“Dere” characters are most common in romance anime, but these archetypes pop up in all genres. The word means “lovestruck.” They are characters who are chiefly defined by how they relate to the person they are crushing on or how they are in a relationship.
All dere character types are variants of deredere, a character type who is cheerful, kind, and particularly accommodating to the person they are in love with. When the different dere types interact and develop feelings for each other, different dynamics and complications arise. Some archetypes are open and positive, while other variants are the exact opposite.
10 Yandere: Misa Amane (Death Note)
The chief quality in yandere characters is their obsessive love, which Misa Amane has for Light in Death Note. Most yandere characters tend to be annoying and distasteful, even abusive. Boy yanderes can be particularly awful as they tend to want to isolate the person they love and make aggressive shows of jealousy.
Misa Amane is impulsive and extroverted; she draws a lot of attraction from her peers, but she only has eyes for Light. And she wants him so badly that she doesn’t think twice before threatening the lives of any other girl he may try to date.
9 Bakadere: Mina Ashido (My Hero Academia)
Mina from My Hero Academia is a classic bakadere; she’s clumsy, dense, and incompetent in social situations. Incompetent may be a strong word for Mina, but she does get very excitable and nosy when she’s with others. She also grows incredibly upset whenever she feels that she’s being left out. She gets sidetracked by meddling in people’s romantic entanglements.
Mina is terrible in school, but she does have her talents; she’s an accomplished dancer, which makes her a more complex bakadere. The simple bakaderes can get pretty annoying.
8 Hinedere: Koga (InuYasha)
As a hinedere, Inuyasha‘s Koga is arrogant and has a low tolerance for others, except for his crush, Kagome. Hope springs eternal for Koga; he happily tries to pursue Kagome for a long time.
Koga’s arrogance is pricked by Inuyasha, who he sees as less than. As the leader of the Eastern Yokai Wolf Tribe, he thinks of the dog yokai Inuyasha as a mutt. Inuyasha doesn’t appreciate Kagome enough, and Kagome brings out Koga’s capacity for compassion. It’s nice to see Koga give him a run for his money as his dedicated rival.
7 Himedere: Rue (Princess Tutu)
The word “hime” means princess or noble lady, and a himedere expected to be treated like a princess, especially by the one they love. The talented ballerina Rue of Princess Tutu has a princess alter ego, Princess Kraehe.
Himedere characters come in varying shades of likability, and Rue falls on the more arrogant side of the spectrum than the noble side. Princess Kraehe isn’t very nice, but there is no denying her talent as a ballet dancer. As the daughter of the antagonist Raven, Princess Kraehe was plainly inspired by the Black Swan character from Swan Lake.
6 Dandere: Gohan (Dragon Ball Z)
Dandere characters are sweet wallflowers who don’t talk much, and Gohan of Dragon Ball Z is quiet and scholarly. He was incredibly shy as a child, preferring studying to fighting and being social.
Even as an adult, Gohan is still humble and scholarly. He doesn’t battle for the thrill of it but rather to serve the greater good. He thinks carefully about each action. He falls in love with Videl, who is his opposite in many ways; she’s outgoing and feisty, though she does share his propensity for thoughtfulness.
5 Hajidere: Sawako (From Me To You)
True to form for a hajidere, Sawako is painfully shy around her crush in From Me to You. In part, this is because she’s used to being excluded from social situations, so interacting with someone so openly is new to her.
Sawako’s bashful plight isn’t helped by the fact that her crush is incredibly cute and popular. She can’t help but blush when Kazehaya talks with her and tries to figure her out. In time, she overcomes her shyness and forms a lasting bond with her crush.
4 Deredere: Orihime (Bleach)
The deredere Orihime gets a lot of flak from the Bleach fandom for her naïveté. A deredere’s strength is in their positivity and emotional awareness. Though the Bleach fan favorite tends to be the tsundere Rukia, Orihime and Ichigo have a wholesome friends-to-lovers arc.
Orihime may not have as flashy a personality as more cantankerous love interests, but she always operates from a place of kindness, which is admirable. She shows that there is strength in gentleness. Rukia and Renji make more sense as a couple than Rukia and Ichigo.
3 Tsundere: Tomoe (Kamisama Kiss)
Without a doubt, tsundere love interests are one of the most popular character types. But unless written with care, tsunderes can get tiring with their temper. Tomoe of Kamisama Kiss is a much more likable tsundere than Kyo from Fruits Basket.
Tomoe is a more soft-spoken tsundere, which is preferable to the ones who are always screaming at the slightest annoyance or inconvenience. His sass manifests in laconic looks and biting but clever comments. He tries to hide how much he cares for the sweet Nanami, but even with his perfectionistic and chilly nature, he cannot hide how much he burns for her.
2 Kuudere: Claude (I’m The Villainess, So I’m Taming The Final Boss)
The kuudere character type is written to perfection with Claude in I’m the Villainess, So I’m Taming the Final Boss. When Aileen confronted the Lord of Demons with her plan to marry him, she was surprised when she found not an odious villain but a thoughtful and sentimental dark prince in exile.
Claude has a stern expression that doesn’t give away his emotions, but his magic always exposes his true feelings. When he’s intrigued by Aileen, flowers pop into bloom, and when he’s upset, storm clouds gather and brew. Claude is blunt about all things, including his tender feelings for Aileen.
1 Mayadere: Prince Demande (Sailor Moon)
Sailor Moon has several mayadere characters — love interests who switch sides from evil to good when they fall in love. Both Nephrite and Tuxedo Mask (when he’s brainwashed by the Negaverse) fit this character type, but Prince Demande is the best mayadere.
Prince Demande loves Sailor Moon so much that he doesn’t quite know what to do with himself. Though it goes unrequited, his love for Sailor Moon spurs him to switch sides at a crucial moment, turning against Death Phantom so that he can protect her.
