In anime,tsundereis short for two abbreviations,tsuntsunandderedere. These abbreviations can be described as the moods of a tsundere character: the ‘irritable’ mood (also known as Tsuntsun) and the ‘lovestruck’ one (Deredere). These people would appear rude or mean, but they are huge softies inside.
However, they only show this soft side to their love interests (and those they care about). A tsundere personality in anime can range from mean, dramatic, lovestruck, and many, many more. It depends on the way they were raised and how much it affected their childhood. For fans who lovetsundere anime characters, then they shouldn’t miss out on these people.
Hetalia: Axis Powershas been left out since it has so manytsundere male charactersthat picking one is difficult. That said, characters like Germany and England are fun examples of this archetype.
Updated on June 03, 2025, by Mark Sammut:Male tsundere anime charactersare somewhat part of theWinter 2025 lineup, although not to that huge of an extent. The most obvious example is probably Honey Lemon Soda’s Kai, who is fairly abrasive toward Uka but generally has her best interests at heart. Medaka Kuroiwa is Impervious to My Charms' eponymous character could also qualify, although he is unique since his actions are driven by the fact he is training to become a monk and has to reject human temptation, which comes in the form of Mona. Blue Exorcist: The Blue Night Saga’s Shirou is also a good example of a traditional tsundere. These characters might be added to this discussion once the season ends, but it is too soon for them to make an appearance.
In the meantime, a character from one of the best romance anime has been added.
Takumi Aldiniis a supporting character in theShokugeki No Soma (Food Wars)series. Takumi and his brother, Isami Aldini, came from Italy to study at Tōtsuki Culinary Academy. In the end, his hard work and effort paid off ashe joined the Elite Ten Counciland became the seventh seat.
At first, Takumi gives the impression of a serious person who only thinks about winning a Shokugeki. But after spending time with Takumi, his friends realize this is just a facade to hide his Tsuntsun side. Because once everyone gets to know him, they witness how Takumi Aldini cares about them and encourages them to do their best. Sometimes he even helps his self-proclaimed rival, Yukihira Soma.
Katsuki Bakugohas to be one of the most violent, blunt, loud, and rude characters to ever exist inMy Hero Academia. He likes to make fun of his peers, especially Midoriya by calling him ‘Deku’, and prefers to work alone since he believes he’s the strongest. This caused many problems either with his classmates or teachers.
Although he has many bad traits, there are equally good traits. He starts to slowly open up to those around him in U.A and eventually earns their respect. Bakugo will sometimes even help his friends with unimportant things like cooking while yelling at them, revealing his dere side while keeping the composure of a tsun.
Honestly,Dragon Ballhas quite a few characters with tsundere tendencies, covering both genders (and multiple races). Piccolo is a prime candidate, especially during the early parts ofDBZ, butVegetais arguably the more famous one. Putting aside all his murderous rampaging as a villain, the prideful Saiyan prince is pretty much constantly unwilling to show affection or appreciation, not only for his “friends” like Goku but also for his family.
Now, to be fair, Vegeta evolves into a decent husband and father byDragon Ball Super, and he might be quite a bit warmer at home than he is prepared to show in public. However, the anime rarely spotlights that part of the Saiyan’s life, so he still comes across as someone who prefers to keep people at a distance.
Yuki Rurikawais part of the Summer Troupe and one of the first characters to join this troupe in the Mankai Theater. He usually comes off as blunt and rude due to how people mistreat him because of his unique style. As a defense mechanism, Yuki often fights with others and doesn’t mind getting his word across, even if it hurt.
Later on, the designer starts to show more of his kind and caring side to the other members,especially if they are getting bullied. Yuki can also be very headstrong and stubborn in defending his friends as he starts to care about them in a very tsundere style, by ending it with a ‘Don’t get the wrong idea!’, which is a very tsundere move.
The main male protagonist in the animeWolf Girl & Black Prince,Kyouya Satais considered a ‘prince’ in his school because he treats everyone with sweet and polite manners. What everyone may not know is that it’s a mask to hide his sadistic nature. This side of him only comes out in the presence of Erika Shinohara. It all started when Erika asked him to pretend to be her boyfriend, and he agreed on one condition, she had to become his ‘wolf girl’.
At first, Kyouya Sata only used her to pass time and didn’t reciprocate her feelings. However, after spending a lot of time together, he developed a protective attitude towards Erika whenever she associated with other guys. He would often get jealous and only show his soft side to her. Eventually, Kyouya ‘promoted’ her from his ‘pet’ to his actual girlfriend and confessed his feelings.
Zero Kiryuis both a Vampire Hunter and an Ex-Human Vampire, as well as one of the main leads in the animeVampire Knight. He harbors great resentment towards vampires, Pureblood in particular, because of his past. Therefore, he is always seen protecting Yuki Kuran, his love interest, when the Night Class emerges,as most of them are vampires. Additionally, she is the only one who is treated as a friend by Zero, since most of the time he reveals his genuine emotions to her.
Usually, Zero emits a scary aura that makes the Day Class wary of him. However, Zero Kiryu fights relentlessly to protect humans as a Vampire Hunter and his cold personality is probably to push everyone away for their protection.
The main protagonist ofInuyashais theson of a human motherand a great demon father, making him a half-demon. Because of his mixed breed,Inuyashasuffered a lot during his childhood and grew up to be cynical and trusted no one. Nonetheless, after meeting Kagome Higurashi and gaining friends, he opened up his heart and entrusted his life to them.
Because he lost many people (due to him being shunned) as a kid, Inuyasha rarely expresses his actual feelings. Despite his toughness, he forged strong bonds with his comrades and couldn’t hide how deeply he cares about everyone and considered them a family. Each of them, in their own way, saved Inuyasha from his loneliness, and vice versa.
Naoki Irieand Kotoko Aihara are the main protagonists in theItazura Na Kiss (Playful Kiss)series. It is rumored that Naoki has an IQ of 200, which is whyhe is placed number one in Japan. Because of his intelligence and constant success, he considers life boring and has no hopes or dreams, until he met Kotoko.
At first, Naoki considered her dumb and treated her coldly. Later on, after Kotoko moved in with her father to the Irie household, Naoki gradually started warming up to her until he fell in love. His tsundere personality shines through when he’s with Kotoko as he seems indifferent in front of her. But in reality, he cares deeply about her and expresses his feelings privately.
Miyuki Shiroganeis the Student Council President at Shuchi’in Academy in the animeKaguya-Sama: Love Is War. The funny thing about Miyuki is that he doesn’t try to hide his tsundere side and doesn’t mind showing it. The idea about this anime is that the main characters are both tsundere and refuse to confess their feelings to each other.
Although the Student Council President appears indifferent, prideful, and very self-confident on the outside, Miyuki is actually quite selfless and doesn’t mind helping other students solve their problems.
Takishima Keiis the lead inthe animeSpecial A. He is ranked number one in the entire school and is the top student in S.A. Takishima is considered a prodigy and won many intellectual prizes which allowed him to help his father in running a company. Because he is a prodigy, many people don’t want to be friends with him as they see him as different. This causes him to do everything by himself, at least until Hikari Hanazono shows up. She is his childhood friend, and he fell in love with her when they were six. Currently, she is ranked number two.
Takishimaoften teases her by addressing Hikari as ‘Miss Second Place’ or ‘Number Two’ to get a reaction out of her. He usually has a cold and stoic personality unless he’s talking to her. Takishima later becomes more friendly and happy, and it is confirmed by his friends that it is due to Hikari’s influence.
