The world of anime can be categorized in many different ways, such as shonen vs. shojo, and characters can be sorted into distinct categories as well, especially where romance and personal bonds are concerned. Many anime fans are aware of a pantheon of -dere types, kuudere being one of them.
While it's true that the tsundere type tends to be the most exciting and popular, kuudere anime characters provide some much-needed variety among all those big-sister types and playful bullies. Kuuderes are fairly diverse, but they do share some common, distinct traits that mark them as a kuudere, even if they all come from different walks of life or from stories of different genres.
Kuuderes Have A Gentle But Cold Appearance
Some anime characters are well-known for their flashy outfits and wild "anime hair," and entire franchises are known for being loaded with such characters. By contrast, a kuudere character will have a plain and neutral appearance to match their personality, often having simple, dark hair or soft silvery or lavender-colored hair rather than loud red, pink or green hues. These kuudere might also blend in by wearing a school uniform, or they will dress conservatively in everyday life and not have their wardrobe advertise their presence. Not all anime archetypes are defined by clothes or hairdos, but in a subtle way, kuudere often are. Angel Tachibana from Angel Beats!, for example, wears a school uniform and has silvery-white hair, as opposed to pink or punkish green. She doesn't even have any accessories in her hair.
Kuuderes Are Often Calm & Detached
A kuudere anime character is likely to keep themselves slightly apart from the rest of the cast, even if they're part of a team or a class, such as Shoto Todoroki from My Hero Academia, the prodigy of class 1-A. These kuudere characters might eat lunch alone while seated at their own table, or they might walk home by themselves or politely decline to take part in group activities or chat sessions. Such characters also tend to keep their cool and not panic or get provoked easily, making them nearly the opposite of a typical hotheaded tsundere. Shoto is known for being a lone wolf, for example, but he slowly learned to be a team player later on, such as when he interned with Bakugo and Izuku to learn from his father, Endeavor.
Many Kuuderes Are Smart and/or Talented
A kuudere may be deeply devoted to a certain skill or hobby as a substitute for regular human interaction, and that may or may not be the kuudere character's actual intent. Some kuudere dive into a hobby to avoid idle chatter, while others simply follow their passion as a matter of course, failing to realize how many social interactions they're missing out on. Some kuudere might actually use their talents or studies as an excuse to avoid other people, but that may change over time as they prepare to show their true feelings. Hirotaka Nifuji is an obsessive gamer, as an example from the office rom-com Wotakoi, and MHA's Shoto can blow off his classmates because he's in an entirely different league than them.
Kuuderes Use Minimal Body Language
Body language is a vital part of human communication, from facial expressions to posture and even nervous tics or culturally defined hand gestures. A kuudere character won't use much body language, however, which can make them more difficult to read. Having a fairly neutral and blank face is just the start -- a kuudere may also decline to use hand gestures, winks or even folded arms to make their emotions clear. Attack on Titan's Mikasa Ackerman, who can be loosely categorized as a kuudere, is known for having an expressionless and calm face -- until her dear friend Eren Yeager is threatened, that is. Wotakoi's Hirotaka Nifuji is also known for his unreadable and calm face, rarely smiling, frowning or crying for any reason -- although he does express himself more warmly via text messages.
Kuudere Characters Aren't Very Chatty
Many anime characters are much chattier than others, since some are social butterflies who love to make friends while others are playful and keep teasing their friends and classmates any chance they get. A kuudere, by contrast, will be relatively tight-lipped, and they often don't talk at all unless someone else speaks to them first. Kuudere don't always brush off or ignore the people around them, but in general, they rarely launch conversations until they're good and ready. However, they might finally make a lengthy confession to their love interest, delivering a short, passionate speech that they've been saving up for weeks or even months or years. Hirotaka from Wotakoi is rather quiet in the office, for example, and Sakaki from Azumanga Daioh! tends to keep to herself.