I will freely admit that I love reading or watching a good tsundere love interest – whether it is the female lead or the male lead – and just wanted to briefly touch upon the type.

A tsundere character is a character that initially seems mean, harsh, cold, and/or snobbish – only later to show a warmer and gentler side. Because it is a Japanese term, it is not always easy for English-speaking people to pronounce it, but it is pronounced tsoon-deh-leh, where the “leh” sound is more of a mix between “reh” and “leh.” I have a music video included at the bottom of this post that demonstrates the type and also pronounces the term (“I’m not a dere, tsun tsundere!”). The term is a combination of “tsun tsun” (to turn away in anger/disgust) and “dere dere” (which has to do with being affectionate or lovey-dovey).

In anime and manga, a tsundere character tends to be quite extreme and easily identifiable, but the type is not always quite as obvious in books. However, I would argue that Fitzwilliam Darcy in Pride and Prejudice is one of the most well-known tsundere characters. He seems like a horribly snobby guy – until you start to see the reasons for his actions and the warmth beneath the cold surface. He most definitely runs hot and cold!

Who are some other great tsundere characters? Some that I enjoy are Zuko and Toph from Avatar: The Last Airbender, Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games, Hermione Granger from Harry Potter, and Kyo Sohma from Fruits Basket, but that list barely scratches the surface.

Below you can find “It’s Not Like I Like You” by Static-P. This video shows an extreme version of the tsundere character and, as noted above, pronounces the term. Who are some tsundere characters that you enjoy?