Kuudere

Kuudere is a popular anime/manga character archetype that derives from the Japanese pronunciation of the English word 'cool'. Like its sister term Tsundere, it became popular during the release of Neon Genesis Evangelion, with the debut of Rei Ayanami, who to this day remains one of the best and most well-known examples. It is used to describe characters who always remain calm and composed. Though they act serious on the outside, they often have a very dry, sarcastic sense of humour. They tend to have deep love for someone (whether romantic or otherwise) but are afraid to show it too often because they view it as a weakness, either because of who they are or because of the situation they are in. More often than not, they come off as emotionless, acting very cold, blunt and cynical.

Like all the -dere terms (Tsundere, Kuudere, Dandere and Yandere) Kuudere is usually used to describe female characters, but can be used to describe male characters as well. For example, Kiritsugu Emiya from Fate/Zero can be considered a Kuudere because of his tendency to hide his feelings for his wife, as he believes he has to act cold and professional to win the Fourth Holy Grail War.

The main difference between Tsundere and Kuudere is that tsunderes constantly switch between 'tsun' and 'dere', while kuuderes only occasionally show their 'dere' side. Because of this, they are perhaps the most 'evil' of the four terms (the obvious exception being Yandere) with all but a few being anti-heroes.

Other Examples

 * C.C. from Code Geass
 * Riza Hawkeye from the Fullmetal Alchemist series
 * Raiden from the Metal Gear series
 * Naoto Shirogane from Persona 4
 * Presea Combatir from Tales of Symphonia
 * Levi Ackerman from Attack on Titan
 * Homura Akemi from Puella Magi Madoka Magica
 * Sesshōmaru from Inuyasha
 * Shiki Ryougi from Kara no Kyoukai
 * Koneko Toujou from HighSchool DxD
 * Yayoi Kunizuka from Psycho-Pass
 * Yin from Darker than Black
 * Wilhelmina Carmel from Shakugan no Shana
 * Origami Tobiichi from Date A Live
 * Carla from Fairy Tail
 * Byakuya Kuchiki from Bleach
 * Tabitha from Zero No Tsukaima
 * Sailor Pluto from Sailor Moon series
 * Fate Testarossa from Mahou Shojou Lyrical Nanoha
 * Ikaros from Heaven's Lost Property
 * Ange Ushiromiya from Umineko: When they Cry
 * Freudia Neuwahl from Rosenkreuzstilette
 * Mara Jade Skywalker from Star Wars: Expanded Universe
 * Setsuna Higashi from Fresh Pretty Cure
 * Raven from Teen Titans
 * Yuri Tsukikage from HeartCach Pretty Cure
 * Alice Shiratori from Moetan
 * Piccolo from Dragon Ball Z
 * Ai Haibara from Detective Conan
 * Melinda May from Marvel Cinematic Universe
 * Kanade Tachibana from Angel Beats
 * Garnet from Steven Universe
 * Quiet from Metal Gear Solid V