Crazy characters are plentiful in anime – and there are also many with intense feelings. When that meets madness, you get a Yandere.
Even though the world of anime has produced plenty of clichés and archetypes of characters, there are a few that continuously resonate well with fans. One of these archetypes is the “Yandere.” Usually young ladies with a pathological obsession, their love and misguided protective instincts often trigger acts of violence.
You won’t find a more loyal soul than a Yandere – but also no one who turns life upside down (or ends it) so destructively.
Because Yandere enjoy general popularity, we present to you here the 5 best (or worst) Yandere and the anime series they come from.
A Yandere refers to (typically female) characters in anime who are in love with another person. This love is not always reciprocated and often takes on pathological features. Thus, Yandere are usually caring and loving towards the person they love, but can also become psychotic killers when jealousy or the danger of being left comes into play. “Yandere” is a combination of the Japanese words Yanderu (“to be sick”) and deredere (“to be in love”).
Although Yandere characters are predominantly female in the anime sector, the term is fundamentally gender-neutral and there are also male Yandere.
Yuno Gasai – Mirai Nikki
Alternative names: The Future Diary
Genre: Action, Supernatural
Episodes: 26
Stream available on: Currently no known streaming provider. 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 receive different diaries that predict the future. Using these predictions, they must try to kill the other participants in order to be the last remaining participant in the end.
By sheer coincidence, the not-so-retort-minded Yukiteru gets caught up in this game. However, he has the clever Yuno Gasai by his side – who does 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 the modern Yandere – sometimes referred to as the “Queen of Yandere.” Especially her image from the first episode, where she holds her own face in her hands and looks into the camera with an obsessed loving gaze, has become a meme and often stands for Yandere in general – it has often been used interchangeably with the “Overattached Girlfriend” meme.
Spoiler: This is what happens next with Yuno Gasai
In the series, Yuno will stop at nothing to protect Yuki. She kills not only enemies but also binds Yuki and locks him up to “protect him from the outside world.” Yuno doesn’t even hesitate to destroy time itself. Whether with a knife or a gun – as long as Yuno is somehow helping her beloved Yuki, she has a soulful smile on her lips.
Satou Matsuzaka – Happy Sugar Life
Alternative names: White Sugar Garden, Black Salt Cage
Genre: Drama, Yuri, Horror
Episodes: 12
Stream available on: Currently no known streaming provider. Available for purchase only.
What is Happy Sugar Life about? Happy Sugar Life revolves around the story of Satou Matsuzaka – a student who works a part-time job 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 – it is her “Happy Sugar Life.” However, this life becomes endangered as more and more people begin searching for the missing Shio.
The heart of the series consists of various characters who come into contact with Satou and usually have a traumatic past, leading 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 being sought by the police, her family, and several others, and therefore locks her in the apartment. She is a kidnapper, even if she manipulates Shio into barely realizing this.
Spoiler: This is what happens next with Satou Matsuzaka
When the secret threatens to be exposed, Satou kills even long-time friends, manipulates teachers and classmates, and sets her own apartment on fire to destroy all evidence. Even though Satou’s love is fanatical and pathological, she remains an intelligent and calculating character.
When Satou and Shio ultimately decide to die together by jumping from a high building, Satou changes that decision at the last moment – and saves little Shio’s life as a sign of her complete love, which simultaneously injures the girl’s psyche forever.
More crazy Yandere waifus can be found on the next page.
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