So, now you know your anime genres, both basic and advanced. You know how to tell what kind of “dere” a character is — but while many characters in anime might fall into one of the dere categories, that’s not all there is to it. You might have noticed this yourself, and thought “but whatever could that character be?”. Well, this week I’ll be covering those (slightly more obscure) character types.
Bishie
Bishie is an abbreviation, usually used when referring to a “bishounen” character, but also sometimes used to refer to a “bishoujo”. Simply put, bishounen and bishoujo translate to “beautiful boy” and “beautiful girl” respectively. They aren’t simply just attractive anime characters, however; bishounen and bishoujo refer to a specific style of beauty in anime and manga. These characters are generally tall, with elongated figures and a certain elegance to them. Generally speaking, bishoujo aren’t the busty beauties that you see in ecchi anime. Bishounen characters are a fair bit more common and recognizable than bishoujo, and are often found in reverse harem and shoujo anime. Popular examples of bishounen are Sebastian Michaelis from Black Butler (Kuroshitsuji) and Tamaki Suoh from Ouran Highschool Host Club, while bishoujo characters are Shizuma Hanazono from Strawberry Panic! And Mikasa Ackerman from Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin).
Yangire
The yangire is extremely similar to the yandere, in that they’re both murderously crazy. Many people get confused between the two, and just define any (female) anime character that goes on a murder spree as a yandere. The difference, however, comes in at their motivation. Do they do it for “love”? For their own gain? Are they just, through and through, absolutely insane? If it’s the first, then yes, they’re a yandere (hence the dere). If it’s for any other reason, they are a yangire. Yangire characters are arguably worse than yanderes, because at least the object of a yandere’s affections can potentially calm them down. Examples of yangire characters are Ryuugu Rena from Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni (When They Cry) and Kouha Ren from Magi.
Ojou-sama
Another character that has a very similar dere counterpart, the ojou-sama, overlaps with the himedere. Both act like princesses, and both think that they’re better than you. The difference is, while the ojou-sama isn’t always quite as loud and brash as a himedere, sometimes an ojou-sama won’t warm up. That, and that generally the ojou-sama is actually extremely rich — usually the young lady of a wealthy household. The most common trait of an ojou-sama is the ojou-sama laugh, wherein she puts her hand in front of her mouth, and, as obnoxiously as possible, goes, “oh-ho-ho-ho!”. Examples of ojou-sama characters would be Ayaka Yukihiro from Negima!: Magister Negi Magi and Minto Aizawa from Tokyo Mew Mew (also known as Corina Bucksworth in the Mew Mew Power dub).
Bifauxnen
Bifauxnen derives from bishie (bishounen and bishoujo). It refers to a female character that is handsome in a masculine way, but still has an elegant beauty to her. Like the bishie, the bifauxnen is usually tall and slim, and often looks like a more feminine version of a bishounen. Bifauxnen are usually incredibly androgynous. Examples of bifauxnen characters are Oscar from Rose of Versailles and Sailor Uranus AKA Haruka Tenou from Sailor Moon.
Yankee
A yankee is, generally speaking, a delinquent. They usually have their hair dyed blonde, have a few ear piercings, and gather behind their school building to smoke. If a character has a pompadour, squats, smokes, or has a baseball bat, then they’re probably a yankee. Yankees can be male or female; examples are Arisa Uotani from Fruits Basket and Kuwabara from Yu Yu Hakusho.
Loli
“Loli”, short for “Lolita” (yes, that Lolita) is a slang term that refers to female characters that are young and cute in appearance. They are usually small, with large eyes and adorned with cute clothes and accessories, though they aren’t always necessarily children. Loli characters are not to be confused with the Lolita fashion subculture in japan, though some lolis do dress in Lolita. Popular loli characters are Shiro from No Game No Life and Wendy Marvell from Fairy Tail.
Shota
Shota is the male counterpart of loli. Meaning that they are usually adorable, young-looking boys. Though, like loli, they aren’t necessarily actually children, they always look like they are. Examples of shota characters are Aladdin from Magi and Mitsukuni “Honey” Haninozuka from Ouran Highschool Host Club.
That concludes this week’s instalment of our anime dictionary! Now you can one-up your friends with even more obscure terms than ever before. I hope that you all found this a helpful tool in your journey to becoming a certified Otaku.
Cosplayer, avid anime-watcher, and maybe a little unhealthily obsessed with Dragon Age. Also loves to write occasionally (a lot).
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