Hard and crunchy on the outside; soft and mushy on the inside. We're not talking about buttermilk-brined southern fried chicken, but tsundere characters. In anime, they immediately stand out as hard-headed and brash girls who, despite the abrasive outward facade, harbor a tender and caring inner persona. Surprisingly enough, this character stereotype extends beyond Japanese media. Even western games have a healthy dose of tsundere characters.
Of course, they might not outright announce themselves as such, but they do fit the profile. Even better, they fit well into the narrative and their personality easily steals the show, much like how a lot of tsundere girls in anime do likewise. So the next time players find themselves dabbling in western RPGs or even action-adventure games, they might want to keep be on the lookout for these subtle tsundere characters.
7 Kratos - God Of War (2018)
- Game release year: 2018
- Game platforms: PlayStation 4/5, Microsoft Windows
Shocking, eh? The most macho bearded protagonist in the history of gaming turns out to be a tsundere— at least in the God of War reboot. In the first God of War trilogy, Kratos was just a vengeful sociopath; but he eased up on the vitriol come the 2018 reboot, thanks to his newfound family life. As a result, how Kratos balances parenting and his monstrous past is a recipe for tsundere interactions.
In such a dangerous world, Kratos had to teach Atreus how to be tough and uncompromising. At the same time, he also has to display affection to his grieving son. This often yields some heartwarming and rare displays of fatherhood, where Kratos can be just as loving to Atreus as he is cold and distant. If anything, he just needs to be more expressive and in touch with his emotions— verbally, for a start. But it's not like he wants to praise Atreus or anything, b-baka!
6 Bastila Shan - Star Wars: KOTOR
- Game release year: 2003
- Game platforms: Windows, Xbox, Mac OS X, iOS, Android, Linux, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch
Bastila Shan is an old and experienced Jedi from the first Knights of the Old Republic game, but even so, she's a textbook tsundere. Bastila holds herself in high regard and typically walks with an air of unspoken superiority. She can even be a bit narcissistic depending on how players talk to her in certain dialog replies. But beneath all the elitist Jedi shell is a child longing for affection and bond.
Thus, Bastila is one of the most obvious romance options in the game despite her being a Jedi. Sure enough, romancing her will lead her to the Dark Side. But it goes to show just how much Bastila was repressing herself under the guise of zealousness and discipline. That, and her unresolved conflict and issues with her mother likely contributed to her callous and tough exterior. Quite a common profile for tsundere characters.
5 Morrigan - Dragon Age: Origins
- Game release year: 2009
- Game platforms: Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Mac OS X
Speaking of tsundere characters with glaring conflicts with their mothers, Morrigan takes the cake. She's an independent and scheming witch in Dragon Age: Origins, and as early as her childhood Morrigan has been taught to survive by her foster mother, Flemeth (also a witch). Thus, Morrigan also walks with an air of overconfidence and snobbishness about her.
This can even reach a point where she gets in trouble with other party members for her caustic attitude. But players who were patient enough with Morrigan will get to know her story. There's a hidden soft side to this cold-hearted witch. And if players even push further, they might just get Morrigan to care for them— at least until she gets what she needs. Thankfully, the sequels painted her in a better light.
4 Jack - Mass Effect 2
- Game release year: 2010
- Game platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows
Yet another Bioware game with a tsundere among its cast, Mass Effect 2 is quite similar to Dragon Age when it comes to characterizations. In this game, there are quite a handful of tsundere characters, but Jack embodies the trope most extensively. She's even similar to Morrigan from Dragon Age: Origins. Jack is also a character whose soul and persona was tempered from a young age.
Thus, she grew up tough-as-nails and with some volatile psionic powers. Jack is also wary and distrustful of any relationship she has, whether platonic or romantic. She's certainly coarse and even harsh— this had led to some fights with the other crew in the Normandy. But like with Morrigan, players only need to exercise patience and sympathy in order to get Jack to soften up on them. Turns out she still has the capacity to care and be attached.
3 Sylvanas Windrunner - World Of Warcraft
- Game release year: 2004
- Game platforms: Microsoft Windows, macOS, Macintosh operating systems
Like most tsundere characters in western video games, it's understandable how and why Sylvanas became the way she is in the Warcraft mythos. She was once a proud and alive Elven warrior until Arthas brought her back from the dead. Since then, she's been running her own rebellious faction, spreading hate against the other factions.
For all her crimes, however, Sylvanas still remembers the days when she was once a caring creature. Players can easily trigger this by giving her a certain necklace. She still does care for what became of her Elven kind, particularly the Blood Elves. It's just that Sylvanas chooses to display a cold and uncaring facade when managing her Undead Forsaken and Horde armies.
2 Hades - Hades
- Game release year: 2020
- Game platforms: macOS, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Hades is a contender for the best Roguelike video game in existence, and part of that is due to its strong cast of characters both literally and figuratively. One of the most powerful among them is the head honcho of hell himself, Hades. Here, he's the bitter and resentful father of Zagreus, the player's character. He'll keep trying to stop his son from escaping the Underworld while also berating him and scolding him along the way.
Come the end of the storyline, however, Hades turns out to be a lot more sympathetic as a character. He only became this way because his wife, Persephone, left and because his other Olympian relatives kept spitting at his face figuratively. Toward the end, Hades becomes reluctantly and awkwardly more affectionate and considerate toward Zagreus. He's still bitter and arrogant, though; it's not like he likes all those boss fights with the baka players.
1 Arthur Morgan - Red Dead Redemption 2
- Game release year: 2018
- Game platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Google Stadia, Microsoft Windows
Depending on how the players chose to pilot Arthur Morgan in Red Dead Redemption 2, he can either be a subtle or a full-blown tsundere. As Dutch's favorite enforcer and muscle, Arthur has to keep his killer tendencies sharp. But if anything, Arthur actually hates all the criminal stuff he commits in-game, especially if players choose the morally good route.
But even with the morally bad route, Arthur still cares for the people he likes, such as Abigail and Jack Marston. Meanwhile, he might insult Uncle and spat with John Marston; but deep down, he tends to care for them, especially John. Of course, there's also that situationship with Mary Linton, proving that Arthur can and will be kind, but it's not like he wants to; he still has to beat people up for debts and keep Micah in check.