"Oh, Arnold, how I love you. And yet I hate you! And yet I love you. And yet I hate you! And yet I LOVE you."
I'll
describe this topic... since it
figures that you wouldn't know what a Tsundere is. Look, if you
really must know, I
suppose that I'll tell you.
Just... consider yourself lucky that I just
happen to have an article handy, o-okay!
blush
Baka.
...
ahem...
Yes. So. The Japanese term
tsundere refers to a character who "runs hot and cold", alternating between two distinct moods:
tsuntsun
(
aloof or
irritable) and
deredere (
lovestruck).
The term was originally used to describe characters who began with a harsh outgoing personality, but
slowly revealed a soft and vulnerable interior over time. Over the years the character archetype has become
flanderized, and is now
generically associated with a character who flips between the two emotional states at the slightest provocation.
The tsuntsun can range from the "silent treatment" to "lovestruck kindergartener who pushes you into the sandbox." The reasons behind a Tsundere's behavior vary widely, but usually boil down to the conflict between their feelings of affection towards a love interest, and their reaction to having those feelings.
The Tsundere
stock characterization is very popular with writers of
Romantic Comedy because the conflicts between the two personality facets can be easily utilized to generate both drama and comedy. It also acts as a source of
Wish Fulfillment: specifically, the idea that every independent, hardened and
just plain jerkish love interest (male or female) has a squishy emotional centre that will embrace you after you crack the outer shell.
Tsundere can be divided into two main categories, depending on their default mood:
- Type A (alias Type Tsun or "harsh"): These Tsundere have tsuntsun as their default mood. It takes someone special to trigger their deredere side. The intensity of the tsuntsun can range from "I must glare and fight my way through life" (Louise of The Familiar Of Zero) to grumpy pessimism (Kagami of Lucky Star). It's about which part of the tsundere personality is the public face and which the hidden. If the Tsundere is The Rival, she is more likely to be Type A. Helping a rival out is usually accompanied by a line like "Don't get me wrong, I'm not doing this for you."
Type A can overlap with a Jerk with a Heart of Gold, but usually not. The moods of a Tsundere tend to switch in reaction to the actions of select people or adverse scenarios; the deredere side usually only comes out when someone has acted in a way to trigger it. A Jerk with a Heart of Gold is jerkish in general regardless of whether the other person is mean or nice, and shows their Hidden Heart of Gold only when the situation warrants, regardless of how the other person had been acting. Male characters in particular should be considered for Jerk with a Heart of Gold status, as arguably because of Double Standards, men are generally that instead of tsundere, although the kuudere subtype is more equally split in gender. Oranyan is sometimes used to refer to a male tsundere character - incorrectly since it means the complete opposite.
- Type B (alias Type Dere or "sweet"): These Tsundere have deredere as their default mood. They are sweet, kind and generous, but just happen to have a hidden violent side as well. In this case, temper is almost always triggered by someone or something else, usually a Love Interest. Either they have Belligerent Sexual Tension, are an Accidental Pervert, or just have no idea how to handle feelings of love and attraction. May also overlap with Violently Protective Girlfriend if her Love Interest is threatened or in danger.
Type B should not be confused with a Yandere. If a Type B Tsundere were really convinced that their Love Interest didn't want them, they would revert back to the deredere side and probably enter an I Want My Beloved to Be Happy phase.
See also the
Analysis page for more detailed information on common "strategies" employed by
Tsundere characters, and other, related topics.
this site has an explanation on the appeal of the tsundere character.
A common way of showing that a Tsundere has
mellowed or has had her heart won over by the
Love Interest is to have her shift from Type A to Type B. If her motivations are inquired, she will often engage in a
Suspiciously Specific Denial, complete with a
Luminescent Blush and total evasion of eye contact (cue the squeaks of
Moe Moe).
When paired with a
Jerk with a Heart of Gold, together they produce
Belligerent Sexual Tension. If done poorly the result is a
Jerk Sue. Compare with
Well, Excuse Me, Princess!,
Jerk Ass, and
Jerk with a Heart of Gold. Contrast with
Sour Outside Sad Inside, which shares the spiky exterior but has depression and self-doubt rather than kindness hiding underneath. When
Flanderized tends to overlap with
Mood Swinger. Also see
Don't You Dare Pity Me! and
Anger Born of Worry; both of them likely actions with this character type.
Aloof Ally may show the same hot-and-cold behavior but for differing reasons.
Shana Clone is a specific subtrope with a particular set of characteristics.
Please do not confuse this trope with a
Mood Swinger, who flips between
all the emotional states (not just tsuntsun and deredere) and is more of an inherent mental problem encompassing more than just their romantic life. Also don't confuse with
Playing Hard To Get, where a love interest
deliberately chooses not to reciprocate her pursuer's interest until she's sure he's hooked.
Psychologically, tsundere-like behavior could be an example of "splitting," a maladaptive coping mechanism wherein a person alternately idealizes and undervalues others, including potential romantic partners.
No Real Life Examples, Please!
Examples:
Huh? Did you
really read through the whole thing? Even the
Analysis page?
You're really determined...aren't you?
Ah! N-not that I noticed, or anything.
I'm just impressed by your attention span. Maybe. A little.
-
beat-
Stop looking at me like that!
