1. Yuno Gasai
Role: Second main character
Anime: Mirai Nikki
Genre: Action, Thriller, Supernatural
Episodes: 26
Stream available on: Currently no streaming provider known, only available for purchase.
Few Yandere characters are as well-known as Yuno Gasai. Especially her portrayal at the end of the first episode, where she holds her own face with her hands and obsessively stares into the camera, has become the basis for numerous memes and imitations. It is perhaps one of the most iconic images in all of anime history.
Most of the time, especially when she is alone with her beloved Yukiteru, Yuno can be described as cute and loving – indeed, as the best “waifu material.” However, this changes instantly as soon as Yuno perceives even the slightest threat to Yukiteru or their shared future. Then she instantly transforms into a psychopathic manipulator who does not shy away from violence and cruelty and devises plans that even endure across multiple timelines.
Even though Yuno Gasai is not the first pure Yandere, she has indeed become the embodiment of this character type. This is not only due to her detailed portrayal in Mirai Nikki but also simply to the fact that she is one of the two main characters of the series, thus getting significantly more screen time.
What terrible thing has Yuno done?
Yuno does not hesitate to sacrifice her classmates to an assassin who controls her school under the threat of explosives. In the later course of the series, she even captures Yukiteru, ties him to a chair, and forcibly feeds him to “protect him from himself and everyone else who could harm him.”
Besides the several murders of strangers, it is revealed towards the end of the series that Yuno even killed a version of herself to replace herself in a timeline where she has a new chance to win Yukiteru for herself.
Yandere characters are definitely one of the most exciting archetypes that anime have produced in the last few decades. Although the behavior of the characters often seems chaotic at first glance, there is a cold logic behind it, which is fundamentally based on a strong and often twisted notion of love. Accordingly, most series with such characters are also not suitable for younger viewers. Just like these 5 anime that you should only watch when you are over 16 years old.
