– By Soumodeep
Second Year
B.A. (Hons.) Mathematics
St. Stephen’s College
Do listen to the eighth number from the October 2021 playlist.
The word “yandere” comes from the Japanese words yanderu, which means crazy or sick, and deredere, which means kind or loving. A yandere is essentially someone who is lovesick; someone who has been driven insane by excessive infatuation or love, culminating in deviant conduct, if not violence.
The moe fanbase (pronounced “Mo-Eh”) gave birth to the term “yandere.” The phrase “moe” refers to someone who is “huggable,” “cute,” or “adorable.” Despite the anime-inspired name, this portrayal has a long history, with the Mesopotamian deity Ishtar/Inanna goddess of war and sexual love, being one of the oldest instances.
Yanderes are known for their blank eyes when they go insane, being covered in blood for the majority of their screen time, wielding at least one signature weapon to kill and/or attack others. Having a mostly Moe appearance or at least an appearance that will deceive others, psychotic behaviour, and a tendency to attack and/or kill people who get in the way of their love. In “harmless” circumstances, no weapons or violence are required; all that is required is a well-established air of fear and a sense of dread if you step out of line.
On the surface, the character looks to be totally charming and innocent… yet beneath the surface, they can be obsessive, controlling, and occasionally just pure insane. This is awful news for anyone who has been the target of a Yandere’s infatuation, for nothing will persuade the Yandere that they are theirs and theirs alone. But empathy should be reserved for anyone who comes in the way, for this psycho-obsessive is incredibly unwilling to tolerate any challengers to their frequently legitimate affection. Most Yanderes have a history of mental instability, but some have always been a little “off,” perhaps as a result of a dark and troubled past and a good round or more of inhumane sadness. If a Yandere ever loses control and sanity, they are likely to do things to people straight out of a horror movie. Usually, their target is anyone they see to be in the way, but if the person they love rejects or abandons them, they may decide that they would rather see the person dead than live with another or themselves.
The jealous, aggressive variety of yandere, which is the most frequent, is almost often linked with yandere in the west. Given that the phrase simply means “mentally ill and in love,” there are various sorts of yandere that would only be recognised by people who know about Japanese culture.
Because the suffix “gata” (型), which means “model,” is added to Japanese nouns. So, in English, one would say “a XXX(action here)-ing yandere,” but in Japanese, there is a word for it, so it becomes XXX-gata yandere, or “yandere of type XXX.”
At any one time, a single yandere can, and usually will fit in many of these classifications. Yuno Gasai, the main female protagonist in Future Diary, can accommodate multiple of these types at any given instance of time, which is why she’s an ideal example of a yandere.
The yandere trope is not as common in anime, however, the ones that did use it, have done so incredibly well.
For example, Death Note has a classic example of a yandere, Misa Amane. Kira is her love, and she is willing to go to any length for him. Light murdered the crooks who killed Misa’s parents when he initially started murdering criminals as Kira. Misa is prepared to be Light’s tool in order for him to construct a new world as a thank you. Misa had reduced her lifespan to get Shinigami eyes by performing the Shinigami deal with Rem. She does it again, halving her life to aid Light in the murder of L. Misa committed suicide, according to Death Note 13: How to Read, a year after learning of Light’s death.
However, Satou Matsuzaka is the greatest Yandere in anime. Satou is at the top of the list because in Happy Sugar Life, she gets the connection she desires. Satou lives with Shio Koube, a little child who is not permitted to go outside. Satou simply wants to enjoy her sweet life with Shio, and nothing will stand in her way.
Satou adores Shio and will go to any length to protect her, even blackmail, murder, and arson. No one is safe from Satou once Shio makes her way outdoors.
Nobody in their right mind can understand the bizarre-seeking yandere’s disgusting love. Their weird demonstrations of affection can only be described as something that is alien to this world. They include murder, mutilation, and maybe something much worse that we poor mortals can’t even comprehend.
Note from the editors: Yuno Gasai is queen of Yandere.
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