Characters who are Sour Outside, Sad Inside (also known as "Tsunshun") in Anime and Manga.
- In the first arc of Berserk, Guts deliberately acts like a Jerkass to stop others from getting close to him. Not only is his normal fear of relationships heightened due to a recent betrayal by his master and closest friend, but as a result of that betrayal, he is currently marked with a brand that attracts horrific monsters to him that aren't averse to killing or devouring anyone who gets in their way. It is only when he finds Casca, his former lover who has also been marked with the Brand, again that he begins to become less of an asshole, but because of his obsession with vengeance against his former mentor for what he did to him, her and the band he once led, he has to deal with a horrific Enemy Within that represents his absolute worst side.
- Revy from Black Lagoon takes this to whole new extremes. Normally she just acts like The Lad-ette, in that she's slightly abrasive, but more or less congenial once you get used to her aggressive nature. However, if you start trying to get to know her on a personal level, she can very quickly become Ax-Crazy and will make a sincere effort to kill you. Luckily for her, a handful of people like Dutch and Rock have been to relate to her on some level, but even then she's still very defensive. Due to a horrific childhood wherein she was abused by her caretaker, the police, and anyone else in authority, she has severe fears of feeling exposed and vulnerable, and she NEVER wants that to be hurt like that again. She developed an obsession with power, and she tends to be very tightlipped about her personal life to protect herself from betrayal. As such, whenever anyone gets too close to her, she often gets spooked, and reacts with violence.
- Bokurano has quite a few of these characters, but the one who really takes the cake is Jun, the bitter Big Brother Bully of the group who's actually tremendously lonely. His adoptive mother dying in childbirth left him resentful towards Kana, and he displays symptoms of depression from time to time: he's listless, always in a bad mood, sleeps a lot, and has trouble staying warm. When he learns his biological mother's identity and comes to terms with his issues, he rapidly matures into a wise and valiant boy who unhesitatingly gives his life for the sister he once hated.
- The mangaka of Brave10, outright calls Nanakuma tsuntsun in her doujinshi. He's arrogant and proud, but also very insecure and desperate to prove himself.
- Accelerator, from A Certain Magical Index and A Certain Scientific Railgun. Being experimented on, forcing people away and being attacked on a constant basis because of his ability makes him more unbalanced than depressed, but he still uses his abrasive attitude to try to distance himself from others.
- In Cute High Earth Defense Club LOVE!, would-be World Dominator Kinshiro is like this. He's not only given up on friendship personally, but he also wants to wipe it out of the world entirely, because of his failed friendship with Good Former Friend Atsushi that hurt him so badly, which he mopes over at every opportunity.
- Daltanious: Danji isn't a Jerkass like Kento, but due to witnessing heavy trauma (including the unlawful execution of his dad) at a young age, he's aloof and barely shows emotion. Only the kind Sanae can get him to speak and interact with others in a genuine manner.
- Kanda Yu from D.Gray-Man. His Dark and Troubled Past is a very good reason to hate the Order. He doesn't even make a secret out of it.
- A minor example is Matsuoka Rin from Free! Much of his jerkassery and his obsession with beating Haruka stems from his low self-esteem and self-loathing for failing to live his father's dream. He gets better though.
- Fruits Basket:
- Kyo Sohma. Being the Black Sheep (cat) of the Zodiac has put immense pressure on his shoulders, which he covers up with his attitude. He gets over much of his negativity as the series goes on, mostly due to Tohru.
- Same with Rin. She began to act cold and distant to cope with her parents abandoning her as a child, to the point where she is incapable of expressing genuine feelings of concern for others. At several points she coldly tells Hiro and Tohru that they should butt out of her business and that "kind people should stay in their kind little worlds", only to later reflect that it came out much worse than she meant it to - she really just didn't want nice people to end up hurt and broken like she was.
- Ichiko Sakura of Good Luck Girl! seems to be your average pampered but sweet rich kid. Up close, however, she's quite a massive Bitch in Sheep's Clothing who thinks of nothing but herself. Behind that, however, lies a sad, broken little girl who just yearns for the loving care of her parents, whom she hadn't seen since infancy, not to mention the fact that she is still being haunted by a horrible betrayal by a girl she once trusted. All that trauma ultimately turned her into the Alpha Bitch she has become when the series started. It came to the point that even her Sitcom Archnemesis, resident Jerkass Goddess Momiji, slowly started to mellow out to her and even become her Trickster Mentor, helping her reconnect with humanity and bring back the kindness she used to have.
- Victorique, from Gosick. At first emotionless due to being locked in a dungeon for several years and being forsaken by her father, she warms up because of Kujo and they become happily married at the end.
- Natsume, from Hidamari Sketch. Her feelings towards Sae cause her to overreact and act rudely towards her before stomping away. One of the chapters (the only one to not be in 4koma style) helps explain the reason for her attitude. Sae also acts this way, but only when she deals with her younger sister.
- Ririchiyo Shirakiin, from Inu × Boku SS. Being virtually ignored by her family in favor of her sister and the bullying she went through as a kid because she's rich leads her to be rather unsociable at first. This facade lasts only about five minutes, for Ririchiyo either walks away to sulk somewhere or actually opens up to you and shows her sweet side. She's also the Trope Namer for the term tsunshun, as the term was coined In-Universe by Nobara Yukinokouji to describe Ririchiyo.
- Hachiman Hikigaya of My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, as I Expected is cynical, bitter and utterly loathes anything that involves social interaction. A childhood of bad experiences such as bullying and rejection have led him to believe that youth is nothing but a lie, constantly snarks towards those around him, and resolves social issues by making himself the primary aggressor, much to the discontent of his peers. Despite all of the above issues, Hachiman sincerely wishes to have a genuine relationship with those around him.
- Asuka Langley Soryu from Neon Genesis Evangelion. Her Broken Bird past, for example (her mother Kyoko going insane and treating a doll as Asuka in place of the real deal, and then hanging the doll and herself) leads her to be rude to many people with some exceptions (Kaji, Hikari, Misato... even Shinji). However, when left to herself Asuka shows that she has almost no self-esteem and struggles to overcome it.
- Ryoko Ōkami, from Ōkami-san. Underneath the fierce Tsundere wolf act she puts up, there is a sad, lonely, emotionally fragile girl who doesn’t want to be betrayed again.
- Pikatwo from Pokémon: The Series is hostile towards others, especially Ash's Pikachu, but as evident in Pokémon: Mewtwo Returns, it just wants to be in a place it feels safe. All it's ever been is hunted because of its association with Mewtwo, and feels society has rejected it for being a clone and envies Ash's Pikachu for being accepted.
- Puella Magi Madoka Magica:
- Kyouko initially seems to be a mean, selfish girl who believes that Magical Girls should use their powers for their own purposes, and never to help others. But as the series progresses, it's revealed why she acts this way: Her family fell into destitution after her preacher father was excommunicated and when he found out that his followers increased and came back was due to Kyoko's Magical Girl powers from her wish compelled by Kyubey and not from people actually believing in him, he killed his family and himself and only she survived, which resulted in her inability to trust anyone. It is only when she learns about the Awful Truths of being a Magical Girl and when she saves Sayaka from Homura that she starts to get over her sourness, which culminates in her performing a Mercy Kill to witch!Sayaka and sacrificing herself so Sayaka wouldn't be alone.
- Homura is also this, for different reasons. For a while she seems to be an arrogant loner who wants to prevent Kyubey from contracting any new magical girls, so she will have less competition. That is until she suddenly breaks down in tears after narrowly averting one of Madoka's attempts to become a magical girl. Her backstory later explains that she really only cares about stopping Madoka, specifically, from making a contract because she has experienced the horrific aftermath of that scenario many times. It often leads to the end of the world, and always leads to the end of Madoka; the latter concerns Homura much more than the former. She very much wants to be friends with everyone, but she drove them away after a few time-loops because they didn't believe her warnings and because repeatedly getting close to them only to see them all die or become witches was too painful. She adopted her too-cool-for-you persona as a coping mechanism.
- Shiva, from Saint Beast. He's got all of the tsun which covers up his fears of inferiority and frustration at not getting what he wants.
- Nishigami from Shindere Shoujo to Kodoku na Shinigami, who tells his class not to get close to him on his first day at school because he believes everyone he gets close to will die.
- Hinamori Amu from Shugo Chara! is known for being rough, blunt, and sometimes downright rude, with a fashion style that resembles punk. However, in the very first episode, she's revealed to be soft, intimidated, and girly deep down, and throughout the show, constantly regrets her rough attitude and rude comments. This is the basis of the show's premise.
- Taiga Aisaka, from Toradora!, a deconstruction of Tsundere. Also known as the "Palmtop Tiger" because of her fierce Tsun-ness. Moved into an apartment when her parents got divorced because she could not get along with either her mother or her father and stepmother. Her father also makes promises that he has no intention to keep. As the series goes on, she becomes emotionally stronger and Ryuji and others help her stand on her own again, culminating with both a True Love's Kiss with Ryuuji and her decision to come back home, so she can mend her broken family life before marrying him.
- Voltes V: Prince Heinel is this. Born to the cruel society of Boazania where honour is seen as the most important virtue, Heinel faced abuse and humiliation ever since he was a small child because before he was born, his father betrayed the Boazanian Empire. It shaped his worldview from a young age and drove him to do whatever it took to clear his name, including invading the Earth and massacring several innocents in the way.Voltes V 1978 Roman Album Art book, recounting Heinel's childhood: "The child who grew up to be Prince Heinel was only shown love from his grandparents, and hatred from everyone else. He was only safe in their home. If he took a step outside, people would call him a traitor's son, and they would look at him with contempt and ridicule. Even younger children would throw stones at Heinel and beat him with sticks. Heinel, being used to all the abuse and humilation, grew up to be a someone who never shed tears no matter what happened. But in his heart he was always crying. “Just because my father is a traitor, why do I have to be called a traitor!! I'll change history and I'll prove them wrong!!!”, he thought.
- Yu-Gi-Oh!: Seto Kaiba is this. He acts like a complete Jerkass towards everyone and drives people away, but deep inside he's deeply hurt by the abuse he suffered from his adoptive father, Gozaburo.
