Content Warning: Discussing topics of obsession, stalking, abuse
You’re minding your own business, eating lunch at a local café, when you can’t help but shudder. It feels like someone is watching you… but, when you look there is no one around.
Or is there?
What is a Yandere?
Yandere is a Japanese term used to describe someone who is essentially sick with love. The nuances of this can vary, with Urban Dictionary defining Yandere as “A person who will go to near-extreme to extreme lengths to be in or deepen a desired relationship, whether it be romantic, platonic, familial, etc.”, while Dictionary.com defines it more broadly as “A yandere is a character, most often female and in anime, who become violently possessive of a love interest.”.
I will admit to being amused that dictionary.com asserts that this is a trope aligned to female anime characters. Because while ‘Yandere’ is a Japanese trope, the concept of an ‘obsessive lover’ is a trope that spans over all cultures and media. It is hardly exclusive to gender or anime.
You may have heard of the Netflix series “You”, or the movie that defined a genre of evil mistresses: “Fatal Attraction”. These are just the bigger examples from a wealth of movies, TV shows, Books, Comics, and more that feature the obsessive lover trope. Or, as it is called by anime fans, the Yandere.
Jaime Scribbles Games 