As we move into the colder months, I turn to my favorites for comfort. In particular, you can find me binge-watching Supernatural as I knit, rereading Throne of Glass with a warm cup of herbal tea, or picking back up my Nintendo DS.
However, there is one title I have been looking forward to revisiting this season, Fruits Basket (specifically the 2019 TV series). While the characters and plot of the series will forever be an archive of cherished moments, the love of Kyo and Tohru is by far one of my favorite ships.
Meanwhile, at the start of October, I started playing Fields of Mistria and have already clocked over 40 hours on the game. As a game with a dating sim function, I told myself that I would have an open mind for all potential love interests, but, alas, I am me, and the moment the grumpy blacksmith demanded to know why I was interrupting his valuable time, I knew it was love at first sight.
Kyo and March (Fields of Mistria blacksmith) have a lot in common. They are male tsunderes. They are presented with a hard exterior, and they get even more prickly when poked. Their seemingly rude personality is a product of trauma or internal conflict (ex, self-doubt or fear of rejection).
Male tsunderes are particularly fun because they show their love in a very strong way. Instead of asking if you are hurt when you fall down the stairs, they yell, “How can you be so stupid!” If you thought this sounds toxic, then you would already be identifying the first reason why it is so difficult to create a good male tsundere. There is a fine line between being abusive and being human, that only a properly done tsundere can accomplish.
But, because of their gruff exterior, moments in which their shells crack to show their soft, caring interior are even more rewarding. I am just reimagining all the fankid squeals I released when Kyo got flustered when sharing a straightforward compliment to Torhu instead of his usual brash love.
And, I realize another title from the list above has another male tsundere, Dean Winchester from Supernatural. While Dean doesn’t have a love interest (unless you were like me and shipped Destiel the whole time, where there are plenty of scenes where Dean cares for Castiel in a grumpy manner, and then he is flustered in others), we can see his strong ways of caring through his tough love with Sam. Even when he comes back from Hell, Dean keeps it all bottled inside until, at the end of an episode, he finally caves and shares with Sam what his time in Hell really took from him. As someone who is always acting like the world is his oyster, seeing that fear and trauma leak through is heartbreaking.
But, despite the lovability of these characters, it is difficult to find male tsunderes in romantasy novels. Sure, we have plenty of morally grey characters, but their grumpy exterior typically comes from a place of self-preservation or to protect others. Because of this, we usually get a dark character who finally flips a switch when they finally realize they love the protagonist. In this Reddit thread, u/sareuhbelle summarizes it pretty well:
Tsunderes are not grumpy, brooding, gruff, or emotionally unavailable characters. They’re also not cinnamon rolls with the occasional golden retriever energy. THEY’RE ALL OF THOSE THINGS 😍 The emotional arc of a tsundere revolves around this dichotomy.
So, who is a male tsundere in romantasy?
That’s the question I asked myself as I started writing a male tsundere of my own and realized I had no reference point for how a male tsundere is portrayed in literature.
Luckily, the same Reddit thread quoted above has plenty of users willing to share their favorite male tsunderes in Romantasy. I also found a helpful article matching anime characters to books, which I used to bolster the list. So, here is a list of books with grumpy yet cinnamon-roll, golden retriever male love interests.
Throne in the Dark (Villians & Virtues #1) by A.K. Caggiano
A dark lord with something to prove is now tied to a bubbly thief with secrets of her own. Nothing like trauma bonding to cut straight to the heart.
Burn for Me (Hidden Legacy #1) by Ilona Andrews
A detective is assigned a suicide mission against a powerful magic user, but a mysterious man has a shared mission, so they team up. However, as the MC gets under LI’s skin, she just might make him care for something other than himself for once.
Once Upon a Broken Heart (Once Upon a Broken Heart #1) by Stephanie Garber
To save her love, Evangeline makes a deal with the cursed Prince of Hearts. However, through their shared circumstances, there might be more behind the witty exterior of the immortal cursed to kill his love.
The Emperor’s Edge (The Emperor’s Edge #1) by Lindsay Buroker
A law enforcer is overwhelmed with her current cases, and it only gets worse when the notorious assassin comes to town. She is assigned to hunt him down, but there might be a lot more at play. After all, an assassin doesn’t have a defined ruler, so his motivations are in question…
The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy (Hart and Mercy #1) by Megan Bannen
The owner of an undertaker business is only surviving on spite, so when an anonymous letter brings her some comfort, she responds. However, it is the man who has a habit of snapping her patience when it is at its lowest.
Minor Works of Meda by Juliette Caruso
The weight of their world rests on the shoulders of a weak witch and a heartless half-faire. However, under pressure, she realizes “behind his cruel words, there may be a battered heart more human than Meda dares admit… and a man who will do anything to keep her safe.”
The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air #1) by Holly Black
The wicked son of the High King is the worst the Fae palace has to offer, but as Jude, a human, is forced to play the games of palace politics to save her family, she finds that there might be more to the savage Prince.
The Last Hour of Gann by R. Lee Smith
“Slow burn alien lizard man warrior who develops feelings for the human FMC and courts her, which he has never done before. He doesn’t want to help the stupid humans, but he can’t just leave them there – they wouldn’t last 2 hours alone. The whole thing is an epic journey for him. Has dark sections but funny and endearing ones as well.” – u/user37463928
Taming Demons for Beginners (The Guild Codex: Demonized #1) by Annette Marie
An outcast sourcer realizes her family is using illegal magic to summon demons. She just had to ignore it all, but after talking to the demon in the basement, it’s too late to go back.
Daughter of No Worlds (The War of Lost Hearts #1) by Carissa Broadbent
To save her friend despite having nothing, Tisaanah must apprentice under a reclusive fire wielder who wants to forget his bloody past.
Uprooted by Naomi Novik
The immortal Dragon keeps the darkness of the Woods at bay, but at the heavy price of a young woman to serve him every ten years. Agnieszka fears her beautiful friend will be chosen, but she has poorly underestimated the Dragon’s motives. After all, he is still only a man.
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
A secret witch is tasked with training three young witches, but Jamie, the prickly librarian who will do anything to protect the children, perceives her as a threat. But, she just might be finally finding a family here, and it just might be put to the test.
Half a Soul (Regency Faerie Tales #1 #1) by Olivia Atwater
Cursed with no sense of fear or embarrassment, Dora is prone to scandals. Despite her hopes of being a wallflower for the London Season, Dora finds herself the center of faerie affairs thanks to the uncouth Lord Sorcier. Half a soul doesn’t seem to be a deterrent for Lord Sorcier to fall in love.
As you might have gathered from the detailing of certain captions (or if you are one of my friends on Goodreads), I have read only a few of these titles. I am hesitant about the standalone novels, as my experience with male tsunderes has proven that part of the fun is the slow deterioration of their thorny exterior, and the backtracking of arcs that cause them to rebuild part of their shell they allowed to fall. But, books continue to surprise me, so they shall remain until proven otherwise.
As I read more of this list, I am sure I will update the article. But if you have any other novels of a male tsundere that you believe should be on this list, please share in the comments. I will also add any books that I feel like fit the male tsundere mold.
Resources
- u/sareuhbelle. (2025, August). R/Romancebooks on reddit: Pretty please share your best male tsunderes!. https://www.reddit.com/r/RomanceBooks/comments/1iaymv6/pretty_please_share_your_best_male_tsunderes/
- Alessa. (2025, September 6). If you like this anime character pick up this fantasy romance. From Enemies to Lovers. https://fromenemiestolovers.blog/if-you-like-this-anime-character-pick-up-this-fantasy-romance/
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