yandere
/ˈjændɛrɛ/
CommonSomeone who is intensely loving and sweet on the surface but dangerously obsessive underneath.
Originates as an anime character archetype but applied to real people online, almost always as an exaggeration or joke. Calling someone yandere is usually hyperbolic unless context makes it serious.
Real-world examples4 examples
| # | Example | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | She brought him soup when he was sick and then asked why his ex liked his photo. Yandere behavior. | The person combined genuine care with possessive, surveillance-like behavior in the same moment. | x, 2024 |
| 02 | I am fully yandere for this show. I will defend every decision the writers made with my life. | The speaker is humorously expressing extreme, irrational devotion to a fictional series. | tiktok, 2024 |
| 03 | New yandere character dropped and she is already the most popular in the series. No one is surprised. | A new character fitting the yandere archetype was introduced and is very well-received. | reddit, 2023 |
| 04 | Not me having yandere levels of dedication to a video game I've been playing for 400 hours | The speaker is joking about the absurd depth of their investment in a game. | x, 2023 |
Use it when
- Someone shows sweet affection alongside possessiveness or obsessive behavior.
- You are joking about being overly attached to someone or something.
- Describing an anime or fictional character who is loving but unstable.
- Exaggerating how badly you want something in a joking way.
Do not use it when
- Describing genuinely abusive, stalking, or threatening behavior in a real context.
- Someone is just very loyal or affectionate without any obsessive behavior.Use “ride-or-die” instead.
Yandere vs tsundere
yandere
Yandere is sweet first and frightening underneath. The love is genuine, the obsession is the problem.
VS
tsundere
Tsundere is prickly first with warmth hidden underneath.
Origin and context
Japanese portmanteau of 'yanderu' (mentally ill or unwell) and 'dere dere' (lovestruck or affectionate). Emerged as an anime and visual novel character archetype, with widespread global recognition by the 2010s.
- First seen
- early-2000s
- Confidence
- high
Cite this page
Use this stable URL to reference the entry.
https://slang.fyi/yandereUpdated: 2026-08-29License: CC BY 4.0