is a Japanese term for a character development process that depicts a character with a personality who is initially very harsh before gradually showing a warmer, friendlier side over time. The word is derived from the terms ('to turn away in disgust or anger') and ('to become affectionate'). Originally found in Japanese bishōjo games, the word is now part of the

otaku is a Japanese word that describes people with consuming interests, particularly in anime, manga, video games, or computers. Its contemporary use originated with a 1983 essay by Akio Nakamori in '' Manga Burikko''. may be used as a pejorat ...

moe phenomenon, reaching into other media. The term was made popular in the

visual novel A , often abbreviated as VN, is a form of digital semi-interactive fiction. Visual novels are often associated with and used in the medium of video games, but are not always labeled as such themselves. They combine a textual narrative with sta ...

'' Kimi ga Nozomu Eien''.

Terminology

Manga author Ken Akamatsu lists ''tsundere'' as one of the special cases in his definition of '' moe'': "The person feeling it must be stronger: The object of 'moe' is weak and dependent (like a child) on the person, or is in a situation where she cannot oppose (like a maid)... (*Tsundere only: There will be times where the stronger and weaker role is reversed)." The concept has received increasing attention in Japan, with a maid cafe named Nagomi in

Akihabara is a common name for the area around Akihabara Station in the Chiyoda ward of Tokyo, Japan. Administratively, the area called Akihabara mainly belongs to the and Kanda-Sakumachō districts in Chiyoda. There exists an administrative district ca ...

started having ''tsundere'' events in 2006"In Tokyo's Akihabara district there is reportedly a ''tsundere'' cafe, and the word ''tsunderera'', better rendered in English as Tsunderella due to being highly evocative of Cinderella, was nominated for a prize in the 2006 fashionable word awards, indicating that 'tsundere' culture may become more prominent in the future." February 2, 2007, "Toymaker introduces portable TV with harsh audio guidance that gradually gets kinder" in the '' Mainichi Times''. and ''tsundere''-themed products released (like

Tomy Co. is a Japanese entertainment company that makes children's toys and merchandise. It was created from a merger on March 1st 2006 of two companies: Tomy (founded in 1924 as Tomiyama, changing the name to Tomy in 1963) and long-time rival Tak ...

's portable television set),"Toy manufacturer Tomy Co. has come up with the world's first ''tsundere'' portable television set, which gives audio guidance with a harsh voice that gradually becomes kinder as the user gets used to the set... ''Tsundere'' is a word for a type of feminine personality that is initially uptight and cold, and then kind and loving. It is well known among Japan's otaku community, and ranks in popularity with the word ''moe'', which signifies an enthusiasm or fetish for something, especially in connection with anime." February 2, 2007, ''Mainichi'' and the concept increasingly reflected in recent anime, from an extended discussion of the meaning of the concept and its origin on the Internet in '' Lucky Star'' Lucky Channel segment classifying the characters according to ''tsundere''-ness. Another accepted definition of ''tsundere'' is someone who has a combative attitude towards others but is also kind on the inside. They usually play out as having an attitude toward the main character, either a male or a female, and often criticizing them in one way or another, until they eventually warm up to them or fall in love with them as the series progresses, though they usually find it very hard to admit it or outright deny it in some cases.

Comiket , more commonly known as or , is a semiannual ''doujinshi'' convention in Tokyo, Japan. A grassroots market focused on the sale of '' doujin'' (self-published) works, Comiket is a not-for-profit fan convention administered by the volunteer-r ...

organizer Koichi Ichikawa has described Lum from '' Urusei Yatsura'' as being both the source of '' moe'' and the first ''tsundere''; figurine sculptor Bome has also cited Lum as an inspiration for his designs. Manga critic Jason Thompson named Madoka Ayukawa of the 1980s series '' Kimagure Orange Road'' as the root of the tsundere archetype. Other anime and manga featuring ''tsundere'' include '' Love Hina'', ''

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'', and ''

Bakemonogatari is a Japanese light novel series written by Nisio Isin and illustrated by Vofan. The plot centers on Koyomi Araragi, a third-year high school student who survives a vampire attack and finds himself helping girls involved with a variety ...

'', among many others. Some voice actors have garnered a reputation for voicing ''tsundere'' characters such as Rie Kugimiya who voices Louise in '' The Familiar of Zero'' and Nagi in ''

Hayate the Combat Butler is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kenjiro Hata. It was serialized in Shogakukan's ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' magazine from October 2004 to April 2017. Shogakukan released 52 volumes in Japan from February 2005 to Jun ...

''. In ''

Excel Saga is a manga series written and illustrated by Kōshi Rikudō. It was serialized in '' Young King OURs'' from 1996 to 2011, and its individual chapters were collected and published in 27 ''tankōbon'' volumes by Shōnen Gahōsha. The series fo ...

'' volume 15, author Rikdo Koshi defines ''tsundere'' as "hard on the outside, soft on the inside" and associates it with character Misaki Matsuya. ''Tsundere'' as a concept is not strictly limited to women, and is not strictly limited to manga or anime. The character

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from the series '' Hetalia: Axis Powers'' is portrayed as being ''tsundere'', and is paired with a " lovable loser", Italy Veneziano. ''Tsundere'' role-play has become a common theme in maid cafés.

Terminology

See also

Notes

References

Further reading