Yandere

**Sub-Pages:*** **Yandere**
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Yuno Gasai from "Mirai Nikki"

### Personality

Lovesick, emotionally unstable, obsessive, angry, hateful, close-minded, scary, murderous, clingy, annoying, selfish, mean, hypocritical, immature, insensitive, aggressive, deceptive, vengeful, crazy, twisted, possessive, devoted, dedicated, loyal, lovestruck, dramatic, controlling, authoritarian, manipulative, violent, resentful, unforgiving, overprotective, insane, psychotic, evil, cruel, sinister, dark, sadistic, extreme, intense

***Yandere*** (*JP*Japanese: ヤンデレ

Romaji: Yandere) is a Japanese archetype used to define a character whose love, admiration, and devotion is so strong that it is expressed as an excessive obsession and possessiveness. They are often seen as characters that are crazily in love with someone.

They become so attached to their love interests so that it's impossible to let go. They entrust themselves to their love interest, trusting in their love interest's kindness. They probe the deepest recesses of their love interest's heart so as to more perfectly form their greatest self within their love interest. Some will go so far as to behave in immoral and troubling ways. They will not care about the negative effect that their behaviors can have to others, including their love interest, because they only care about their own feelings.

## Meaning of the Name

The "yan" in *"yandere"* (ヤンデレ) comes from the verb "yanderu" (病やんでる), which means "to be mentally sick."

"Dere" is an abbreviation of "deredere" (デレデレ), which means "lovey-dovey."

*"Yandere"* could be roughly translated as "lovesick". However, another Japanese word for "lovesick" already exists called "koiyamai" (恋病), written with the kanji for "love" (koi (恋)) and "sickness" (yamai (病)).

### Alternate Spelling

*Yandere* could also be spelled in Japanese as "病んデレ" using Kanji for "yan" instead of katakana but this is significantly less common. [1][2][3]

## Personality

There are two classes of *yandere* characters, those who are designed as romantic love interests, and those who are designed to shock and awe the audience. Both can, and do, perform the same actions, but with different results due to their very different motivations and applications of said actions.

Love is a powerful force, both in fiction and reality. *Yandere* characters are created with this notion in mind to show how far the power of love can go, how can this affect a character or simply to mess and play with it inside the narrative of a story.

A *yandere* introduced in media centered in love tropes is conceived to bring love to its maximal and utmost potential, which results on driving the *yandere* character to act in ways that are seen as unstable and unorthodox. This is caused due to the great amount of candid love they feel towards someone that goes beyond what is seen as normal in society. Instead, a *yandere* present in shock tropes is created to use love just as a tool in a narrative to give a motivation to the wrongdoings of characters and justify the causes of their dangerous mindset.

In shocking narratives, the behavior of a *yandere* would result in the great trauma, injury and death of innocent characters, included the love interest and even the same *yandere* in some cases. In romance media and tropes, the strong emotions a *yandere* feels and their strange behavior will usually just be added the right amount to provide some drama to the narrative or to show to the audience how far love can go and how in love is the *yandere* to reach such lengths.

A single *yandere* character can perfectly be used for both trope types in media, acting differently or more aggressively under specific circumstances. A *yandere* that appears in romance media will usually have a more strong "deredere" (lovey-dovey) side, while one shown in horror and drama will have a more strong "yanderu" (mentally unstable) side, but they can perfectly change the balance of every side at specific times and scenarios. Generally, a *yandere* will show more love tropes at first before these developing to more strong shock tropes, but not always.

### **Love trope**

*Yandere* characters take what one would call love to an extreme in an attempt at building a stronger, closer, and permanent bond with their love interest. The idea may have originated exaggerating the behaviors of the "Yamato Nadeshiko", the personification of an idealized Japanese woman. However, there are also several male *yandere* characters.

Unlike *megadere* characters, *yandere* characters are never satisfied with simply feeling in love, for feelings will change with time. Instead, they intentionally chose to be in love, as, to them, love is far stronger and far more durable than any feeling. Utilizing their reasoning skills, they boost their bond with their love interest, more often than not, to an almost maniacal degree. Unwilling to let go, they wait as long as it takes for their love interest to fall completely in love with them.

Love trope *yandere* characters usually don't have an on/off switch to their nature, nor are they simply lonely or have too many hormones in their bodies. Rather, they are *yandere* at all times, but can only express themselves fully some of the time. That is why they appear to be normal until their take on a love interest. Their behavior is more romantic than practical. That is to say, just as a ninja treats their blade as an extension of their body, so do *yandere* characters, treating their mind and body as an extension of their soul. Thus they are amorous, highly expressive in their features, and driven to care deeply -- for all time.

Fearing not caring enough for their love interest, *yandere* characters will never entertain cheating, or divorce, and will not take an interest in explicit materials, unlike the pervert-dere types. Their love interest, if not already perfect for them, can be perfected through their complementary love.

A love trope *yandere* character needs no romantic beach, nor music. Their love interest is romance itself, and the love interest's voice is music to their ears. They don't need a sports car or large house. Their love interest's smile takes them to the moon, and their love interest's heart is their home.

Like most of the other dere types, love trope *yandere* characteristics are not the product of mental illness(es), although such characters may appear to be a bit crazy.

It pleases *yandere* characters to chose a variety of methods to cause their relationships with their love interests to excel. These methods intertwine with, and build off of, each other, ensuring the success of their relationship, and subsequent marriage.

### **Shock trope**

*Yandere* characters that are the "shock trope" are very similar to their love trope brethren, with the exception that they have a differing motivation, and subsequently, differing results. Most of their behaviors can be attributed to insecurity in their feelings for their love interest or insecurity with their relationship. Other motivations can include, selfishness, loneliness, wanting to feel a certain way, having major mental problems, being insanely jealous, etc.

Some *yandere* characters are also designed just to make their love interest's life more painful or dramatic to the amusement of the audience. Contrary to the love trope, these are usually conceived as antagonists or in media that focuses more on horror and thriller. Some of these examples may even be a parody of the *yandere* archetype entirely, displaying the most extreme and negative aspects and stereotypes of a *yandere*.

Shock tropes usually care more about themselves and their own feelings, and don't really care about the love interest. The love trope shows an unadulterated immense form of love towards someone, while a shock trope only acquires a dangerous obsession towards a person and will make sure to obtain what they want from them, no matter how the love interest gets affected in the end.

## Depiction

*Yandere* characters are typically depicted with a favorite weapon, such as an axe or knife. They are also typically depicted without their pupils or eye highlights drawn, or single color eyes, and possibly swirling lines in them when they are going "crazy" for their love interest. They may also have hearts or stars in their eyes, like *megadere* characters, when they are focused on their love interest. This is because in some depictions, *yandere* characters are an even more extreme form of *megadere*. *Yandere* characters also tend to quickly choose (*kekkondere*), or already have, a love interest when they are introduced to the audience. Most *yandere* characters in anime are female, although there are some males.

*Yandere* characters are typically depicted as having suffered some form of trauma growing up. This is almost always related to losing someone who is close to the *yandere*, like a family member. The person, or persons, might not actually have died; they could just have rejected the *yandere*, and thus they are dead to the *yandere*, although very much alive in the story line. Or, they may suffer an impending death, or be too ill to interact with anyone. This may partially explain the overzealous love of the *yandere*.

## Types of Yandere

*Yandere* can be broken down into several different sub-types.

### **By Obsession**

#### **Harmless** | **Mugaigata** | (**無害型**)

***Love trope***

Seeking to bring joy and fulfillment to the lives of their love interests, they take care of all of their love interest's needs and see to the perfection of their education, emotions, and soul with the greatest care. They might even give up marrying their love interest, so that their love interest can peruse whomever they wish to.

They will value more the likes and needs of the love interest than their own. They can even change their ways, tastes and life plans to that of the love interest to bring them happiness and understand them better instead. They aim to turn into the idealized most perfect individual to be beside the love interest in life, be it as a romantic partner or as another person of great significance in the life of the love interest, and do everything in their power to achieve this and no matter how they are treated in return.

They will forget about their own hobbies and will instead partake in activities the love interest is interested in to feel and appreciate the same joy this action brings to the love interest. They will try to learn how to do everything the love interest likes or needs in their life, like in cooking. They might even change their own way of doing things, their speech, their physical appearance and personality to what the love interest prefers, because they don't mind changing just for them.

Although they are still very much harmless, they can still get ignored and rejected. They tend to gain sympathy from the audience by how much they put into the life of their love interest vs. how much they receive in return.

Often times depicted as having their kindnesses and devotion being taken advantage of, they really just need their love interest to look out for their best interests in order to form a great relationship.

***Shock trope***

A harmless shock *yandere* character may have the same amount of obsessiveness as other *yandere* types would, though won't do anything violent towards those that also like their love interest, and will leave them alone.

Similar to the Western idea of *dorodere*, they will think and fantasize about things a stereotypical *yandere* would do, but they will never really act on those thoughts. They can still look threatening around others if they can't control their expressions during these meditative moments, surrounding them in an aura of negativity that can still scare other characters and take the audience by surprise.

Even if harmless, this *yandere* can be used in media centered in shock tropes at first to later lead to a future shocking reaction more typical of the other *yandere* types. They are not aggressive or dangerous during the story or much of it, but in hypothetical scenarios and under certain circumstances, they would become this way, they just didn't have the chance to do so.

#### **Obsession** | **Shuuchakugata** | (**執着型**)

***Love trope***

Unwilling to entertain the possibility that anything else is more worthy of their attention than their love interest, they always want to know what their love interest is doing, how they're doing, what they're thinking, what they need or want, and so on.[*citation needed*]

If they can't find out these things, they may daydream about their love interest or plan their future together. They will almost always think, ask and talk about their love interest. Everything they do and see will also remind them of their love interest. They will wonder if the love interest has done the same things as they do, if their love interest will agree or disagree with their actions, if they are okay or if their love interest would like or dislike something.

A *yandere* of this type might let their love interest talk to others if wanted, but will still constantly want to know what they did, and what happened when they were with them. They might want to go with their love interest whenever they decide to do this aswell, or ask or try to discover what happened when they couldn't be present themselves.

Although they may seem like they'll never amount to anything because of their level of single minded devotion, once they're happily married, they'll need to assist their love interest with other things and so their horizons will broaden a bit.

These are the most common type of *yandere* characters used in media and they are also the type closest to *megadere* if seen in isolation of other *yandere* types. This type is almost always present in a *yandere* character.

***Shock trope***

They focus on their love interest to the detriment of the rest of their life. They stick out from love trope *yandere* characters because of their inability to even see in front of their noses the consequences of their obsessive actions.

Some can have an entire room full of things related to their love interest, like photos of them, drawings of them, writings about them, have their favorite things and even obtain some belongings stolen from the love interest. They can even have a doll, statue or some other object that represents their love interest in their possession. They can even dress up like their love interest and try to act like them with obsessive fanaticism.

The obsession type is pretty common in *yandere* characters. In and of themselves, they aren't really all that shocking; it's when you add in the other types on top of their obsessive behavior that a shocking narrative unfolds. Here is when the potential dangerous nature of a *yandere* is revealed or noticed by the other characters and escalates further as the story progress or when the evidence and strange past occurrences begin to make more sense.

#### **Stalker** | **Sutookaagata** | (**すとーかーがた**)

**Warning: Mention of stalkerish behavior, harassment and invasion of privacy.**

***Love trope***

Wishing to know everything possible about their love interest, they pursue their love interest learning what they like, where they go, what they do, and who they associate with.

If they are in the same location, they will secretly observe the love interest from afar. They will prefer to look at their love interest and take more attention to what the love interest is doing than anything else in the room, listening closely to what the love interest is saying to other people and what others answer in return.

If they actively seek the love interest, stalking will give them the thrill of being near their love interest all the time and of knowing if their love interest is being honest with them or if they are okay.

In knowing all that their love interest likes, they can better align their likes with that of their love interest. In knowing where their love interest goes, they can surprise their love interest, they can locate destinations for dating and other activities nearby, etc. In knowing what they do, a stalker *yandere* can chose activities that they and their love interest would like and be able to do together. In knowing who they associate with, a stalker *yandere* will know who's important to their love interest in their lives and who the stalker *yandere's* competition is.

If they can't be present themselves, they can ask someone else to take track of their love interest or use cameras and hidden microphones so they can keep the love interest observed 24/7. This way they can be notified if something bad occurs to the love interest or a danger appears to their relationship at any moment.

Although they are seen by many as creepy, baring that they have other problems, they just want to be in as glorious a relationship as possible. Given the choice between stalking and their love interest sharing more, they'll chose sharing as it's more personal than watching from a few meters away.

***Shock trope***

They follow their love interest around constantly, even if their love interest really doesn't want them to. They tend to be rather creepy and may go to great lengths to ensure that they can continue to stalk their love interest. Their stalking will affect greatly the daily life of the love interest, messing with their head.

Stalking their love interest will be their favorite hobby. They can even take photos of the love interest without them knowing, and even observe them in moments of privacy, like when the love interest sleeps, undress or shower, just for their own amusement.

Those who want to make their presence known to the love interest will leave clues or little messages so the love interest can know that they are being observed by the stalker *yandere* non-stop.

#### **Self-Sacrifice** | **Jiko-giseigata** | (**自己犠牲型**)

***Love trope***

Desiring to save their love interest from bullets, or even just their children's dirty diapers, these *yandere* characters will give of their time, their desires, and work for whatever their love interest wants. They are willing to do almost anything for the good of their love interest and the relationship. They see self giving and self sacrifice as essential to a relationship and they, better than any other dere type, push themselves to do it more and better.[*citation needed*]

Although they are seen by many as being "a doormat" or having their desires and feelings walked on, they really just want to give the ultimate gift to their love interest, that is themselves. For money can always be earned again, and time is impersonal, but there is only one lover and love interest in the couple.

With such devotion, a love interest may start to take advantage of their generosity or became complacent, leaving the *yandere* to do everything that the love interest finds distasteful. Therefore, a love interest must be careful to ensure that their self-sacrifice *yandere* doesn't give too much of themselves or devote themselves too heavily.

***Shock trope***

Sacrificing one's self for love is undoubtedly, the biggest sacrifice someone can make. This type of shock trope *yandere* character takes it a step further by sacrificing themselves for their love interest even though the love interest doesn't need it at all. This often comes at the expense of the *yandere's* life or well-being. Unlike an actual hero, the shock trope version ends up badly injured without reason or dies a pointless death.

#### **Dependent** | **Izongata** | (**依存型**)

***Love trope***

Wishing for their love interest to be able to know that they make a difference in the lives of their dependence *yandere* partner/spouse, they seek to be vulnerable around their love interest by depending on them. This can range from stupidly simple things, like constantly dropping or forgetting something, behaving like an idiot -- often times subconsciously so, to claiming that they'd die without their love interest (although that's obviously false).

Choosing to lack the words "self protection" in their vocabulary and their hearts, they fail to have a backup plan if their love interest fails them for whatever reason. They can, and often do, have a traumatic experience if their love interest is harsh or very unfeeling towards them.

Although they are seen by many as being "on the edge of a cliff," they just want to give their love interest opportunities to devote themselves with the expectation of having their hopes and dreams of wedded bliss fulfilled.

***Shock trope***

These shock trope *yandere* characters depend on their love interest like a fish does water quickly drying up and blowing away without them. The *yandere* will only ever be able to function with their love interest around.

#### **Monopoly** | **Dokusengata** | (**独占型**)

***Love trope***

Believing that there's nothing their love interest wants in the world more than them, they give their love interest constant and unending attention.[*citation needed*]

Believing that it's not enough to just have a love interest, they focus on being with them at every possible movement and maximizing the amount of time they can spend together, even reducing the time the love interest has with other people so they can spend that time with them instead.

Although they are seen as pests by many, they are quite harmless if their love interest is willing to devote themselves.

***Shock trope***

They get in the way of their love interest to the extent that the love interest can't carry on in their daily life. They don't give their love interest a moments peace and follow them around almost at all times.

They will cling to their love interest, trying to be with them every moment of the day. They will try to be with them in everything they do, which can affect the daily life of the love interest and their interactions with other people. In extreme cases, they might not let their love interest talk to others at all, and only let them be with them.

#### **Worship** | **Suuhaigata** | (**崇拝型**)

***Love trope***

Having an aggrandized opinion of their love interest, these *yandere* characters see themselves as insignificant compared to their love interest. They may even compare themselves to inanimate objects, such as tools for their love interests use.

They, along with the "harmless" *yandere* character type, may allow their love interest to marry someone else, for they see themselves as unworthy of their love interest's attentions and affections.

Almost all worship type *yandere* characters are also like the self-sacrifice type *yandere*.

They react negatively, perhaps even aggressively so, to those who do not respect their love interests greatness.

Although they are seen by many as slaves to their love interest, they really just feel they are not enough for their love interest. They take the natural tendency to think well about one's love interest to an extreme. If their love interest works to lift their self-confidence from the ground and marry them, they can grow to believe that they really are good enough for their love interest.

***Shock trope***

They treat their love interest like a god, not caring how they are treated in return. They act like someone who, and actually might, owe their love interest their life. They don't care if their love interest loves them back or not. They will kill for their love interest and may even kill those who think badly of their love interest.

### **By Target: The Love Interest**

#### **Manipulative** | **Sousatekigata** | (**操作的型**)

***Love trope***

Seeking to get their love interest to react positively to their presence and to care about them, they manipulate their love interest's feelings and world perception. Some might see their love interest as incapable of caring about them. Others might think that their love interest wants to feel "in love" or "happy" around them so they try to address their emotional state so that they frequently feel "in love" or "happy."[*citation needed*]

A real difficulty for these *yandere* characters is balancing being overt, to help their love interest to intentionally care more about them, while also being suitably covert to work on their subconscious. They prey on their love interest's weaknesses while simultaneously building (in a non-manipulative way) on their strengths. They also protect their love interest's weaknesses, as their love interest's feelings are theirs and theirs alone.

Any games that they play with their love interests head are not to harm them, and never would be. Rather, they are always designed to have both themselves and their love interest come out as wedded winners.

Usually mixed with *usodere*, they will try to look perfect around the love interest using lies and manipulating the truth.

Although they are seen by many as, well, manipulative, they just want to be 100% certain that their love interest is totally devoted to them and only them. They would rather their love interest cut off their right arm than leave them.

If their love interest actually wants to spend more time feeling than thinking in the relationship, then such a *yandere* could be ideal for the love interest, as they will spur them on to feel more and more.

***Shock trope***

Their only goal is for their love interest to do everything they want and for the love interest to stay and be loyal to them, and they will use manipulation, gaslighting and even direct threats against the love interest to accomplish so, using the own morals and weaknesses of the love interest against them so they are forced to choose what the *yandere* really wants of them.

Contrary to the love trope, they usually do not hide that they are the ones influencing the ways of thinking of the love interest, or they don't genuinely want the love interest to end up deciding on their own to truly want being with the *yandere*. If the love interest ends up not having another choice but to be with the *yandere* because not being with the *yandere* could cause more harm, is enough, even if the love interest is forced to do so and doesn't feel any kind of affection for the *yandere*.

If they're capable and have such abilities, they can even use mind manipulation or brainwashing so the love interest would "love" them in return, even if these feelings are fabricated by the *yandere*. They don't care if the feelings of the love interest are genuine or if this changes the personality of the love interest in the process and leave them as just blank husks. Their only objective is for the love interest to love and be loyal to them in any form possible.

The shock manipulative *yandere* type don't usually just stop with preying on their love interest's weaknesses, they pry apart their love interest's psyche from within. They think love is manipulation, and so they manipulate more and more. Soon, love no longer exists in the hearts of either one.

#### **Training** | **Choukyougata** | (**調教型**)

**Warning: Mention of torture.**

***Love trope***

Wanting their love interest to devote themselves, ideally from the beginning, these *yandere* characters train their love interest to care about them, and how to care about them.[*citation needed*]

Some would do it secrety without the love interest knowing, similar to a more physical and direct form of manipulative *yandere* type. They will consciously let the love interest know when they did something the *yandere* sees as positive by giving them gifts in return, showing great joy and appretiation, spoil them, do things for them in return, etc.

However, they will also discreetly show disappointment and rejection to the love interest when they do something they don't see as correct. Maybe they do it by ignoring more the love interest that day or even by guilt tripping them. This way, the love interest can understand that what they did is wrong and that this action will only bring negative emotions to all, so they souldn't do it again in the future.

Others might do it in the open with a training program that they propose to the love interest. They lead them, like a dog, from biscuit to biscuit, making even the densest love interest a devoted spouse.

Although they are seen by many as power-hungry, they just want their love interest to be totally prepared for marriage and the difficulties that they'll face in marriage; both internal and external.

***Shock trope***

They will punish and torture their love interest if they think they did something they shouldn't or when they don't act like wanted to give them a lesson. The methods are usually pretty morbid and painful, some could even leave permanent damage to the love interest. They will then "reward" the love interest when they finally do something wanted of them.

Unlike in the above *yandere* love trope description, these *yandere* characters treat the love interest as a dog or other animal. They mercilessly train and treat their love interest like an animal at all times. Their love interest isn't even human to them. They do this because they believe this will successfully acquire what they want of the love interest, force them to love them like wanted and be loyal to the *yandere*.

#### **Loneliness Induction** | **Koritsu yuudougata** | (**孤立誘導型**)

***Love trope***

Seeking to have their love interest all to themselves, these type of *yandere* characters work from the opposite end compared to the removal type. They don't target their love interest's friends or other relations but rather their love interest. They sow mistrust and put other blocks in the way between their love interest and the rest of the world. They wait until their love interest is in need of someone and become that someone for their love interest. Overtime, as a result of having no one else to trust or rely on, the love interest devotes themselves fully to their *yandere*.[*citation needed*]

It could be that the *yandere* believes that many, or most, if not all, of people are corrupt and untrustworthy, or it could just be that they wish to strengthen the bonds between themselves and their love interest to a disturbing degree.

A love interest who goes along with this may end up behaving like a *yandere* because they are very isolated. Although this might appear as a good thing to the *yandere* character, or an other dere type they're in love with, it's only a temporary change. It doesn't reflect their true love type.

Although they are seen by many as divisive, they really just want their love interest to trust and be open and vulnerable around them and them only. If those around the love interest support the relationship, they may decide that loneliness isn't really necessary for their blossoming love.

***Shock trope***

They induce mental trauma into their love interest's head in order to push them away from others. They make themselves out to be their love interest's best option, making the love interest believe that all the others will betray them and that the *yandere* is the only one who can be trusted, but they actually just want to isolate their love interest. They destroy relationships and ruin families to get their love interest as isolated and vulnerable as possible.

They can also provoke the love interest to be the one people don't want to approach, rather than the other way around. They will be the ones responsible of the people around the love interest starting to fear or be disgusted by the love interest, spreading rumors or false evidence that make the love interest look horrible so no one else will want to be around them, not even family and friends, leaving the *yandere* to be the only person the love interest can rely on and feel accepted and loved by. By doing this, the people close to the love interest will eventually disappear from their lives by their own volition, and the only one around to show their "understanding" and "compassion" to the love interest will be the *yandere*, without anyone else getting in the way.

Normally, the love interest will not know that the *yandere* is the culprit of their recent misfortune, many can even begin to hate themselves due to all the hate they receive from others, until the *yandere* comes to their aid to give them the love and support they need. Whether the love interest knows or discovers who their true enemy is, that being the *yandere*, they will have only the *yandere* in their life now, and therefore no choice other than to accept their love.

#### **Restraints** | **Sokubakugata** | (**束縛型**)

**Warning: Mention of kidnapping, being tied up and dismemberment.**

***Love trope***

Desiring their love interest to be with them literally always, these *yandere* characters make sure the love interest won't leave their side now or in the future. They can use promises, deals, contracts or just simply make sure the love interest is content where they are so they won't ever think about leaving. Thus their love interest can't see the bonds, but they're still tightly bound to their *yandere*.[*citation needed*]

They will provide everything their love interest needs or wants so they stay beside the *yandere*: A place to live close by or even make sure they live in the same place together. A work position that's not far and that pays well, maybe even in the same place the *yandere* works at so they can be together during working hours. Give them everything they need or make it easily accessible so the love interest doesn't have to go anywhere else to find these things and go search for them.

Although they are seen by many as insanely clingy, they just don't want to lose their love interest from their life. They're just never satisfied with the amount of time they spend with their love interest and/or they want their bond to be more intense opting for a physical method to achieve it. By broadening their possibilities for bonding, a love interest can enable them to express themselves in a more complete manner.

***Shock trope***

They will directly lock up the love interest, tie up or even kidnap and drug their love interest to keep them around and compliant. They want their love interest to never wander from their side. Many will even tie their love interest to themselves.

Some might not actually use ropes or chains, some can also find a way for their love interest to be always bound to them, using unusual methods like magic or a curse to accomplish so.

Extreme cases can even break or amputate their love interest's legs or feet so that they can't go anywhere else for the rest of their life and so they would need the *yandere* to survive entirely.

#### **Domestic Violence** | **DVgata** | (**DV型**)

**Warning: Mention of abuse, forced intimacy and domestic violence.**

***Love trope***

Believing that if words don't work, stronger methods must be employed, they don't fear to smack their love interest or even hit or kick them a few times just like a *tsundere* would. But unlike a *tsundere*, they don't hit their love interest out of a lack of emotional self-control, or because they don't know what else to do, or to conceal their true feelings. Domestic Violence *yandere* characters do so, having employed other methods, out of a belief that their relationship can be significantly improved as a result of that smack or a few punches or kicks, similar to a *kiredere*.[*citation needed*]

With almost any physical contact being seen in our day as suspicious, if not grounds for social banishment, domestic violence *yandere* characters are seen as brutes and abusers. Unlike actually abusive spouses, domestic violence (again love type) *yandere* characters understand that they can't force their love interest to love them or force their love interest to change for the better for them. They chose to be violent to make the severity of the problem more apparent and to boost their love interests motivation in hopes of affecting change in their love interest. Failing this, they no longer have any motivation to be violent towards their love interest -- even if they continue the undesired behavior. There's nothing more that the domestic violence *yandere* can do. Their love interest either doesn't care about them, or needs help beyond their *yandere's* current capabilities.

***Shock trope***

They attempt to control their love interest through violence. They want power over the love interest and force them to act and be just like they want, forcing loyalty and love on them with fear.

This shock trope comprises all the worst things a *yandere* that targets their love interest can do. They can force their love interest to do things like a manipulative type. They will punish and hurt their love interest when they don't follow the wishes of the *yandere* so they can learn the hard way, like a training type. They will make the love interest think that no one else loves them and that they only need the *yandere* in their life, like a loneliness induction type. They won't let their love interest go out from the house or have any contact with the outside world, not even friends and family, like a restraints type.

For this type of *yandere*, their love interest is only a possession of them. They don't care about the love interest's feelings and will use them however they want. They can kill the love interest if they don't accept to be with the *yandere*, if they become upset enough or when they feel betrayed by the love interest. Some would even force the love interest to have intimate acts with them.

### **By Target: The Competition**

#### **Protective** | **Hogogata** | (**保護型**)

***Love trope***

This type of *yandere* cares deeply for the wellbeing and happiness of their love interest, and they fear what other, crueler people with bad intentions can do to their love interest. They will be on the lookout for anything that can cause any kind of discomfort to the love interest before taking action to get rid of it.[*citation needed*]

They are willing to push away people who might be a bad influence or cause any kind of harm to the love interest, usually with threats or violence behind the scenes, without the love interest knowing about it, so they don't need to be bothered by it or fear the *yandere* because of their unorthodox methods.

If someone is harassing the love interest, this person will suddenly stop bothering them the next day. If the love interest is a victim of bullying, the bully will suddenly keep their distance or even disappear the next day without a trace, never to be seen again. If someone has wronged the love interest in the past, the love interest will no longer have to worry about that person anymore.

Similar to the loneliness induction or restraints type, they won't let the love interest go near anyone or anywhere after they see that the "danger" is too great or if they need to make sure the love interest is safe of harm ways before leaving them alone to destroy this danger. However, this is usually temporary until the threat is eradicated from their life.

Although they are seen by many as overprotective, they genuinely care about their love interest, and just want the best for them. They just want the love interest to be safe of any harm, physical or psychological.

***Shock trope***

They see everything and everyone as a threat for the love interest. They will use extreme methods to get rid of other "dangerous" people permanently, and even punish and torture them for the harm they did to the love interest, even if they didn't really do all that much.

Feeling that the love interest is fragile, pure or vulnerable, and that everyone else can taint or hurt them, they finally decide to take care of it themselves and protect the love interest, getting rid of all "bad people" near them for the sake of their love interest and at any cost.

#### **Removal** | **Haijogata** | (**排除型**)

**Warning: Mention of animal harm.**

***Love trope***

Believing that they are all their love interest needs, these *yandere* characters seek to remove other people from their love interest's life. To do this, a removal *yandere* character will destroy messages, both physical and virtual. They will interrupt conversations and lead their love interest away from the group. they will dissuade friendships and pull their love interest away from having time with their friends. A *yandere* character will probably not stop with just people though, phones, pets, and any other distractions are fair game for the *yandere* character to go after. They might do this secretly or allow their love interest to know.[*citation needed*]

These types of *yandere* characters see the competition as a serious and intentional threat to their relationship. By removing those around their love interest, their love interest bonds with them by relying on them and only them. Without attachment to others, their love interest is free to pursue them, even moving to another country to be with their *yandere*.

They are differentiated from the protective type because of their motivation. The removal type *yandere* gets rid of everything that gets in the way of their relationship, caring mostly about their own feelings, while the protective type will only do so to protect the love interest, caring about the feelings and wellbeing of their love interest more genuinely instead.

Although they are seen by many as jerks, they really just want their love interest to be dependent on, and rely more, on them. They want their love interest's full attention similar to how a hermit gives their full attention to God and speaks to no one.

***Shock trope***

Knowing that some of those around their love interest would separate them, these *yandere* characters seek to drive them away by either threatening, hurting, or killing them outright. Unsatisfied with the excuses of "whores" and having marked their territory, these *yandere* characters defeat their competition outright by any means necessary.

They remove everyone, oftentimes with threats or directly through killing them, so that they can have their love interest. They may do this in secret or in the open so that their love interest is persuaded that they must pay attention to, and be with the shock trope *yandere* character.

They might not limit themselves to other members of the same sex. Bosses, friends, pets, and any other serious distraction must be eliminated from their love interest's life. They don't just remove those who are pursuing their love interest romantically, rather, they go after everyone attached or even remotely present in the life of the love interest. A total blood bath is the result.

This one is the most used and known *yandere* type used in media and the one that is sometimes mistaken to be the one a character needs to perform to truly be considered *yandere*, mostly in the West. However, a character can be considered *yandere* without ever showing the traits of a removal type *yandere*.

### '*By Target: The* Yandere

#### **Self-Harm** | **Jishougata** | (**自傷型**)

**Warning: Mention of self-injurious behavior and mutilation.**

***Love trope***

They will hurt themselves to show their true devotion to their love interest or to make it clear to anyone that they belong to their love interest alone. Their self-inflicted wounds and scars will represent their infinite and loyal love for their love interest, treating their own body like a canvas created just for the admiration of the love interest and a representation of their love towards them.

Their self-harm behavior will be used to prove to their love interest that they would do anything for their love interest. They don't care if they themselves get hurt or end up dead, so they show this in front of the love interest inflicting that damage on themselves directly by their own hands.[*citation needed*]

***Shock trope***

If they see that they are not enough for their love interest or they see themselves having any physical "defects," they are also willing to modify their own body in order to become the ideal partner for the love interest, even if this heavily damages them forever.

They can also try to get their love interest's attention by harming themselves. They will hurt themselves to gain something from the love interest. They manipulate them by threatening more harm to themselves if their love interest doesn't do what they want their love interest to do.

But it is never the intent of self-harm *yandere* characters to hurt themselves. They're interested in love, not harming themselves. It is the lack of devotion, whether circumstantial or intentional, from their love interest, and the subsequent emotional pain, that leads them to harming themselves.

#### **Disappearance** | **Shoushitsugata** | (**消失型**)

**Warning: Mention of self-injurious behavior and suicide.**

***Love trope***

They think that their love interest will never care for them or that the love interest will be happier without the *yandere* in their life. They don't think they're enough for their love interest, so they decide to run far away where they can't be found.

This is usually a combination of the self-sacrifice *yandere* with *utsudere*. Seeing their love interest blissfully with another person will also depress them, and so they can't bear to stay around anymore. They want to give the love interest the life and happiness they deserve, even if that means that the *yandere* is out of the equation.[*citation needed*]

Although they are seen by many as dramatic, with some other outlet and/or a distraction from their troubles, a disappearance *yandere* can wait out the time before they are reunited again with their love interest. And then, having achieved greater emotional control and the support of their spouse, they can live out their lives without deciding to leave ever again.

***Shock trope***

They take their dissapearance a step further by deciding to leave this world altogether. If they decide to commit suicide and their love interest is still alive, they can even request or provoke the love interest to be the one to end their life, as this will bring the most happiness to the disappearance *yandere* in their final moments.

With their entire world revolving around their love interest, these *yandere* characters won't believe they can go on without the love interest if something happened to them. Everything has no value without their love interest as the one with whom they eat, drink, move, work, and live their lives. Without their love interest, they enter a deep depression and then the thoughts of suicide start to creep into their minds. Their last thought will be of their love interest.

They never really want to commit suicide or hurt themselves, for love can never be equal to death or pointless injury. Rather, they just want to be in a position to care about their love interest and be cared for by their love interest.

#### **Double Suicide** | **Shinjuugata** | (**心中型**)

**Warning: Mention of suicide and forced suicide.**

***Love trope***

A *utsudere* love interest has commited suicide, the *yandere* then decides that they will follow on the steps of their love interest to be reunited by them or because they don't have anything else to live for now.[*citation needed*]

If the love interest explains their plans of ending their own life, the *yandere* will try to stop them. If they can't, they will then accept their decision only if they do it together.

***Shock trope***

They believe that they will be with their love interest after death, or that by killing each other they will not be able to pursue or be pursued by other love interests. They then kill themselves.

In the shock trope, the "suicide" of the love interest is usually a false suicide, as their death is forced or provoked by the *yandere* without the love interest's consent. To be a real double suicide, both characters in the relationship must be a double suicide *yandere* or the love interest must be first manipulated by the *yandere* to think the same way as them. The *yandere* can also purposely lead their love interest to commit suicide before doing the same themselves right after.

It's also possible that after a fit of rage or confusion, the *yandere* kills their love interest and then regrets it. Not having their love interest by their side anymore, they then kill themselves, either to be reunited again with them or as a self-punishment. In this case, this would actually count as a murder-suicide instead of a double suicide.

#### **Final** | **Shuumatsugata** | (**終末型**)

**Warning: Mention of mass murder and suicide.**

***Love trope***

They didn't have much luck when it comes to love for one reason or another. Love is now dead to them and something that only brings them great emotional harm. They won't feel love again unless their status with their original love interest can be fixed and improved in some way.[*citation needed*]

Seeing other people displaying love will also make them feel great discomfort and sorrow. They will avoid it as much as possible. They don't want to see love anywhere and in any kind of way unless the *yandere* is allowed to have it with their love interest as well.

***Shock trope***

Similar to the love trope, they don't believe in love anymore, but they also decide that no one else around them should or is allowed to experience love whatsoever. They will sabotage relationships or event directly kill anyone displaying any form of love. The only person who could possibly stop them is gone now, and so their slaughter continues.

After their love interest dies or disappears, so does their sense of meaning in the world. They are emotionally broken for life. Nothing else matters to them. They might try to destroy the world that took their love interest or even destroy "love" so it can't cause more harm to other people.

It could be possible that the love interest has been injured or even killed by someone or a group of people. The *yandere'*s new objective in life will be to bring justice to their love interest and pursue and end any person or organization related to this calamity to prevent more in the future and for revenge.

They feel that the death of their love interest has been caused by someone or something else. Whether this is true or not, they will try to avenge their death. They will not care about other people and even innocents that fall or get killed in the process. No matter if this mission ends as a success or a failure, having nothing else to live for, some will then kill themselves. If they don't end their own life, they will live the rest of it in misery.

This type of *yandere* can also try to find a way to revive or bring their love interest to life again, no matter the consequences.

### **By State of Mind**

#### **Delusional** | **Mousougata** | (**妄想型**)

**Warning: Mention of insanity.**

***Love trope***

Their own mind transforms or tries to forget the unsatisfactory or cruel reality to what they want to believe in terms of their real relationship, as well as the feelings and state of their love interest. Unable to accept the rejection, absence or death of a loved one, they will deny it completely, which leads to the delusion *yandere* to rebuilding a new perfect reality in their head, sometimes even thinking that they can achieve something impossible to fix this, trying to replicate or obtain this ideal life of theirs.

They can also get lost in their own mind and fictional world. The love trope usually knows at first that this world they created is not actually real, but they prefer experiencing this with their perfect version of love interest than the actual imperfect reality.

***Shock trope***

The shock trope delusion *yandere* will create a false happy life with their loved one in their mind despite the real absence of the love interest in it or bad conditions around them. They will imagine and truly believe that they are in a close relationship with their love interest, sometimes even in their ideal home and a family life of their own. The *yandere* would be the only character to believe in this fictional reality without knowing the real sad truth.

They can also distort the world and everything around them in their head, which will affect negatively the love interest. If the love interest is real or is still alive, the *yandere* will act like if they have been in a relationship for a long time and that everything around them is perfectly fine despite this not being true. They can even see things one way when they are not, like mistaking something non-edible as food for the love interest and force them to eat it.

If they are in the worst of situations, the delusion *yandere* will change the imperfect conditions in their head and act like they are both in their most happy and perfect moments of their life. This can even get the love interest and *yandere* in danger due to the *yandere* acting like everything is okay when this is not, doing certain actions of a normal routine that in this situation can lead to the death of either of them.

In extreme cases, if their love interest died, they will still talk and live with their "spirit" or even their corpse like they were still alive. This is a more extreme representation that the delusional *yandere* will still love and be loyal to the love interest even after their death.

#### **Wrong Idea** | **Kanchigaigata** | (**勘違い型**)

***Love trope***

Desiring to believe what is their ideal outcome is what their love interest wants, they will mistake what is wanted or requested, substituting it with their own desires for their love interest.[*citation needed*]

Unwilling to see their mistake as one, they seek to fulfill their misunderstood love interest's every wish. Even difficult tasks are nothing for them to fulfill for the sake of their love interest.

Although they are seen by many as insane, they just don't know what to do with their love interest. If they're given a way to express themselves by their love interest, they may even stop getting the wrong idea.

***Shock trope***

They misunderstand, or believe without evidence that their love interest wants something and then they act on that belief. They go to great lengths to obtain or accomplish what they misperceive their love interest desiring.

They may just be played for laughs like *goudere* characters, or they may become an antagonist to those around them, including their love interest.

#### **Projection** | **Toueigata** | (**投影型**)

**Warning: Mention of non-consensual body modifications.**

***Love trope***

They project their ideal lover onto their love interest and expect their love interest to act just like their ideal lover, even forcing these notions onto them. They become upset if their love interest doesn't act or behave like their ideal love interest.[*citation needed*]

This can be caused because of the disappearance or death of someone they really loved in the past, which results in them seeking someone who looks or acts similar to them, and will become obsessed with their new love interest for this reason alone.

***Shock trope***

If they had a past love interest, they will mistake the love interest with their past love interest and would get angry and dangerous when someone points out that they are not the same.

Some can even modify the physical appearance of their love interest so that they look exactly like their ideal lover. They can do it simply by changing the love interest's clothes and hairstyles, while others will be more destructive and will try to modify body parts.

#### **Bizarre-Seeking** | **Kyoukigata** | (**猟奇型**)

**Warning: Mention of mutilation, dismemberment and cannibalism.**

***Love trope***

They desire very strange things that people wouldn't collect as memento of their love interest or to analyze them. This includes, but isn't limited to; hair, blood, saliva, cut fingernails, used tissues, bitten apples and other body parts or fluids that can be taken without really hurting or killing the love interest. The love interest might not even notice about the abscence of these elements.[*citation needed*]

Even if they want to gather everything they can of their love interest or something unusual, they still will try to not bring harm or discomfort to the love interest while doing so, contrary to the shock trope.

They can still perform the same actions a shock trope would do but only if their love interest is already dead. After this tragic event, they will then collect the body of their love interest or a part of them to have them with them forever.

***Shock trope***

Instead of trying to not hurt the love interest like with the love trope, they don't care if they permanently injure or even kill them in the process to obtain these parts; whole fingernails, teeth, fingers, eyes, and other body parts that will cause immense pain and irreversible disfiguration and changes to the body of the love interest.

They can even want their love interest's dead rotting corpse, turn them into a doll, or even want a vital part of their body, like their heart or head, which they will kill them to obtain.

Some can even kill the love interest just because they think killing them equals love or even eat their love interest so they can be fully united as one.

## Similar Japanese Archetypes

* ***Byoukidere***: A term for a character who suffers from a serious illness. Unlike a *yandere* which suffer from a mental illness, this refers to a physical illness.
* ***Yangire***: A term for a character who seems innocent and caring at first, but shows their true violent and loveless nature when they snap. They don't seem dangerous or weren't at first, until they snap and turn dangerous for no romantic reasons.

## Characters with this Personality

See Yandere/Anime Characters to see characters from anime media.

See Yandere/Western Characters to see characters from western media.

## *References*

1. ↑ What is Yandere?. Pixiv Encylopedia.
2. ↑ Yandere Type 8: Harmless Type. My Navi (2022/07/21).
3. ↑ Yandere Type 7: Stalker Type. My Navi (2022/07/21).
4. ↑ Yandere Type 1: Dependent Type. My Navi (2022/07/21).
5. ↑ Yandere Type 4: Worship Type. My Navi (2022/07/21).
6. ↑ Yandere Type 3: Delusional Type. My Navi (2022/07/21).

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