Top 10 Best Yandere Characters in Anime

Cute on the outside, chaos on the inside. That's the yandere way. These are the anime characters who look sweet enough to bring you cookies but are more likely to bring a kitchen knife. Or two. Maybe dipped in blood.

A yandere is the kind of character who starts with soft smiles and bashful stares, only to spiral into obsession, jealousy, and violent devotion. They don't just love someone. They claim them. And heaven help anyone who stands in their way. That includes the object of their affection.

In the world of yandere, love isn't just blind. It's fully unhinged.

This list pulls together the most iconic, terrifying, and oddly compelling yandere characters anime has offered. Vote for the characters you think define the yandere archetype best, or at least the ones who made your skin crawl in the most memorable way.

The Top Ten

Yuno Gasai - Mirai Nikki

Yuno Gasai is the main female protagonist of the anime series Mirai Nikki, also known as Future Diary, which premiered on October 10, 2011. She is the second diary owner and possesses the Diary of Future Love, which allows her to predict the actions of her love interest, Yukiteru Amano. Yuno is a classic... read more

I personally prefer Yuno as a yandere queen over anybody else. Yuno was the one who made the yandere trend, after all. She made the brand, basically. Not only that, she became a goddess and can basically do whatever she wants in the end.

There's a reason why when we talk about yandere, Yuno is always on top of the list. She is literally the symbol of all yandere characters, and even now, no one has demonstrated the definition of a yandere as well as Yuno did, so she's the queen.

I think I know why she's at the top of every yandere list: she always knows what Yuki is up to, breaks into his house in one episode, and even chops off a girl's hand when she kissed Yuki in front of her! That girl is crazy.
Shion Sonozaki - Higurashi no Naku Koro ni

All the characters in this anime are messed up. Seriously, not even the main character is normal. This girl wins the prize, though. She hanged two men, one with a chain. She stabbed Satoko a couple of times (tortured her, basically), who was the sister of her lover, and killed her own grandma. The lighter part was just messed up. She locked her sister up, who lost three nails because she felt bad over Shion's punishment.
She did fall and die but then came back as a ghost and killed Keiichi. If that's not enough, she wanted to torture Rika too, but Rika killed herself in front of her, and all Shion did was laugh. She even had weird hallucinations of her lover Satoshi, who is dead. She is far more of a yandere than Yuno. To be honest, I believe Yuno is a little overrated.
Lucy - Elfen Lied

Lucy, born Kaede, is a fictional Japanese character who serves as the tragic antiheroine and main protagonist of the manga Elfen Lied. The series was created by Lynn Okamoto and is best known for its anime adaptation, directed by Mamoru Kanbe and written by Takao Yoshioka. In the Japanese version, Lucy... read more

Oh, god, where do I start? She has a cruel backstory, an awesome story, and she's cute. Wow...

She's definitely a very... unique yandere.

I wish I had the power to kill people with invisible arms like Lucy does.
Sekai Saionji - School Days

Sekai Saionji (Saionji Sekai) is one of the two main heroines of the visual novel School Days, alongside Kotonoha Katsura. She also appears as a secondary character in the related titles Summer Days, Shiny Days, and Cross Days. Sekai plays a central role in the story's dramatic love triangle.

Am I the only person who always confuses Sekai with Kotonoha?
Kotonoha Katsura - School Days

Kotonoha Katsura (桂言葉, Katsura Kotonoha) is one of the two main heroines in the visual novel and anime School Days. She also appears as a secondary character in the related series Summer/Shiny Days and Cross Days.
Kotonoha is the oldest daughter of Manami and Mr. Katsura and has a younger sister... read more

I love the art style. Her eyes are gorgeous. Her hair and eyes are beautiful colors. The glasses in another game completed her look.

She is not the most skilled, but she has been through so much and so desperately tried to win over Makoto. She went through plenty of heartbreaks and other awful stuff that I do not wish to name. I feel like she deserves a better man.

What I don't understand about Kotonoha and Sekai is: how come they don't become yanderes until the final episode? I never would have expected Kotonoha, of all people, to be one, considering how shy and weak she seemed in every other episode.
Shuu Tsukiyama - Tokyo Ghoul

Shuu Tsukiyama, also known as the "Gourmet," is a ghoul character in Tokyo Ghoul. He comes from a wealthy and influential family and carries himself with an aristocratic demeanor.
Tsukiyama is obsessed with fine arts, literature, and the consumption of high-quality human flesh. He forms a complicated... read more

There are not enough male yanderes on the list! Everyone loves the female yanderes, but everyone forgets about the males. Let's try and get Shuu and the other males higher on the list!

I have to admit, Shuu is really hot, especially when he wears that blue suit! That hair of his is awesome, too.

I love Shuu! I even have an anime body pillow of him!
Kaede Fuyou - Shuffle!

Spoilers ahead: What sets Kaede apart from others is how sympathetic she is when she goes off the rails. After the accident that killed her mom and Rin's parents, she lost all will to live. Her dad refused to talk to her, and she wasn't given a psychiatrist to guide her through the troubled time. Rin made up a lie to give her a reason to live, saying he was at fault for the accident by asking them to come home earlier than planned.
Kaede then hated Rin and abused him, even dropping a blade that sideswiped his eye. Years later, from a hidden postcard, she learns that they were coming back early because she was sick. This makes her blame herself for the accident and try to atone for her actions by being Rin's slave. This becomes her new reason to live. Out of this, she develops real romantic feelings and dotes on him out of love and guilt over her past actions.
When Rin started dating Asa, it took Kaede's reason to live away, and she snapped. Everything goes into a major tailspin until she and Asa have a long talk, as well as one with Rin. If we rewound the clock and Kaede was told the truth, as well as how one could blame any number of factors for not stopping the accident, from traffic lights to the cops pulling over the drunk driver that killed her mom and Rin's parents, and if she had been given proper medical help back then, Kaede wouldn't be on this list. She would be much more like her game counterpart.
Shiro - Deadman Wonderland

Shiro is a mysterious and enigmatic character in the anime and manga series Deadman Wonderland. Recognizable by her all-white attire and childlike demeanor, she harbors dark secrets and has a deep connection to the protagonist, Ganta Igarashi. Her dual nature of innocent appearance and violent tendencies... read more

Trust me, you don't want to be stuck in a room by yourself with Shiro when she becomes the Wretched Egg. She is hot, though.

One of the best yandere characters ever. Very unexpected, too. Read the manga for Deadman Wonderland.

Shiro has white eyelashes! I have not seen Deadman Wonderland yet, but is she albino?
Misa Amane - Death Note

Misa Amane is a fictional character in the manga and anime series Death Note, created by writer Tsugumi Ohba and illustrator Takeshi Obata. She is a popular model and supporter of Kira, the series' central vigilante figure. Misa becomes the second Kira and plays a significant role in the progression... read more

She may not be your typical yandere, but she WILL do whatever Light tells her to, even if it means killing people.
Mizuki Himeji - Baka and Test

Mizuki Himeji (Japanese: 姫路瑞希) is one of the main heroines in the light novel and anime series Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu, also known as Baka and Test: Summon the Beast in English. She is a second-year student at Fumizuki Academy and is placed in Class 2-F, along with Akihisa Yoshii and her friends... read more

The Newcomers

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M4 SOPMOD II - Girls' Frontline
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Esdeath - Akame ga Kill!

General Esdeath, also known simply as Esdeath, is the secondary antagonist of the manga Akame ga Kill! and its 2014 anime adaptation. She is a high-ranking general of the Empire and possesses powerful ice-based abilities. Esdeath is known for her ruthless personality and complex relationship with the... read more

The Contenders

Anna Nishikinomiya - Shimoneta
Toko Fukawa - Danganronpa
Kurumi Tokisaki - Date A Live

Umm... I don't know much about Kurumi, but she looks sly and cute and seems like she is not afraid to do whatever it takes.
Ryoko Asakura - The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
Himiko Toga - My Hero Academia
Shouko Kirishima - Baka and Test
Belarus - Hetalia: Axis Powers

She's underrated. She needs more screen time. I think she's interesting, funny, cute, cool, and badass. She could be so much more than just the girl obsessed with marrying her own brother. I hate how she's reduced to this. She's one of my favorite Hetalia characters. I wish I had a friend like her.

I've only seen Axis Powers, but I hear that Prussia is a yandere, too. Is that true?

That one episode where she tries to force Russia to marry her. Creepy!
Juvia Lockser - Fairy Tail

Juvia Lockser is a mage from the Fairy Tail guild. As a child, she was abandoned by her parents because rain constantly followed her, making her feel isolated and unwanted. She lived in an orphanage where she was mistreated by the other children for being different. Her blue hair and the rain that followed... read more

She hasn't really tried to kill anyone, though.
Ayase Aragaki - Ore no Imouto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai
Yukako Yamagishi - JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
Satō Matsuzaka - Happy Sugar Life
Yuka Minase - 11eyes
Hitagi Senjougahara - Bakemonogatari

Hitagi Senjougahara (戦場ヶ原ひたぎ, Senjōgahara Hitagi) is a third-year student at Naoetsu Private High School in the Monogatari series. She appears frail and suffers from an unusual condition linked to a supernatural encounter that caused her to lose nearly all her weight. Because of her experiences, she... read more
Mikasa Ackerman - Attack on Titan

Mikasa Ackerman is a fictional character in the manga and anime series Attack on Titan, also known by its Japanese title Shingeki no Kyojin. Created by Hajime Isayama, she is one of the main characters and serves as a close companion and protector of Eren Jaeger. Mikasa is known for her exceptional combat... read more
Balder Hringhorni - Kamigami no Asobi