What is a bakadere?
Bakaderes are anime characters who are child-like and silly. Bakadere is one of the many anime archetypes used to sort characters by common personality traits. Bakadere characters are often well-meaning, simple-minded people who often behave strangely to try to impress their love interest or friends. While they usually fail at these antics, viewers find them amusing and endearing. In Japan, another term for bakadere is “ahodere,” though these archetypes are different in Western media. The word “baka” is more widespread in standard Japanese while “aho” is more common in the Kansai dialect. Both words have a similar meaning. The word bakadere is a combination of “baka,” meaning “foolish,” and “deredere,” meaning “to be lovestruck.” When put together, these words explain how the character feels and expresses their love—in this case, foolishly. The term originated online in Japan to describe the character Fuko Ibuki from the 2009 anime Clannad ~After Story~. The term was used in the media for the first time in 2013, when it was featured on the 90th episode of the Maji Pon! radio show. Anime characters often call each other “baka” as an insult, but when fans label a character as bakadere, it’s a term of endearment.
Bakadere Personality Traits
Innocent and child-like Bakaderes are known for their juvenile behavior. They may act more childish around their love interest, or they could have a naturally child-like personality. Either way, it often makes other characters step in as a big brother or sister figure, as the bakadere often needs someone to look after them and keep them out of trouble.
Ditzy and clueless Bakaderes get their name because of their immature, foolish behavior. Their actions are typically endearing, even when things go drastically wrong, so fans often see them as silly rather than dumb.
Carefree and optimistic Bakaderes typically have cheerful, sunny personalities. They tend to be excitable and always look on the bright side. Even when they embarrass themselves in front of their crush, they bounce back quickly and are ready to try to impress them again.
Affectionate While bakadere characters are usually silly, they’re very affectionate and loving toward those they care about, especially their love interest. When they’re with their crush, they may act more serious and caring than they do otherwise.
Impulsive Bakaderes tend to rush into things without fully thinking them through, especially when it comes to trying to impress their crush. Because they don’t usually think logically, their plans often backfire and land them in embarrassing situations.
Popular Bakadere Characters
Many silly, comedic anime characters are bakadere. Bakadere characters can be found across countless anime series, including shows that often have more serious storylines. Here are a few popular bakadere characters from various anime and manga series: Fuko Ibuki from Clannad ~After Story~ Millianna from Fairy Tail Ryuunosuke Tanaka from Haikyuu!! America from Hetalia Axis Powers Mina Ashido from My Hero Academia Naruto Uzumaki from Naruto Tamaki Suoh from Ouran High School Host Club
Western cartoon characters can also be bakadere. While Western media doesn’t classify characters into the same archetypes as anime characters, many cartoons have the same characteristics and personality traits as bakadere anime characters. Here are some popular Western cartoon characters that could be classified as bakadere: Spongebob Squarepants Ice King from Adventure Time Linda Belcher from Bob’s Burgers Bubbles from The Powerpuff Girls Cosmo from The Fairly Odd Parents Beast Boy from Teen Titans Go! Draculaura from Monster High
The Appeal of the Bakadere Archetype
Bakadere characters are funny. One of the most obvious reasons bakaderes appeal to anime fans is because they add a sense of humor to the anime. While bakaderes are named for the humorous ways in which they express their romantic feelings, some bakadere characters may not have a romance plot at all and are instead used for comedic relief.
They often have wholesome love stories. After watching a bakadere character embarrass themselves repeatedly to try to impress their crush, you can’t help but root for them. When the character finally does get with their love interest, their relationship is usually cute and innocent because of the bakadere’s child-like personality. These relationships can be refreshing to watch.
Watching bakaderes can be a form of escapism. Real life can be stressful and harsh, so many anime fans relax by watching the comedic antics of a bakadere character. Even if the anime has serious moments, the bakadere’s appearance can be enough to make you smile and forget about your worries.
Bakadere vs Ahodere
In Japan, the bakadere and ahodere archetypes are the same. Japanese anime fans often use the terms interchangeably, as the root words “baka” and “aho” have similar meanings. Bakadere is the more widespread of the two, as “baka” comes from the standard Japanese and “aho” comes from the Kansai dialect. These terms both describe childlike, silly characters.
In Western media, ahoderes are oblivious to love. These characters are typically oblivious to their own romantic feelings and can’t tell when someone else is in love with them. The term originated on the Western internet in 2020 and is thought to be a misunderstanding of the Japanese version of ahodere. “Aho” means “a character who lacks common sense and is unaware of their surroundings” and “dere” comes from “deredere,” which means “to be lovestruck.” When put together, it’s easy to see how fans would interpret this as someone oblivious to love. One way to think of the two ahodere archetypes is the Japanese archetype is a fool in love, while the Western version is a fool at love.
Bakadere MBTI Type
The bakadere archetype has the ENFP personality type. While each bakadere character is unique, the overall archetype is most closely associated with the ENFP Myers-Briggs type. ENFPs are extroverted (E), intuitive (N), feeling (F), and perceptive (P). This MBTI type fits the bakadere archetype because these characters aren’t shy about their feelings and remain optimistic. The Japanese ahodere type is the same MBTI type as bakaderes, while the Western version is most closely associated with the ISFP type (introverted, sensing, feeling, and perceiving). Myers-Briggs or MBTI is a personality test used to sort people into 1 of 16 personality types based on factors like introversion vs. extroversion and feeling vs. thinking.
Similar Anime Archetypes
Bakaderes share many traits with other anime archetypes. In many cases, bakadere characters can be placed into other archetypes due to their overarching similarities. Here are some other archetypes that bakaderes are typically associated with: Dojikko: Dojikko characters are known for being cute and clumsy, though they may not act silly outside of their clumsy moments. Moe: Moe characters embody cuteness and innocence. Many bakadere characters may be described as moe because of their child-like behavior. Tsun-Aho: Tsun-Aho is a term to describe tsundere characters who try so hard to seem uninterested in their love interest that they end up making a fool of themselves. Deredere: Deredere characters are lovestruck and do not hide their romantic feelings. They’re openly affectionate, energetic, and sweet.
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