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"Mayadere" (JP) is a term for a female character who is usually a "scary girl", but becomes cute and deredere when they're with their love interest. They have a tendency to unintentionally frighten onlookers because of their intense aura which can seem imposing or intimidating, however, they are actually gentle, pure, and extremely affectionate when their true personality is revealed to their love interest. They are fundamentally harmless on the inside. In fact, they may not even realize that they are being "scary" in the moment since they are often just shy and try too hard, which gives them an unapproachable atmosphere. It's not that they "look creepy", such as having a "monstrous face", they just have an intimidating aura surrounding them. After their love interest gets to see the real them they're start to see they're not actually scary, but instead just a really cute and lovey-dovey girl.
Etymology
Meaning of the Term
Mayadere (マヤデレ) is a combination of "Maya Kitajima" (マヤ), a girl from the 1976 romance drama manga series Glass Mask (JP), and "deredere" (デレデレ), a mimetic word for "being lovestruck (overly affectionate, lovey-dovey, not hiding one's romantic feelings)".
Maya Kitajima being "possessed" by her role from Glass no Kamen
Maya is a 13 year old child actor who is considered to be so genius that it is actually frightening. When Maya demonstrates her ridiculous skill of copying the entire performance of "La Traviata" on the first look, onlookers are frightened by her talent. Once in a role, it is as if the character has been lowered into her body and she is called a so-called "possessed" actor. While acting, Maya is drawn with no pupils giving her a frighteningly intense aura. Maya's behavior even spawned a popular phrase known as "osorushii ko!" (おそろしい子), meaning "scary child!", where many other series mimick the pupiless eyes look of characters who were watching Maya act.
Maya Kitajima being all lovey-dovey with Masumi Hayami from Glass no Kamen
However, although Maya is usually a scary girl, when she's alone with her love interest Masumi Hayami she becomes all deredere and is very lovey-dovey and affectionate. Maya is clumsy when it comes to love and is so focused on acting that she is initially unaware of her own feelings, but she is full of purity and has an innocent devoted love. So mayadere was a term coined for specifically the character Maya when she shows her dere (i.e., it's Maya's dere... Mayadere), and the "Maya" part of "Mayadere" references characters who behave similarly to her.[2]
Origin
The term itself was coined for the 2006 erotic romance visual novel Sweet Room ~Futari Dake no Himitsu no Amai Kuukan~ (JP) and was used to describe the character Yuina Takaya by comparing her intense aura to that of Maya Kitajima. It was defined as "Mayadere: Usually a 'scary girl...', but when she acts amae or deredere, she is very shy."[1]
During the moments when Yuina is being scary she was described as having an aura so intense you can hear the "GOGOGOGOGO" (ゴゴゴゴゴ) sound effect, which is a Japanese onomatopoeia used to denote an intense, intimidating, or ominous aura surrounding a character. Yuina is also depicted as having no pupils in her eyes, similar to Maya while performing. However, despite her sometimes scary demeanor she has a very pure and wholesome kind of love, and she's actually kind of a crybaby who hates loneliness.
Misuse
In a strong contrast to the original definition, the term "mayadere" has been in widespread misuse since entering the Western community in 2009 when it was added as a term on the Visual Novel Database. Instead of the above definition, the term is used to describe "a scary and dangerous character who initially tries to kill their love interest, but falls in love and switches sides".[3] The only issue is that doesn't even remotely describe the character Maya, for whom this type is named after. Maya is not a villain, she's a sweet young girl, and while she's scary at times she wouldn't hurt a fly.
It is not known why such a huge difference in definitions came about, but it is likely a combination of two reasons:
- Maya Kitajima is a cultural phenomen in Japan so citing "Maya" as a reference point immediately paints a painting of the dere type. In comparison, she is relatively obscure in the Western community making it a type without a reference point. This also explains why the etymology of "mayadere" has been considered a mystery for so long in the Western community, because "Maya" is not a word, it is a name for a character who holds no real meaning in the Western community.
- Therefore the "scary" line was misinterpreted to mean "intentionally scary because they're dangerous", along with the fact that many early Japanese sources compare it to "tsundere" (as all dere types are derivatives of tsundere) the meaning was established as "villains are scary... and when they become good they're dere, so this is what mayadere is", even though this is not correct.
The use of the term "mayadere" for an "enemies to lovers" dere type does not particularly make any sense because Maya is neither dangerous nor a villain and is in fact one of the most pure characters, but it has become one of the most popular Western-created dere types under this name regardless. Perhaps it could be said that this Western variation simply adds "dangerous" and "villain" traits to the already existing formula of "looks scary but is actually deredere" making it a far more extreme interpretation of the Japanese meaning.[4]
The Western variation relies heavily on plot development (villain to lover), while the original Japanese definition relies purely on personality perception (scary exterior/lovey-dovey interior).
Characteristics
Moe Factor
Sawako Kuronuma shyly on a date from Kimi ni Todoke
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The appeal of this archetype is in the gap between a character who outwardly looks like a scary girl, but is actually extremely cute and lovey-dovey on the inside. This unexpected direction can create a lot of satisfaction towards the character.
This is especially true for characters who want to find love and a connection with others, but are unable to due to their scary demeanor. They are often fundamentally the sweetest, most pure, and sensitive people, yearning for connection and love. When they finally find someone who will love them despite their sometimes scary behavior it makes them all that much more adorable to see them being happy.
Looks Can Be Deceiving
Jyanome Mayumi acting like a cute girl on the inside on her date with Kuwabara Kei despite her outward intense appearance from Jyanome-san Wants to Smile!
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This aura gap between their intense "maya" side and lovey-dovey "dere" side is best summed up by comparing them to a "creepy doll".
- The Misleading Creepy Doll Exterior: Dolls are often designed to be cute, but something about their fixed stare, stillness, or the setting can make them seem unsettling, intense, or "scary" (the ominous aura). People approach with caution.
- The "Fluffy and Soft" Interior: But inside, they are just stuffing and fabric—harmless, soft, and meant for cuddling (the sweet, pure dere side). They are all lovey-dovey with their love interest.
This metaphor highlights that the "scare" is a matter of perception or presentation, not actual danger or malice.
Personality
Mayadere characters usually seem like a "scary girl" (maya), but become cute and lovey-dovey when they're with their love interest (deredere).
Maya Side
Maika Sakuranomiya scarily confessing her love from Blend S
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They are someone who gives off a "scary girl" appearance and can unintentionally frighten onlookers because of their overwhelmingly intense aura. They are often described as being so intense that onlookers can actually hear the "ominous rumbling" (gogogogogo) sound coming off them.
The important factor is they are not someone who goes out of their way to frighten others, such as by acting dangerous or violent, it's just a natural part of who they are. In fact, they may not even realize that others think of them as scary since they are often just shy and try too hard, which gives them an unapproachable atmosphere. It's not that they "look" creepy, such as having a monstrous face, they just have an intimidating aura surrounding them that makes appear scary or intimidating.
Deredere Side
Maika Sakuranomiya when she's with Dino from Blend S
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However, when they're with their love interest they completely change their behavior and adopt a deredere demeanor. Rather than "scary", they are surprisingly cute and affectionate. They may even get rather shy and timid when being all lovey-dovey with their love interest.
Differences From Other Archetypes
Aside from the requirement of a deredere side, the type shares many similarities with tennen S since both types can unintentionally frighten others. The biggest difference, however, is that mayadere characters just seem scary, while tennen S characters toy with and dominate others, even if they aren't trying to.
Character types that are more intentionally scary (yandere, kichidere, onidere, etc.) do not fall under this type since they are not harmless and innocent. Even though they have traits of both "scary" and "dere", they are also extremely dangerous and do not have a behavior that mimicks the personality of Maya Kitajima.
It also shares many similarities to supernatural gap moe types like monster musume, since they are often seen as rather scary because of their monstrous appearance despite actually being loving and affectionate on the inside. However, the nuance is slightly different as mayadere refers more so to intensity and aura than having a monstrous appearance.
Similar Archetypes
- Mayadere (Western): A term for a character who is scary because they started as a villain trying to kill their love interest, but switches sides and becomes deredere after falling in love with them.
- Tennen S: A term for a character who unintentionally inflicts sadistic acts on others with no ill intentions.
List of Characters
Gallery
 Maika Sakuranomiya from Blend S  Sawako Kuronuma from Kimi ni Todoke  Meru Zetsubouda with Rentarou Aijou from Kimi no Koto ga Daidaidaidaidaisuki na 100-nin no Kanojo  Meru Zetsubouda with Shiina Usami from Kimi no Koto ga Daidaidaidaidaisuki na 100-nin no Kanojo  Kirie Motoba from Himouto! Umaru-chan  Kirie Motoba from Himouto! Umaru-chan |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Sweet Room ~Futari Dake no Himitsu no Amai Kuukan~. 2DJ Game (2006/05/14). Archived on 2025/07/10. “Yuina Takaya: A personality that is single-mindedly devoted [to their love interest] and refuses to give up (rather than Tsundere, it’s better to say Mayadere). When she was a child, she was a crybaby who was afraid of loneliness.
Mayadere: Usually a "scary girl...", but when she acts spoiled or deredere, she is very shy.” - ↑ Mayadere Blog. FC2 Blog (2006/10/04). Archived on 2025/07/10. “The word is "Mayadere". Apparently, Maya refers to that "scary girl" from Glass Mask [Maya Kitajima]. Someone who is normally scary, but totally deredere when they are alone with you-So, it’s a term a little different from tsundere.”
- ↑ Tag: Mayadere Heroine. Visual Novel Database (2009/08/14). Archived on 2025/07/10. “This type of a tsundere is dangerous and scary. Think of a heroine who started as a villain trying to kill the protagonist but then switched to his side after falling in love with him. One that still makes jokes about killing him once in a while...”
- ↑ Mayadere: Prince Demande (Sailor Moon). CBR (2024/04/24). Archived on 2023/06/21. “"Dere" characters are most common in romance anime, but these archetypes pop up in all genres. The word means "lovestruck." They are characters who are chiefly defined by how they relate to the person they are crushing on or how they are in a relationship. Sailor Moon has several mayadere characters — love interests who switch sides from evil to good when they fall in love. Both Nephrite and Tuxedo Mask (when he's brainwashed by the Negaverse) fit this character type, but Prince Demande is the best mayadere. Prince Demande loves Sailor Moon so much that he doesn't quite know what to do with himself. Though it goes unrequited, his love for Sailor Moon spurs him to switch sides at a crucial moment, turning against Death Phantom so that he can protect her.”