The most violent Yandere characters in anime

Key recommendations

• Yandere characters will go to extreme lengths – including violence – to make sure their love interest is theirs alone.
• Their love knows no bounds as shown by their obsessive and possessive nature towards their lover.
• Some yandere characters have tragic pasts that fuel their obsessive behavior, leading to violent and dangerous results.

The “Yandere” is probably 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 affectionate 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 stands in their way of them and their 'love'. In the darkest cases, they may even resort to killing their lover if their feelings are not reciprocated or if they face rejection.

10 Kaede Fuyou (Shuffle!)

She can't stand the thought of Rin ignoring her and becomes 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 dedicated herself to taking care of him to atone for her past mistreatment.

She fears that Rin will ignore or abandon her, which causes her to display a violent cry 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

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

Although she almost never engages 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 her and using her for his own gain.

8 Kotonoha Katsura (School Days)

A shy and modest girl who is extremely desperate to convince the protagonist to love her

School days and the “Yandere love triangle” are infamous in the anime community. While Sekai Saionji is also a yandere, it is Kotonoha Katsura who proves to be the most violent. She begins the story as a shy and insecure high school student 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, lovestruck girl who eventually descends into violence fueled by her romantic obsession. This culminates in the anime's infamous ending, which sees her killing her romantic rival Sekai and dangling 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 creepiest examples of yandere, instantly falling in love with Tatsumi and deciding that he must be hers at all costs. Unlike other Yandere characters, however, Esdeath is more stoic 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 learning that he is a member of Night Raid. She becomes increasingly desperate as the series goes on, even having Tatsumi executed 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 fate. His obsession is less about romantic affection than a desire to dominate and ultimately annihilate Kurama, which he disturbingly sees as an intimate act.

What makes him especially scary is how calm and gentle he is when he expresses 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 wants 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'd turn out to be quite the bother. Her view of love in particular is quite violent and she believes that hurting and drawing blood from someone is a form of intimacy.

She develops a particular fixation on Izuku Midoriya and Ochaco Uraraka, which causes her to obsessively pursue them in order to “become” them. Due to her tragic childhood, she has a rather warped view of love and affection and sees nothing wrong with her obsession with extracting the blood of her targets.

4 Satou Matsuzaka (Happy Sugar Life)

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

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

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

3 Shion Sonozaki (Higurashi When I Cry)

Abuse in the family led her to develop an unhealthy attachment to Satoshi and commit several crimes in his name

Shion Sonozaki's transformation into a yandere is especially tragic given the years of neglect and abuse she experienced at the hands of her family. She falls in love with Satoshi, because he was the first person to show her kindness. So when Satoshi goes missing, she takes it upon herself to avenge him.

She tortures and kills everyone she believes was involved in Satoshi's apparent death, including her own children and family members. Most tragically, he comes to regret his actions too late, having already taken several innocent lives.

2 Yuno Gasai (Future Diary)

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

Yuno Gasai is probably the most famous yandere in all of anime and manga, just 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 regard for anyone but him. She also checks all the typical yandere boxes – a girl who is sweet, feminine and affectionate on the outside, but becomes dangerously possessive and obsessive when a love interest is involved.

1 Lucy/Kaede (Elfen Lied)

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

Lucy is a fairly complex example of a yandere given her multiple personalities. Her violent tendencies don't just stem from an obsessive love, but rather a mixture of a traumatic childhood and her Diclonius nature. Her original childhood personality, Kaede, most exemplifies the yandere archetype.

Lucy, as Kaede, falls in love with a young Kouta because he is the first person to treat her with kindness. After discovering that Kouta attended a festival with Yuka's cousin, jealousy gets the better of 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 cries for her to stop.