) and デレデレ (deredere or dere-dere, meaning “infatuated” or “lovestruck”). Yandere is related to the word koiyamai (恋病) or “lovesick.”

Examples of Yandere in a Sentence

Now that you understand what yandere means and where the term comes from, let’s further your understanding by exploring examples of yandere characters. Below you will find a list of some of the top yandere characters found in anime:

• Shion Sonozaki – Yandere of Satoshi Hojo, from the Higurashi no Naku Koro ni series (Higurashi: When They Cry)
• Yuno Gasai – Yandere of Yukiteru Amano, from Mirai Nikki (Future Diary)
• Kaede Fuyou – Yandere of Rin Tsuchimi, from Shuffle!
• Rena Ryuuguu – Yandere of all things cute, from Higurashi no Naku Koro ni series (Higurashi: When They Cry)
• Misa Amane – Yander of Light Yagami “Kira,” from Death Note
• Kotonoha Katsura – Yandere of Makoto Itou, from School Days
• Shuu Tsukiyama – Yandere of Ken Kaneki, from Tokyo Ghoul
• Mikasa Ackerman – Yandere of Eren Yeager, from Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan)
• Rolo Lamperogue – Yandere of Lelouch Lamperouge, from Kōdo Giasu: Hangyaku no Rurūshu (Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion)

What Are the Types of Yandere?

More often than not, yandere is associated with the jealous, violent type of yandere, but did you know that there are other types of yandere? Yup, it’s true — here are a few of the most common listed below:

• Mugai-gata (無害型) or “harmless” 
• Mousou-gata (妄想型) or “delusional”
• Shuuchaku-gata (執着型) or “obsessed type” 
• Stalker-gata (ストーカー型) or “stalker”
• Dokusen-gata (独占型) or “monopoly” 
• Izon-gata (依存型) or “Dependence” 
• Touei-gata (投影型) or “projection” 
• Shoushitsu-gata (消失型) or ”disappearance”
• Shuumatsu-gata (終末型) or “final”
• Bouryoku-gata (暴力型) or “violence”
• Sokubaku-gata (束縛型) or “restraints” 
• Mousou-gata (妄想型) or “delusion”
• Jishou-gata (自傷型) or “self-harm”
• Haijo-gata (排除型) or “removal” 
• Shinjuu-gata (心中型) or “double suicide”
• Jiko-gisei-gata (自己犠牲型) or “self-sacrifice”
• Suuhai-gata (崇拝型) or ”worship”
• Choukyou-gata (調教型) or ”training”
• Koritsu yuudou-gata (孤立誘導型) or” loneliness induction” 
• Ryouki-gata (猟奇型) or” bizarre-seeking”

A yandere, such as Yuno Gasai, can fit in many of these types at a time. All types of yandere can be female or male and have any sexual identity.

Recap

So, what does yandere mean, you ask?

Arguably the most iconic yet infamous character archetype in Japanese fiction, novels, manga, anime, and video games, the term yandere blossomed in Moe fandom and refers to a character who is crazy about someone else — literally. 

Yandere is the opposite of tsundere in that it describes someone cute and harmless on the surface, but underneath they may be controlling, obsessive, and sometimes just plain insane. 

Typically used as an outlet for their emotions, these characters are often associated with mental illnesses, extreme violence, obsession, insanity, and brutality. 

We hope this guide has provided you with all the information you need to understand the meaning of yandere fully. If you’d like to discover more interesting words, feel free to check out our website. Whether you’re looking to enhance your vocabulary or simply widen your knowledge, you can always count on us to help. 

Sources:

1. yandere | Dictionary.com
2. Definition of Yandere |  Your Dictionary
3. Yandere | TV Tropes