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If... If you insist on it, then... Y-You can have dinner at my place. Guess I don't have a choice... Follow me! *stops*
"Tsunbaka" (JP) is a term for a tsundere character who is extremely airheaded and forgetful. Although they are dishonest with their feelings and act like they aren't in love with their love interest, they are very reliant on them because of their innocent and childlike nature. Because they are so forgetful their love interest will have to constantly be taking care of and protecting them, which makes them come across as really cute. Over time they will start to be more honest with their feelings and show a more openly affectionate and loving deredere side.
Etymology
Meaning of the Term
Tsunbaka (ツンバカ) is a combination of "tsundere (ツンデレ), meaning " a character who can't be honest with their feelings of love towards their love interest so they act distant, standoffish, and stuck-up to conceal them", and "baka" (バカ), meaning "foolish (having a lack of good sense, judgment, or discretion)".
Origin
It originates from the 2007 romance manga series Tsunbaka to describe the titular character Tsun. Tsun was a kind and sweet girl, but after growing up in a household where her parents always fought she developed a form of dissociative amnesia as a defense mechanism. This lead to her always forgetting things and being unable to get through her day without the help of her childhood friend and love interest Naitou. Although she is dishonest with her feelings and will act like she doesn't want to spend time with him, she genuinely appreciates how much he cares about her. Naitou would always make sure she got home safely or had something to eat when she forgot her lunchbox at home. Naitou would even work extra hard in school so he could move in with Tsun as soon as possible to get her away from her parents and hopefully help cure her condition. Eventually after realizing how much she truly needed him, Tsun confessed her feelings and told him that she was in love with him.
It was described as an attempt to create a new archetype in the "tsun" genre of girls. Combining the fierceness of a "tsundere" and the air-headed/forgetfulness of a "baka" girl.[1]
Personality
Tsun Period
Tsun forgetting the way to her home from Tsunbaka
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Tsunbaka are airheaded and forgetful characters who are dishonest with their feelings and will try act like they aren't in love with their love interest.
After making excuses to justify their actions they will try to do something nice for their love interest, but then be unable to because of their airheadedness. For example, they will say things like "hmph if you insist we can eat at my place" and then come to realization that they don't actually know the way home and their love interest will have to help them. They will also do things like walking outside and forgetting to put on their shoes, forgetting their lunch box at home, or even walking into a glass door because they didn't see it. They are characters that need to be taken care of by their love interest. Even when they are being "tsun" their love interest can't help but have a feeling of wanting to protect them since they come off as quite cute even when they are being dishonest due to their childlike nature. These actions can make their love interest think "It's because they're like this... that I need to be there for them".
Their love interest might do things like making sure to share their food when they forget their's at home, though their love interest is sure to be met with a "f-fine, if you're so insistent on having lunch with me". If their love interest can't walk them home from school because they have to stay after for club activities they might act dishonest saying "Don't treat me like an idiot I can get home by myself. Hmph! I'm going!", but then stand there for hours waiting for their love interest to get done to walk them home.
Dere Period
Tsun from Tsunbaka
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Although they try to hide it, the true feelings of a tsunbaka are very apparent to everybody who sees them (including their love interest) so their dishonesty is seen more as one of their charms. They will also be very surprised to learn this because they were so sure they hid their feelings perfectly.
Because of their childlike innocence they may start to blame themselves if their love interest gets hurt while trying to protect them. They may start to cry and blame themselves for being such an idiot causing their love interest to have to comfort them and ensure that they will always protect them no matter what.
Much like with a regular tsundere they will eventually realize that they don't want to lose their love interest by always acting dishonest about their feelings toward them and will start to be more honest and confess that they are in love with them. From this point onward they will continue to show a more openly affectionate deredere side while still being taken care of by their love interest.
Differences From Other Archetypes
Although both suffixes have the same meaning, tsunbaka differs from tsun-aho in that tsun-aho characters simply make themselves "look" foolish as a result of their tsundere antics, whereas a tsunbaka is just genuinely airheaded and forgetful normally, but acts tsundere anyways. In other words, a tsun-aho only acts this way around their love interest to attempt to hide their feelings, while a tsunbaka always acts like this.
They are also not as harsh as a typical tsundere since they are so reliant on their love interest to take care of them. They are also not as good at hiding their feelings, so it's more obvious that they are in love with their love interest, similarly to a tsun-aho.
Similar Japanese Archetypes
- Bakadere: A term for a character who lacks common sense and is generally unaware of their surroundings, but sometimes acts deredere to their love interest. Tsunbaka could he seen as a combination of this type with tsundere.
- Moe: A term for a character that makes people have irresistibly endearing feelings of adoration and desires of protection toward them.
- Tsun-Aho: A term for a tsundere character who tries so hard to look uninterested in their love interest that they just end up making themselves look like a complete fool.
List of Characters
See Tsunbaka/Japanese Characters to see characters from Japanese media.
See Tsunbaka/Non-Japanese Characters to see characters from non-Japanese media.
Gallery
 Mafuyu Kirisu from Bokutachi wa Benkyou ga Dekinai!  Mafuyu Kirisu from Bokutachi wa Benkyou ga Dekinai!  Tsun from Tsunbaka  Tsun from Tsunbaka  Tsun from Tsunbaka  Tsun from Tsunbaka |
References
| 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 | |||