Dere Directory: A Comprehensive Guide to -Dere Archetypes

I just decided I should do other posts besides reviews since I'm lacking content on my blog, and I came up with creating a Dere Directory! Scouring the Internet for different types of our lovable anime stereotypes, I found 9 main -dere personalities so let's take our time and examine each.

1) Tsundere 

Starting off our list is the Tsundere, probably the most famous and well known stereotype in the anime industry! The word tsundere is derived from the onomatopoeic terms tsuntsun (meaning cold, blunt, rash, violent, tough, hostile, etc.) and deredere (meaning sweet, gentle, lovestruck) to form a word describing a person who maybe 'tsun' at first, but has a sweet, loving side.

Tsunderes, once in love, are famous for their characteristics such as:

- saying "It's not like I'm doing this because I like you or anything" or something similar
- calling their love interest an idiot (repeatedly) or claiming to hate them (yeah right)
-  blushing while muttering a weak "arigatou" which the lead char. won't probably hear
- forces herself to hate/be disgusted at the lead char. but actually experiences love

Basically, a character who denies her love for someone and acts tough/hostile outside towards that person, while actually caring/liking him inside. I just read something interesting in a reddit thread, in where there are two types of tsunderes:

Classic Tsundere - tsun at the start while gradually warming up to the person she likes as her character develops to a more 'dere' one (mainly found in the romance genre)

Modern Tsundere - switches from tsun to dere or back spontaneously and dramatically (mainly found in the comedy / harem genre)

2) Kuudere

Next up is the Kuudere, from the terms "Kuu" (cool, calm, collected) and deredere. Almost a complete opposite of the Tsundere. Kuuderes are slowly rising in terms of popularity because of their unemotional, almost innocent personalities that develop into something cute and 'dere' when the person they love comes along. They usually have a lot of self-control, speak in a monotone voice, and may seem emotionless but acts of kindness actually get to them and they may just fall for a person who treats them with such.

Kuuderes are almost taking over the romance genre: A bishoujo playing cool and unemotional shows a unique, supper cute appeal to the viewers when they finally break out of their comfort zone and display their emotions. Being unemotional / innocent most of the time, if a kuudere lets as much as a slight blush cover their face or a single squeal get out, the audience swoons; and watching a kuudere lose her composure and try to let her emotions be felt by the one she loves is never boring.

3) Dandere

Danderes are almost too similar to Kuuderes but have one other defining characteristic: being antisocial. "Dan" comes from the word 'Danmari' meaning "silent" making Danderes characters who rarely communicate with others. Their being anti-social may be caused by reasons like being too shy, too scared, too awkward, put into an isolated environment, or even maybe having a condition/disability. These make them characters who don't usually keep company and prefer to be by themselves.

The Dandere-type doesn't seem as popular because of its absurd similarity to the kuudere and its tendency to be erased when a lead character becomes friends with them (causing them to develop their character and overcome their anti-social nature).

Personally I only know a few examples who may fit in this category: the most popular being Nagato Yuki (Haruhi Suzumiya series), and arguably Misaki Mei (Another), Hyuuga Hinata (Naruto), Shiina Mashiro (Sakurasou), and Shiraishi Urara (Yamada-kun) solely for being antisocial at the beginning of their respective animes.

4) Yandere

Once in a while, a very rare kind of -dere appears... and it's the Yandere! Why so rare, you ask? Yandere is derived from terms Yanderu (to be sick) and deredere, meaning an unhealty infatuation or devotion that can often be destructive. Yanderes have tendencies to hurt others who might hinder her relationship with a love interest, and may even hurt the person she loves if he doesn't love her back/ interacts with other potential lovers.

Among the different types Yandere is definitely the most unique, and rarely has connections to other dere archetypes simply because of its dark concept (obsession) which leads to people involving the yandere's loved one getting hurt. Although Yanderes prove very hostile to most people, they display a loving 'dere' personality to the person they like, and seem normal when interacting with this person.

Famous examples would be Gasai Yuno (Mirai Nikki) who would kill for Yuki, and Senjougahara (Monogatari Series) who would either hurt or hurt for Araragi. Other examples would be Kotonoha and Sekai from School Days.

5) DereDere

Deredere must definitely be THE most boring -dere archetype. Derederes have only one side to them, which is being sweet, loving, caring, generally being 'dere' to everyone. Usually only included in comedy animes as side characters, possibly a younger sister archetype. I did label derederes as 'boring' since it offers almost no character development (which is what I look for) they can still be cute and charming, and can hold their own against the other archetypes. I a popular Deredere would be Nagisa (Clannad) who played a dramatic role (hehe) despite not having a side personality.

6) Himedere / Kamidere 

I guess I should note this -dere type as it is appearing in a lot more shows lately. Hime means "princess" and Kami means "god", meaning these archetypes refer to characters who think they are of higher standing than common people, (thus referring to themselves as royalty or gods/goddesses) but actually have a dere side to them. Ojou-samas would be classified here as well (rich girls who think they're a class above others). These deres usually have a tsuntsun side with them, and may be considered a subtype of the tsundere.

7) Others 

• Mayadere - start off as an enemy but switches sides when she falls in love
• Bakadere - ditzy, clumsy, airhead, but deredere of course
• Tsunshun - a tsuntsun who gets depressed after insulting someone
• Yangire - someone who would kill for friends and family rather than love/romance
• Undere - always agrees / says yes / approves to gain favor 

If you have anything to add, comment below ^_^ I hope the list helps!

References:

http://kotaku.com/how-to-identify-popular-japanese-character-types-1169085239

https://www.asianfanfics.com/blog/view/411262/url

Images:

http://gasaiyuno14.deviantart.com

http://www.zerochan.net/1432354

http://www.zerochan.net/670134