Just like the other famous Dere archetypes in anime, Kuudere is a combination of two words: Kuu or Kuuru (meaning cool), and Dere (meaning lovey-dovey or lovestruck). With these two words together, a Kuudere is a person who seems cold or emotionless on the outside, but warm and fuzzy on the inside.
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Anime may offer different explanations as to why a character becomes a Kuudere, varying with the stories and the genres. Most of the time, their nature is due to the environment they grew up in. Other explanations include being modified biologically as an experiment, or being created as a clone. To help anime fans gain a true understanding of this trope, here are some of the best examples ofmale Kuuderes in anime.
Updated on July 20, 2025, by Nahda Nabiilah:There are countless Dere types found in the world of anime, in which each character portrays its personality differently. Kuudere can sometimesresemble Tsundere since both seem cool and has cold features. However, the two types express their warm personality differently; a Kuudere character is stiff when showing affection, only offering a small, soft smile. Tsundere, on the other hand, can become a blushing mess that can’t seem to form a sentence. Usually, every anime offers fans a backstory of the character’s past explaining the cause of their cool nature, since most characters weren’t born with this personality type.
11Kenma Kozume — Haikyu!!
Kenma Kozume is a character in the volleyball animeHaikyu!!. He’s positioned as the Setter in the Nekoma High Volleyball teamdue to his strategic abilities and intelligent nature. Kenma is usually calm and collected, not really keen on joining other people’s conversations. His reserved and shy personality often gives people the wrong impression that he’s cold and enjoys solitude.
But deep inside, he really cares about his friends and strives to do his best in every match to not disappoint his teammates. Kenma’s Dere side really shines when he’s hanging out with friends or playing video games.
10Hatori Sohma — Fruits Basket
Hatori is the Dragon in the Chinese Zodiac and the Sohma’s family doctor inFruits Basket. Because he grew up in a strict and cold household, it wasn’t really by choice that he became this stoic, serious person. A decent number of the Sohma’s are afraid of approaching him, as Hatori appears distant and intimidating.
However, deep down, Hatori is actually caring and kind. He puts everyone’s feelings before his own, even if it will lead to his misery. In addition, after the loss of his fiancée, Hatori becomes distant and takes it upon himselfto protect Tohru Honda and the younger Zodiacsfrom the wrath of Akito Sohma, the family head.
9Megumi Fushiguro — Jujutsu Kaisen
Megumi is a student at Tokyo Jujutsu High inJujutsu Kaisen. He is a calm and collected individual who’s studying to be a Jujutsu Sorcerer, a person who uses spells and skills to protect humans from cursed spirits. His take on life is interesting: Megumi sees himself as an object whose sole purpose as Sorcerer is to give people a second chance at living.
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Megumi never really cares about friendships, and mostly pushes everyone away. His attitude is described as cold by his peers, as no one wants to approach him. All of that changes, though, after he meets Yuji Itadori. The latter heavily influences Megumi’s way of thinking. His personality changes for the better, as the Sorcerer seems happier and doesn’t mind letting people inside his personal bubble.
8Houtarou Oreki — Hyouka
Houtarou is a member of theClassic Literature Club inHyouka. He is lazy and unmotivated, but he sees nothing wrong with it. In fact, he likes to call it “conserving energy.” If something requires time and effort, he will do it quickly in favor of getting back to saving his energy. Although his grades are average, Houtarou has great deduction skills.
Houtarou’s personality changes after meeting Eru Chitanda. She is the President of the Classic Literature Club and often drags him around to solve cases as a way to satisfy her curiosity. At first, Houtarou Oreki has a hard time adjusting because she is so energetic, in contrast to him. However, he later starts to willingly accept requests from Eru even outside school — until he figures out that he’s in love with her.
7Shoto Todoroki — My Hero Academia
Shoto is studying to become a Pro Hero at U.A High School inMy Hero Academia (Boku no hero Academia). The Quirk he possesses is the Half-Cold Half-Hot Quirk. Shoto has mixed feelings about it because his father, Endeavor, has unorthodox teaching methods. The hero traumatized him a lot in his childhood, to the point that Shoto wants to be a hero with only his cold side. In other words, he only wants to use his mother’s Quirk.
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When he first enrolled in U.A, Shoto Todoroki came across as an aloof, emotionless person who couldn’t care less about anyone. His abusive upbringing causes him to push people away and to depend on himself. However,after the U.A Sports Festival, Shoto becomes more sociable and friendly. He also learns the importance of teamwork thanks to the encouraging words of Midoriya Izuku.
6Yuno Grinberryall — Black Clover
Surprisingly, many people assume Yuno’s personality is stern, aloof, and emotionless inBlack Clover, which is the truth. The young wizard doesn’t like unnecessary chats or actions and will only speak if he wants to make a point. Some are deterred by his personality and chose to talk behind his back while the rest admires him and believes that Yuno gives a cool vibe.
Aside from his cold nature, the wizard is very passionate about his dream andwill go above and beyond to become the Wizard King. This passion is fueled by Asta, his rival, and although he doesn’t show it, Yuno is very protective of his foster brother and will fight anyone who hurts him.
5Sesshomaru — Inuyasha
Sesshomaru is a powerful dog demon and the oldest son of Toga inthe animeInuyasha. Thanks to the powerful genes inherited from his late father, Sesshomaru is envied by many demons. His power allows him to appear strong, confident, and intimidating. Additionally, his calculating and ruthless methods make him feared by many.
Despite his strong and confident attitude, Sesshomaru sometimes gets injured in battles due to fighting alone. He seems to realize that it’s a problem, but his prideful personality forbids him from asking for help. He’s not the most approachable person, as most of the time, Sesshomaru is angry or annoyed. However, an orphaned girl named Rin manages to melt his cold demeanor and find a way into his heart. The dog demon doesn’t like to admit that he cares, even if it was obvious. The only time his mask breaks is when Rin appears to be dead.
4Giyu Tomioka — Demon Slayer
Giyu is a part of the Demon Slayer Corps, and is the Water Hashira inDemon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba). He has immense survivor’s guilt caused by how many of his loved ones sacrificed themselves to save him from demons. Giyu thinks he’s not worth the Hashira position, and thinks about giving up his life a lot.
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Due to Giyu’s past and mental issues, he develops a stoic, reserved personality that pushes anyone away from him. It doesn’t help that Giyu Tomioka doesn’t like to talk and prefers to not interact with anyone. Thankfully,Kamado Tanjiro knocks some senseinto him and convinces Giyu that he should cherish his life. Although he is portrayed as an aloof character, Giyu is fiercely protective and loyal to those he cares about.
3Shota Aizawa — My Hero Academia
The famous hero Eraser Head, aka Shota Aizawa, works as a teacher at U.A. InMy Hero Academia.As any Kuudere character, he is indifferent about any situation and handles everything in a calm and collected manner. In addition, he prefers to save energy by napping rather than talking with his fellow co-workers. Shota expects nothing but the best from his students and doesn’t mind going hard on them while training to prepare them for the real world.
Due to his aloof personality and spartan training, many see him as an apathetic character. But in reality, Shota cares deeply for his students and is willing to sacrifice his life to save them. It’s shown repeatedly that he will use every ounce of his energy to keep them safe even while heavily injured.
2Levi Ackerman — Attack on Titan
Levi is the captain of the Special Operations Squad, also named Humanity Strongest Soldier, inAttack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin). In his childhood, he lived in the Underground, an old city with no sun that fell into ruin. After his mom’s death, Levi’s uncle Kenny Ackerman took it upon himself to teach the young boy how to fend for himself. Levi later became a thief, until Erwin Smith convinced him to join the Survey Corps.
Levi Ackerman has been through a lot. His harsh past has shaped him into a ruthless, cold, emotionless person. His speech is usually harsh and blunt, which is why most of the new recruits, and sometimes even his teammates, are too afraid to approach him. As the story progresses,Levi starts to express his feelingsand trust the people around him more — in his own emotionless ways.
