A tsundere-natured love interest provides plenty of conflict as they struggle with expressing their gentler feelings. Tsunderes are very cranky, especially when someone brings out their softer side. They dither between caustic and sweet as they try to deny how head over heels they are for their love interest.
Perfect characters aren’t interesting, but some of Inuyasha’s traits make him an onerous love interest, even for a hot and cold tsundere. Though Inuyasha’s backstory is tragic, his indecision and anger drags on for so long that it starts to feel like it’s there for no good reason. The romantic tension between him and Kagome often devolves from exciting to taxing. Though tsunderes can be moody, they aren’t always torn between two girls, like Inuyasha; there’s certainly better tsunderes to fall in love with.
10 Emi (The Devil Is A Part-Timer)
Emi has good reason to be angry with Satan in The Devil Is A Part-Timer. The abrupt switch from demon lord to near-human working in a burger joint changes Satan, which throws Emi who is still justifiably incensed and mistrustful over his past misdeeds.
Emi’s defensive attitude toward Sadao is grounded in the reality of their past. Inuyasha’s tsundere nature is affected by his past, too, but where Inuyasha just can’t seem to let go, Emi makes more of an effort to process her feelings with Sadao. Her softer moments with him confuse her, which explains her mood swings as she decides whether to treat him as an enemy, an ally, or perhaps something more.
9 Lieselotte Riefenstahl (Endo And Kobayashi Live! The Latest On Tsundere Villainess Lieselotte)
Endo and Kobayashi Live! lampoons and celebrates the tsundere love interests trope. Lieselotte is a tsundere video game villainess whose personality flaws are the cause of her ultimate doom, as many misunderstand her true nature.
Lieselotte is a superior love interest because her tsundere nature comes from simple, fixable miscommunication rather than indecision and a caustic nature, like with Inuyasha. Endo and Kobayashi help Lieselotte and her love interest, while also operating as meta commentators on the romance trope itself. They unpack a lot of the psychological context that defines a well-written tsundere character.
8 Rue (Princess Tutu)
Princess Tutu‘s antagonist Rue is inspired by the Black Swan villainess from Swan Lake. Even in her human form, Rue’s not an easy person to get along with. Like the Black Swan, she’s a talented classical dancer who wields her beauty like a weapon.
Rue thinks that Mytho is the only person who can truly love her. Tsunderes tend to be as devoted to their love interests as they are spiky in temperament. Inuyasha is the hero of his story, but Rue fully embraces being a villain, which works better with her tsundere nature versus Inuyasha’s dithering.
7 Loid Forger (Spy X Family)
Loid Forger has no intention of keeping the family he built in Spy x Family – being emotionally distant is part of his job description. His alliance with Yor is simply a marriage of convenience, and Anya affectionately describes her father as “shy.” Whenever he feels fondness, he’s quick to deny it because there’s so much on the line for him as a spy.
Loid is reserved and secretive, to say the least. Though he keeps Yor at arm’s length, he’s by no means an overtly angry tsundere. He may even border on kuudere, at times. The moments when Loid draws closer to Yor are sporadic and slow, but he’s becoming wrapped around Anya’s finger.
6 Sango (InuYasha)
Though she’s a tsundere like the show’s protagonist, Sango is easily one of the most likable characters in InuYasha. In contrast to Inuyasha berating Kagome for no good reason, Sango has a good reason for being such a tsundere with Miroku; the monk needs to be taught a thing or two about respect for the ladies.
Sango gets very annoyed with Miroku, not just because he’s too bold with her and every other woman, but also because she’s afraid of how much she likes him. There’s no doubt that she cares for him, but she’s understandably protective of her feelings.
5 Yukimaru (Fena: Pirate Princess)
Yukimaru of Fena: Pirate Princess feels like a Kylo Ren-coded character both in looks and in his relationship with Fena. Unlike Kylo, though, Yukimaru blushes with his ears – one of his more adorable tsundere-like traits.
Though he’s a hardened warrior as an adult, he was once childhood friends with Fena, and she has a special place in his heart. While he can be brutal and cold at times, there’s no tsundere more devoted than Yukimaru. He doesn’t talk much about his feelings, but he would cross oceans for Fena.
4 Lucy Maude Montgomery (Bungou Stray Dogs)
Lucy of Bungou Stray Dogs was treated poorly and exploited as a child, which explains her erratic behavior. She’s also much more complex than her first impression implies. Lucy isn’t used to being shown kindness or caring, so when Atsushi pays her attention, she emotionally imprints on him.
The two have a lot in common due to their traumatic pasts. Lucy is frightening to most, but Atsushi can handle her tsundere nature and terrifying powers. They’re well-matched between their ages and abilities, unlike Kagome and Inuyasha. Inuyasha is alarmingly older than Kagome; apparently 200 years isn’t long enough to learn how to control a temper.
3 Kyo Sohma (Fruits Basket)
All Kyo wants is to be part of the Sohma family in Fruits Basket, and he formed a wall of aggression around himself to protect his ego from constant rejection. The Sohmas continue many toxic family patterns, and Tohru is a huge part of breaking those cycles, especially for Kyo.
Kyo finds empathy and acceptance with Tohru. The best part about him is he knows in his heart of hearts how wonderful Tohru is, and how much she deserves from the people around her. He’s also faster to apologize for his wrongs and examine his behavior than many other tsunderes. In contrast to Kyo, Inuyasha acts like apologizing burns his tongue.
2 Rei Hino (Sailor Moon)
Rei Hino does not care for men and doesn’t pursue romance in the Sailor Moon manga or in Sailor Moon Crystal. The manga suggests that in her former life, she did have feelings for Jadeite, one of Prince Endymion’s Four Heavenly Kings, but that’s it.
Rei’s tsundere nature really shines with the filler character, Yuichiro who works at the shrine with her and her grandfather. Though she wants to show Yuichiro her austere side, she can’t help but admire his goofy (but oddly valiant) Labrador nature. Though she tries to be distant, her feelings for Yuichiro are sweet and understated, which is a rare and lovely find for a tsundere character.
1 Tomoe (Kamisama Kiss)
Like Inuyasha, the yokai Tomoe also knew love and lost it to time and tragedy in Kamisama Kiss. Nanami has a strong connection to Tomoe’s lost love, similar to Kagome and Kikyo. Tomoe too, is very caustic with Nanami, especially in the beginning.
But where Inuyasha takes forever to make up his mind, Tomoe has a shorter and more linear (but still incremental) progression with Nanami. His high-handed moments where he criticizes Nanami are more funny rather than repetitively aggressive. Tomoe may play vapid and lazy, but he’s much smarter and deeper than he seems.
#Tsundere #Waifus #Husbandos #Inuyasha
