There are many ways to cateogorize and label characters in the world of anime, ranging from stock archetypes such as the "cool genius" rival like Sasuke Uchiha to energetic genki girls and so on. When it comes to a character's personality and behavior as a lover, the -dere archetypes work best, from tsundere to kuudere and even dandere.

All of these -dere archetypes describe how a character in love might behave, with -dere being "affectionate" and the first part describing how that affection is expressed. While kuuderes are cool and aloof on the outside, tsunderes have a fierce temper and impatiently deny their undeniable romantic feelings, and that makes for a fun character. Most of the best tsunderes are girls like Evangelion's Asuka Langley and Toradora!'s Aisaka Taiga -- but there are plenty of lovable tsundere boys too.

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Fullmetal Alchemist's Edward Elric Keeps Losing His Cool

Edward Elric being a tsundere in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.

The petite hero of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Edward Elric, has been a classic tsundere since the very start. Like many tsunderes in anime, Edward is a naturally hot-tempered fellow who has a big heart, but also a serious attitude to go with it. Edward tends to erupt when people poke fun at his short height, and he will also panic if anyone brings up his secret crush on Winry Rockbell.

On the outside, Edward tends to tease Winry and call her a gearhead, and he sometimes appears to take her for granted. But deep down he is highly protective of Winry and respects her deeply -- even if he won't easily admit it -- and expresses this affection through his heroic actions. In the end, an older, wiser Edward summoned the courage to propose marriage to Winry, and as a true tsundere, he disguised it as an alchemy formula, being too flustered and stubborn to just say "Will you marry me?" or "I love you." Thankfully, Winry still got the message.

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Bleach's Uryu Ishida Gets Fiercely Protective of Orihime

uryiu ishida bleach

Strictly speaking, two of Bleach's main heroes -- protagonist Ichigo Kurosaki and his Quincy friend Uryu Ishida -- are beloved tsundere boys, though fans might agree that Uryu is more wholesome about it. While Ichigo tends to pick fights like a total punk and makes fun of his friends at times, Uryu is a gentler and better-balanced tsundere who makes a better impression on others.

At times Uryu is actually more like a kuudere -- a cool, aloof character who only shows affection for the right person -- but his temper marks him as a true tsundere. Despite his bookish and disciplined ways, Uryu loses his cool nearly as often as Ichigo, especially when he is made fun of or if his friends are threatened. Uryu also nurses a secret passion for his and Ichigo's friend Orihime, and quickly gets flustered and defensive when the topic is brought up.

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Fruits Basket's Kyo Sohma Took His Time Professing Love

Kyo taking Tohru back home after she leaves

Fruits Basket is a famed shojo title that features characters of many -dere types, from the cheerful deredere heroine Tohru Honda to the slick kuudere Yuki Sohma to the total danderes Ritsu and Kisa Sohma. Then there's the fierce tsundere Kyo, a boy with many burdens to bear as the cursed housecat.

Kyo is viewed as a monster and rejected even by the other Sohmas, but he is determined to fight back against his fate and find true freedom. He may be hot-tempered and stubbornly defensive, but Kyo also has a heart of gold and soon fell in love with Tohru. Over time, he learned to express his amorous feelings and draw inspiration from them to keep fighting for his fate -- and Tohru supported him all the way.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure's Third Arc Starred Jotaro Kujo, The Tsundere

jotaro kujo with star platinum

The first two JoJo heroes, Jonathan and Joseph, easily expressed their kind natures with their actions and speech, such as Jonathan swearing to defend Erina and Joseph acting like everyone's pal. Then there's the grouchy antihero Jotaro Kujo in the "Stardust Crusaders" story arc, who often gives a bad impression with his stern silence and his cold, dismissive attitude. He's also not above insulting people.

Jotaro is not a truly dark antihero, however; he genuinely cares a great deal for his family and friends like any shonen star, even if he will never admit it. He trekked across the globe to defeat DIO and save his mother's life, and in "Stone Ocean," the middle-aged Jotaro risked it all to save his only daughter, Jolyne, from the perils of prison life and the enemy Stand users closing in on her.

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InuYasha's Namesake Hero Has a Real Temper

Inuyasha, Kaguya, and Ryukotsusei from InuYasha

Like Bleach, the classic isekai anime title InuYasha actually stars two tsundere heroes who play off one another like birds of a feather. The red-robed half-demon InuYasha is one of them. He's a hot-blooded hero who cares deeply for his friends but also has a reckless streak and often struggles to express his true feelings openly, which tends to annoy his companions.

A lot of this could also be said of his tsundere archer friend and lover, the time-traveling Kagome, who has a temper to match InuYasha's own. Their comrades Miroku, Shippo and Sango grew quite used to seeing InuYasha and Kagome butt heads, snap at each other, then storm off and pout in opposite directions before inevitably coming back together with terse apologies.