I’ve written about dere types before. I even made a whole post about what I consider to be the baffling archetype of tsunderes as well as the super-rare tsunshun. I even have a Quick and Easy Guide to Becoming Any (or all) “dere” Type. But lately, I see people talking about all sorts of dere types, half of them I never even heard of before.
I figured was time to refresh my dere knowledge and I’m taking all of you with me!

I can’t explain why I have always liked learning about the different dere types. I think a little part of me just likes categorizing stuff. That’s probably why I went into the natural sciences. Half of that is just putting everything into little boxes. And lucky for me, fandoms, in general, like to assign occasionally arbitrary labels to everything so it works out.
After looking into it a bit, it seems there are actually quite a lot of dere types that have popped up recently. From just general archetypes to very precise character cases, it seems that the fandom is set on slowly categorizing just about every possible personality into a dere.
Because of that, I can’t possibly go into detail on every dere type I read about. The post would become unmanageably long and I doubt any of you would enjoy that much. So instead I’m going to pick a somewhat random sample of the types I liked the most. If you guys enjoy this post, maybe I can do some follow-ups in the future to fill in the blanks!
Here we go.

I started thinking about this subject in the first place because a reader mentioned Shunderes and how much they liked them. These guys are essentially the bummer characters. They are characters that are deeply depressed and almost constantly sad for no particular reason. Kind of like Eeyore. But I guess they also have a crush on someone. Their counterparts are the Utsuderes who are also deeply depressed characters but they have a known narrative reason for being sad.
There are tons of examples of the sad boy/girl with the tragic past (or sometimes present). It’s probably one of the more common archetypes out there. Those who know me won’t be too surprised to find out that it’s definitely not my favourite character type. I find that they are very difficult to write. But I think that when a series manages to pull them off right, they can be very touching or insightful characters.

Dorodere is actually one that came up a lot. It seems to have gained quite a bit of popularity. The basic description is that this is a character that acts very sweet, happy and kind, but is in fact filled with anger, frustration and general negative feelings. Unlike the classic tsundere, for instance, they never let that “bad side” show but rather work behind the scenes and in secret. In practice, I’m not6 entirely sure how different these characters are from a basic yandere. From what I’ve read, the main distinction is that Doroderes first, never let anyone find out their true feelings, whereas most people eventually see that Yanderes are not what they seem. And second, Doroderes are in complete control. Their actions are calculated and they can bide their time.
I’m sure I’ve seen characters like this although I can’t really think of one. The internet suggests Danganrompa’s Nagito but to me, he’s clearly cuckoo-for-cocoa-puffs. Maybe Minori from Toradora. She’s not hiding any particularly aggressive or predatory tendencies but she is covering up a complete mental breakdown, depression and spite beneath a cheerful, excessively positive demeanour.

One type I actually really liked on paper is the Mayadere. I think this one stood out to me because rather than being linked to a personality type, it actually describes a narrative trope. The Mayadere is an antagonist, often a powerful and dangerous one, who does a face turn (i.e. turns good) after falling in love with one of the protagonists. I can think of a few and I actually really like this convention. It’s often cheesy but who doesn’t love cheese? It’s delicious!
Another type I came across is the Darudere. When it comes right down to it, these characters are very loving and loyal to their chosen one(s) but it’s buried under this unbelievably lazy personality. They are just so lackadaisical that it can seem like they don’t care, but they do! This does sound incredibly dull, except a lot of the examples I found are characters I really like. Kuro from Servamp seems to be the archetype and I can clearly see it. There is also Gintoki as a frequent example and Murasakibura from Kuroko no Basuke. Both are awesome guys. It seems I have a thing for lazy characters. And you know, when I think about it, it does sound like me…

Eroderes are characters with a lot of potential but unfortunately, I think I’ve only seen the archetype used for pure fanservice without any development. The idea behind this type is that the characters hide their embarrassment or feelings behind sexually aggressive or pervy behaviour. They come on very strong but when their feelings are exposed or they get actually called out on their advances, they turn all shy and reserved. In principle that’s very cute. And there’s an interesting potential to explore gender roles and societal norms regarding sexual behaviour and what’s considered promiscuity. It’s just that I have never seen the dere type used this way. I’ve only seen it in secondary characters, often in shows that didn’t seem to care about them.
Yottadere is simply defined as a character that is noteworthy for their constant drinking of alcohol. And I feel a little singled out. The thing is, I’m not clear on where the dere part comes in. These characters don’t seem to be defined in any way by their relationships with others. Maybe they just love alcohol? By itself, it’s not exactly a very interesting archetype but they do fit in around here!

Megaderes are kind of fun. They are essentially stans! Basically, they fanboy/girl over their love interest. They don’t really seek to monopolize them, they are hyper supportive don’t get jealous of other people who share their love. They are just eternal cheerleaders. Now doesn’t that sound fantastic! A good example is Tomoyo from Cardcaptor Sakura. Her feelings for Sakura often seem to dip into the romantic but she shows no sign of possessiveness. She simply thinks Sakura is awesome and wants her to be her best self. I want a Megadere!
Another archetype that is better defined by their circumstances than personality is the Kekkondere. These guys simply want to get married. Like right now! Nice, clear-cut description. And they have their eye on a specific spouse. The one that immediately came to mind for me is Marie from Soul Eater.

There are tons of variations of Tsundere that all sound pretty much the same. Characters that either hide their feelings behind some type of aggression, animosity or abrasiveness or feel compelled to be mean in some way to their crush. It seems the Tsuderes (for the record a character type I tend to dislike) are so popular that they’ve been further defined in minute detail. Some are the type that physically assaults their crush but doesn’t insult them. Some want to bully their crush all the time while others just lash out when they get embarrassed, which happens a lot.
The one I found the most fun because it’s sounds the most ridiculous is the Onideres. These might be the variation of Tsudere I actually don’t dislike. Essentially they have a devil complex. In that, they actually think they are some type of demon lords and treat all others accordingly! But they get all sweet and cuddly with their special someone. It’s a ridiculous archetype that’s usually used as a joke and is often way less abusive than the other Tsun types. There’s actually a manga called Onidere.

Finally, in the slightly what the heck category, we have the Nemuidere. These guys sleep all the time. That’s it. Once again, I’m not entirely sure how that fits with the whole dere aspect but I think that they’re in love with sleep. I respect that! Also sleeping anime characters are often cute so it’s a win!
There you go. This is my first foray into the extended world of dere types. Did you like it? Would you like to see more? Are there any specific dere types you are curious about or just really like?

Seems like for “dorodere” you should just read “psychopath”…
That sums up a lot of them
I think Aleister Crowly from A Certain Magical Index is a Erodere. The definition you provided fits him perfectly, and what’s more, he even got called out for that. Sadly, the moment was in the light novel, not in anime because anime never adapted that part.
Awww, that is too bad!
Since you talked about nemuidere (and I read that you played A3!), Hisoka falls into this category although he isn’t really a “dere” because A3! isn’t a dating sim. I feel like maybe nemuideres are growing in numbers? Silver from Disney Twisted Wonderland apparently can’t stop himself from falling asleep tho it may have to do with his dorm and setting’s reference to the Sleeping Beauty and other Disney told fairytales.
Oh yeah! I do remeber that sleepyhead! Good call
Inspired by Dawn-chan, and apparently having nothing better to do with my time, I typed these terms in katakana on my localized version of Google JP, just to gauge the level of use in Japanese fandom.
For reference’s sake:
Tsundere — 24,100,000 hits
Yandere — 11,900,000 hits
Now, as for our new terms:
Shundere — 507 hits
Utsudere — 176 hits
Dorodere — 7,080 hits
Mayadere — 471 hits
Darudere — 181,000 hits
Erodere — 1,470 hits
Yottadere — 4 hits*
Megadere — 262,000 hits
Kekkondere — 51 hits*
Onidere — 14,300 hits (not much considering there’s a manga with that name)
Nemuidere — 1 hit* (lol)
*Including kanji & hiragana for these three terms ( “酔ったデレ” / “結婚デレ” / “眠いデレ”) got me 886 / 93 / 104 hits respectively.
Were you to type the same in Latin alphabet, on my localized version of Google US:
Shundere — 20,200 hits
Utsudere — 5,060 hits
Dorodere — 10,700 hits
Mayadere — 147,000 hits
Darudere — 14,300 hits
Erodere — 361,000 hits
Yottadere — 2,050 hits
Megadere — 116,000 hits
Kekkondere — 2,660 hits
Onidere — 88,200 hits
Nemuidere — 6,550 hits
A considerably higher number of hits here, Darudere & Megadere excepted. A particular highlight is Erodere, for which the score is ~250 times higher!! Westerners, how horny can you get…
Coming back to the original question… And — speaking of horny — with the pressing matter of Dress-Up Darling Ep12 awaiting me… The possibility exists that many of these terms originated in obscure corners of Japanese fandom, and gained wider currency among international fans. But Dawn-chan is very right to put big question marks on Nemuidere, plus a couple more.
I still think they are mostly 4chan and might have spread to Japanese speakers rather than the other way around
For a few of these terms, that’s almost certainly the case. As for the rest, yes it’s a possibility that cannot be ruled out.
Great research there.
Just to be silly, I typed Nekodere into google, and got 9490 hits. That’s low. I know because the real term, as I learned, is Nyandere (50.000 hits). The lesson here is probably that you shouldn’t try to outsilly the internet and choose cats.
Dawn-chan, you & your cats… Seeing Murr every other day wasn’t enough??
In all seriousness, I too would instinctively go with Nekodere. With hindsight, maybe Nyandere started out as wordplay with the established term Yandere. Which isn’t to say that you’d define Nyanderes as deranged psychos, but instead that online fandoms tend to reward self-referential behavior, no matter how thin the link meow be.
Yattadere! Okay, I can embrace that. Mainly because I think it will be fun to shout whilst in my cups and watching anime. Yattadere! Of all the labels put forth for me, I’ll take that one!
It is fun to say and easy to slur after a few
But I don’t want to be a “dere”!!… Also my psychiatrist says if I keep changing my dere I’ll need to have my antidepressants increased…
Well that was awkward… Hmm… His hobby is sleeping?!? Mine too!!… Bye.
I haven’t heard a single one of these terms. Terms like “nemuidere” seem to suggest that the “dere” is slowly acquiring the meaning “character type”. Do these types come from Japan, or do they originate in western geekdom? I wonder…
That’s a great question. I want to say Western but I don’t know why