Anime, having a variety of genres that all overlap and share ideas, has a massive number of stock characters. Some of these concepts are universal, others are primarily seen in anime or anime-inspired media.
Tonight we’re going to attempt a brief primer in anime stock characters with a focus on the Japanese (or Japanese-inspired) words for certain character types. The goal is to help you (and me) navigate online fan discussions where these terms may crop up regularly. Most of these concepts have the potential to overlap because some are personality types while others are based on physical characteristics.
Unit 4: Stock Characters
Bakadere: An idiot in love.
Bishoujo: A beautiful young woman, usually a teenager. Literally means a “pretty girl.”
Bishounen: A beautiful young man, usually a teenager. This implies an attractive, androgynous young man.
Bodere: Shy around the opposite sex, bodere get violent to conceal their embarrassment.
Bokukko: A tomboy. A girl who uses the masculine pronoun “boku.”
Dandere: A shy character who becomes talkative and sweet in the right situation.
Deredere: This is literally a Japanese equivalent of the term “lovey dovey.” Dere provides the suffix for several words on this list. A deredere is cheerful and openly affectionate without qualifiers.
Dojikko: Clumsy cute girls.
Himedere: Female characters that believe they should be treated as princesses They may be hiding insecurities
Hinedere: A character who is aloof and arrogant but has a soft side.
Kamidere: Cute characters with a god complex.
Kawaiiko: A woman who goes to near obsessive levels to appear cute. Kawaii is a Japanese concept of cuteness that includes connotations of being desirable in the same way the word “sexy” does in English. “Kawaiiko” literally means cute child. Sometimes referred to as a burikko (fake child).
Kichiku: A sadistic male love interest. These characters are cold and cruel in order to appeal to the audience. More common in shoujo and josei manga.
Kuudere: A frosty, aloof person who is actually quite warm and affectionate on the inside. They’re distant and pragmatic rather than outright hostile.
Mayadere: An antagonist who falls in love with the main character. They may or may not switch sides.
Megane: A boy with glasses. The glasses are an essential aspect of this character’s attractiveness.
Meganekko: A girl with glasses. The glasses are an essential aspect of this character’s attractiveness.
Moe: This is less a character type and more a character trait. Moe characters are seen as innocent and cute. They’re often created with the intent of invoking paternal protectiveness and sympathy within viewers. This is a major presence in contemporary anime.
Oujidere: The male counterpart to himedere.
Sadodere: An extreme tease.
Tsundere: Both a character type and a character progression, tsunderes begin as cold, often hostile characters (usually girls) and grow to show their affection and warmer side as the story progresses. Modern tsundere characters may not progress, instead revealing their kinder side only on certain occasions. The hostility often stems from feelings of insecurity.
Tsunshun: This is a character with a hostile, aggressive front who is really depressed underneath the cover.
Undere: The “Yes Man” of love interests. An undere agrees as much as possible to appeal to their love interest.
Yandere: Remember that really dated Overly Attached Girlfriend meme? Imagine that but with extra threats of bodily harm. Yanderes love another character openly from the get-go, but they’re typically mentally unstable and potentially dangerous.
Yangire: Yangire are yandere dialed up to 11. Their danger is less potential and more inevitable.
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