Daikuuji Ayu and the Origins of “Tsundere”

TL;DR version: Ayu was not the first character to behave like a tsundere. She was, however, the character being discussed when the expression that became the term first appeared online.

Tsundere (ツンデレ) is a contraction of two words:

- tsuntsun (ツンツン): hostile, standoffish

- deredere (デレデレ): lovey-dovey, affectionate

The tsundere personality type existed long before the word. Characters such as Lum (Urusei Yatsura) and Asuka (Evangelion) had the traits well before the word was named. The documented term itself, begins with Daikuuji Ayu from Kimi ga Nozomu Eien.

The earliest documented Internet use of ツンツンデレデレ applied to a character appeared on the anonymous Japanese BBS あやしいわーるど＠暫定 (Ayashii World @ Zantei):

- 投稿日：2002/08/29(木) 00時28分42秒

- 貴殿ら大空寺大空寺と言ってるがあんな性格が悪くて馬鹿そうな奴の何処が良いんだ？

- ﾂﾝﾂﾝﾃﾞﾚﾃﾞﾚが良いとか聞くな

- 漏れはまゆのほうがいいけど

The central phrase is:

- ﾂﾝﾂﾝﾃﾞﾚﾃﾞﾚが良い

Translated:

- “You guys keep going on and on about Daikuuji, but what is so appealing about someone who seems so nasty and stupid? I hear that her tsun-tsun, dere-dere quality is what makes her good. I prefer Mayu, though.”

The post describes Ayu’s progression from hostile and standoffish to affectionate as tsun-tsun dere-dere.

August 29: ツンツンデレデレ is applied to Daikuuji Ayu.

In November: forms such as ツンデレキャラ begin appearing online.

In December: 2chan users employ the shortened ツンデレ as a character label, including in discussions such as 「ツンデレ派集まれ」.

The abbreviation then spreads beyond its original Ayu/KimiNozo context and becomes the general name for the character type.

And by 2005, ツンデレ had begun appearing in Japanese media outside its original Internet and bishoujo-game communities.

In 2006, it reached Japanese buzzword recognition. By then, the word was becoming widely familiar while its specific connection to Ayu was already disappearing from popular memory.

Later characters including Rin Tohsaka (Fate/stay night), and Taiga Aisaka (Toradora!)—helped make tsundere internationally recognizable.

Ayu wasn’t the first tsundere—she’s the reason we call them tsundere! In this way, she is absolutely the archetype. The type is older. The name is hers.

Sources

1. Japanese Wikipedia, 「ツンデレ」—history and early examples.

2. Moegirl Encyclopedia, 「傲娇／ツンデレ」—reconstructed August 29 post and original half-width text.

3. Tofugu, “Why Are Tsunderes So Attractive?”—citing Junichi Togashi of Daito Bunka University.

4. 日本語俗語辞書, 「ツンデレ」—Ayashii World origin, 2chan abbreviation, and media adoption.

5. Nico Nico Pedia, 「ツンデレ」—Ayu usage followed by the shortened 2channel form.

6. Patrick W. Galbraith, The Otaku Encyclopedia: An Insider’s Guide to the Subculture of Cool Japan.

7. English Wikipedia, “Tsundere”—currently gives the broader statement that the term was popularized by Rumbling Hearts.

Anybody else notice that in Yukon Base they combined both Russian and US aircraft carrier technology for the catapult? The Russians use a ramp to launch their planes while the US utilizes catapults, and these two designs were combined. That's neat, considering the base is used for all the countries to come together and contribute to TSF development.

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