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Content Warning! Content Warnings: Mentions of insanity, manipulation, and obsessive behavior. |
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"Dorodere" (JP) is a term for a character who has a cute and lovey-dovey deredere exterior and is affectionate with their love interest, but on the inside is filled with murky thoughts such as grudges, vindictiveness, obsession, disturbing violent thoughts, and feelings of hatred. From the outside they seem like a normal deredere type character who is in happily in love and all lovey-dovey towards their love interest, but behind the scenes they are trying to crush those who might be an obstacle to them, such as other heroines and love rivals, or using their love interest for their own gain. They can be said to have a confused "love-hate" relationship with their love interest and have a sticky tangle of emotions and desires, with their desire for revenge clouding their true loving feelings. They are the type of character who will say disturbing thoughts out loud while having a cute and bubbly smile on their face, and will say things like how they want to hug someone one moment but crush them in their arms the next. Once they realize they are truly in love with their love interest they may even try to force or trick their love interest into being with them for the rest of eternity.
However, once they inevitably come to true terms with just how much they care about their love interest they can start to express regret at having used them, especially if their love interest saves them from these vindictive feelings. From this point onwards they can start to become truly deredere with their love interest.
Etymology
Meaning of the Term
Dorodere (ドロデレ) is a combination of "dorodoro" (ドロドロ), meaning "muddy or sludgy (a sticky tangle of emotions and desires)", and "deredere" (デレデレ), a mimetic word for "being lovestruck (overly affectionate, lovey-dovey, not hiding one's romantic feelings)". Although "dorodoro" literally refers to actual mud, when used to refer to a human relationship it is used metaphorically to mean "an ugly relationship; messy relationship; toxic relationship" and refers to sticky human relationships filled with love and hate.[2][3][4]
It refers to having a deredere appearance on the outside and dorodoro feelings on the inside. A type of deredere with a sludgy inside in which the person who is being deredere is filled with murky emotions such as sentiments of grudges, malice, hatred, and obsession in their heart. A toxic love-hate relationship.
Origin
The term originates from the 2007 PlayStation 2 game Ar tonelico II: Melody of Metafalica (JP) to describe the character Luca Trulyworth.[2] While the term "dorodere" was seemingly not used in the original game, or is not currently known to have been, in the sequel game Ar Tonelico Qoga: Knell of Ar Ciel the character of Luca is referenced within the story as "Dorodere-sama".[5]
In the beginning of the game, Luca is shown as a cute and very lovey-dovey girl who is in a loving relationship with her childhood friend, Croix. They go on several dates together before parting ways. After reuniting with him 6 years later she is very happy and says that her dream is to stay together with Croix forever. However, as Croix starts to Deep Dive into mind the truth about Luca is revealed. While in the real world she is only ever her cheery self, in her Mind World she is shown to be filled with grudges and hatred. In a desire to save her kidnapped sister she developed malice and hatred towards the person who took her, developing a deep grudge. As part of her plan to save her sister she tricks and uses Croix to help her, telling herself that she doesn't truly care for him. Later when she discovers that her sister cannot be saved, she angrily reveals that the relationship she had with Croix and her friendly and sweet personality was a farce to everyone in her team, and that she was only using Croix to save her sister and didn't really feel anything for him at all. Once her real inner feeling created by resentments of the past are revealed, she stops pretending to be the kind and cheerful girl everyone thought she was, and even ignores Croix, the one who was supposed to be her boyfriend, deciding to take things into her own hands and even sometimes antagonizing him, whether intentionally or not. Her hatred for the world and people in it even manifests itself in monsters created from her own feelings that the heroes need to defeat.[citation needed]
As the plot progresses, Luca starts to do actions that conflict with her supposed hatred of Croix. For example, while she tells herself that she is simply "using him" she also went behind the scenes to spread a rumor to everybody in town that she was his fiancee for no particular reason. Although she gets into a fight with Croix at the jail, she begins to realize that she actually loves Croix despite using him all this time after he saves her. She comes to express deep regret for her actions and asks Croix if she can use his lap as a pillow. From his lap she lovingly smiles at him and apologizes before asking him to always stay with her. In the end, the two of them get married and have a happy ending.
Alternate Meaning
- Main article: Dorodere (Dirty)
Although the term "dorordere" is widely known to have the above meaning, there is actually a second unrelated type with the same name. This meaning comes from the 2023 romance manga series Saegusa-san wa Megane-senpai to Koi o Egaku (JP) to describe the character Saegusa. She was described as a girl who looks like a cool lone wolf on the surface, but is secretly a sultry girl who likes getting a little steamy with her boyfriend.[6][7]
This type also uses the same root word "dorodoro", meaning "muddy; sticky", however, rather than being used metaphorically to refer to a toxic relationship it is used literally to refer to "getting dirty" or "being sticky" in a more lewd sense. The reason for this double use of the name is likely because the original meaning is rather obscure and doesn't have a lot of information on it, with the only available official usage being 13 years prior and no longer being available on the PlayStation store.
History
Official Media
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Ar tonelico III DLC - Harvestasha Exclusive Personality Modification Patch Module (typeB: Dorodere Pattern)
The sequel game Ar Tonelico Qoga: Knell of Ar Ciel (JP) released a free DLC patch for the game where players could customize the character Harvestasha's personality, with the "Type B" patch being a "dorodere personality". While players can experience Harvesta having a dorodere personality the DLC comes with a warning that none of this should be considered canon as it is just a joke patch for fun.[1][8]
Personality
Dorodere characters have a cute and lovey-dovey exterior and are affectionate with their love interest (deredere), but on the inside are filled with murky thoughts such as malice, grudges, obsession, and feelings of hatred (dorodoro). From the outside they seem like a normal deredere character who is in happily in love and all lovey-dovey towards their love interest, but behind the scenes they are trying to crush those who might be an obstacle to them, such as other heroines, and using their love interest for their own gain. Their grudge and obsession leads them to have a confused "love-hate" relationship with their love interest and have a sticky tangle of emotions and desires. However, once they inevitably come to realize that they do truly love their love interest they will express regret at having used them and from that point onwards can be truly lovey-dovey with their love interest.
Initial Dere Period
Luca Trulyworth acting cute from Ar tonelico II: Sekai ni Hibiku Shoujo-tachi no Metafalica
Mami Nanami as seen in the eyes of Kazuya Kinoshita from Kanojo, Okarishimasu
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Doro Period
Luca Trulyworth getting upset at Croix for questioning her from Ar tonelico II: Melody of Metafalica
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They will act behind the scenes, trying to crush the other party, sometimes including the love interest, who is likely to be an obstacle or distraction to the dorodere's objective. In front of others and even their considered enemies, the dorodere will act all lovey-dovey at first, hiding their true feelings of hatred.[citation needed]
Dorodere characters appear to be sweet and lovable at first, but are actually really twisted or disturbed on the inside.
Mami Nanami snapping at Chizuru Ichinose for not coming clean about Kazuya Kinoshita from Kanojo, Okarishimasu
This lovable side of them is a facade. They will act kind and friendly to everyone, while bottling up their real feelings. They will act as if they are in love with someone despite not really liking them. Dorodere characters hide the loathing they feel towards others, sometimes including their own love interest, and will slowly or unexpectedly show their violent side and true colors to their love interests and people.[citation needed]
They feel a combination of hatred and love towards their love interest. How these contradictory feeling affect the dorodere can vary, sometimes hatred gaining more power than love and vice versa, but due to the hatred side, these feeling tend to become dangerous to the love interest and people around them.[citation needed]
Almost Dere Period
Mami Nanami reflecting on her true feelings for Kazuya Kinoshita from Kanojo, Okarishimasu
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"Doro" refers to the "dere" side being confusing and unclear because of the mix of opposite feelings. It could be said that the "doro" in dorodere is corrupting the "dere" side with hatred.[citation needed] Generally, they do truly care for their love interest the entire time but their obsession with revenge and grudges interfere with and cloud their thoughts, causing them to lash out at the wrong person.
They are those who feel a mix of hatred and love towards the love interest. While at first they can act "dere" despite "hating" their love interest, with time they can gain actual feelings of love that will confuse them as to whether they should still see the love interest as a pawn or follow their new feelings of love.[citation needed]
Despite their apparent true contempt towards their love interest at first, they will gradually realize that they are really falling in love with the love interest. This not only will confuse others, but the own dorodere themself, which can sometimes lead to more dangerous reactions towards the love interest if the dorodere decides to deal with such feeling during their plan or even get rid of such romantic feelings to not distract them of their main goal.[citation needed]
They will do actions that betray their own thoughts, such as telling themselves they are just using their love interest but then spreading rumors that they're engaged with their love interest because it makes them happy to hear other people say it, even if they don't fully realize it themself at the time.
True Dere Period
Luca Trulyworth lovingly resting in Croix's lap from Ar tonelico II: Sekai ni Hibiku Shoujo-tachi no Metafalica
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Eventually they will come to the realization that they do have genuine feelings for their love interest and they will come to express regret for having used them in the past. Often the only reason they acted this way in the past is out of loneliness, and they will come to be thankful towards their love interest for always being there with them and saving them from that loneliness.
Now that their true feelings are out they can finally be honest and show a true deredere behavior with their love interest. They may ask to use their lap as a pillow and shower them with love, asking them to always be together.
Differences From Other Archetypes
Haraguro
Dorodere is most similar to haraguro and should not be confused for it. While both types will pretend to be kind to hide their darker intentions, both the surface and the intentions are different. On the surface a haraguro character simply appears kind and normal, while a dorodere character goes much further and adopts a cute and lovey-dovey deredere attitude. On the inside a haraguro character is someone who is scheming, while on the inside a dorodere character is filled with grudges and hatred. So dorodere is far more extreme on both the "kind" exterior and the "dark" interior. Additionally, while it is possible for a dorodere to also be a haraguro character if they are scheming, it is also possible for a haraguro character to be a genuinely loving person who just does smaller schemes for their own benefit without necessarily doing any harm to others or having mental health issues. It is also not required for a haraguro character to have any genuine deredere feelings, like a dorodere character.
Most characters who are perceived as "dorodere" are actually "haraguro".
Usodere
This type is also extremely similar to usodere—characters who at first pretend to have feelings for their love interest and creates a perfect facade for self-interested desires, but eventually starts to fall in love with them for real and becomes genuinely deredere for them—since both types involve creating a loving facade at first but find true love in the end. However, the main difference is with how the characters feel inside. While an usodere character uses their love interest and may feel a sense of hatred towards them despite pretending to love them, they are not nearly as extreme as a dorodere character and are not as dangerous (at least physically). Generally the most an usodere character will do is say mean things about their love interest or try to take their fortune, whereas a dorodere character is filled with malice and is holding onto a grudge which muddies their feelings towards their love interest. When the facade of a dorodere character is revealed they can act quite crazy and dangerous, whereas when an usodere character if the facade is revealed it generally only leads to arguments at most.
Dorodere could perhaps be described as a "disturbed usodere character".
Yandere
Dorodere has a strong resemblance to yandere when it comes to acting crazy, but it is her more raw, intense, and vicious and is said to surpass yandere.[3][4] The main difference is in the reason why they act that way, their character development, and their feelings towards their love interest. The first difference in terms of development is that a yandere character simply is not pretending, they are genuinely kind and lovey-dovey deredere characters at the start, while dorodere characters are pretending to be. For a yandere character the "sickness" only starts to take hold after falling in love and slowly changing their behavior causing them to act crazy, but a dorodere character is crazy before finding love, generally as a result of childhood trauma.
Another key difference is that for a yandere character their love interest is their number one priority and the most important thing to them in life, even more than their own safety. However, a dorodere character is simply using their love interest and feels a mix of love and hatred for them, a stark contrast to the extreme devotion of a yandere character. A dorodere character may say hateful things towards their love interest, which they will come to later regret after truly falling in love, while a yandere character would rather die than insult their beloved since their devotion is so extreme.
What makes a dorodere so much more dangerous is that, unlike with yandere, dorodere characters are fully aware and cognizant of what they are doing. Dorodere characters are filled with vindictiveness and actively and meticulously plan out ways for enacting their grudges or obtaining their love interest. In comparison, yandere characters do not actively "act" behind the scenes and are entirely driven by their current state of emotions. If everything goes well in their relationship, a yandere character may never even act crazily at all, but when something triggers their sickness they act out of pure impulse, with their body "moving on its own" and they aren't always fully aware of what they are doing. Because dorodere characters are not driven by a swaying state of emotions but rather pure spite and hatred, unsure of if they even "love" their love interest or not, they are far more dangerous than yandere characters.
Kichidere
Similarly, dorodere also shares some traits with kichidere—characters who have gone insane and usually acts like a crazy lunatic, but whose romantic feelings toward their love interest are surprisingly cute and deredere.—since both types are crazy prior to finding love, unlike a yandere character. The main difference is simply that a kichidere character doesn't hide their crazy side, unlike a dorodere character who hides it behind a cute and lovey-dovey facade. Additionally, while the mental health of a kichidere character may lead to them being dangerous for their love interest, they will never intentionally harm them and they don't possess the same mix of "love and hatred" that a dorodere character does.
Tsundere
It also has some similarities with tsundere when talking about the "love-hate" aspects, but the main difference is simply that a tsundere character is simply in denial because they're embarrassed while a dorodere character is in denial because they feel their grudge is more important than their love interest. A dorodere character can have similar reactions, but it is caused by their murky emotions clouding their love and when they lash out it is filled with far more malice than a tsundere character. A tsundere character is also usually fully aware that they're in love, but a dorodere character may not even realize it but do actions that betray their own feelings, such as saying they hate their love interest one moment and then spreading rumors that they're engaged the next.
Additionally, tsundere characters do not have that more crazy side to them so they aren't nearly as dangerous.
Similar Archetypes
- Burikko: A term for female character who acts calculatingly cute by feigning ignorance and helplessness in front of men to gain favor by making a deliberate appeal to their femininity.
- Haraguro: A character who appears outwardly friendly, but is secretly scheming and manipulative on the inside.
- Kichidere: A term for a character who has gone insane and usually acts like a crazy lunatic, but whose romantic feelings toward their love interest are surprisingly cute and deredere.
- Mayadere (Western): A term for a character who started as a villain trying to kill their love interest/the protagonist, but switches sides after falling in love with them and becoming deredere.
- Tsundere: A term for a character who has loving deredere feelings for their love interest but is unable to be honest with them so they end up acting distant, standoffish, and stuck-up to conceal them.
- Usodere: A term for character who at first pretends to have feelings for their love interest and creates a perfect facade for self-interested desires, but eventually starts to fall in love with them for real and becomes genuinely deredere for them.
- Yandere: A term for a character who at first is very innocent, lovey-dovey, and overly affectionate like a normal deredere type character, but over time begins becoming mentally sick as a result of having a too strong love.
List of Characters
Gallery
 Mami Nanami from Kanojo, Okarishimasu  Mami Nanami from Kanojo, Okarishimasu  Kurumi Tokisaki from Date A Live  Kurumi Tokisaki from Date A Live  Shiro from Deadman Wonderland  Shiro from Deadman Wonderland |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Harvestasha Exclusive Personality Modification Patch Module [typeB: Dorodere Pattern]. PS Deals (2010/07/20). “This is a personality modification patch for the artificial intelligence "Harvestasha" that appears in the game. Harvestasha from the main story has an unexpected personality change! You can experience Harvestasha from type B: Dorodere pattern. [Caution!] This personality modification patch is a joke patch. It has nothing to do with the official worldview of the game and is not official history. In addition, applying this patch may cause various characters to have personality disorders, which may upset you in some cases. With that in mind, please download this only if you can view it as a game in its own right, completely separate from the worldview of the main game of Ar tonelico.”
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Luca Trulyworth. Niconico Pedia (2008/11/22). “She has a normal personality. In the Cosmosphere (spiritual world), she is close to yandere, but in her case, she is dorodere. Dorodere - A newly created attribute for Luca. It means "dorodoro on the inside, but deredere in attitude. The inner dorodoro is not a so-called "haraguro" but a grudge or vindictive feeling. In Ar Tonelico 3, this personality is given to the important character Harvestasha as a free DLC The "Harvestasha Exclusive Personality Modification Patch Module [typeB: Dorodere Pattern]" was distributed that gives this personality to the important character Harvestasha, and while it only gets to this extent because it's Luca, players were shocked to see how vicious someone other than Luca can be when they become dorodere. (Seriously scary)”
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 What is Dorodere. Pixiv Encyclopedia (2020/06/17). “It is a dere with sludge swirling around inside. It is a kind of "yandere", or "dere" in which the person who is being dere is filled with murky emotions such as sentiments of grudges, malice, hatred, and obsession in their heart. The first appearance of this type of dere is believed to be that of Luca Trulyworth in Ar Tonelico 2. The difference with Yandere: 1. They secretly eliminate their love rival. 2. Yandere is a one-sided love, but Dorodere forces the other person to love and desire them. 3. Yandere is the early stage, while Dorodere is the terminal stage.”
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Dorodere. AtWiki (2011/09/01). “"Dorodere" means "sludgy on the inside but deredere in demeanor". In this case, "dorodere" does not refer to "haraguro" (so-called "black-heartedness"), but rather to a grudge or vindictive feeling. It may be similar to "yandere", but it is more raw, intense, and vicious than "yandere", and is said to slightly surpass "yandere". For example, while she may be explicitly appealing to others in a way that they can see it as dere, behind the scenes she tries to crush those who might be an obstacle to her (other heroines), and so on. It can be said that this is an attribute that shows us in an easy-to-understand way that "girls are scary". Main Dorodere characters: Luka Trulyworth (Al Tonelico 2), Harvestasha (Ar Tonelico 3) *only if you download the free DLC. This attribute originated in the above-mentioned Ar Tonelico 2. Therefore, it seems that dorodere characters (or rather, the word "dorodere" itself) do not often appear in other works.”
- ↑ Ar Tonelico Qoga: Knell of Ar Ciel. Gust (2010/01/28). “Aoto: Hey, what's it like? Tell me.
Cocona Bartel: Cocona's hometown is a lush, floating continent ruled by the two children of Tsundere and Dorodere.
Aoto: Oh, so they're called Tsundere-sama and Dorodere-sama. What strange names.
Cocona Bartel: No, that's just an attribute, their real names are Cloche-sama and Luca-san.” - ↑ Saegusa-san wa Megane-senpai to Koi o Egaku. Sony (2024/05/09). Archived on 2024/11/07. “A love comedy about a cool, sultry girl and a serious guy who just get all lovey-dovey (and sometimes a little steamy)!!!!! Saegusa is a cool, lone wolf girl. But in reality, she's a gloomy, slightly downcast girl who isn't good at interacting with people. But she has a secret. She's dating her senior, the glasses-wearing senior. In order to close the gap between her and him, Saegusa puts her body on the line (in many ways) again today, but...!? Meanwhile, the glasses-wearing senior is constantly tormented by Saegusa's unconscious SE● appeal. It's Saegusa's first boyfriend, and it's also Megane-senpai's first girlfriend. Not knowing how far they should go, they are confused!! What will become of their love――!!? A 1000000% sweet sweet romance comedy!!!!!!!! The highlight of this work is the heroine, Saegusa-san! She looks cool, but inside she is a dorodere girl. You can read about her overly sweet daily life, which will make you feel humid just by being with her♪”
- ↑ Saegusa-san wa Megane-senpai to Koi o Egaku. Sony (2024/05/09). Archived on 2025/06/23.
- ↑ Ar tonelico Qoga: Knell of Ar Ciel - Harvestasha Alt. Personality Patch Module [TYPE B: Dorodere]. Moby Games (2011/03/22). “This Harvestasha Alt. Personality Patch Module is add-on content for Ar tonelico Qoga: Knell of Ar Ciel. It gives the major supporting character Harvestasha Vista a sweet, yet violent alternate personality. What's a Dorodere? Like the more recognizable terms "tsundere" and "yandere", the word "dorodere" is used to describe a specific character archetype in anime and related media. Specifically, it refers to a character who outwardly behaves sweetly, but is secretly violent or mentally disturbed. What's interesting in the context of this add-on is that the term was in fact originally coined to describe Luca Trulyworth, a character from a previous entry in the Ar tonelico series.”