The 20 Best Yandere Anime Characters Ranked

Who are the best yandere characters?

Love can make people do crazy things, and this is especially true for yandere characters in anime!

A yandere character can go from being cute and sweet to violent and murderous in a split second.

However, we love them despite their problems, and today we’re taking a look at the most memorable yandere characters of all time!

The 20 Best Yandere Anime Characters Ranked

Ranking anime characters is never easy, but we’ve compared the most well-known yandere characters to find which ones stand out the most.

We then ranked them based on their overall yandere tendencies and popularity among fans.

Without further ado, let’s dive into our list of the 20 best yandere characters:

20. Rolo Lamperogue

Introduced in the second season of Code Geass, Rolo appears to be an adorable 16-year-old student with large violet eyes.

While he initially appears kind-hearted to Lelouch and the others around him, he soon shows his true nature.

Once Lelouch regains his memory of Nunnally, Rolo becomes incredibly possessive of him.

He will do anything to keep Nunnally away from Lelouch and even murders Shirley after she tries to reunite the pair.

Rolo wants Lelouch only to be his sibling, and he won’t hesitate to become a ruthless murderer to keep his foster brother close.

19. Misa Amane

One of the best blonde-haired anime girls, Misa Amane of Death Note is willing to do anything, including kill, for her love, Kira.

When Light Yagami started killing criminals, he killed the ones responsible for murdering her parents.

To thank him, Misa became obsessed with serving him and even halved her lifespan to receive Shinigami Eyes for him.

However, along with being willing to do anything to help Light, she also falls madly in love with him.

This leads her to be willing to threaten or kill any other girls who dare to try and get close to him.

18. Shuu Tsukiyama

The infamous gourmet ghoul of the 20th ward, Shuu, uses his charming personality to lure people to the Ghoul Restaurant to be eaten.

However, he soon becomes obsessed with Kaneki’s smell and develops an overwhelming desire to eat him.

This desire grows even stronger after learning Kaneki is a one-eyed ghoul.

Shuu even makes a scene of sniffing any of Kaneki’s belongings he can grab, making some seriously disturbing faces in the process.

While the anime has since ended, many fans are petitioning for a reboot, so we may see more of this yandere in the future.

17. Akane Hiyama

A yandere from Love Tyrant, Akane is completely infatuated with Seiji Aino, who Guri’s Kiss Note has cursed.

Akane appears to have a sweet personality at first glance, but she can be totally psychopathic when it comes to love.

She will gladly stab anyone who tries to date Seiji, and if they hurt him, all bets are off because she is the only one allowed to harm him!

This young girl is the definition of a yandere, and she won’t hesitate to hurt anyone who messes with her man.

Of course, she’ll also stab him herself if he gets out of line, so honestly, no one is safe!

16. Akito Sohma

A main character of Fruits Basket and the antagonist, Akito Sohma, is a short-tempered and abusive woman.

Akito always needs to be the center of attention, and she is extremely jealous of those who obscure her spotlight.

No matter the circumstances, Akito cannot stand other women who “steal” the attention of male Zodiacs.

She even threw Rin out a window after she started dating Hatsuharu and beat Kisa when Hiro confessed his love to her.

Although she does eventually change her ways, the damage is already done to many characters, and Rin will certainly never forgive her.

15. Anna Nishikinomiya

Anna Nishikinomiya is one of the best short-haired anime girls and she is completely obsessed with Tanukichi Okuma.

Although her yandere characteristics are usually comedic, she also has a violent side.

This is shown when she held scissors to the neck of Ayame Kajou after she noticed how much time the girl spent with Tanukichi.

She frequently tries to collect Tanukichi’s “love nectar” throughout the series, which is both hilarious and wholly unsettling.

14. Kotonoha Katsura

Kotonoha Katsura is one of the best brunette-haired anime girls from School Days, and she is completely devoted to Makoto.

If she even gets a feeling that Makoto is leaving her, she will fully give in to her yandere nature.

This can lead her to the brink of suicide or to murder if she believes someone is trying to steal him away.

Kotonoha is also a fan of horror movies; the bloodier, the better. Which is probably where she gets some of her ideas from.

13. Megumi Shimizu

Megumi Shimizu was once human, but now she’s a reanimated corpse who’s become obsessed with her childhood crush, Natsuno.

While she was originally shy around him, in her resurrected form, she is much more malicious, targeting people close to him.

She will kill anyone, including Natsuro’s best friend and her own best friend’s father.

The only person she cares about is Natsuro, and she will destroy the whole town around him if she has to.

12. Lucy

Lucy, also known as Kaede, is the main character of Elfen Lied, one of the best sci-fi anime series, and she is certainly unsettling.

There is no level of brutality too great that this diclonius girl won’t go to for her love, Kouta.

She even kills Kouta’s father and sister out of pure jealousy, not to mention her enormous body count that dates back to her childhood.

Capable of killing people via heart attacks and infecting survivors with a virus that produces more diclonius children, Lucy is incredibly terrifying.

This yandere will kill anyone Kouta cares about until only she remains.

11. Esdeath

Esdeath is one of the best blue-haired anime girls, and she is completely insane.

While she started out as a cruel sadist, she eventually decided she wanted to fall in love, and Tatsumi became the subject of her affection.

After knocking Tatsumi out and returning with him to her headquarters, she keeps him imprisoned until he narrowly escapes.

Unfortunately for him, Esdeath does get him back and vows never to let him leave again.

She is even willing to kill her own people if they try to touch her beloved Tatsumi and will do anything to make him love her back.

10. Kofuku

Kofuku may come off as a naive, sweet girl, but she’s really a goddess of poverty with a dark side that even scared the goddess of war.

Although Daikoku is her servant, she treats him more like a spouse, and he is usually the one to keep her in line.

While she is usually mischievous and carefree, Kofuku isn’t above threatening and intimidating anyone who gets in her way.

She may not be as creepy as Esdeath when it comes to her love, but she certainly isn’t going to let Daikoku go anytime soon.

9. Yuno Gasai

Yuno Gasai of Future Diary is called the Yandere Queen for a reason, and she is possibly the first yandere character many fans think of.

Her obsessive nature centers around Yukiteru Amano, who she often acts sweet, feminine, and shy around.

However, this masks her darker, colder, and more calculating side, which is utterly terrifying. 

Yuno has no problem using cruel or violent methods to further her goals, and she will harm anyone she thinks could take Yukiteru away.

She was even willing to kill his mother at one point, showing just how psychotic she can be.

Oh, and she has even kidnapped Yukiteru and held him hostage, a classic yandere move.

8. Haruna Niekawa

A former Raura Academy student, Haruna Niekawa, is obsessively in love with her teacher, Takashi Nasujima.

Unfortunately, her yandere characteristics skyrocketed when she found a demon blade that made her even crazier.

She attacked Nasujima and eventually killed another teacher, Anri, out of jealousy.

After that, she proceeded to rub Anri’s blood on Nasujima’s face in an attempt to show him her “love.”

Haruna is definitely one of the most unsettling yandere characters in the anime community.

7. Shion Sonozaki

Shion Sonozaki could be one of the best green-hair anime girls if only she weren’t so terrifying!

This yandere is best known for her spectacular mental breakdowns that stem from wanting to avenge her crush, Satoshi Houjoi.

She even attacked and tortured his sister because Shion thought she was responsible for causing him stress.

However, once he goes missing, the gloves really come off, and no one is safe from the ensuing bloodbath.

Anyone she thinks could have been involved is killed or tortured. Even her own family.

6. Kaede Fuyou

A main character in the Shuffle series, Kaede is Rin Tsuchini’s childhood friend, and she is obsessed with him.

She will do anything to get Rin all to herself, and no one is safe if they try to get close to him.

When he tries to spend time with Asa Shigure, Kaede is heartbroken, even more so when she learns the pair are going on a date.

Infuriated, she slams Asa into a wall, causing her to have a heart attack that lands her in the hospital.

While she eventually comes to terms with her feelings, the damage is already done.

5. Minatsuki Takami

Minatsuki Takami snapped as a child when her mother tried to save her garden instead of her during an earthquake.

While her brother ended up saving her, she later tricks him into attacking their father, only to finish the job and murder him herself.

She isn’t so much obsessed with someone as she is with simply causing pain to everyone around her.

The more suffering, the better, as sadism is how she gets her kicks.

4. Mizuki Himeji

One of the main heroines from Baka and Test, Mizuki, loves her boyfriend, Akihisa Yoshii.

However, when her emotions are riled up, she can go from sweet to sour very quickly.

She is very jealous of any other girls who even stand close to Akihisa, which results in many ominous threats.

If she’s had anything to drink, her yandere tendencies can also surface very quickly.

While she hasn’t committed any violence like some of the other yandere girls on our list, her glare is enough to chill anyone’s blood.

3. Yukako Yamagishi

Yukako Yamagishi is a yandere from Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, and she is a minor antagonist who is obsessed with Koichi Hirose.

Often considered the first yandere character archetype in anime, Yukako has certainly set a solid example for others to follow.

Since Koichi doesn’t reciprocate her feelings, she kidnaps him and attempts to brainwash him into loving her.

While she is often considered one of the best black-haired anime girls, she is also one of the most unsettling.

2. Satou Matsuzaka

Satou Matsuzaka is another girl who looks sweet and innocent but is really obsessive and creepy.

After meeting and falling in love with Shio Kobe, Satou is willing to do anything to stay with her.

She will even go as far as to kill people if it means keeping Shio to herself.

If something or someone even looks like it could pose a threat to Shio and their life together, it must be swiftly eliminated.

While she realizes murder only lowers her chances of being with Shio, Satou is willing to do it anywhere to protect her love.

1. Himiko Toga

As a member of the League of Villains, Himiko Toga is a major antagonist in My Hero Academia.

Highly unstable, Himiko Toga has a twisted idea of what love and friendship should be.

This is demonstrated when she tries to simultaneously kill and befriend Ochaco and Tsuyu.

She is particularly obsessed with Izuku and Uraraka and becomes very angered and cold if something comes between her and them.

Her priorities will immediately turn toward killing whoever is in her way, violently and without remorse.

Not only is she one of the most twisted characters in My Hero Academia, but she takes our top spot as the best yandere character in anime!

Summary

Yandere characters have become one of the most popular archetypes in anime, and we don’t see this trend ending anytime soon.

While there are plenty of characters that display yandere tendencies, these are the best and most beloved (or feared) by fans.

Yandere characters might be a bit frightening, but it’s obvious that we can’t get enough of them!

Here’s a quick recap of the 20 best yandere characters:

1. Himiko Toga
2. Satou Matsuzaka
3. Yukako Yamagishi
4. Mizuki Himeji
5. Minatsuki Takami
6. Kaede Fuyou
7. Shion Sonozaki
8. Haruna Niekawa
9. Yuno Gasai
10. Kofuku
11. Esdeath
12. Lucy
13. Megumi Shimizu
14. Kotonoha Katsura
15. Anna Nishikinomiya
16. Akito Sohma
17. Akane Hiyama
18. Shuu Tsukiyama
19. Misa Amane
20. Rolo Lamperogue

Who is your favorite yandere anime character? Let us know in a comment!