[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-137576-105":3,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":81,"doc-detail-137576-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":74,"head_meta":76,"extra_data":78,"updated_unix":80},105,"en","between-love-and-obsession-japanese-societys-perspective-on-the-concept-of-yandere-characters","Between Love and Obsession - Japanese Society’s Perspective on the Concept of Yandere Characters","","“Yandere” in Japanese popular culture denotes a fictional character whose love becomes intensely obsessive, leading to extreme actions such as violence or even murder. This study investigates Japanese perceptions of yandere characters, explains factors behind their popularity, and considers how people might react if encountering a yandere personality in real life. Using a qualitative approach, a survey of fifteen Japanese anime and manga fans is analyzed with Gerbner’s Cultivation Theory (1976). Results show most respondents dislike yandere characters and prefer distance, while a minority finds them appealing as a culturally resonant form of devoted love.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/","Research & Report",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/between-love-and-obsession-japanese-societys-perspective-on-the-concept-of-yandere-characters/137576/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/between-love-and-obsession-japanese-societys-perspective-on-the-concept-of-yandere-characters/137576.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Violet","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-09-18","2026-08-22",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",7,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"What does “yandere” mean in Japanese popular culture?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"“Yandere” refers to a fictional character whose affections grow so intense and obsessive that they may commit extreme acts, including violence or murder.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"How was the research conducted and analyzed?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"The study used a qualitative method with a survey administered to fifteen Japanese individuals interested in anime and manga. Gerbner’s Cultivation Theory (1976) was applied to interpret participants’ perspectives.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"What were the main findings about Japanese respondents’ views?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"Most respondents reported disliking yandere characters and preferred to distance themselves, while a minority found them appealing as a representation of intense, devoted love. Additionally, 80% believed yandere behavior is plausible in real life, especially in romantic relationships.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":75,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":77,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":79,"site_id":7},137576,1787422072,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"success",[84,88,92,96,101,106,110,114,119,122,126],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":85,"show_sort_weight":86,"slug":87},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":89,"show_sort_weight":90,"slug":91},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":93,"show_sort_weight":94,"slug":95},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":97,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":98,"show_sort_weight":99,"slug":100},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":102,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":103,"show_sort_weight":104,"slug":105},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":55,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":107,"show_sort_weight":108,"slug":109},"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":111,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":112,"slug":113},8,30,"research-report",{"id":115,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":116,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":118},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":117,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":120,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":121},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":123,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":124,"show_sort_weight":123,"slug":125},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":127,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":128,"show_sort_weight":97,"slug":129},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":131},{"doc_id":79,"user_id":132,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":111,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":55,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":80,"read_time":144},4398048950312,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/400002538284de19e3c?_k=1778320343897328908","Between Love and Obsession: Japanese Society’s Perspective on the Concept of  \nYandere Characters  \n1Vinie Almira Nur Sabrina, 2Pipiet Furisari  \n1Universitas Dian Nuswantoro, Semarang, Indonesia  \n2Universitas Dian Nuswantoro, Semarang, Indonesia  \n([312202201088@mhs.dinus.ac.id](312202201088@mhs.dinus.ac.id))  \nAbstract. The term “yandere” in Japanese popular culture refers to a fictional character who harbors an intense and obsessive love for someone, to the extent that they are willing to commit extreme acts, including violence or even murder. The objective of this study is to examine Japanese perceptions of yandere characters, explore the factors contributing to their popularity in Japan, and analyze potential reactions if individuals were to encounter a yandere personality in real life. This study employs a qualitative research method, utilizing a survey administered to fifteen Japanese individuals who have an interest in anime and manga. The analysis is conducted using Gerbner’s Cultivation Theory (1976) to interpret Japanese perspectives on yandere characters based on the collected survey data. The findings indicate that while most Japanese respondents express a dislike for yandere characters and prefer to distance themselves from them, a minority perceives such characters as appealing, viewing them as a representation of an intense and devoted form of love that has gained cultural traction in Japan.  \nFurthermore, 80% of respondents believe that yandere behavior is plausible in real life, particularly within the context of romantic relationships.  \nKeywords: yandere, Japanese popular culture, obsessive love  \nRESEARCH BACKGROUND  \nJapanese popular culture has produced a diverse cast of characters with distinct personalities that have captivated a worldwide audience. One of the most striking stereotypes is the yandere, who is noted for their obsessive love, which may lead to extreme behaviors, such as violence against those they regard as threats to their romantic relationships. Yandere is derived from the words 「病み」 , meaning “sick”, and 「デレデレ」, meaning “in love” or “shy”. [According to dic.pixiv.net](According to dic.pixiv.net), yandereis a state in which a person’s affections for another person grow too intense, resulting in a pathological mental condition. Characters with yandere qualities lack moral and ethical understanding because of their intense love for their infatuation.  \nAccording to Gentaro Kato (2018), yandere is a syndrome characterized by dramatic behavioral changes in a person because of excessive love, which can lead to jealousy and overprotectiveness. [According to d.hatena.ne.jp](According to d.hatena.ne.jp), yandere is a variation oftsundere. This phrase usually refers to a female character who is ordinarily clever and successful, but when she falls in love (dere) with the main character, her mental state becomes unstable (yan) because of her obsession with him. Initially, theyandere character would be nice and compassionate towards the person she/he likes, but as time passes, her/his love grows and she/he will go to any length to have her/his love reciprocated, including committing crimes.  \nAccording to The Dere Types Wiki, the earliest yandere character in Japanese literature was Lady Rokujo from the Genji Monogatari fairy story, which was published in 1021. Lady Rokujo was oneof Hikaru Genji’s mistresses, and she was madly in love with him and envious of his previous lovers.  \nHer jealousy unintentionally transformed her spirit into a yuurei (ghost), attacking Genji’s other lovers. Although the word yandere had not yet been invented, Lady Rokujo was seen to have the attitude and conduct ofayandere enamored with her boyfriend.  \nSince the late 20th century, yandere characters have grown in popularity in anime, manga, and light novels. Yuno Gasai from “Mirai Nikki”, Kotonoha Katsura from “School Days”, and Matsuzaka Satou from “Happy Sugar Life” are three well-known yandere characters in Japanes","cbCaik6G17kkaVbX","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaik6G17kkaVbX","pdf",1390629,13,"English","# Research Background\n## Etymology and Character Types\n## Historical Origins and Popular Examples\n## Real-World Incident and Public Reactions\n# Review of Related Literature\n## Studies on Yandere and Related Concepts\n# Research Methodology and Analysis\n## Qualitative Survey of Japanese Participants\n## Gerbner’s Cultivation Theory","[{\"question\":\"What does “yandere” mean in Japanese popular culture?\",\"answer\":\"“Yandere” refers to a fictional character whose affections grow so intense and obsessive that they may commit extreme acts, including violence or murder.\"},{\"question\":\"How was the research conducted and analyzed?\",\"answer\":\"The study used a qualitative method with a survey administered to fifteen Japanese individuals interested in anime and manga. Gerbner’s Cultivation Theory (1976) was applied to interpret participants’ perspectives.\"},{\"question\":\"What were the main findings about Japanese respondents’ views?\",\"answer\":\"Most respondents reported disliking yandere characters and preferred to distance themselves, while a minority found them appealing as a representation of intense, devoted love. Additionally, 80% believed yandere behavior is plausible in real life, especially in romantic relationships.\"}]","Between Love and Obsession - Japanese Society’s Perspective on the Concept of Yandere Characters | PDF",33]