"Tsunshun" (JP) or "Tsunheko" (JP) is a term for a tsundere character who gets irritable with their love interest and then becomes sad because of their actions caused by it.
Meaning of the Name
Tsunshun (ツンしゅん or ツンシュン) is a combination of "tsundere" (ツンデレ), meaning "a character who acts harsh towards their love interest to hide their feelings of being lovestruck", and "shun" (しゅん or シュン), a mimetic word for "getting sad".
Origin
The term "tsunshun" comes from the Japanese light novel author Ryogo Narita (author of series like Durarara!!) to describe the character Hime Yarizakura from the 2006 manga series Yozakura Quartet. Hime was a 16-year-old girl who was forced to become mayor at the age of 9 after the previous mayor her grandmother passed away. Due to the strong sense of pressure from this responsibility, Hime often found herself overwhelmed by her own failures and decisions she made to the point of bursting into tears.[4]
Alternate Name
Although the term "tsunshun" was coined first, the author of Yozakura Quartet himself Suzuhito Yasuda (who also worked on Durarara!! with Ryogo Narita) described this archetype as being called "tsunheko" (ツンヘコ) instead.[5][6] This term comes from the word "hekomu" (ヘコむ), meaning "depressed, disappointed, or feeling bad".
Hime Yarizakura is often referred to in official media as "Mayor Tsunheko".[3][7]
History
Popularity of Ririchiyo Shirakiin
While the term tsunheko is synonymous with the origin character Hime Yarizakura[8], the alternate name tsunshun has instead become synonymous with the character Ririchiyo Shirakiin from the 2009 manga series Inu×Boku SS (JP). Although the term was never used in the actual series itself, several pieces of official media from the series used the term to refer to Ririchiyo, such as the Prism Connect trading card game or several collector's figures which coined her the "Heroine of Tsunshun".[9][1][10][11]
Ririchiyo was so popular as the face of tsunshun that she even spawned several doujinshi fan manga based on her, including So What? It's a Marriage Between Princess Tsunshun and the Bitter & Sweet Prince (JP) released in 2010 and Tsunshun × Natural Black (JP) released in 2012.[12][13][14]
Other Series
The term was also later used in the 2017 video game Haruoto Alice*Gram Snow Drop (JP) which came with a bonus drama CD called Kazuha's Sweet-Sweet Tsunshun Lover's Situation (JP).[15][2]
Personality
Like a tsundere, tsunshun will act grumpy and reject or act uninterested in something, but whereas a tsundere would go "I'm doing it, but it's not like I like you or anything!" and try to accept what the other person has to say while trying to keep their "I'm not interested" mask, a tsunshun will not try to find a way to make things work. Instead, they will say "no" and then get sad because they couldn't say "yes".
Example: "No, I'm not going to the festival" words out of their mouth = "Why didn't I say yes and go to the festival!? Why!?" words inside their mind a few minutes later.
It doesn't need to be a straight "no"; it can be any tsun or anti-social expression. A tsunshun will reject others and act like they are above them, but then get mad at themselves for being rude and not being sincere.
Similar Japanese Archetypes
- Shundere: A term for characters who get sad when their love interest doesn't pay attention to them. Could be considered an inverse of tsunshun.
- Tsundere: A term for characters that are harsh and irritable, but have a hidden loving side.
Character with this Personality
See Tsunshun/Anime Characters to see characters from anime media.
See Tsunshun/Western Characters to see characters from western media.
Gallery
 Hime Yarizakura from Yozakura Quartet  Hime Yarizakura from Yozakura Quartet  Ririchiyo Shirakiin from Inu×Boku SS  Ririchiyo Shirakiin from Inu×Boku SS  Aika Natsukawa from Yumemiru Danshi wa Genjitsushugisha  Kyou Sohma from Fruits Basket |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 A Figure of Tsunshun's Ririchiyo-sama!. Taito (2012/11/10).
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Haruoto Alice*Gram Gecchu-ya Bonus Drama CD "Kazuha's Sweet-Sweet Tsunshun Lover's Situation". Mandarake (2017/06/30).
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Yozakura Quartet. Kodansha (2007/09/21).
- ↑ What is Tsunshun. Pixiv Encyclopedia.
- ↑ What is Tsunshun/Tsunheko. Pixiv Encyclopedia.
- ↑ "Yozakura Quartet" Will Be Made Into a TV Anime This Fall. My Navi (2008/07/28).
- ↑ Yozakura Quartet. Amazon (2007/09/21).
- ↑ Synonymous With "Tsunheko", Hime Yarizakura is a Figure. Natalie (2009/01/05).
- ↑ Prism Connect - Inu × Boku SS Booster Pack: Tsunshun Ririchiyo Shirakiin. Suruga-ya (2012/09/21).
- ↑ "Tsunshun" Inu × Boku SS - Ririchiyo Shirakiin Product Version Introduction. Ameblo (2013/03/27).
- ↑ Painted Finished Product - Inu × Boku SS Ririchiyo Shirakiin. Bic Camera (2013/03/28).
- ↑ Inu x Boku SS - So What? It's a Marriage Between Princess Tsunshun and the Bitter & Sweet Prince. Suruga-ya (2010/10/10).
- ↑ Inu x Boku SS - So What? It's a Marriage Between Princess Tsunshun and the Bitter & Sweet Prince. Otaku Republic (2010/10/10).
- ↑ Inu x Boku SS - Tsunshun × Natural Black. Suruga-ya (2012/08/12).
- ↑ Haruoto Alice*Gram Getchu-ya Bonus Original Drama CD. Video Game Music Database (2017/06/30).
| Dere Types | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | Standard |
Bakadere ♥ Biridere ♥ Bokodere ♥ Butsudere ♥ Darudere ♥ Deredere ♥ Dorodere ♥ Erodere ♥ Gandere ♥ Goudere ♥ Gundere ♥ Himedere ♥ Hinedere ♥ Kamidere ♥ Kichidere ♥ Kiredere ♥ Kiridere ♥ Kuudere ♥ M Dere ♥ Nyandere ♥ Onidere ♥ Ojoudere ♥ Rindere ♥ Roshidere ♥ S Dere ♥ Shindere ♥ Teredere ♥ Tsundere ♥ Undere ♥ Usodere ♥ Utsudere ♥ Uzadere ♥ Wandere ♥ Yandere ♥ Yoidere ♥ Zondere ♥ | |
| Variations |
Deretsun ♥ Tsun-Aho ♥ Tsundora ♥ Tsun-Pure ♥ Tsunshun ♥ Tsuntere ♥ | ||
| Western | Standard |
Bocchandere ♥ Byoukidere ♥ Dandere ♥ Kanedere ♥ Kekkondere ♥ Nemuidere ♥ Oujidere ♥ Smugdere ♥ Teasedere ♥ Thugdere ♥ | |
| Variations |
Ahodere (Western) ♥ Kidere ♥ Mayadere (Western) ♥ Megadere (Western) ♥ | ||
| Other | |||