What is a Waifu ?

You have seen the word everywhere: in memes, in YouTube comments, in heated Reddit threads about "best girl". So what is a waifu, exactly? In anime slang, a waifu is a fictional female character you are especially attached to, the one you would happily call your anime wife. It is playful, it is a little tongue in cheek, and it is one of the most beloved traditions in otaku culture. This guide covers where the word comes from, the classic waifu personality types, and the characters fans keep coming back to year after year.

Where does the word waifu come from?

Waifu is simply the Japanese pronunciation of the English word "wife". The term exploded thanks to a 2002 episode of the anime Azumanga Daioh, in which the teacher Mr. Kimura is asked about a photo of a woman on his desk and answers, in English, "mai waifu". The clip became a running joke on anime forums and imageboards, and fans started using "my waifu" to talk about their own favorite characters. The masculine counterpart, husbando, followed the same path for male characters. If your heart beats for the boys instead, there is a whole husbando body pillow collection waiting for you.

Waifu wars: a fandom tradition

Ask three anime fans who the best girl of a season is and you will get four different answers. Waifu wars are the friendly (and sometimes not so friendly) debates in which fans defend their favorite character against all challengers. Every popular romance or harem series fuels them: Re:Zero fans split between Rem and Emilia, Quintuplets fans fight over which Nakano sister deserves the ring, and every January brings a fresh wave of contenders.

At the end of the day, waifu wars are a love letter to great character writing. Nobody argues this passionately about a boring character.

The main waifu personality types

Fans sort waifus into "dere" archetypes, from the Japanese "deredere", meaning lovestruck. Knowing them is half the fun, so here is the field guide.

Deredere: the sweetheart

The deredere is openly affectionate, cheerful and honest about her feelings. Rinko Yamato from My Love Story!! is a textbook example: she falls for the gentle giant Takeo and never hides how much she adores him.

Chiyo Sakura from Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun plays in the same league, spending the entire series hopelessly in love with a manga artist too oblivious to notice.

Tsundere: cold outside, warm inside

The tsundere acts harsh or dismissive to hide genuine affection. Expect crossed arms, blushing, and the immortal line "it is not like I like you or anything". Chitoge Kirisaki from Nisekoi built an entire fake relationship on that energy, and fans loved every second of it. She even has her own Chitoge body pillow collection.

Yandere: love taken too far

Sweet on the surface, terrifying underneath. The yandere loves so intensely that she will remove any obstacle, by any means. Yuno Gasai from Future Diary is the undisputed queen of the archetype, devoted to Yukiteru in ways that make the whole death game around them look tame.

Kuudere: the ice queen

Calm, composed, almost emotionless, until you get close enough to see the warmth underneath. Kanade Tachibana from Angel Beats!, the quiet student council president the cast nicknames "Angel", is a perfect kuudere: barely a change of expression, yet one of the most touching characters in the show.

Dandere: the shy one

The dandere is quiet and withdrawn, but blossoms around the person she trusts. Hinata Hyuga from Naruto carried a silent crush on the loudest ninja in the village for years before finding her voice. Mashiro Shiina from The Pet Girl of Sakurasou brings her own flavor: a genius painter so absorbed in her art that she needs help with everyday life, and all the more endearing for it.

Nyandere: the cat girl

Cat ears, cat tail, cat energy. The nyandere blends feline charm with waifu appeal, like Eris from Cat Planet Cuties, an alien catgirl whose entire species runs on affection and curiosity.

Himedere: the princess

The himedere expects to be treated like royalty, and honestly, she usually earns it. Erina Nakiri from Food Wars! was born with the "God Tongue", the most refined palate in the culinary world, and she carries herself accordingly.

Bifauxnen: the prince

A girl with the charisma and looks of a handsome young man. Yuu Kashima from Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun is the "prince" of her drama club, and half the girls in school would fight you over her.

Yangire: the short fuse

Often confused with the yandere, the yangire snaps violently for reasons that have nothing to do with love. Future Diary supplies plenty of candidates here too, and fans often file Tsubaki Kasugano, the cult leader holding the Sixth diary, under this label.

Which waifu type fits you?

There is no wrong answer. Some fans want the comfort of a deredere, others live for the slow thaw of a kuudere, and a brave few pledge themselves to yanderes and accept the risk. Part of the fun of watching a new season is spotting which archetype a character starts from and how the writing breaks the mold.

Some of the most popular waifus of all time

Asuna

Asuna Yuuki from Sword Art Online earned the nickname "The Flash" for her rapier speed and served as vice commander of the Knights of the Blood Oath. Strong, loyal and gentle, she is many fans' first waifu. Browse the Asuna body pillow collection if she is yours.

Rem

Rem, the blue haired oni maid from Re:Zero, turned one heartfelt confession scene into a permanent spot at the top of every waifu poll. Her devotion to Subaru is the stuff of legend, and so is the Rem body pillow collection.

Zero Two

The horned pilot of Strelizia from Darling in the Franxx calls her partner "darling" and the entire fandom felt personally addressed. Find her in the Zero Two body pillow collection.

Megumin

KonoSuba's arch wizard of the Crimson Demon clan knows exactly one spell, Explosion, and casting it once a day leaves her flat on the ground. Total commitment to the bit: that is waifu material. See the Megumin body pillow collection.

Hatsune Miku

Not from an anime at all: Miku is a singing voice synthesizer released by Crypton Future Media in 2007 who became a global virtual idol with sold out concerts. The turquoise twin tails are eternal, and so is the Hatsune Miku body pillow collection.

Himiko Toga

My Hero Academia's resident yandere can transform into anyone whose blood she ingests. Villain or not, she has one of the most devoted followings in the fandom and her own Himiko Toga body pillow collection.

Bowsette

Born from a 2018 fan comic playing with the Super Crown power up, Bowsette took over the internet in a single week and proved that the community can will a waifu into existence. She lives on in the Bowsette body pillow collection.

Whoever your waifu is, the odds are good she is waiting in our waifu body pillow collection, printed on a soft dakimakura cover you can actually hug.

FAQ

Is having a waifu weird?

Not in the slightest. It is a playful way to celebrate a character you love, the same way sports fans wear a jersey. For most people it is part affection, part meme, and entirely harmless fun.

Can you have more than one waifu?

Purists say a true waifu is one and only. In practice, most fans keep a top tier of favorites and update it every season. We will not tell anyone.

What is the male version of a waifu called?

A husbando. Same idea, same devotion, same debates, just aimed at the anime husbands of the world.