Hooked On Yandere: Your Deadly Anime Girl Obsession, Explained

Do you like being obsessed over? Do you like being your sweetheart’s and nobody else’s? Okay, here’s another one – do you want a girl that’s willing to get a little blood on her hands for you? If you answered “yes” to any of these, bad news: you’ve got yandere fever.

But what is a yandere? And for that matter, what does yandere mean? The term itself is actually a combo of two preexisting Japanese words: yanderu (mentally ill) and deredere (sweet n’ affectionate.) From their inception, yandere were designed to commodify and fetishize mentally ill women to an otaku audience. The appeal of a yandere is that they’re a lot like Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction, in that that they’ll sweet talk you one second and cook your dog the next. The yandere girl is one of several different dere personality types, each coming with their own unique quirks.

The trope itself existed in 80s and 90s anime, but it was only during the aughts that it came into its own. It’s impossible to talk about yandere without talking about School Days – arguably the birth of the trend as we understand it today. Kotonoha, the oft-wronged love interest of the game, would begin to react towards the player in increasingly violent ways if they were unfaithful. This would either culminate in her suicide or the player’s murder. In the anime adaptation – released in 2007 – the writers decided to lean into Kotonoha’s instability. The result was a beautiful and haunting narrative about the dangers of infidelity, capped off with one of the best endings in anime history.

Things only got more deadly from there. After School Days, the trope was in full swing. Soon, dating sims and harem shows alike started getting their token yandere characters, while series like Future Diary, Higurashi, and Death Note continued to give fans fresh baddies to crush on. By the 2010s, characters like Toko Fukawa and Himiko Toga – violent, unhinged cuties with a soft spot – were a dime a dozen in popular anime and manga. Yandere hentai also became very popular, of course, as anything popular in anime must also have hentai of it... it is law!

Misa Amane, a truly unhinged yandere girl, from the anime Death Note.

But why does this trope persist? It makes total sense if you think about it from an otaku’s perspective. Generally speaking, otaku are socially isolated and deeply entrenched in their media. In other words, anime, manga, hentai, and video games aren’t just hobbies for the most devoted otaku – they’re ways of life. With that being the case, a woman obsessed with each and every little they do is a fantasy come true. They can be doted on and fixated over, which isn’t something they’re getting from a tsundere or a deredere. And the fact that a yandere is so fiercely protective – deathly so – is all the more appealing.

“Can a boy be a yandere?” you might ask. Well… not really. See, yandere is kind of the resting state for how a lot of “bad boy” romantic leads act. It’s expected for men to be protective to the point of violence, speaking purely in terms of social doctrine. There’s a certain level of violence and instability that’s just not as acceptable for women to embody, and that’s where the yandere kick comes in. A good yandere is, really, just a sexy anime girl Edward Cullen. Watches you when you sleep? Hurts people for you? Seems a little too into you? Check, check, and double check. While there are some male characters people classify as yandere, it’s really only a term most people use for femmes.

Yandere girls have become a mainstay in many anime and hentai entertainment mediums which include a large cast of girls. It's no surprise that yandere hentai game characters are quite common.... and usually deadly!

Nutaku’s host to a number of games that feature these creepy cuties in their ranks. It’s easy to fall for an off-kilter sweetheart with a dash of bloodlust. Don’t worry, though – these yandere won’t actually be stalking you!

Yandere-Chan (Project QT)

It doesn’t get much more on-the-nose than a girl literally named Yandere, does it? It’s like her parents wanted to give a self-fulfilling prophecy or something. Yandere-chan takes the name in stride, though, and acts accordingly. She’s found her way to another dimension – a parallel world – to find her missing boyfriend. But before she gets to him? She’s going to take care of any other girl that gets in her way.

Ayano (Crush Crush)

You’re introduced to Ayano mid-crime. She offs Generica, your childhood sweetie and the girl you confessed your feelings to. From then on, she’s protective to an alarming degree. Her sporty ponytail means hair won’t get in her eyes when she’s… well, you know. And while it’s a little scary that she likes taking a baseball bat to innocent animals, don’t worry. Ayano is a perfect angel at heart. Just don’t let her see you with any other girl. Who knows what might happen?

Justine (Harem Heroes)

Unlike Yandere-chan and Ayano, Justine has no romantic pretense. She’s a proud pervert, a sexual deviant with a constant thirst for the hardest and hottest sex possible. Justine’s so thirsty, in fact, that she’ll literally kill and spring herself from institutions just to get her fix. A threat and a menace, Justine’s a real-life succubus: pleasure at the ultimate price. But luckily, she can’t hurt anybody in the Haremverse. Maybe some of the raw, rough sex she’s been craving will set her right…

Nanase (My Neighbor is a Yandere!?)

At first it's easy to fall for Nanase. You wake up from a coma in a room that you don't know remember after having a mysterious accident. It's at this point that you meet the beautiful and kind Nanase who seems to have her heart on her sleeve. Not only is she stunning but she also tells you that she has been taking care of you for the past seven years. Oh my! Sometimes things seem a little too good to be true, right...? Well, you quickly realised that her temper is a little odd and scary. Even worst Nanase seems to have taken drastic and even extreme measure during the time you were out so that no one would find you. Whatever you do now you better not cross her or things might just get a little dicey!

Now – a word of warning. Yandere is a fun fantasy, and that’s all it should be. If anyone actually treats you this way in a relationship, tell someone you trust or call a crisis center. Fantasy is all about fun, and there’s nothing fun about emotional abuse!

With that said? Go forth and find yourself the perfect yandere waifu. The trend is still booming, with new shows almost every season featuring a token yandere character. With plenty of options to choose from – and plenty of Nutaku games to play – you’ll be crazy in love with these unhinged babes.