Top 25 Lovably Feisty Tsundere Boys in Anime

It’s not like I did it for you, baka – It is the heralding call of the tsundere boy in anime. They’re never doing anything nice for friends or loved ones, they just felt like it, okay? They are often icy cold or explosively fiery at first, but if you break off enough of that extreme protective exterior, you often get to a soft person that just wants to be loved like everyone else. The tsundere is a difficult personality, but never one not fun to watch.

Best Tsundere Anime Boys

What is a Tsundere?

Chances are that if you are here, you came here looking for a tsundere boy to fall in love with and already know what one is. However, if nothing else, knowing what we think defines a tsundere character can help you be more familiar with our criteria for choosing them.

“Tsundere,” by definition, is a portmanteau of the mimetic word “tsuntsun,” meaning irritable, and “deredere,” meaning loving. It means they are loving, but boy, do they not show it easily.

By far the most popular and possibly the most beloved dere type, the tsundere is all about being dishonest with their feelings. They cover up doing nice things with an excuse or an insult in order to not let the sheer act of being nice to someone wound their pride. Those in a relationship with a tsundere really need to put the time in at chipping off that hard exterior, but the gooey insides are always very rewarding.

Katsuki Bakugo from My Hero Academia

It is, at this point, perfectly reasonable to assume that when a character has explosive, fiery powers, they will have some fire in their personality. For Bakugo, he is as explosive in personality as he is in power.

As is displayed, he was constantly praised for being powerful and this built up a huge wall of pride. So when his powerless childhood friend is suddenly climbing in ability, he’s noticeably wounded in that pride.

However, just because he has an explosive mouth hurling insults doesn’t mean he is rotten. His dere side is often shown through his actions towards others, though often accompanied by mean words. This is a tsundere that really, really takes work to get to the gooey center.

Miyuki Shirogane from Kaguya-sama: Love is War

Would you like to see what would happen when you have two tsundere characters lead a rom-com? Because that’s what Kaguya-sama: Love is War is, and that’s why it works so well. Both Miyuki and Kaguya are so maxed out on the tsundere spectrum that they couldn’t possibly admit their love. It is like admitting some kind of defeat, and these high achievers do not lose.

That is what feeds the comedy of the series, but you watch both characters melt from the inside out. When the tsun shell crumbles, there is no more rewarding moment in romance anime.

Tomoe from Kamisama Kiss

Like with a great majority of tsunderes, the tsun shell on Tomoe is one that serves as protection. Certainly he is a physically powerful fox spirit, but ultimately he is an emotionally damaged man.

He has trust issues with humans in general, and so when a new one comes around, it is natural to be a but grumpy about it. However, like any good tsundere man, watching him fall in love is a treat.

Shiki Tademaru from Kemono Jihen

Tademaru plays the classic role of more experienced fighter who kind of bullies the new kid, and like any bully, that comes from insecurity.

Lucky for him, his rude remarks bounce right of Kabane who was raised by way meaner, ruder people. Eventually you see all his insecurity start to quiet down as he becomes more accepting and even friendly towards his previous target who may dwarf his power, but makes for a good friend that doesn’t try to upstage him.

Inosuke Hashibara from Demon Slayer

Inosuke wants to battle. He wants to battle so badly that he’d trash talk his own grandmother to goad her into battle if she seemed like a good fight. However, a battle-hungry crazy person doesn’t necessarily mean a bad person.

Inosuke shows that while he would rather fight even his friends, he wants to be the one to fight them. This means if they are in danger, he’s there to step in and can be downright vengeful when they are harmed.

It also probably didn’t help that he was raised by boars. They’re total boors.

Atsushi Otani from Lovely Complex

Like Kaguya-sama: Love is War, Lovely Complex is another romance between two tsundere people, but Risa is at least not as high on the spectrum this time, which makes romantic progression a bit more expedient. Her love interest Atsushi, on the other hand, is as tsundere as a man can be.

The biggest thing feeding his tsundere-ness is his insecurity about his height. He would probably be less tsundere to the affections directed at him if he were taller (or she were shorter). You know whenever you have a short male character in anime, they make up for it with fierceness.

Yukine from Noragami

Noragami puts a weirdly fun twist on the whole shounen trope of mastering your sword skills. You see, Yukine is a weapon that has a human form. Part of being able to wield him effectively is kind of similar to taming him as a person.

As Yukine has a fair bit of tsundere to him, he acts selfishly at first. Over time, you see his affection for his wielder grow and he develops a sense of pride as a weapon. Of course, that pride comes with insecurity if Yato isn’t using him.

Ryuunosuke Akasaka from The Pet Girl of Sakura Hall

As a genius and chronic shut-in, Ryuunosuke’s tsundere personality often comes from pragmatism. He doesn’t often realize or particularly care that he is being hurtful until the effects are shoved in his face.

His tsundere-ness particularly comes out when faced with Rita, as he is afraid of women, but she is aggressive in her pursuit of him.

Damian Desmond from Spy X Family

Tsundere boys are extra cute when they are kids, and they often work better as characters. You can’t expect a kid that barely knows the world to be honest with their feelings.

For Damian, he has the typically arrogant tsundere upbringing of being from a wealthy family. Viewing most people as below him granted him a sense of superiority, so when he develops feelings for someone well below his station, he is nothing but in denial about it.

Jotaro Kujo from Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure

There are many, many charming(ly weird) things in Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, but one of the most enjoyable tidbits is watching Jotaro’s tsundere personality melt over the course of the series.

In Stardust Crusaders, he is the most no-nonsense teenager you will ever meet, but over the course of that globe-trotting road trip in which they beat up baddies on almost every continent, you watch him form real bonds with his comrades.

You also get to see that tsun shell crumble even further as he shows up in Diamond is Unbreakable. Unfortunately, he walks that softness back in Stone Ocean when he ascends to tsundere dad that gives his daughter daddy issues.

Kei Tsukishima from Haikyuu

Haikyuu is a show carried by characters, and while he gets differing opinions from fans, Kei is a fascinating character and probably as close to a realistic tsundere as you will ever see in anime.

Kei is antagonizing to his team, even downright bullying them for their efforts and attitudes. However, again, like every bully, that comes from a place of fear and insecurity. He watched his brother get so attached to volleyball that he is afraid to form that attachment too and get his heart similarly broken.

However, through the series, you see just how much he cares for not just the sport, but his team that gives it their all.

Yuri Plesetsky from Yuri on Ice

Oh, Yurio. You so expertly serve as the stereotypical angry Russian. However, Yurio’s rage comes from a place of drive. He is driven to excel and knows he only has a short window to make things happen. Now imagine you are passed over for someone else. Not just some else, but someone objectively worse.

That’s how tsunderes are made, and if left to stew, that’s how bitter people are made.

Edward Elric from Fullmetal Alchemist

Short for his age, Edward Elric is sensitive about his height, but otherwise fairly composed. While he puts on a tough front to many of his peers, he has a soft side that he shows to his brother and a few others throughout the series.

That said, even if he’s soft with a character, if they poke fun at his height, he’s coming out swinging.

Kei Takishima from Special A

Kei Takashima operates on the grade school level of “if you like a girl, be mean to her”. However, he is not really mean, he just competitive and good at winning against someone who tries so hard.

However, while Kei may be competitive with Hikari, he is also in (unexpressed) love with her. Who said you can’t love someone and soundly whoop them at everything you do?

Nezumi from No. 6

Nezumi is portrayed as a criminal at the beginning of the series, and while rude and straightforward, as things progress, we see that the hatred he wears so on his sleeve was fostered by a series of injustices levied against him. However, he does eventually show a particularly soft side, if only because of his personal honor.

Kyuubi from Naruto

That’s right. I said it. A good deal of the time that he saves or lends his chakra to Naruto, it is because he doesn’t want someone else killing him. He wants to do it. Add some cheek blush and it is obvious tsundere affection.

Ishida Yamato (Matt) from Digimon

As demonstrated in the recent Digimon Tri, Matt and Tai clash not just because of a difference in ideals (and a fun love triangle), but because Matt and his tsundere-ness makes it difficult to express himself.

In fact, out of all the Digi-Destined, Matt has the most difficult time expressing his friendship and love for others, even to his own brother.

Sei Handa from Barakamon

Handa is a man that is easily irked, as proven by the event that exiled him to the Goto Islands in the first place. On top of that, he is stubborn and often secludes himself from others.

However, after endless pestering by neighborhood children, he begins to relax and open up a bit, even showing a softer, more pleasant side.

Kyouya Sata from Wolf Girl and Black Prince

Sata is a pretty standard tsundere man except that his has a fantastic talent for showing others fake deredere with his “Prince Charming” routine. However, while he treats Erika pretty badly, there is some good in there. Unfortunately, he covers it up with insults pretty quickly after it is shown.

Shinichi Chiaki from Nodame Cantabile

While Chiaki is the rich, entitled prodigy typical of the tsundere breed, instead of a sweet girl falling for him and attempting to change him, Nodame Cantabile focuses on him showing his deredere side and falling for her.

Highly critical of himself and with little interest in the music of others, we slowly watch him relax a little, enjoying music as it should be enjoyed.

Hikari from A Lull in the Sea

Hikari is the son of the Chief Priest in Shioshishio and serves the Sea God. However, he has a hot temper than makes him clash with both land and sea beings.

While he frequently scolds Manaka for her mistakes, he actually harbors pretty deep feelings for her. Later in the series after he learns the relationship between the land and sea people, he beings to adjust his attitude.

Gareki from Karneval

As he grew up poor, Gareki has very little trust in people. However, he is highly intelligent and is good with machines. All of this is then wrapped up in a very arrogant attitude. However, Gareki also has a gentle and caring side, but as he sees it as a weakness, he doesn’t want others to know about it.

Kyo Souma from Fruits Basket

Stubborn, hot-headed, and easily provoked – Kyo is the perfect storm of tsundere behavior. While displaying his hot-headedness to his family, after Tooru admits that she admired the cat of the Zodiac, he begins to show her his soft side.

And boy, this tsundere does bloom over the course of the series. He shows the dere more and more by the day.

Vegeta from Dragonball Z

This is one tsundere man that doesn’t really need much explanation. He not only shows his tsundere tendencies to his family, but also to his rival Goku. In fact, he pretty much only saves Goku so that he can fight him.

He’s a complicated tsundere who simultaneously beats his children, but also deeply cares about them too. It’s not a good look for a parent.

Inuyasha from Inuyasha

Inuyasha is as hot and as cold as you can get. Even later in the series when it is pretty obvious that he realized that he loves Kagome, he still finds it easier to cover up his feeling behind a rude shell. Yet, whenever his friends are in real trouble, he is all softness.

Behind every tsundere is often a person that just doesn’t want to be left alone.

Did we forget to include your favorite tsundere boy from anime? Tell us all about that fiery lad in the comments section below.