Key Takeaways
- Yandere characters will go to extreme lengths, including violence, to ensure that their love is theirs alone.
- Their love knows no bounds, as evidenced by their obsessive and possessive nature towards their loved ones.
- Some yandere characters have tragic pasts that fuel their compulsive behavior, leading to violent and dangerous consequences.
‘Yandere’ is perhaps one of the most iconic character archetypes in anime and manga. Yandere characters are unhealthyly obsessed with their love interests. They may be sweet and affectionate on the outside, but behind their cute exterior lurk dangerously obsessive and sometimes violent tendencies.

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A yandere's devotion knows no bounds, and they will go to any lengths, even outright murder, to ensure that no one gets in the way of them and their 'love'. In the darkest cases, a person may even resort to killing a loved one if their feelings are not reciprocated or rejected.
10 Kaede Fuyo (Shuffle!)
I can't stand the thought of Lin ignoring her and being violent as a result.
mix!
- release date
- July 8, 2005
- studio
- As you read.
Kaede Fuyo's obsession with her childhood friend and protagonist Rin stems from her complicated past. She initially blamed Rin for her mother's death, and suffered immense guilt after learning the truth. Since then, she has devoted herself to caring for him to atone for past abuse.
She fears that Rin will ignore or abandon her, so she has a violent streak when other girls, especially Asa, get close to him. Interestingly, the original visual novel lacks Kaede's yandere personality.
9 Misa Amane (Death Note)
He has no qualms about using the Death Note to kill people on behalf of Light Yagami.
Death Note (2006)
- release date
- October 4, 2006
- studio
- Mad House
- creator
- Ohba Tsugumi
Famous pop star Misa Amane's adorable public image hides just how messed up she is. She falls in love with the protagonist, Light Yagami, who murdered her parents, even before meeting him. She is willing to do anything to win Light's affection, even threatening to kill the girl he is with.

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Although she rarely engages in direct violence, she uses the Death Note to kill criminals on Light's behalf. Unfortunately, Light shows little interest in her feelings as he manipulates and uses her for his own gain.
8 Katsura Kotonoha (School Days)
A shy and meek girl who is extremely desperate to be loved by the protagonist.
schooltime
- release date
- July 4, 2007
- studio
- TNK
schooltime And that ‘yandere love triangle’ is infamous in the anime community. Saionji Sekaido is also a yandere, but the more violent one is Katsura Kotonoha. She begins the story as a shy and anxious high school student who falls in love with the protagonist, Makoto, and ends up falling down a slippery slope and becoming dangerously possessive.
Kotonoha is a classic example of the classic yandere archetype. A sweet, love-struck girl ends up falling into violence fueled by romantic obsession. This culminates in the anime's infamous ending, which sees her killing her romantic rival Sekai and holding Makoto's severed head on a boat.
7 Esdeath (Akamega Kill!)
A sadistic torturer who wants complete control over the protagonist.
Kill Akame!
- release date
- July 7, 2014
- studio
- white fox
- creator
- Takahiro
Esdeath is one of the creepiest examples of a yandere, she instantly falls for Tatsumi and decides he must be hers at any cost. However, unlike other yandere characters, Esdeath is more stoic and in control of her emotions, even when torturing people.
She refuses to accept that Tatsumi does not reciprocate her feelings and continues to pursue him even after learning that he is a member of Night Raid. As the series progresses, she becomes more desperate, even going so far as to have Tatsumi executed rather than leave him with someone else.
6 Karasu (Yuyu Hakusho)
Kurama is dangerously obsessed with Kurama, to the point where he wants to kill him.
Yuyu Hakusho
- release date
- October 10, 1992
- studio
- Pierrot
- creator
- Yoshihiro Togashi
Karasu's attraction to Kurama is almost inseparable from his desire to kill him and take full control of his fate. His obsession is less about romantic affection and more about the desire to dominate and ultimately annihilate Kurama, which he views as a disturbingly intimate act.
What makes him particularly creepy is how quietly and softly he speaks when expressing his 'love' and intentions for Kurama. Karasu is also a full-fledged sadist and enjoys playing mind games with his victims, especially Kurama.
5 Himiko Toga (My Hero Academia)
The desire to become someone who literally consumes and ‘loves’.
- release date
- April 3, 2016
- studio
- bone
- creator
- Kohei Horikoshi
Himiko Toga's quirk involves transforming into a human by consuming human blood, so it's natural that she's quite uneasy. In particular, her views on love are somewhat violent, and she believes that hurting someone and shedding blood is a form of intimacy.
She develops a special obsession with Izuku Midoriya and Ochako Uraraka, causing her to obsessively pursue them in order to 'become' them. Because of his tragic childhood, he has a somewhat distorted view of love and affection, and he sees nothing wrong with his obsession with drawing blood from his subjects.
4 Sato Matsuzaka (Happy Sugar Life)
Kidnapping anyone she supposedly loves and will do anything to capture them.
Happy Sugar Life
- release date
- July 14, 2018
- studio
- Ezula
- creator
- Tomiyaki Kagisora
Satou Matsuzaka is a particularly twisted example of a yandere in that her possessiveness targets an eight-year-old girl named Shio Kobe. Sato kidnaps a young girl in the name of 'love', and she is willing to do anything, even murder, to keep him dependent and isolated.
Satou desperately longs for the love and affection that he believes only Shio can provide. She dreams of a 'happy sugar life' with Shio, and is prone to extreme actions when this dream is threatened.
3 Shion Sonozaki (When Higurashi Cries)
Due to family abuse, she developed an unhealthy attachment to Satoshi and committed several murders in his name.
When Higurashi Cries
- release date
- April 5, 2006
- studio
- Studio Dean, Passione
Shion Sonozaki's transformation into a yandere is especially tragic. Considering the years of neglect and abuse she suffered from her family. She falls in love with Satoshi. Because Satoshi was the first person to show her kindness. So when Satoshi disappears, she takes it upon herself to get revenge on him.
She tortures and kills everyone she believes were involved in Satoshi's apparent death, including his children and family. What is most tragic is that she came to regret her actions too late, after they had already taken several innocent lives.
2 Yuno Gasai (Future Diary)
Her obsessive love for Yukiteru leads her to commit extreme and violent acts.
future diary
- release date
- October 10, 2011
- studio
- Asread
- creator
- Esno Sakae
Yuno Gasai is probably the most famous yandere in all of anime and manga because of how intense and cruel her obsessions are. Yuno vows to 'protect' her love interest Yukiteru Amano in the survival game of Deus Ex Machina, which means killing anyone who tries to get close to her.

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Yuno's obsession with Yukiteru is all-consuming, and he even states that he does not care about anyone but himself. She also checks all the boxes of a typical yandere. A girl who is sweet, feminine and affectionate on the outside, but can become dangerously possessive and obsessive when her love interest is involved.
1 Lucy/Kaede (Elphen lies)
Violent tendencies emerge from a mixture of tragic trauma and obsessive romance.
Elfen lies
- release date
- July 25, 2004
- studio
- weapon
- creator
- Rin Okamoto
Lucy is a pretty complex example of a yandere with many different personalities. Her violent tendencies come not simply from her obsessive romance, but from a combination of her traumatic childhood and her personality as a Diclonius. Kaede, her original personality as a child, best exemplifies the yandere archetype.
Lucy falls in love with young Kouta because, as Kaede, he is the first person to treat her kindly. When she learns that Kouta attended the festival with his female cousin Yuka, she becomes consumed with jealousy and uses her vector to brutally kill Kouta's younger sister and father. The only thing that stopped her from killing Yuka was Kouta's cries for her to stop.

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