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"Biridere" (JP), also known as "Zingdere" in Western media, is a term for a tsundere character who hides their feelings of love towards their love interest by violently shocking them with electricity when they get embarrassed, but overtime grows to become cute, loving, and deredere as they learn to be honest with their feelings. They will impulsively shock their love interest when they feel embarrassed about their romantic feelings because they don't know how to react despite not really wanting to hurt their love interest. However, even though they have a tendency to shock their love interest it doesn't mean they don't love them. In fact, it's the complete opposite and they're madly in love with them. They are simply someone who cannot control their feelings so they shock their love interest out of impulse without meaning to. Once they feel more comfortable being honest and openly showing their love and affection they will start to show a much more cute and doting affectionate side.
Etymology
Meaning of the Term
Biridere (ビリデレ) comes from "biribiri" (ビリビリ), an onomatopoeia for an "electric shock", and "tsundere" (ツンデレ), meaning "a character who can't be honest with their feelings of love towards their love interest so they act distant, standoffish, and stuck-up to conceal them".[4]
Origin
Misaka Mikoto with Toma Kamijo from Biridere!
The term was created on the Japanese internet to describe the character Misaka Mikoto from the 2004 light novel series A Certain Magical Index (JP) and its multiple spin-offs. In this series, Mikoto develops feelings for Toma Kamijo after he saves her leading to her trying to get into a relationship with him. However, she is unable to express her feelings of love to him properly and develops a habit of accidentally shocking him instead. This leads to Toma giving her the nickname of "Biribiri". Her electric-themed nickname combined with her tsundere attitude led to fans of the series coining her the nickname "Biridere" as far back as 2009.[4][5]
Although this term has seemingly never been used in any official capacity by the series, it was used as the title of a popular fan doujin manga series written by one of the assistants who worked on the A Certain Magical Index manga adaptation in 2010 titled Biridere! (JP). In this series, Mikoto can finally admit to Toma that she's secretly been in love with him the entire time and her feelings are reciprocated so the two of them start dating. Following this point Mikoto felt more comfortable expressing her true feelings so she stopped becoming embarrassed and shocking Toma. She became very loving and clingy towards him, openly expressing her desires and feelings to him. Even things that were previously too embarrassing to say out loud she would confide in him with, such as saying that she wants to always be together with him or that she wants to receive affection from him.[1][6]
Alternate Name
Misaka Mikoto from Tsunderailgun: Railgun Can't Be Honest
This type is also widely known in Japan as "Tsunderailgun" (JP), which combines "tsundere" with Mikoto's other nickname of "Railgun". Railgun, also known as "Super Electromagnetic Cannon", is the name of Mikoto's signature attack where she utilizes 1,000,000 volts of electricity to shock her opponents at three times the speed of sound. Mikoto's extraordinary electric powers led to her being widely known by the name of her signature attack. This nicknamed combined with the fact that she uses her electric powers to hide her feelings led to fans coining her the nickname "Tsunderailgun".[7]
While this name has not been used in any official capacity, it was similarly used in the title of a fan doujinshi manga in 2011 titled Tsunderailgun: Railgun Can't Be Honest (JP). The series follows Mikoto as she goes through many cute tsundere scenes.[2]
Localization
In the official English subtitles for episode 2 of the 2023 romance comedy anime series The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love You (JP) by Crunchyroll the term "biridere" was localized as "zingdere".[8] This name comes the English word "zing", which means "to hit suddenly with electricity; to zap".
History
Early Influences
The biridere archetype likely takes a lot of influence from the 1978 romance comedy manga series Urusei Yatsura (JP). In this series, an alien named Lum becomes betrothed to a human named Ataru Moroboshi after a misunderstanding made her think he proposed to her. After this, she follows him around everyone calling him her "darling" and does everything she can to be a perfect wife in a very loving and doting deredere kind of way. However, despite this, Ataru continued flirting with other women at school, including in front of Lum, which caused her usually sweet demeanor to change and unleash a violent shock of electricity to punish him for cheating. This pattern of behavior would continue throughout the entire series and was played for a laugh since nobody ever got permanently hurt from it as it was a gag manga. The main difference between the behavior of Lum and Mikoto, however, is that Mikoto shocked her love interest out of embarrassment to hide the fact that she had a crush on him because she is a tsundere, whereas Lum is completely open with her feelings of love the entire time but would shock her love interest out of frustration in a more deretsun type fashion.
Official Media
Karane Inda with Rentarou Aijou from Kimi no Koto ga Daidaidaidaidaisuki na 100-nin no Kanojo
The first (and currently only) known use of "biridere" in official media was in chapter 2 of the 2020 romance comedy manga series The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love You (JP). When the tsundere character Karane Inda said she was "only holding hands with Rentarou in the event she got hit by random static electricity so she could shock him too", he remarks "So the tsundere is a biridere too", making a reference to Mikoto.[3][9]
Characteristics
Abilities
Misaka Mikoto generating electricity from Toaru Kagaku no Railgun
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Biridere characters have tremendous power and are capability of generating electricity from their own body, which they use to shock their love interest.
Personality
Biridere characters hide their feelings of love towards their love interest by violently shocking them with electricity (biri), but overtime grow to become loving and affectionate as they learn to be honest with their feelings (deredere).
Biri Period
Mikoto Misaka about to zap Toma Kamijo from Toaru Majutsu no Index
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Biridere characters will impulsively shock their love interest any time they feel embarrassed about their romantic feelings because they don't know how to react. They want to be in a relationship with their love interest, but they cannot be honest so any time they try confessing their love they just become too embarrassed and end up shocking them instead. This can create a scenario where it makes the love interest start to dislike them because they might think they are doing it on purpose or that they hate them, creating even more distance between the two.
Biridere characters don't 'want' to harm their love interest, they just can't control their feelings so they end up doing it on accident. However, this is always just used for comedic affect in the story so their love interest is fine by the next scene and doesn't end up suffering any permanent damage.
Biridere characters will have regular tsundere reactions without using their powers as well, such as blushing around their love interest or making up excuses for why they're being affectionate all of a sudden.
Dere Period
Misaka Mikoto with Toma Kamijo from Biridere!
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Even though they have a tendency to shock their love interest it doesn't mean they don't love them. In fact, it's the complete opposite and they're madly in love with them and want to be in an affectionate and loving relationship with them. They are simply someone who cannot control their feelings so they shock their love interest out of impulse without meaning to, and once they feel more comfortable being honest and openly expressing their love they will start to show a much more cute and doting deredere side.
They will start to honestly express their feelings and their desire to be loved. They will feel more confortable expressing their true feelings so they stop becoming embarrassed and shocking their love interest. They will start to become very loving and clingy towards their love interest, openly expressing their desires for affection and feelings to them. Even things that they were previously too embarrassing to say out loud they will confide in them with, such as saying that they want to always be together with or that they want to be receive affection from them.
Differences From Other Archetypes
Biridere characters have a very similar personality to gandere, bokodere, and kamidere (bite) characters, except they use electricity powers to hide their feelings instead of guns, their fists, or their teeth.
In comparison to a standard tsundere they often unintentionally harm their love interest by violently shocking them with electricity as a result of their embarrassment to show affection, but are otherwise identical in behavior.
Similar Archetypes
- Bokodere: A term for a character who despite being in love and having deredere feelings for their love interest, reflexively punches them with their fists when they become embarrassed by their love interest's affection in order to hide their shyness.
- Gandere: A term for a tsundere character who hides their feelings of love towards their love interest by shooting guns at them when they get embarrassed, but overtime grows to become loving and deredere as they learn to be honest with their feelings.
- Kamidere (Bite): A term for a character who can't be honest with their romantic feelings so they bite their love interest to hide their embarrassment, but eventually learn to show a more honest and affectionate deredere side.
- Tsundere: A term for a character who can't be honest with their feelings of love towards their love interest so they act distant, standoffish, and stuck-up to conceal them. Biridere is a variation of this type.
- Tsungire: A term for a character who is quick to get angry and pushes others away when they try to be affectionate with them.
List of Characters
Gallery
 Mikoto Misaka from Toaru Majutsu no Index  Mikoto Misaka from Toaru Majutsu no Index  Karane Inda with Rentarou Aijou from Kimi no Koto ga Daidaidaidaidaisuki na 100-nin no Kanojo  Lum from Urusei Yatsura (2022)  Lum from Urusei Yatsura  Hatsune Miku from Volt Tackle |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Doujinshi - Toaru Majutsu no Index (ビリデレっ!). Otaku Republic (2010/12/31).
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Tsunderailgun: Railgun Can't Be Honest. Suruga-ya (2011/03/11).
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 100 Girlfriends - Chapter 2. 100 Kanojo (2020/01/10).
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 What is Biridere. Pixiv Encyclopedia (2010/11/23).
- ↑ What is Biridere. Nico Nico Encyclopedia (2009/03/30).
- ↑ A Certain Magical Index - Biridere!. Surugaya (2010/12/31).
- ↑ What is Tsunderailgun. Pixiv (2010/07/08).
- ↑ The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love You (Episode 2, 3:03). Crunchyroll (2023/10/15).
- ↑ Tsundere's Biridere Karane. TCG Republic (2024/04/19).