"Dere Type" (JP) is a term for a concept that describes how different types of characters behave towards their love interest and how they react differently before/after falling in love and becoming lovestruck (deredere).
Etymology
Meaning of the Term
These dere types are the result of a compound word of some variable adjective "__" and the word "deredere" (デレデレ).[2]
Origin
The concept of dere types originates from tsundere. The term "tsundere" was coined on August 29, 2002 for a character who's behavior differed drastically when it came to how they treated their love interest. They sometimes acted "tsuntsun" towards them and they sometimes acted "deredere" towards them. These two words were then conjoined to create a term that described someone who's behavior was both "tsun" and "dere"; they are tsun-dere.[3]
The rise in popularity of tsundere, resulted in a fad on Japanese social media where people would create many new combinations of what is known as "◯◯デレ", or "dere types" in the Western community.[2][1]
Naming Convention
These compounds always follow the format of "__dere", or "◯◯デレ" in Japanese. This takes the first two kana of the first adjective and conjoins it with the first two kana of "deredere" to create a compound.[2]
For example, a character who starts "kuuru" (クール) and then later becomes "deredere" (デレデレ), would be "kuu" (クー) + "dere" (デレ), or "kuudere" (クーデレ).[4]
History
Early Inspirations
Although tsundere is the archetype that started the fad of creating many new "dere types" and is widely considered to be the original dere type, it is actually 'not' the first time a compound was created with deredere to create an original meaning. This honor actually belongs to undere, which originates from the 1905 novel Memories of Soseki (JP) written by Kyoko Natsume, 97 years prior.[5]
Characteristics
Initial Behavior
When it comes to a character behaving deredere, it is a very common practice to add some sort of differing personality trait that conceals this more romantic and loving side of them. This involves creating a state "__" that is at first apparently unfavorable or unromantic to a love interest, but then becomes deredere due to the passage of time or the occurrence of some situation.[6][7]
Dere-kake
The point at which a character is in the transition period from going from their "__" state to their deredere state is known as "dere-kake" (デレかけ), which means "almost dere" or "becoming dere". This comes from an abbreviation of the phrase "deredere ni nari kake"(デレデレになりかけ) and is a combination of the word "deredere" (lovestruck) and the suffix "kake", meaning "to be partway" or "to begin but not complete". This refers to the point at which a character is showing brief glimpses of their deredere side but has not fully become it yet.[8]
For example, when a tsundere character gets lost in the moment and starts acting lovestruck (deredere), but then quickly catches themselves and insults their love interest to act like it never happened (tsuntsun). They are not fully deredere yet, but they are starting to become it.
Dere-ki
The point at which a character finally becomes deredere is known as "dere-ki" (デレ期), meaning "dere period".[9][10] It is also common to see other related phrases such as "tsun-ki" (ツン期), or "tsun period", to describe the starting state of a character.[11]
Categories of Dere Types
Dere types can be broken down into three main categories:
Gap Moe
These kinds of dere types rely heavily on the concept of "gap moe", or the idea that moe (feelings of strong affection) can come as a result of a gap between two seemingly opposite personalities.
They are the result of a compound word of some variable adjective that hides their loving side "__" and the word "deredere" creating a gap in their personality. In these cases, the value of deredere is raised by the fact that the process of releasing the initial "__" state happens over time and opening the heart, and the fact that deredere is glimpsed for a moment in the usual "__" period. It is a case where if you are in love with the other person, you will inevitably become deredere.[6]
For example:
- Dandere: A character who starts off being silent and shy (danmari), but becomes deredere around their love interest.
- Kuudere: A character who starts off acting cold and unemotional (kuuru), but then becomes deredere around their love interest.
- Tsundere: A character that starts off acting cold, distant, and stuck-up (tsuntsun) towards their love interest, but eventually becomes deredere to them. This is the original dere type and also the most well-known.
In each of these examples, the character starts with a personality that is seemingly unfriendly or unromantic and then grows over time to become loving and affectionate. This differs from a standard deredere character whose feelings of love and affection are always on full display and is never hidden.
Gapless
There are also several variations that are purely deredere the entire time, just like the standard type, and don't rely on a gap in personality. In these cases, the variable "__" simply describes 'how' they are being deredere with both adjectives applying simultaneously to describe the character. These types of characters openly show off their affection and love, but in different ways.
For example:
- Nyandere: A character who expresses their deredere by getting intimate with their interest in the same way a cat (nyan) does. They are very affectionate and openly loving the entire time, in the same way a standard deredere is, but they show this loving side in a cat-like (nyan) way by rubbing against their love interest or making them pet their head.
- Yoidere: A character who expresses their deredere when they are drunk (yoi). They become very open and affectionate which causes them to show their deredere in a playfully drunk (yoi) way. Rather than having a drunk side (yoi) and then later becoming deredere, they are deredere because they are drunk (yoi) with both sides occuring at the same time.
Fluctuating Gap
Other times, however, dere types are created as exceptions to the original formula. Rather than the gap in their personality disappearing over time to create an effect of moe, the variable "__" instead becomes the focus of their personality and impacts their deredere state.
For example:
- Yandere: A character whose deredere is so strong that it causes them to become mentally unstable (yanderu). Instead of starting off mentally unstable (yanderu) and then later becoming deredere, as is the case with the gap moe types, they are so deredere at the start that it causes them to become mentally unstable (yanderu). With this type, the character continuously fluctuates between acting mentally unstable (yanderu) and deredere rather than having straightforward progress from one state to becoming deredere over time.
List of Dere Types
- 🚧 Work-in-Progress 🚧
Japanese
| Image | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
 |
Bakadere | A character who lacks good judgement and usually acts in a foolish manner, but sometimes acts doting and deredere to their love interest. |
| [[File:|center|200px]] | Biridere | |
 |
Bokodere | |
 |
Butsudere | |
 |
Dandere | A character who is silent and expressionless most of the time, but will suddenly become cute, talkative, and deredere when they are alone with their love interest. |
| [[File:|center|200px]] | Darudere | |
 |
Deredere | A character who is lovestruck and does not hide their romantic feelings towards their love interest. |
 |
Dorodere | |
 |
Erodere | |
 |
Gandere | |
 |
Goudere | |
| [[File:|center|200px]] | Gundere | |
 |
Hajidere | |
| [[File:|center|200px]] | Himedere | |
| [[File:|center|200px]] | Hinedere | |
| [[File:|center|200px]] | Kamidere | |
| [[File:|center|200px]] | Kichidere | |
 |
Kiridere | A character who usually has a dignified, crisp, and sharp serious side in public, but suddenly becomes deredere and shows a more emotional and overly affectionate side when they are alone with their love interest |
 |
Kuudere | A character who appears expressionless and unapproachable at first glance, but becomes cute, loving, and deredere around their love interest. |
 |
M Dere | |
 |
Nyandere | |
| [[File:|center|200px]] | Onidere | |
 |
Rindere | |
| [[File:|center|200px]] | Roshidere | |
| [[File:|center|200px]] | S Dere | |
 |
Shindere | |
 |
Shundere | |
| [[File:|center|200px]] | Tsundere | |
 |
Tsuyodere | |
| [[File:|center|200px]] | Undere | |
| [[File:|center|200px]] | Usodere | |
 |
Utsudere | |
| [[File:|center|200px]] | Uzadere | |
| [[File:|center|200px]] | Wandere | |
 |
Yandere (Yanderu) | |
 |
Yandere (Yankii) | A character who at first is a trashy, gaudy, loudmouth yankii delinquent who regularly get into fights and seem like they'd have no interest in having a cute romantic relationship, but eventually falls in love and becomes deredere to their love interest. |
 |
Yoidere | |
 |
Zondere |
Western
While dere types originate in Japan, they have also become popular in the Western community which resulted in the creation of several new types.
| Image | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| [[File:|center|200px]] | Bocchandere | |
| [[File:|center|200px]] | Byoukidere | |
| [[File:|center|200px]] | Kanedere | |
 |
Kekkondere | |
| [[File:|center|200px]] | Nemuidere | |
| [[File:|center|200px]] | Oujidere | |
| [[File:|center|200px]] | Oujodere | |
| [[File:|center|200px]] | Smugdere | |
| [[File:|center|200px]] | Teasedere | |
| [[File:|center|200px]] | Thugdere |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Dere Suku. Milk Pai (2010/08/27).
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 What is a Girl's "◯◯dere"?. AppBank (2016/07/06).
- ↑ What is Tsundere. Nico Nico Pedia (2008/05/14).
- ↑ Kuudere. Japanese Slang Dictionary (2006).
- ↑ The Original "Tsundere"?! 100 Years Ago, A Conversation Between Natsume Soseki And Terada Torahiko Called "Undere". Hoshi Biyori (2013/01/14).
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 What is Dere. Nico Nico Pedia (2008/05/22).
- ↑ What does Yandere, Kuudere, Tsundere, and Kiridere mean? 〇〇dere Surge!. Yotsuba (2021/02/23).
- ↑ Dere-kake. Japanese Slang Dictionary (2005/08/26). “Dere-kake is an abbreviation of "almost becoming deredere" and "almost entering a dere state," and refers to the moment when a tsundere character is almost becoming deredere before completely transforming into dere.”
- ↑ What is Dereki. Pixiv Encyclopedia (2011/04/06).
- ↑ My Dere Period. Rakuten Books (2021/01/09).
- ↑ The Tsundere Princess Who Has Passed Her Tsun Period Turns Red Today. Dengeki Online (2020/05/13).
| v • eDere Types | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | Standard |
Bakadere ♥ Biridere ♥ Bokodere ♥ Butsudere ♥ Dandere ♥ Darudere ♥ Deredere ♥ Dorodere ♥ Erodere ♥ Gandere ♥ Goudere ♥ Gundere ♥ Hajidere ♥ Himedere ♥ Hinedere ♥ Kamidere ♥ Kichidere ♥ Kiridere ♥ Kuudere ♥ M Dere ♥ Nyandere ♥ Onidere ♥ Rindere ♥ Roshidere ♥ S Dere ♥ Shindere ♥ Shundere ♥ Tsundere ♥ Tsuyodere ♥ Undere ♥ Usodere ♥ Utsudere ♥ Uzadere ♥ Wandere ♥ Yandere (Yanderu) ♥ Yandere (Yankii) ♥ Yoidere ♥ Zondere ♥ | |
| Variations |
Deretsun ♥ Tsun-Aho ♥ Tsun-Ama ♥ Tsunbaka ♥ Tsundora ♥ Tsunneko ♥ Tsun-Pure ♥ Tsunpuri ♥ Tsunshun ♥ Tsuntere ♥ | ||
| Western | Standard |
Bocchandere ♥ Byoukidere ♥ Kanedere ♥ Kekkondere ♥ Nemuidere ♥ Oujidere ♥ Oujodere ♥ Smugdere ♥ Teasedere ♥ Thugdere ♥ | |
| Variations |
Ahodere (Western) ♥ Kamidere (Western) ♥ Kidere ♥ Mayadere (Western) ♥ Megadere (Western) ♥ | ||
| Other |
Dere Types ♥ Unofficial Dere Types ♥ | ||