There are many crazy characters in anime – and also many with great feelings. When these meet in madness, you get a yandere.
Even though the world of anime has created a lot of clichés and archetypes of characters, there are a few that are always particularly well received by fans. One of these archetypes is the “Yandere”. Mostly young women with a pathological obsession, whose love and misguided protective instinct is often the trigger for acts of violence.
You won’t find a more loyal soul than a Yandere – but also no one who turns life upside down (or even ends it) so destructively.
Because Yandere are so popular, we’ll show you the 5 best (or worst) Yandere and the anime series they come from.
What is a “Yandere”?
Yandere refers to (usually female) characters in anime who are in love with another person. This love does not always have to be reciprocated and often takes on pathological traits. Yanderes are usually caring and loving towards the person they love, but at the same time they can become psychotic murderers when jealousy or the threat of abandonment arises. “Yandere” is a combination of the words yanderu (“to be sick”) and deredere (“to be in love”).
Even though the majority of yandere characters in anime are female, the term is fundamentally gender neutral and there are male yandere as well.
Yuno Gasai-Mirai Nikki
Alternative names: The Future Diary
Genre: Action, Supernatural
Episodes: 26
Stream available on: Currently no streaming provider known. Available for purchase only.
What is Mirai Nikki about? The god of time has grown old. To find a successor, he organizes a murderous game. Twelve participants are given different diaries that predict their future. Using these predictions, they must try to kill each other in order to be the last remaining participant at the end.
Yukiteru, who is not very quick-witted, ends up in this game more by chance. However, he had the clever Yuno Gasai at his side – who will not allow Yuki to meet an early death under any circumstances.
What makes Yuno Gasai a yandere? Yuno Gasai is considered by many to be the archetype of modern Yandere – sometimes referred to as the “Queen of Yandere”. In particular, her image from the first episode, in which she holds her own face in her hands and looks obsessively into the camera, has become a meme and is often representative of Yandere in general – it has often been synonymous with the “Overattached Girlfriend.” ” memes used.
Spoiler: This is what happens next with Yuno Gasai
In the series, Yuno will stop at nothing to protect Yuki. Not only does she kill enemies, but she also ties up Yuki and imprisons him to “protect him from the environment.” Yuno doesn’t even stop at destroying time itself. Whether with a knife or a gun – as long as Yuno helps her beloved Yuki in some way, she has a soulful smile on her face.
Satou Matsuzaka – Happy Sugar Life
Alternative names: White Sugar Garden, Black Salt Cage
Genre: Drama, Yuri, Horror
Episodes: 12
Stream available on: Currently no streaming provider known. Available for purchase only.
What is Happy Sugar Life about? Happy Sugar Life revolves around the story of Satou Matsuzaka – a student who works part-time and apparently lives in an apartment with the mysterious girl Shio. Satou is hopelessly in love with Shio and every minute with the little girl is the most beautiful thing she could ever imagine – her “Happy Sugar Life”. But this life is put in danger when more and more people start looking for the missing Shio.
The heart of the series is a variety of characters who all come into contact with Satou and mostly have a traumatic past behind them, which now leads them to irrational actions.
What makes Satou Matsuzaka a yandere? Satou does absolutely everything to preserve her “happy sugar life” with little Shio. She knows that Shio is wanted by the police, her family and a few others, so she locks her in the apartment. She is a kidnapper, even if she manipulates Shio in a way that the girl barely understands.
Spoiler: This is what happens next with Satou Matsuzaka
When the secret threatens to be revealed, Satou himself kills long-time friends, manipulates teachers and classmates, and sets his own apartment on fire to cover up all traces. Although Satou’s love is fanatical and morbid, she remains an intelligent and calculating character.
When Satou and Shio ultimately decide to die together by jumping from a high-rise building, Satou changes this decision at the last moment – and saves little Shio’s life as a sign of her perfect love, which at the same time damages her psyche forever.
More crazy Yandere Waifus on the next page.