The most violent Yandere characters in anime

Key points

• Yandere characters will do anything, including violence, to ensure that their love interest is theirs alone.
• Their love knows no limits, as demonstrated by their obsessive and possessive nature towards their loved one.
• Some yandere characters have tragic pasts that fuel their obsessive behavior, leading to violent and dangerous outcomes.

The “yandere” is probably one of the most iconic character archetypes in anime and manga. Yandere characters are obsessed with their love interests in an unhealthy way. They may be sweet and affectionate on the surface, but behind their cute exterior lies a dangerously obsessive and sometimes violent streak.

For yanderes, devotion knows no bounds, and they are willing to do anything, even murder, to ensure that no one comes between them and their “love.” In darker cases, they may even resort to killing their loved one if their feelings are not reciprocated or if they face rejection.

10 Kaede Fuyou (Mix!)

I can't stand the thought of Rin ignoring her and becoming violent as a result

Kaede Fuyou's obsession with her childhood friend and protagonist Rin stems from a complicated past. He initially blamed Rin for his mother's death and suffered overwhelming guilt after learning the truth. Since then, she has dedicated herself to caring for him to atone for her past mistreatment.

She is afraid that Rin will ignore or abandon her, which leads her to display a violent streak when other girls, especially Asa, approach him. Interestingly, Kaede's yandere personality is absent in the original visual novel.

9 Misa Amane (Death Note)

He has no qualms about killing people on behalf of Light Yagami using the Death Note

Being a famous pop star, Misa Amane's adorable public image hides how messy she is. She falls in love with mass murder protagonist Light Yagami before even meeting him because he killed her parents' killer. She is completely willing to do anything to gain Light's affections, even threatening to kill any girl she sees with him.

While he almost never engages in direct violence, he uses his Death Note to kill criminals on Light's behalf. Unfortunately for her, Light shows little, if any, interest in her feelings, manipulating her and using her for his own gain.

8 Kotonoha Katsura (School Days)

A shy and reserved girl who desperately tries to convince the protagonist to love her

School days and its “yandere love triangle” are infamous in the anime community. Even though Sekai Saionji is a yandere, it is Kotonoha Katsura who proves to be the most violent. At the beginning of the story she is a shy and insecure high school girl who falls in love with the protagonist, Makoto, and eventually falls down a slippery slope to becoming dangerously possessive.

Kotonoha exemplifies the classic yandere archetype, being a sweet, flirty girl who ultimately falls into violence fueled by her romantic obsession. This culminates in the anime's infamous ending, which sees her kill her romantic rival Sekai and cradle Makoto's severed head on a boat.

7 Esdeath (Akame Ga Kill!)

A sadistic torturer who wants total control over the protagonist

Esdeath is one of the most disturbing examples of a yandere, who immediately becomes infatuated with Tatsumi and decides that he must be hers at any cost. Unlike other yandere characters, however, Esdeath is more stoic and in control of her emotions, even when torturing people.

He refuses to accept that Tatsumi does not return his feelings and continues to stalk him, even after finding out that he is a member of Night Raid. She becomes more and more desperate as the series goes on, even putting Tatsumi to execution instead of letting him be with someone else.

6 Karasu (Yu Yu Hakusho)

Dangerously obsessed with Kurama, to the point of wanting to kill him

Karasu's attraction to Kurama is almost inseparable from his desire to kill him, wanting to have complete control over his destiny. His obsession is less about romantic affection than a desire to dominate and ultimately destroy Kurama, which he disturbingly sees as an intimate act.

What makes him especially creepy is how calm and soft-spoken he is when expressing his “love” and intentions for Kurama. Karasu is also a full-blown sadist and enjoys playing mind games with his victims, including and especially Kurama.

5 Himiko Toga (My Hero Academia)

He literally desires to consume and become the people he “loves”

Himiko Toga's Quirk involves ingesting people's blood to transform into them, so it's no wonder she's rather disturbed. His view of love in particular is quite violent and he believes that hurting and drawing blood from someone is a form of intimacy.

She develops particular fixations on Izuku Midoriya and Ochaco Uraraka, leading her to obsessively pursue them to “become” them. Due to his tragic childhood, he has a rather distorted view of love and affection, and sees nothing wrong with his obsession with drawing the blood of his targets.

4 Satou Matsuzaka (Happy Sugar Life)

He kidnaps the person he supposedly loves and will do anything to keep her tied up

Satou Matsuzaka is a particularly twisted example of a yandere, as his possessiveness is aimed at an eight-year-old girl named Shio Kobe. Satou kidnaps the young girl in the name of love and she is willing to do anything, even murder, to keep her dependent and isolated.

Satou desperately longs for love and affection, which he believes only Shio can provide. Her vision of a “happy and sweet life” with Shio makes her prone to extreme actions when this dream is threatened.

3 Shion Sonozaki (Higurashi when they cry)

Family abuse led her to develop an unhealthy attachment to Satoshi and commit several murders in his name.

Shion Sonozaki's transformation into a yandere is especially tragic, given the years of neglect and abuse she suffered from her family. She falls madly in love with Satoshi, because he was the first person to show her kindness. So when Satoshi disappears, she decides to avenge him.

He tortures and kills everyone he believes is involved in Satoshi's apparent death, including children and members of his own family. The most tragic thing is that he comes to regret his actions too late, after having already taken several innocent lives.

2 Yuno Gasai (Future Diary)

Her obsessive love for Yukiteru leads her to commit extreme and violent acts

Yuno Gasai is probably the most famous yandere in all of anime and manga, precisely because of how intense and brutal her obsession is. Yuno vows to “protect” her love interest Yukiteru Amano during the survival game of Deus Ex Machina, which, for her, means killing anyone who tries to get close to him.

Yuno's obsession with Yukiteru is all-consuming, even stating that she has no respect for anyone but him. She also ticks all the boxes for the typical yandere: a girl who is sweet, feminine, and affectionate on the outside but who becomes dangerously possessive and obsessive when a love interest is involved.

1 Lucy/Kaede (Lied of the Elves)

Violent tendencies emerge from a blend of tragic trauma and obsessive romanticism

Lucy is a rather complex example of a yandere, given her multiple personalities. His violent tendencies do not just emerge from an obsessive romance, but rather from a blend of a traumatic childhood and his Diclonius nature. Her original child personality, Kaede, most exemplifies the yandere archetype.

Lucy, as Kaede, falls in love with young Kouta because he is the first person to treat her with kindness. After finding out that Kouta attended a festival with her cousin Yuka, jealousy overtakes her and she brutally kills Kouta's sister and father using her vectors. The only thing that stopped her from killing Yuka too was Kouta's screams stopping her.