|
Trigger Warning! Content Warnings: Explicit themes and mentions of manipulation. |
|
Spoilers Ahead! |
|
|
"S Dere" (JP) is a term for a character who enjoys playing with the feelings of their love interest by teasing them. They will playfully humiliate or talk down to their love interest in a teasing manner because they enjoy the pleasure they get from having control over them and enjoy seeing their reactions. However, they still greatly care for their love interest and want to be loved by them.
They are the counterpart and compatibility of M Dere.
Meaning of the Name
S Dere (Ｓデレ) is a combination of "S", an abbreviation of the word "sadisuto" (サディスト) meaning "a person who derives pleasure from humiliating others", and "deredere" (デレデレ), meaning "to be lovestruck".[3]
In Japan, mentions of the word "sadisuto" (サディスト) are almost always replaced with the letter "S", either for censorship reasons or to be more eye-catching.
Origin
The term S Dere originates from the 2008 eroge visual novel fittingly titled New Genre S Dere!! (JP). In this game, the main protagonist moves to a formerly all-girls boarding high school that recently became coed, however, he is the only boy at the school. The story follows his new school life of being surrounded by "a little bit sadistic" girls who all take turns humiliating and teasing him in different BDSM scenarios.[2][4]
Alternate Name
S Dere is also sometimes unofficially known by the name "sadodere" (サドデレ).[5] While usage of this name is rare in Japan, it is the predominant name in the Western community.
History
Popularization of Nagatoro
The term S Dere was later, and most popularly, used to describe the character Hayase Nagatoro from the 2011 web manga series Nagatoro san (JP).[6]
The manga was later rebooted in 2017 under the title Please Don't Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro (JP). The manga had the tagline "The Story of the S Dere Girl" and it gained massive popularity inspiring a whole new wave of teasing-based romance manga.[7] Hayase Nagatoro was a girl who loved messing with and teasing her Senpai who she had a crush on. She would enjoy teasing him any chance she got, even at one point dubbing Senpai "her pet", but also had a sweet loving side that would apologize whenever she accidentally went too far. Despite her teasing nature, she would express genuine loving feeling towards Senpai, such as getting concerned if he didn't show up to school, taking care of him while he was sick, or getting sad when he didn't pay attention to her.[8][1][9]
Since then Nagatoro has become the face of S dere in Japan. The manga series was so popular it even inspired a line of "S Dere" perfume in Japan in 2023.[10]
Other Series
Although not having the same level of impact, it was used in the title of the 2014 manga series A Junior Girl Who Is S Dere Tries To Train Me (JP). The story is about a girl named Yuto who decides to "train" her kohai Shina Saeki to be submissive to her after learning he has a crush on her.[11]
It was also later used for the 2018 erotic manga series Don't Manage ××, Kouhai Let's Fall in Love with the Strongest S Dere Girl (JP), which was similarly about a guy falling in love with his senpai who was dubbed "the strongest S Dere girl".[12]
Personality
S Side
An S dere is a person who enjoys and takes pleasure from toying with and teasing their love interest. They will play with their love interest's emotions in a teasing manner and sometimes humiliate them as well.
S Dere characters will talk down to their love interest by calling them names or forcing them to do humiliating acts, such as licking their feet or being used as a chair. They enjoy embarrassing their love interest because they enjoy the pleasure they get from having total control over them. They are also usually quite perverted and enjoy doing these lewd acts with their love interest. They may even go as far as to physically punish their love interest by playfully spanking or being rough with them. Some S dere even want to treat their love interest like a pet and may force them to wear a leash.
While some of this form of teasing may cause slight discomfort to their love interest, it will never escalate to seriously harming them because the S dere still loves them greatly. If an S dere notices they're starting to go too far with their teasing they will quickly take it back and apologize since they don't want to actually upset their love interest and just wanted to play with them a little bit.
Additionally, while some may be mean to all people, the majority of S dere only act sadistic towards their love interest. They enjoy seeing the reactions of their love interest and have no desire to mess with anyone else because they will not get the same satisfaction as this is their way of flirting. However, because of their strong feelings an S dere will become very angered if 'other people' try to pick on or toy with their love interest. To them, their teasing is a form of affection that only they can do and they will become very protective if other people try to mess with their love interest. While they normally don't have any interest in acting sadistic towards other people, if they see someone picking on their love interest they will have no problem turning that side onto them to make it clear no one else is allowed to mess with them.
Deredere Side
Despite their teasing nature, S dere still greatly care for their love interest and want to be loved by them, they just enjoy the pleasure that comes from having control over the one they love. This fact, however, is not always known by the love interest at the time, who may just think the S dere hates them.
Some S dere may even do this at first to hide their romantic feelings towards their love interest. They will make suggestive comments like talking about going on a date with them and then pass it off as just a tease by saying they'd never date them when in actuality they want it to happen and are hoping their love interest will insist. They may reveal their more soft and loving feelings when thinking about their love interest while they aren't around.
After their romantic feelings become known, the teasing may become consensual on behalf of the love interest, as is the case with M dere characters (who sometimes didn't even realize they 'were' one until meeting an S dere character). S dere are the perfect match with M dere. While both love humiliation, S dere enjoy inflicting this "on" their love interest, while M dere enjoy when this is inflicted on themselves "by" their love interest. M dere are all about relinquishing control to their love interest, while S dere are all about taking control over their love interest.
S dere who aren't in a relationship with an M dere may just drop the teasing entirely in an effort to become more loved by their love interest. They will start to soften over time completely becoming a sweet and loving person.
Other Types of S Dere
Some "S dere" characters may not even have any inherent sadistic personality traits of their own, but if their love interest is an M dere and asks them to do this for them, they will pretend to be one and put on an act because they love their partner.
Differences From Other Archetypes
A less harsh version of this dere would be teasedere characters, who don't like toying with their love interest's emotions to feel good and only want attention from their love interest which they extract in a seductive and teasing manner. S dere are often unofficially referred to as a "mean teasedere".
While an S dere might seem similar to a verbal-only thugdere, the difference is an S dere won't do these things to hide their feelings (and it's usually rather obvious they have these feelings) but rather simply because they enjoy teasing their love interest. A thugdere will also just yell straight insults and won't try to playfully humiliate them like an S dere, and they may even resort to violence.
Similar Japanese Archetypes
- Erodere: A term for a character who will act erotic at first, often in the form of teasing, but will become extremely embarrassed after experiencing true affection.
- M Dere: A term for a character who likes being humiliated by their love interest.
- Teasedere: A term for a character who is playful or flirtatious and enjoys teasing their love interest.
Characters with this Personality
See S Dere/Anime Characters to see characters from anime media.
See S Dere/Western Characters to see characters from western media.
Gallery
 Mariarose Suzutaka from Shin Genre S Dere  Hayase Nagatoro from Ijiranaide, Nagatoro san  Esdeath with Tatsumi from Akame ga Kill  Raphiel Ainsworth Shiraha from Gabriel DropOut  Maika Sakuranomiya from Blend S  Rachnera Arachnera with Kimihito Kurusu from Monster Musume no Iru Nichijou |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 What Is the True Intention of the Senpai Who Is Loved By the "S Dere" Gyaru?. Kodansha (2018/06/07).
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Shin Genre S Dere Official Home Page. Kur-Mar-Ter (2008/09/26).
- ↑ Sumire Uesaka Becomes an "S Dere" Girl. The TV (2023/01/27).
- ↑ Shin Genre S Dere!!. Visual Novel Database (2008/09/26).
- ↑ What is Sadodere. Nico Nico Pedia (2009/02/10).
- ↑ Nagatoro san. Pixiv (2011/08/15).
- ↑ Don't Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro: 2nd Attack "The Story of the S Dere Girl". Mixa Animation (2023/01/14).
- ↑ We Have Collected Miss Nagatoro's Precious Dere Scenes. Shonen Magazine (2021/04/25).
- ↑ "S Dere Girl" Nagatoro san. Animate Times (2020/06/20).
- ↑ Which Do You Prefer, S or Dere? Two Perfumes Inspired by Miss Nagatoro. Animage Plus (2023/01/16).
- ↑ A Junior Girl Who Is S Dere Tries To Train Me. Yondemill (2014/01/24).
- ↑ Let's Fall in Love with the Strongest S Dere Girl. Toranoana JP (2018/06/20).
| 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 | |||