Best Male Tsundere Characters In Manhwa

The tsundere archetype is quite the common trope that players may find in many romance stories. The archetype started in Japan with manga and soon spread across other platforms like manhwa (Korean comics). Quite frankly, there are not many characters out there who follow the trope accurately in manhwa, but blend various characteristics with it. Tsundere characters in manhwa can be more enjoyable to digest than tsunderes in manga.

They’re less annoying and aggressive, making it an easier read as, in some situations, readers may get too fed up with the characters (especially the loud and rambunctious female tsunderes). Tsundere male characters fit this type perfectly well in manhwa, as despite their cold exterior, their soft interior is what makes every reader swoon. These men are calm, cool, observant, snarky, and have no idea how to convey their feelings properly, which makes them all the more attractive no matter what they do.

8 Caruel de Murien

A Royal Princess With Black Hair

Prince Caruel and Princess Euricienne have a lot more in common than they think; they’re both royals, they’re both 16, and they both do not want to get married to someone they don’t love. They both come to an agreement to make sure they get a divorce, but with various enemies trying to get rid of them, the two of them end up spending more time together than they expected. And, of course, they are bound to be more attracted to each other than they initially thought.

In this typical rendition of enemies-to-lovers romance, A Royal Princess With Black Hair’s male lead is Prince Caruel de Murien and he’s the heartthrob of the nation. When he meets Euricienne, he’s instantly attracted to her, but the last thing he wants is a wife like her. The two of them bicker like no other and his tsundere personality shines wherever Euricienne gets into trouble and he has to help her out. He loves to grumble about her recklessness, yet still shows up everytime and lets her get away with anything.

7 Ashton Griffin

Marked By King B’s

Surviving high school is a race and it’s especially hard if one has a target on their back. Annie Green, unfortunately, managed to gain the attention of the infamous bully in her school, Ashton Griffin, and now her life has taken a turn for the worst. She’s at his beck and call, trying not to become a social pariah, but as she learns to navigate through social cliques and damaging rumors, Annie begins to see that being popular comes with a lot of downfalls.

Marked By The King B’s presents high school to readers in its rawest form; unyielding, aggressive, and suffocating. Ashton’s character further attunes to that, as despite being known as the notorious bad boy who gets into fights, he’s just a teenager who doesn’t know what to do with his life. It’s wholesome to witness Ashton’s tsundere nature around Annie as he struggles to come to terms with his feelings and the future he wants to create with her. He’s the perfect example of being harsh on the outside, but soft on the inside, which makes his character even more lovable to all readers out there.

6 Kyle du Vilteon

Side Characters Deserve Love Too

Geumja Kim is the biggest fan of Kyle du Vilteon, a side character in one of her favorite novels, and perhaps his only fan is the community. By a trick of fate, she wakes up in his bedroom after rereading the novel, with Kyle claiming that he can hear her thoughts. The two of them end up having to work together because all Geumja is trying to do is save Kyle from his death whilst simultaneously trying not to fangirl too hard and scare him away.

Kyle’s tsundere personality is a little different from the other characters on this list because his circumstances as a Prince are what created it. Kyle’s family is ‘morbid’ to say the least, as all his siblings are in a fight to the death for the throne, and the Emperor (his father) couldn’t care less whether one of them died. He’s had to lock up his emotions ever since he was little and this in turn made him uncomfortable with expressing them. It’s only when Geumja (or Joe) from Side Characters Deserve Love Too comes around do readers see his shy, tsundere personality that’s afraid to say what he really means.

5 Prince Rayburn Espelindo

I Stan The Prince

When Angela’s cringey fanfic about the dethroned Prince Rayburn is published without her knowledge, she has no idea it becomes a popular bestseller amongst the Empire’s citizens. Unfortunately, the book is grounds for treason against the current Imperial family and the only way to save her from them is by writing a sequel to further improve Rayburn’s tarnished reputation in return for protection. Rayburn is already disgusted by the outcome, but all Angela cares about is her opportunity to finally fangirl over her favorite prince up close and personal.

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When analyzing the tsundere tendencies in Prince Rayburn from I Stan The Prince, readers can see that he’s very different from the annoying tsundere. Rayburn is a prickly male lead at first and quite sarcastic around Angela when he meets her. The two of them are a perfect example of the grumpy-sunshine trope, as it takes a while for Rayburn to even realize his feelings for her. Despite his words, he’s very contradictory in his actions and this will easily make any reader fall for him like Angela did too.

4 Iske van Omerta

How To Win My Husband Over

After a hellish life as an adopted child in an abusive family on Earth, waking up as Rudbeckia de Borgia (Ruby for short) was not the happy ending she hoped for. Now possessing the body of the supposed villain of a novel, Ruby is thrust back into a diabolical family that sees her as nothing but a tool. On top of that, she has to marry Iske van Omerta, the golden boy of the nation who not only kills her but her family as well, for all the crimes they have committed.

As far as first impressions go, Iske in How To Win My Husband Over cannot stand the sight of Ruby. He only agreed to marriage to save his sister from her own doomed one. He’s cold, brash, and utterly rude to Ruby. It’s only when he begins to see that she’s completely different from her family does he begin to change. Iske is a massive tsundere and together with Ruby, they encapsulate the grumpy-sunshine trope extremely well. Besides that, seeing him grow from the indifferent, apathetic husband, to the caring, devoted one is exactly something readers will enjoy.

3 Emperor Rone Bilotian

I Was Just Having Fun With The Time Limit

Reborn into a new life, Isabella Bilotian wakes up with memories from her previous life as a sickly girl in modern-day Korea. She’s excited and grateful for this second chance, but her time is once again cut short to 21 years due to a rare curse mark appearing on her body. However, despite her crumbling mortality looming around the corner, all Isabella wants to do is spend her time with her family and create as many memories as she can. As the Princess of the Empire, the country is known for its swordsmanship and a royal line that only consists of males.

The hierarchy is such that women cannot learn Bilotian swordsmanship and Isabella’s birth is not welcomed by her father, Emperor Rone Bilotian. Yet, not even the cold and indifferent Emperor Rone can disregard his cute daughter. Emperor Rone is the typical tsundere father who is indifferent to his children on the surface and caring in private. He has no idea how to properly convey his feelings, so a majority of the time, he’ll say the opposite of what he actually means. His transition from uncaring to quietly doting in I Was Just Having Fun With The Time Limit, is a contrast that will surely be welcomed by tsundere lovers.

2 Edwin Arthur Windsor

Cat In The Chrysalis

There has only been one man that Kit Gerald has loved in her life and that’s Edwin Arthur Windsor. But after hearing of his miserable death, she resorted to marrying the first man who came along and tried to forget her tragic first love. Her feelings, however, were too strong, and with all the regret and remorse she felt, Kit ended up turning back time to before he died. Together they both try to uncover the reason behind his death, whilst also trying to protect their potential future.

Despite being an abandoned prince, Edwin has no desire for the throne and prefers to live quietly in peace. Majority of the time he’s cranky and rude to anyone that he isn’t interested in, and the only time he’s somewhat ‘affectionate’ is when he’s around Kit. For a manhwa with heavy themes like Cat In The Chrysalis, he’s the perfect tsundere male lead who isn’t overly contradictory to his feelings and conveys them in a way that’s utterly wholesome. It takes a while for him to warm up to Kit, but despite his harsh words, it’s very easy to see the gentle heart that lingers behind them.

1 Richt de Stern

Happily Ever Afterwards

Reborn as the side character in her favorite novel, Peony has only one goal in this new life – marry her favorite character. Since she’s now a Princess, she’s determined to marry the second male lead of the novel, the traitorous Prince Richt, who has been banished from the Empire. Richt, on the other hand, couldn’t care less about her advances. It’s all up to Peony and her ability to break down his walls and give him the chance to get over his broken heart.

Happily Ever Afterwards is the epitome of the grumpy-sunshine trope. Peony can be best described as a field of sunflowers, whilst Richt resembles a gloomy, lonely castle nestled at the edge of a cliff. Richt is a true contrarian when emotional, as his words always tend to come a little harsher than necessary. A normal person would immediately disregard him, but Peony’s optimism and light-hearted personality complement Richt’s harsh one, which is something many readers may find extremely heartwarming to witness.

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