Yandere is the combination of two Japanese words: yanderu, which means “sick” or “mentally ill,” and deredere, which means “lovestruck.” These types of anime characters portray themselves as lovely and sweet in front of their potential lovers. However, they harbor unhealthy obsessions and can turn violent and erratic when their loved one is taken away.

Yandere are often seen in anime as chaotic characters. They usually have dead eyes, are covered in blood, and have an unhinged laugh. They are overwhelmingly jealous and want their lover to be with them, and them alone. It's not a strange occurrence for a Yandere to murder their love interest's entire family with the intent to have them all to themselves. But within this archetype, which female characters showed the yandere nature best?

Updated on March 14, 2024, by Sarah Prado: Some of them might look innocent and some of them look scary right off the bat. Either way, these girls are very deadly and some of the most insane characters out there. Once they become obsessed with a love interest or anyone, just about anyone around them is not safe. Should anyone get close to the object of their “affection”, those people might not be alive or in one piece after these yandere girls are done with them. They’re usually beyond reason and will let their sadistic tendencies take the wheel, and even the object of their obsession isn’t completely safe from them. These are some of the most iconic female yandere females in the anime world.

23 Kurumi Tokisaki

Known As The “Worst Spirit” For Multiple Reasons

There’s been a long debate on whether or not Kurumi is a yandere, but it can’t be denied that certainly checks more than a few boxes for one. She’s obsessed with Shido not because she loves him, but because she wants to eat him and gain his power. When not trying to eat Shido, she’s very flirtatious and loves teasing him for her own amusement.

After Shido almost dies defending her, Kurumi is a little more friendly but still wants to eat him and tells him upfront that she has her reasons for helping him. As the series goes on, Kurumi falls in love with Shido. It might not be as obsessive as other yandere girls, but Kurumi is willing to sacrifice herself for Shido just to keep him safe.

22 Kaede Fuyou (Shuffle!)

Don’t Mistake Her Sweet Nature For Weakness

• Studio: Asread
• Release Year: 2006
• Genre: Drama, Comedy, Romance
• Number of Episodes: 24

If there’s one thing Kaede proves: a yandere doesn’t necessarily have to resort to extreme violence to be scary. Watching her from smiling and laughing to suddenly looking soulless and hostile is a sight to behold. This doesn’t mean she won’t resort to violence, but she’s not as extreme as some other yandere ladies.

After finding out that Rin was on a date with Asa, Kaede snapped and attacked Asa, causing her to have a heart attack. She did realize her mistake afterward, but Kaede’s love for Rin is still very strong. She might not be the most violent yandere, but Kaede is a big reason why this archetype became more mainstream.

21 Yuka Minase (11eyes)

One Girl Who Will Do Whatever It Takes To Get Her Happy Ending

• Studio: Doga Koba
• Release Year: 2009
• Genre: Action, Fantasy
• Number of Episodes: 12

Yuka plays the sweet and innocent card very well and might fool some people at first. However, she’s one person who doesn’t care who gets in her way, friend or foe. She desires a world in which only she and Kakeru live and can be together. Anybody who gets too familiar with him, or if he gets too familiar with them, is fair game as shown when she puts a razor in Misuzu’s tea. She feels absolutely no remorse for those she hurts and feels as if everyone is in the way of her and Kakeru’s relationship.

Even as their friends are killed throughout the series, Yuka doesn’t mourn or care for their deaths and is solely focused on Kakeru. Granted, most yanderes don’t care about anyone getting in the way of their obsession, watching Yuka not even bat an eyelash over losing anyone she cared about is very disturbing.

20 Belarus (Hetalia: Axis Powers)

Will Do Whatever It Takes To Stay Close To Her Brother

• Studio: Studio Deen
• Release Year: 2009
• Genre: Comedy, historical parody
• Number of Episodes: 52

Belarus has a crazy infatuation with her older brother Russia and wants to marry him. He doesn’t feel that way about her and tries to avoid her as much as he can, but this doesn’t deter her. Even after all of the other countries abandon Russia, she stays with him and declares she’ll never leave even though he finds this a little creepy.

It also doesn’t help that Belarus carries a knife and isn’t afraid to use it for the most minor inconvenience. She might not be the scariest yandere out there, but Belarus is still one lady most won’t mess with.

19 Kurenai Rin (Big Order)

A Girl Who Hates And Wants To Kill The Boy She’s Obsessing Over

• Studio: Asread
• Release Year: 2016
• Genre: Action, supernatural
• Number of Episodes: 10

While most yandere girls out there are in love with the target of their obsession, Kurenai Rin is on the opposite end. In fact, she hates Hoshimiya Eiji, the boy she’s supposed to assassinate. She’s violent and isn’t afraid to harm anyone that gets in the way of her goals even if they're innocent. Kurenai has stabbed him and other people to make her point.

She’s only obsessed with him because she wants to be the one to kill him. Kurenai might not be the traditional yandere female, but she checks almost all the boxes of one.

18 Cybelle (Carole & Tuesday)

Willing To Hurt The One She’s Obsessed With To Make A Point

• Studio: Bones
• Release Year: 2019
• Genre: Musical, sci-fi, drama
• Number of Episodes: 24

For the short time she’s around, Cybelle makes her appearance count. Her obsession with Tuesday is a scary thing to watch. At first, she seems like just a big fan of Tuesday, but it’s obvious there’s a lot more to it. She ignores anyone who isn’t Tuesday and declares she loves her, but this “love” is more obsessive and possessive. Cybelle even tries to start a new group with Tuesday, leaving Carole completely out of the picture. Before going onstage for her performance, Cybelle asked for a hug from Tuesday and bit her on her neck, leaving a mark.

When she lost against Angela, Cybelle got angry with Tuesday when she refused to join her and left a box with something that would injure Tuesday’s hands. When caught, Cybelle declared Tuesday deserved it for breaking her heart. Just seeing this all play out was disturbing to watch because of how Cybelle made everything she did sound justified.

17 Anna Nishikinomiya (Shimoneta: A Boring World Where the Concept of Dirty Jokes Doesn’t Exist)

Can’t Tell The Difference Between Love And Lust

She might seem sweet and innocent at first, but Anna is far from that. Living in a world where all “immoral” activities and adult/dirty jokes are forbidden has clearly affected Anna and her growth as she becomes obsessed with Tanukichi Okuma after they accidentally kiss. This moment unlocks her yandere side and she’s willing to do anything to get closer to him.

While not as violent as most yandere females, Anna shows her scary side when threatening other females to stay away from Tanukichi. She claims that she loves him, but Anna might not be able to distinguish the difference between love and lust.

16 Yukako Yamagishi

The Girl Who (Arguably) Started The Yandere Archetype

Yukako is a beautiful and popular girl who could have any man she wants, but she has eyes only for Koichi Hirose. Unfortunately for him, this love is a scary one as she is very obsessive about him and most guys feel sorry for him. Though she comes as sweet and demure, Yukako is quick to violence and anger should anyone (even Koichi) go against her. She even kidnaps and tries to brainwash Koichi to make him fall in love with her.

She is often considered the first yandere in manga and it’s easy to see how she set the standard for this archetype. Yuno Gasai from Future Diary might be the poster child for yandere females in anime, but Yukako can be considered the main reason why they even exist.

15 Mizuki Himeji (Baka And Test)

Pretty Gentle Most Of The Time, But Still Scary

• Studio: Silver Link
• Release Year: 2010
• Genre: Comedy, Romance
• Number of Episodes: 13

Mizuki is a very smart and gentle girl for the most part. But when she’s had too much to drink or gets jealous when girls are too close to Akihisa, it’s a whole different story. She is quick to lash out and get a little violent when this happens, but it’s pretty tame compared to most yandere females.

She’s probably the most gentle yandere out there, but Mizuki still checks a lot of the boxes for one. At least she’s not bloodthirsty or out to kill anyone just yet. That’s a big plus, but it’s best to not test the waters.

14 Megumi Shimizu

A Small Town Girl Turned Vampire Who Abuses Her Powers

It would be easy to feel sorry for Megumi since all she wanted was to leave the village, but her transformation into a Shiki leaves little sympathy for her. She was obsessed with Natsuno to the point that she was stalking him. He knew it too but didn’t do anything to stop her. Her obsession with him was so strong that she killed Tohru Mutou just because he was close to Natsuno. She even killed her childhood friend Kaori because she got close to him.

She didn’t mind killing the villagers and saw becoming a Shiki as a good thing. Considering that the villagers constantly picked on her because of her looks, it’s no surprise that she was more than happy to kill most of them after becoming a Shiki.

13 Kofuku

Even The Goddess Of War Is Scared Of Her

Kofuku might not seem like a typical yandere, but this sweet and bubbly girl has a dark side that even Bishamon, the goddess of war, won’t mess with. She’s fully aware of everything going on around her and isn’t afraid to threaten the gods if they threaten her or hurt anyone she cares about. Though she’s not worshipped and considered a nameless god, most gods will avoid her because they fear her unusual abilities and how powerful she is.

So long as no one hurts Yato, Kofuku is pretty tamed and Daikoku (her Shinki) keeps her in check. However, she's not afraid to open vents to release phantoms as shown when she saw Bishamon and Yato fighting. With her powers, she could potentially end the world if she wanted to, but luckily her friends keep her from doing so.

12 Sato Matsuzaka

A Girl Obsessed With “Protecting” Her Love And Will Kill To Keep It A Secret

This young teen might seem sweet and innocent at first glance, but she’s one of the most disturbing yandere girls out there. Sato had a very rough life growing up and has a very warped view of love. She grows a rather unhealthy attachment to Shio, an eight-year-old girl who was abandoned by her mother. She took the young girl in and they lived together, but Sato kept Shio locked up under the guise of protection.

If anyone ever caught a glimpse or met Shio, Sato would kill them as a twisted way to protect her. She even killed her best friend Shoko after she found out that Sato technically kidnapped the young girl.

11 Himiko Toga

Her “Love” For Other Characters Is Very Twisted

Himiko is a pretty twisted individual much like her companions, but it’s her twisted view of love that makes her utterly terrifying. Once she’s attached and “loves” 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 what she feels for him is affection even though she tries to attack him. The only other person that she feels affection for is Ochako Ururaka, whom she tries to be like because she loves her.

Her sadistic tendencies and overall demeanor are enough to make most people scared of what she could possibly do. She is very happy when trying to kill someone, smiling when doing so, and has a creepy look that makes her look lovesick.

10 Misa Amane

A Girl Who Is Okay With Being Used As A Weapon

Misa might not have the crazy yandere face, but she definitely has a lot of yandere traits. She was more than okay with giving up half of her lifespan to get the Shinigami Eyes to help Light. She became obsessed with him and swore her life to serve him. Light uses her feelings for him for his own gain and she never once sees him as evil.

She is perfectly fine with killing anyone who gets in the way of Light and his goals. As long as she remains Light’s number one tool, Misa is willing to shorten her life as many times as needed and kill whoever he says needs to die.

9 Konishi

Neglect Made Her Snap

To put it lightly, Konishi is madly in love with her classmate, Oikawa. Unfortunately, he developed a crush on the innocent Ayumi Otosaka after being transferred to the school. After this, Oikawa started neglecting Konishi and spent more time with Ayumi.

This didn’t sit well with Konishi, and she took matters into her own hands. One normal school day, she follows Ayumi into the hallways and pulled out a box cutter. The twelve-year-old girl then tells her she must die, so that Konishi can keep Oikawa all to herself.

8 Nina Einstein

The Death Of Her One-Sided Crush Made Her Have A Mental Breakdown

A calm and shy student at the Ashford Academy, Nina is a member of the Student Council. After a while in the series, she begins working for the government to create weapons. She is strongly attached to Euphemia, a princess, to the point that Nina considers her a Goddess and often seeks her for emotional support. However, after Euphemia's death, Nina’s mental and physical health becomes unstable.

Her unhealthy attachment and one-sided love cause Nina to go berserk. In a frenzy, Nina arms her Ashford's Ganymede Knightmare Frame with a prototype nuclear reactor that would destroy Tokyo. Thankfully, Nina is captured before anything bad can happen.

7 Akane Hiyama (Love Tyrant)

Is Not Afraid To Stab Her Love Interest If She Sees Him With Another Girl

• Studio: EMT Squared
• Release Year: 2017
• Genre: Romantic comedy, supernatural
• Number of Episodes: 12

Akane is the school idol and seems like an angel to everyone around her. However, when it comes to her crush, Seiji Aino, she transforms into a psychopathic character. She is madly in love with him and will kill anyone who tries to date him.

What’s unbelievable is that Seiji himself is not safe from her violent nature. If she sees him with another girl ("cheating: on her as she likes to put it), Akane won’t hesitate to stab him multiple times. Although all the characters are immortal, that doesn’t excuse Akane’s Yandere tendencies, as they still feel pain.

6 Ringo Oginome

Obsessed With Her Deceased Sister’s Crush

In Penguindrum, Ringo is a student at Ohka Garden Girls' High School. Before it was revealed that she had a Yandere nature, the anime already showed fans how mentally unstable she was. Ringo Oginome's older sister died in a terrorist attack, which led her family to fall apart. This caused her to act like her deceased sister, in the hope that it may fix her family.

Ringo becomes a stalker following Keiju Tabuki, her sister’s crush, to the point of obsession. When he gets engaged, Ringo drugs both Keiju and Shoma Takakura, her friend. She then drags her "lover" to the bedroom and attempts to harass him while pretending to be his fiancé, even wearing a wig to look like her. This scene will certainly give fans a lot of goosebumps. Luckily, Shoma wakes up and stops her before things go too far.

5 Minatsuki Takami

Just Loves Watching People Suffer

Also known as Hummingbird, Minatsuki is the younger sister of Yō Takami in Deadman Wonderland. She used to be a normal girl until one day an earthquake occurred while she was in the garden with her mother. Minatsuki’s mom chose to save her plants rather than save her daughter. From here, everything went downhill. Minatsuki became a liar and developed a sadistic personality.

Minatsuki convinces her brother that their father is abusing her, which leads to a fight between them. After growing up, she kills her father with her own hands and enjoys watching her brother suffer, thinking he’s the culprit. Minatsuki even reveals that she gets very excited if she sees someone suffering or in pain, even if it's her own brother.

4 Haruna Niekawa

Her “Love” For Takashi Is A Danger To Everyone Around Her

A former student at Raira Academy, a rumor starts spreading about Haruna Niekawa and forces her to leave. Haruna Niekawa is in a relationship with her teacher Takashi Nasujima. She prides herself to be the owner of Saika, a demonic blade but later finds out that she’s not the true owner but instead possesses the Daughter of Saika.

After she leaves school, Haruna keeps thinking about her "lover" obsessively. Eventually, she learns that Takashi was cheating on her with Anri Sonohara. This angers her to the point where she starts attacking random people, including her father, to transform them into her "children" so they can attack Anri. Afterward, when Haruna manages to find Takashi, she smears her blood on his face to show him her "love." This right here is a clear sign of her Yandere nature.