Yander is a combination of two Japanese words: yanderemeaning “sick” or “mentally ill” and derederemeaning “in love”. These types of anime characters portray themselves as beautiful and sweet in front of their potential lovers. However, they have unhealthy obsessions and can become violent and erratic when their loved one is taken away from them.
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Yandere are often seen as chaotic characters in anime. They usually have dead eyes, are covered in blood and are not allowed to laugh. They are overwhelmingly jealous and want their lover to be with them and themselves. It is not unusual for a yandere to slaughter the entire family of their lovers with the intention of having them all for themselves. But within this archetype which female characters best show the yandere nature?
While characters are not officially ranked, the most iconic are highlighted first.
Updated October 24, 2025 by Mark Sammut: Yandere anime girls are hard to come by. The new Fall 2025 season anime doesn't have many obvious examples, though This Monster Wants to Eat Me's Shiori could be considered an unusual case, as she seems to love Hinako while wanting to eat/kill her.
This article has been revised and updated with new images. Illya from Fate was added as well.
Yuno Gasai (Future Diary)
Poster Child Yandere Character In The World Of Anime
For the most part, Yuno is sweet, feminine, and shy, especially around Yukiteru Amano; however, it is a mask to hide her dark side, which is ruthless, cold and calculating. She doesn't mind sacrificing people in cruel and violent ways to ensure her and Yukiteru's survival. This side of her was born out of her mother's constant abuse when she was a child.
To make her feel better, Yukiteru promised to marry Yuno. Her obsession with him quickly grew after this promise to the point where she was willing to hurt those she believed would take Yukitera from her: friends, family, enemies, and especially other girls. The only way to calm her down is for Yukiteru to express his love for her, much to her joy and his dismay. Sadly, her “lover” isn't entirely safe from her rambling tendencies; for example, Yuno once kidnapped Yukitera when she thought he was going to be killed by a diary user.
Yukako Yamagishi (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)
The girl who (probably) started with the Yandere archetype
Yukako is a beautiful and popular girl who can have any man she wants, but only has eyes for Koichi Hirose. Unfortunately, this love is scary because she is very obsessed with him and most guys feel sorry for him. Although she appears sweet and shy, Yukako is quick to violence and anger if anyone (even Koichi) goes against her. She even kidnaps and tries to brainwash Koichi into falling in love with her.
Yukako is often considered to be the first yandere girl in the manga and it's easy to see how she set the standard for this archetype. Yuno Gasai of Diary of the future she may be the poster child for yandere women in anime, but Yukako can be considered the main reason they exist in the first place.
Kotonoha Katsura (School Days)
Outstanding among the other obsessed girls fighting for Makoto's attention
One of the two main heroines school days, Kotonoha is sweet, intelligent, polite and reserved. She is so reserved that she doesn't have a single friend until she meets Sekai Saionji and Makoto Itou. After getting to know each other, Kotonoha and Makoto became a couple. Their relationship had many difficulties as Makoto sometimes forgot about his girlfriend and played with someone else, mainly Sekai.
Kotonoh's crazy nature shows when Makoto ignores her or spends time with other girls, and things quickly turn awful. She is obsessed to the point of using her body to keep him with her. In the anime, Sekai stabs Makoto to death, after which Kotonoha cuts off his head and shows it to her on the roof of the school. She then kills Sekai and slits her stomach to make sure she is not carrying Makoto's child. Finally, Kotonoha is seen on the ship hugging Makoto's severed head, feeling content.
Himiko Toga (My Hero Academia)
Her “love” for other characters is very twisted
Himiko is quite a twisted individual, much like her MHA companions, but it's her twisted view of love that makes her absolutely terrifying. Once attached and “in love” with someone, she is willing to hurt anyone and everyone who gets in her way or feels threatened by them. She is very possessive of Izuku Midoriya and truly believes that what she feels for him is affection, even as she tries to attack him. The only other person he feels affection for is Ochako Ururaka, whom he tries to be like because he loves her.
Her sadistic tendencies and overall demeanor are enough to make most people fear what she might do. She is very happy when she is trying to kill someone, she smiles while doing it and has a creepy look that makes her look in love.
Misa Amane (Death Note)
A Girl Who Is Okay With Being Used As A Weapon
Misa may not have a crazy yandere face, but she definitely has a lot of yandere features. She was more than okay with giving up half of her life to get the Shinigami Eyes to help the Light. She became obsessed with him and swore her life to serve him. Light uses her feelings for him for his own gain and never once sees him as evil.
He is perfectly fine with killing anyone who gets in the way of the Light and his goals. As long as she remains Light's number one tool, Misa is willing to cut her life short as many times as necessary and kill anyone she says must die.
Lucy (Elfen Lied)
A girl who only knows cruelty and solves her problems with more cruelty
Elfen lied
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2004–2004
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AT-X
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Keizo Kusakawa
Kaede is a Diclonian girl, an evolved species superior to humans, and is the main protagonist Elfen lied series. In the orphanage where she grew up, she was constantly bullied by other children for looking different. This bullying caused her personality to split into three: Kaede, Lucy and Nyu. When the children from the orphanage beat up her puppy and killed him right in front of her, Lucy showed her psychotic personality and killed all the children in a fit of rage.
After growing up, she became incredibly sadistic. She slashes limbs and blinds enemies, and if that's not enough, lets them bleed out rather than end their lives. Despite her indifference to human life, she will not harm or kill in front of Kouta, the male protagonist of the show.
Shampoo (Ranma 1/2)
Violence paves the way for love and obsession
Due to Ranma 1/2Shampoo's comedic nature, violent antics are drenched in grotesque silliness, making her seem less menacing than most yandere anime girls. However, in terms of sheer fighting prowess and tendency to rely on violence to solve her problems, Shampoo is right up there with the worst (or best) of them, and she's willing to kill.
When she first appears in both anime versions, this female warrior actively tries to assassinate Ranma in order to eventually fall in love with him. While he stops trying to massacre Ranma at that point, Shampoo continues to turn to violence in an attempt to eradicate any other love interests, especially Akane. Ranma 1/2 is one of the most popular comedies of all time, and Shampoo is a major contributor to the success of the manga and anime. The restart in 2024 only served to further strengthen it Ranma 1/2heritage.
Nadeko Sengoku (monogatari)
Started Off Sweet, But Became A Yandere The Moment She Became A God
MonogatariNadeko was quite a nice girl throughout the series, albeit a very shy girl. But everything changed when she realized that her feelings for Koyomi would never be reciprocated. After this realization, Nadeko swallows the talisman and becomes a snake-haired goddess. He first pounces on Shinoba after he tries to eat her. Unfortunately for Koyomi, he is not safe from her wrath. Even though Nadeko tried to apologize, she couldn't listen to him.
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Nadeko may not be the traditional wanderer, but she made an impression on fans. While all the girls were inside Monogatari they are rather strange, no one expected Nadeko to burst like this.
Kurumi Tokisaki (Date A Live)
Known as “The Worst Spirit” for many reasons
Whether or not Kurumi is a yandere has been long debated, but there's no denying that she definitely checks more than a few boxes. She is obsessed with Shido, not because she loves him, but because she wants to eat him and gain his power. When she is not trying to eat Shido, she is very flirtatious and likes to tease him for her own amusement.
After Shido almost dies defending her, Kurumi is a bit friendlier, but still wants to eat him, telling him beforehand that she has her reasons for helping him. As the series continues, Kurumi falls in love with Shido. Maybe not as obsessed as other yandere girls, but Kurumi is willing to sacrifice herself for Shido just to keep him safe.
Anna Nishikinomiya (Shimoneta)
I can't tell the difference between love and lust
At first glance, she might seem sweet and innocent, but Anna is far from that. Living in a world where all “immoral” activities and adult/dirty jokes are banned has clearly affected Anna and her growth as she becomes obsessed with Tanukichi Okuma after they accidentally kiss. This moment unlocks her desire and she is willing to do anything to get closer to him.
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Although Anna is not as violent as most yandere women, she shows her scary side when she threatens the other women to stay away from Tanukichi. She claims to love him, but Anna may not be able to tell the difference between love and lust.
