The most violent yandere characters in anime

Key takeaways

• Yandere characters go to extreme lengths – including violence – to ensure that their love interest is theirs alone.
• Their love knows no bounds, which is shown through their obsessive and possessive nature towards their beloved.
• Some yandere characters have tragic pasts that fuel their obsessive behavior, leading to violent and dangerous consequences.

The 'yandere' is perhaps one of the most iconic character archetypes in anime and manga. Yandere characters are obsessed with their love interests to an unhealthy degree. They may be sweet and loving on the surface, but behind their cute appearance lies a dangerously obsessive and sometimes violent streak.

For the yandere, devotion knows no bounds, and they will go to any lengths – even outright murder – to ensure that no one gets in the way of them and their 'love'. At their darkest, they may even resort to killing their loved ones if their feelings are unrequited or they face rejection.

10 Kaede Fuyou (Success!)

Can't stand Rin's neglectful thinking and becomes violent as a result

Kaede Fuyou's obsession with her childhood friend and hero Rin stems from a complicated past. She initially blamed Rin for her mother's death and faced great guilt after learning the truth. Since then, she has dedicated herself to caring for him to atone for her past abuse.

She grows afraid of Rin ignoring or abandoning her, causing her to show violent lashings when the other girls, especially Asa, get close to her. Interestingly, Kaede's yandere persona is absent in the original visual novel.

9 Misa Amane (Death Note)

No worries about killing people on behalf of Light Yagami using the Death Note

As a famous pop star, Misa Amane's charming public image hides just how messed up she is. She falls in love with mass-murdering hero Light Yagami before meeting her because he killed her parents' killer. She is willing to do anything to win Light's affections, even threatening to kill any girl she sees with him.

When she almost certainly isn't engaging in direct violence, she uses her death note to kill criminals on Light's behalf. Unfortunately for her, Light shows little, if any, interest in her feelings, manipulating and using her for his own gain.

8 Kotonoha Katsura (School Day)

A shy, fearless girl who is desperate for the hero to love her

School days And its 'yandere love triangle' is infamous in the anime community. While Sekai Sayonji is also a yandere, it is Kotonoha Katsura who becomes more violent. She begins the story as a shy, insecure high-schooler who falls in love with the protagonist, Makoto, and eventually falls dangerously down the slippery slope to possession.

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

7 Esdeath (Akame Ga Kill!)

A sadistic torturer who wants complete control over the hero

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

She refuses to accept that Tatsumi does not reciprocate her feelings and continues to pursue him even after finding out that he is a member of Night Raid. She becomes more desperate as the series progresses, putting Tatsumi up for execution rather than let him live 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 scary is how calm and soft-spoken he is when it comes to expressing his 'love' and intentions. Karasu is also a full-blown sadist and gets to play mind games with his victims, especially Kurama.

5 Himiko Toga (My Hero Academia)

A desire to literally consume and become the person you love

Himiko Toga's Quirk involves transmuting people's blood into them, so it's no wonder she would be so disturbed. Her view of love in particular is rather violent, and she believes that hurting someone and drawing blood is a form of intimacy.

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

4 Satou Matsuzaka (Sugar Life Happy)

He kidnaps the one he loves and will do anything to keep them attached

Satou Matsuzaka is a particularly twisted example of a yandere, as his possession is aimed at an eight-year-old girl named Shio Kobe. Satu kidnaps the girl in the name of 'love' and is ready to do anything up to killing to keep himself dependent and alone.

Satou desperately wants love and affection, which she believes only Shio can provide. His vision of a 'happy sugar life' with Shio makes him prone to extreme action when this dream is threatened.

3 Shion Sonozaki (Higurashi When They Cry)

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

Shion Sonozaki's transformation into a yandere is particularly tragic, given the years of neglect and abuse she experienced by her family. She falls head-over-heels for Satoshi, because he was the first person to show her compassion. So, when Satoshi disappears, he takes it upon himself to get revenge.

She tortures and kills everyone, including the children and members of her own family, in the apparent death of Satoshi. Most tragically, she comes to regret her actions too late, after taking many innocent lives.

2 Yuno Gasai (Future Diary)

His obsessive love for Yukiteru leads him to extreme and violent acts

Yuno Gasai is probably the most famous yandere in all of anime and manga, simply because of how intense and brutal his passion is. Yuno promises to 'protect' Yukiteru Amano, her love interest in the survival game Deus Ex Machina, which means killing anyone who tries to get close to her.

Yuno's obsession with Yukiteru is all-consuming, even though she doesn't care about anyone but him. She also checks all the boxes of the typical yandere – a girl who is sweet, girly and loving on the outside but becomes dangerously possessive and obsessive when a love interest is involved.

1 Lucy/Kade (Elfen Lead)

Violent tendencies arise from a mixture of tragic trauma and obsessive romance

Lucy is a complex example of a yandere, given her many personalities. His violent tendencies stem not only from an obsessive romance but rather from a combination of a traumatic childhood and his nature as Diclonius. Her original personality as a child, Kaede, most exemplifies the yandere archetype.

Lucy, as Kaede, falls in love with a young Kouta because he is the first person to be kind to her. After learning that Kouta attended the festival with her girl cousin Yuka, she is overcome with jealousy, and uses her vectors to brutally kill Kouta's sister and father. The only thing stopping him from killing Yuka as well was Kota's cries to stop him.