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Tsurime Eyes
aka: Upward Angled Eyes

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The smart, harsh Tsundere sister.

A particular style of drawing eyes in manga and anime where the outer corners slant upwards, ending in a distinct sharp point, used in contrast to the traditional Moe soft drooping style, Tareme. Tsurime symbolizes strong will, arrogance, or pride in a character. Most noticeable in female designs (since it plays against feminine stereotypes) and is a common tell-tale sign of Tsunderes, Emotionless Girls, Sugar and Ice types, and Action Girls. It's also a common (although not guaranteed) trait of the Seme in the Boys' Love Genre. Otherwise, tsurime are quite prevalent in male characters because they convey strong, reliable masculinity.

For something vaguely similar in western media, see Clint Squint. See also Good Eyes, Evil Eyes.

Not to be confused with Tsundere, though tsunderes commonly sport these sort of eyes.

Note that the me in tsurime actually means "eyes" in Japanese. We simply wish to be clearer, even if it comes off as redundant.

Its opposite is Tareme Eyes.

If a character normally has Tsurime and switches to Tareme it might signal a change in temperament, personality, or Heartwarming Moments.


Examples:

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    Anime & Manga 
  • In Arina Tanemura's manga, tsurime represent masculinity in male characters (most male characters have tsurime, except when they cross-dress), mysteriousness, experience or maturity in female characters. They're also used for villainesses in conjunction with slit pupils. Otherwise, female characters usually have tareme.
  • Tsurime are a hallmark of many of CLAMP's character designs, especially in Magic Knight Rayearth and some of the group's other older works.
  • In Afghanis-tan, Meriken has some pretty impressive ones.
  • Urd is Ah! My Goddess is depicted this way, as opposed to the Tareme Eyes design of her rather more innocent sisters. Episode 13 includes a humorous sight gag where she temporarily gets big moe eyes while imitating Skuld.
  • A simplified version appears in Anpanman. While most of the donburi characters have simple round eyes with pupils, Unadonman's eyes are almond shaped and point upwards. Even though nearly all of the donburi characters regard their donburi as number one, Unadonman takes it one step higher. He won't accept any food as being better than unadon, and looks down upon other characters. It's very common for episodes featuring him to knock him down a peg for thinking this.
  • Hayami from Assassination Classroom has these, combined with her serious personality and her marksmanship, which earns her the nickname "Tsundere Sniper".
  • Asteroid in Love:
    • Mikage Sakurai is the straightest example of this trope, as a girl with these eyes and being the Tsundere Only Sane Man of the cast.
    • Ao Manaka is an unusual zigzagged case. While she's always drawn with eyes like that, she's introduced as the most introverted member of the cast, which means she isn't this trope...until she Grew a Spine in the second volume, where she starts to bear the headstrongedness—and acting on it—that is the personality hallmark of this feature.
  • Krista Lenz from Attack on Titan is an interesting inversion. She has (or rather cultivated) a sweet, caring personality with Tsurime Eyes. Contrast Mikasa Ackerman, a ruthless killing machine with Tareme Eyes.
  • Azumanga Daioh: Kagura and Sakaki are depicted with these eyes.
  • In the Baccano! Light Novels, Luck Gandor is frequently described as "fox-eyed," which in the anime adaptation results in this kind of appearance.
  • In the BanG Dream! Girls Band Party!, The members of Pastel*Palettes, except Chisato Shirasagi, has these eyes. In a subversion of the stereotypes however they're generally nice girls, although Chisato herself is cynical behind the otherwise polite smile.
  • Train Heartnet from Black Cat, mainly to go with his cat-like look.
  • Maika of Blend-S has these, which is part of the reason why she has Face of a Thug.
  • Carried by the Wind: Tsukikage Ran: Ran usually sports these. On the other hand, so did an Evil Matriarch.
  • Hideko Hasuki, Yurika's maid from Chocotto Sister, has them.
  • Though it's difficult to tell with her bangs in the way, Cornelia from Code Geass also has these.
  • Chikane Himemiya of Destiny of the Shrine Maiden, appropriately countered by Himeko's Tareme Eyes. In both cases the manga makes stronger (although less consistent) use.
  • A good number of the cast from Dragon Ball Z sport tsurime, though a notable case would lie in the Son males. If any of them go from their standard tareme (which is supposed to demonstrate how good-natured they usually are) to this, it's a sign that they've become truly pissed (Especially notable when they transform into Super Saiyans).
    • The Jekyll/Hyde esque character Launch gains tsurime when she sneezes into her blonde-haired criminal personality.
  • Some examples in Digimon:
  • Eleanor Campbell from Emma: A Victorian Romance, who has rather the same personality as Mio.
  • Natsu of Fairy Tail gets called out for having these by Grey, and calls him "Tareme Eyes" in return.
  • The tomboyish and focused Miki from Future GPX Cyber Formula, in contrast to the more girly and energetic Asuka's Tareme Eyes.
  • Fullmetal Alchemist:
    • Olivier Mira Armstrong has tsurime eyes.
    • Ed is a male example; his eyes indicate his harsher personality as opposed to Al, who when he still had his human body had Tareme Eyes and a gentle personality to match.
    • Notably, Selim Bradley changes from Tareme Eyes to Tsurime Eyes when his true identity as Pride is revealed.
    • Envy has these as well, probably due to their incredibly arrogant and cruel personality. Even their monstrous true form has them, though their eyes are entirely round in their true true form, giving them a more pitiful look.
  • Rika, Yura's perky and slutty younger sister, in Futari Ecchi, which is in contrast with Yura's (and their mother's) Tareme Eyes.
  • Sasamoto-sensei from GA: Geijutsuka Art Design Class.
  • Both Natsume and Sumire from Gakuen Alice have these.
  • Yuuki from Game×Rush, particularly noticeable in his childhood.
  • Ban Mido of Get Backers has narrow Tsurime behind his purple shades, which provides a sharp contrast to his partner Ginji's wide, cheerful Tareme and further emphasizes the differences between their personalities. When Ginji loses himself to his Superpowered Evil Side, his eyes become noticeably Tsurime.
  • Reika from Good Luck! Ninomiya-kun.
  • Haruhi, as well as most of the cast of Haruhi Suzumiya, with the exception of Mikuru Asahina, Kyon's sister, and Emiri Kimidori.
  • Nagi from Hayate the Combat Butler
  • Several male characters in Hetalia: Axis Powers: England, China, Poland, Switzerland, Egypt, Germany, Prussia, Netherlands, Sweden, Germania, and Hesse. Latvia is a strange case because he looks and acts extremely moe, though it may be indicative of his bluntness. Belgium is the female example, matching her Cat Smile.
  • Sae from Hidamari Sketch has them, however the Puni Plush art style makes it less conspicuous.
  • Rei of High School Of The Dead, both manga and anime, shows tarime if she's being gentle or emotional and tsurime if she's in Action Girl mode. Saiko? Tsurime 24/7.
  • Akira from Hikaru no Go. His tsurime eyes are a clue that he is much more self-willed and aggressive than he seems. The eyes also highlight the contrast between him and his rival Hikaru, who has Tareme Eyes.
  • In Hunter × Hunter, Former child assassin Killua and sole Kurta Clan massacre survivor Kurapika have these. In contrast to the former, Gon has Tareme Eyes that match his more innocent, child-like personality.
  • Chihaya Kisaragi, Miki Hoshii and Takane Shijou of The Idolmaster.
  • Rin Shibuya, Ranko Kanzaki, and Anastasia of THE iDOLM@STER: Cinderella Girls.
  • Gouenji Shuuya and Tsurugi Kyousuke from Inazuma Eleven.
  • In Inuyasha, the eponymous Inuyasha has this, as does most of the cast, especially when they have determined looks. One of the few exceptions is the main female protagonist Kagome.
  • Seraphim from Is This A Zombie?.
  • Jewelpet: A lot of feline Jewelpets have this. Usually, it's because Cats Are Mean, but in some cases, it's to give the character a cool/mysterious feeling (as in the case of Lapis and Granite). Diana is a special case; in Jewelpet (2009) she was a major villain (AND a cat), and thus had this eye shape. Following seasons have made her either a sympathetic Anti-Villain or a generically heroic character, thus, she has had Tareme Eyes ever since the 2nd season.
  • K-On!:
    • Mio has them, despite being actually a rather shy character — although she also seems to be the one always cracking the whip about the need for practice. She also has shown a tsuntsun side. Tsundere type Dere? Probably done as a subversion to the Tsurime stereotype. At first, Mio appears to be the mature adult of the group, fitting her tsurime eyes. Yet as the series goes on, it becomes abundantly clear that her traditionally lady-like appearance hides a very timid, sensitive soul.
    • When tareme Yui does an impression of Mio in the manga, she pushes her eyes to the tsurime position for one panel.
    • Normally tareme Sawako develops tsurime when she enters Catherine mode.
  • In Kanon, Emotionless Girl Mai is drawn in this style, while the other characters are drawn with Tareme Eyes.
  • Hinata from Kanamemo has these for some reason.
  • Nagi of Kannagi: Crazy Shrine Maidens.
  • Ryouko Kurosaki in Kemeko Deluxe!, a Lady of War and a Badass Biker.
  • Ryuko and Satsuki from Kill la Kill. However, Satsuki's are rather subtle and can be mistaken for Tareme eyes in some shots.
  • Sawako from Kimi ni Todoke has these, which doesn't help people's perception of her appearance.
  • In Kiniro Mosaic, Karen specifically uses this term to mention that her eyes are slanted like this, in contrast with Shino's more gentle and approachable look.
  • Silica and her mother Garlude of Kirby: Right Back at Ya!.
  • Played with in Komi Can't Communicate, where the titular Komi has tsurime eyes, which add to her aloof, unapproachable appearance. In reality, however, this appearance also comes from the fact that she has No Social Skills, and she's drawn in a simpler style with huge Tareme Eyes when things are shown from Komi's perspective.
  • Eponine from Les Misérables: Shōjo Cosette. Used to emphasize the contrast between her and Cosette.
  • The girls of Love Live! are usually drawn with tareme eyes, but exceptions to this exist:
  • Lucky Star:
    • Kagami Hiiragi is the resident tsundere. In fact, her magnificent tsurime is among her most recognizable features, making her impossible to mistake for her twin sister Tsukasa. And of course, her alternate-world doppelganger/Expy, Kyou Fujibayashi from CLANNAD.
    • Minami, Misao, Ms. Kuroi, and a few other characters also have this eye style.
    • Konata appears to have a more subtle version of tsurime, though originally she had tareme.
  • In the second season of Lyrical Nanoha, tsundere-ish Cute Bruiser Vita and Lady of War Signum as well as the original Reinforce sport tsurime eyes. In the third season, Erio and Teana follow the case, while Subaru Nakajima combines this with gold eyes when her Berserk Button is hit. Also, Tsundere-ish Agito, who gets paired up with Signum in the end.
  • In Magic Knight Rayearth, Hot-Blooded Hikaru and Rich Bitch Umi both have sharply-drawn eyes, while excessively-polite Fuu has Tareme Eyes.
  • Tachibana from Mahoraba.
  • Chang Wufei of Mobile Suit Gundam Wing is the only member of the main five whose eyes end in a distinct point. Depending on the angle, even the point is upturned, making him a somewhat extreme example.
  • Nina Wong in My-Otome.
  • In Naruto, Tsurime eyes seem to be the standard eye shape. It's easier listing those with Tareme Eyes than those with Tsurime eyes.
  • Negima! Magister Negi Magi:
    • Setsuna, who is fittingly an Action Girl obsessed with maintaining her abilities as a swordswoman. Notably, when she starts letting her emotions out, they become noticeably rounder. They also fluctuate with emotion: Notice that when she's in battle mode in the middle panel here her eyes are highly tsurime, then in the lower right panel, when she realizes there's no threat, they go tareme. Her normal mode is in between.
    • Evangeline is also like this.
    • Yue is also like this after she Took a Level in Badass.
    • Also, this is pretty much the only physical attribute that distinguishes Zazie (who has Tareme Eyes) and her sister (who has these).
    • Whenever Negi gets pissed or enters Dark Mode, they turn like this coupled with one hell of a really nasty glare.....it's best if you haul your ass out of the place when that happens.
  • Neon Genesis Evangelion:
    • Despite being soft-spoken and calm to the point of emotionless, Rei has sharp, red Tsurime Eyes. This foreshadows that in spite of her cold attitude at first, she has a kind, warm side to her which Shinji has the luck to find out. And it also shows that even if she acted like an Extreme Doormat before, she later gains a backbone, enough to reject Gendo and his Instrumentality plan, to side fully with his son Shinji.
    • Kaworu also has similar red Tsurime Eyes that contrast Shinji's blue Tareme Eyes, to signify him as a positive Shadow Archetype of Shinji. They also show that he and Rei share the same background: both are not (fully) human, Kaworu is a full-on angel while Rei is only half human.
  • In Ninja Nonsense, the little Tsundere Miyabi have tsurime . her naïve Genki Girl big sister Shinobu have tareme.
  • In Noir Kirika's eye shape is normally standard, but her eyes go distinctly tsurime when she embraces her dark side.
  • Ryoko ÅŒkami from Ōkami-san.
  • Oresuki: Joro switches between this and Tareme Eyes, depending on whether he's being honest or in "nice guy" mode. Very apparent in episode 3 when Pansy asks him to switch to his "Hyde" persona.
  • PandoraHearts has a lot of characters with these eyes, but Alice and Elliot are notable for being Tsunderes with these kinds of eyes.
  • Ruby, Green (the boy), Gold, and Platinum Berlitz from Pokémon Adventures.
  • In the Pokémon: The Series, Jessie and James, and their rivals Butch and Cassidy, have tsurime eyes. They're all a part of the villainous Team Rocket. The tsurime eyes became more emphasized with the Best Wishes (Pokémon the Series: Black & White) Art Evolution.
  • Rue in Princess Tutu, The Ojou and Dark Magical Girl.
  • Kyouko from Puella Magi Madoka Magica is the one person who actually has some shape to her eyes in a series otherwise full of people with Tareme Eyes. Also, Homura, when she starts powerleveling in badassery.
  • Both Chizuru and Ruka of Rent-A-Girlfriend have these.
  • Inner Moka from Rosario + Vampire sports these, as opposed to Outer Moka.
  • Himura Kenshin from Rurouni Kenshin when he's serious and especially when he's in Battousai mode, other characters also notice this change.
  • Rei Hino/Sailor Mars and Haruka Tenou/Sailor Uranus from Sailor Moon. Makoto Kino/Sailor Jupiter is occasionally drawn with this type of eyes when her badassery is being emphasized.
  • Sakura no Ichiban!: The snarky and bookish, Misao, has these eyes which contrasts with with her friend, Genki Girl Asami's Tareme Eyes.
  • Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei:
    • The title character has these kinda eyes, possibly to indicate his jaded, stern cynicism.
    • Mayo Mitama also has these, because she's a sadist with the Face of a Thug... But she always gets away with what she does because no-one wants to be accused of judging her for her appearance.
    • Miko Nedu, a girl who uses pyramid marketing to scam people, has Tsurime, too. In contrast, her partner-in-crime, Shouko Maruuchi, has Tareme Eyes. This is possibly because Miko sells serious overpriced wares, making her appear greedy, while Shouko sells underpriced wares, making her appear more generous... However, it's still a scam, and they will, without fail, trick their costumers into buying Miko's wares, too.
  • Yakumo, Eri, and Itoko from School Rumble. In Yakumo's case the meaning behind the trope is zigzagged: her childhood personality is much more in line with the typical personality type for this trope which may imply that she intentionally shifted her personality to one more in line tareme eyes.
  • Shana of Shakugan no Shana has these eyes, being a Tsundere.
  • Kiseki and Dia from Shugo Chara!.
  • Mamiina from Simoun is drawn this way to indicate her strong will and mean streak.
  • Natsuki from Spellbound! Magical Princess Lil'Pri when in her transformed 'adult' form. Her normal child form less so.
  • Narumi Ayumu in Spiral, most noticeable in the manga. Interestingly, though he acts pretty cocky and arrogant, his weak will is an issue for him and part of his character development.
  • Iroha in Sumomomo Momomo. Her tsurime distinguishes her as the most Badass of the series' Action Girls.
  • Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann:
    • Anti-spiral Nia changes from Tareme to Tsurime with the corresponding personality shift.
    • Simon also changes from Tareme to Tsurime post-Time Skip. At first, it's subtle, but they turn outright visible in the Final Battle. Respectively, he has quite possibly the strongest will of any of the characters.
  • Barnaby from Tiger & Bunny. Tomboyish Pao-Lin and Agnes also sport tsurime. Oddly enough, these three are Green Eyed — Barnaby has emerald-green eyes, Pao-Lin's are a dark shade of lemon-green, and Agnes's are olive-green.
  • Most of the women who could be counted as adults in Umineko: When They Cry seem to have gotten this treatment.
  • Hana from Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out! has them, especially when she's teasing Sakurai.
  • A majority of Wandering Son characters have Tareme Eyes however Anna and Riku have Tsurime. Anna has a Sugar-and-Ice Personality. Anna and most often Riku sometimes pair this with Hellish Pupils for cartoony effect, which makes them look like cats.
  • Aya from Weiß Kreuz.
  • In the 80's film Windaria, both Veronica and Selenia have these, in contrast to Marie's Tareme Eyes.
  • Rika Kawai in Wonder Egg Priority.
  • In The World God Only Knows, several characters, including protagonist Keima (which carried over to his new body during his "Freaky Friday" Flip), but most obviously with Goddess Possessed childhood friend Tenri, with whom it's the most obvious way to tell which entity, Tenri (Tareme Eyes) or Diana (Tsurime), is in charge.
  • Azuma Hazuki of Yami to Boushi to Hon no Tabibito. Partly subverted in that there are times when her eyes don't look like this...usually when she's fantasizing about Hatsumi or otherwise delirious with love and/or lust.
  • In Yu-Gi-Oh! one of the ways you can tell Yami Yugi has taken control is that Yugi's eyes go from Tareme to Tsurime. Ditto Bakura and his dark counterpart. Kaiba is the only modern teenaged character who always has this going on.
    • Yugi has shifted over to this eye type in the Dark Side of Dimensions anniversary movie as he has grown older and come to resemble Atem more.
    • Jaden in GX. It's most noticeable in season 4, after his Fusion Dance with Yubel.
  • YuruYuri: Similar to the Lucky Star example, Chizuru has these to differentiate her from her more even-tempered twin, Chitose.
  • Voltes V: In true Tsundere fashion, Prince Heinel's eyes slant upwards at the corners. It also adds another factor to his Pretty Boy status. His Implied Love Interest Katherine's eyes slant upwards similarly, but she is anything but a Tsundere.

    Literature 

    Pro Wrestling 

    Video Games 

    Visual Novels 
  • Rin Tohsaka in Fate/stay night.
  • In Little Busters!, one of the main differences in appearance between Mio and Midori is that Midori has tsurime while Mio has tareme, which fits the fact that Midori is much more confident, playful, and jerky than the sweet, shy (if Deadpan Snarker) Mio.

    Web Animation 
  • Blake Belladonna from RWBY has these to highlight her being a cat Faunus. Coincidentally, she is also quite aloof and independent, further fitting this trope.

    Webcomics 
  • Clau, from M9 Girls!, is drawn like this. Interesting choice, since she is a Latino character.
  • In ''Sinfest::, both devil girls are initially drawn with Tsurime. One of them changes into Tareme, precisely when her character changes into a softer one.
  • Used to great effect in Spinnerette. The secret identify of Mecha Maid, who has ALS, is drawn with Tsurime eyes to showcase how she is apart from life, and unapproachable. When she puts on her Mecha Maid costume? She switches to Tarime eyes. Furthermore, when her secret identity is discovered...she puts on her Mecha Maid headdress, instantly switching to Mecha Maid.
    • After she becomes a major character, she wears the headdress 24/7, giving her permenant Tarime eyes. It's also justified IC, as without the headdress...she can't emote with her face, thanks to ALS.

    Western Animation 


Alternative Title(s): Catty Eyes, Upward Angled Eyes, Tsurime

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