#emberplays

The shota is the cute one, the little one. The one you want to protecc at all costs. Shotas come in many flavors (tsundere, yandere, or just plain sweet) but are always the token mini-moe of the game. Yoosung fits this to a tee. If you liked Yoosung, you may enjoy:

Yeon-ho from Nameless ~the one thing you must recall~ He’s honestly the spiritual predecessor of Yoosung. 

Jieun from Dandelion ~wishes brought to you~ More of a kuudere version of this trope, another example of Cheritz heavily leaning on this trope.

Scarlet from Ozmafia! A bit of an inversion of the trope as he’s more than capable of taking care of himself. I’d file him under kuudere shota.

Jiyeon from Dandelion ~wishes brought to you~ Initially upon meeting. His route gives you a better idea of where he should fall in this list, but I won’t spoil it.

Senri Ichinose from Norn9: Var commons. This boy needs all the love in the world, he’s had it rough aka. You fucked up a perfectly good esper, you gave him anxiety.

Soh from Ozmafia! initially upon meeting. His route gives you a better idea of where he should fall in this list, but I won’t spoil it.

Nameless from Nameless ~the one thing you must recall~ though you might find him more of a Saeran predecessor. 

The casanova or Bishonen... you know this type. They’re all about telling you how much they want to protect you and sometimes have an overinflated idea of their self-worth (though usually this is hiding insecurities you find out in their own routes). Mostly a harmless bunch who are surprisingly wholesome once you get past their innuendoes. If you liked Zen, you’ll probably enjoy:

Yuri from Nameless ~the one thing you must recall~ again a spiritual predecessor from Cheritz. Yuri is flirtatious and rather lewd but might actually be the most harmless of the Nameless bunch.

Ikki from Amnesia: Memories. Like Zen, this dude has his own fanclub. Need I say more?

Itsuki Kagami from Norn9: Var Commons. And how.

Impey Barbicane from Code: Realize ~guardian of rebirth~Though not completely like Zen, he shares similarities enough. Also similar hairstyle lol.

Mineo Enomoto from Collar x Malice. Probably the biggest stretch here, but he leans heavily on the “all men are animals trope” while being both too old looking to be a shota and usually the butt monkey of the cast.

Megane are technically defined by their glasses, but many share the same no-nonsense attitude and often adroit behaviors, though more due to not being good at socializing than anything else. Like shotas, meganes come in many flavors (most often tsundere or kuudere though). This is usually a male-oriented term, but I find this trope to be the closest to Jaehee. Also because of the lack of female love interests in otomes, this group will be primarily male. If you enjoyed Jahee’s route, you might like:

Kent from Amnesia: Memories. Neither dangerous or as kinkiy as he may look, Kent is just a wholesome megane who doesn’t understand how to human and just really loves math. A good boy and a breath of fresh air from the wild ride that is Amnesia: Memories. 

Axel from Ozmafia! Basically the Kent of this game. He’s just a good guy who deserves all the love and sweets in the world. I’d say he’s less of a tsundere due to not being able to emotion, though he has moments.

Pashet from Ozmafia! Finally a female LI! Pashet has striking similarities to Jaehee actually, though not a megane. You might think neko-chan, but she’s actually super competent and kicks ass frequently for her famiglia Boots.

Victor from Code: Realize ~guardian of rebirth~ A good boy, a wholesome boy. I wouldn’t call him a shota, though he’s the closest to a romanceable one in this game. You might also like him if you liked Yoosung.

Lance from Nameless ~the one thing you must recall~ Though not a megane and more of a tsundere, he shows some of the emotional adroitness meganes tend to have, as well as being super competent.

Jihae from Dandelion ~wishes brought to you~ Again, not a megane, but has the politeness and adroitness of a megane as well as showing similar aspects of Jaehee’s personality.

Now here’s where the tropes begin to break down when we look at (arguably) more complex nature of the tropes that make up the stories and personalities of  Jumin, Seven, V and Saeran. There will definitely be spoilers from here on out because we have to talk about what happens in their routes and how we see their character progression from our initial idea of them to after their routes. **Extra note: I can’t really find someone quite like V, though there is a special section for tragic backstory further down in this post.

You should already know what a tsundere is, baka! ~ Though no one initially quite fits this bill as classic tsundere in Mystic Messenger, you definitely see it later from Seven. Traditional tsunderes doth protest too much they don’t like the heroine, and usually call you and others ‘baka” (idiot) while hiding behind a chilly exterior. At some point they usually push you away in their route, often because underneath the insults is a cutie who might have already been broken in the past.

Kuuderes are the cool ones. Like tsundere, they use a frosty exterior to hide a deliciously squishy inner romantic but are less vocal about everyone else being idiots or don’t freeze people out because of intelligence/maturity level. Jumin has traits of being a gap moe kuudere. I’d definitely call him this if I was trying to not spoil the yandere parts of his route for someone. I'm lumping these together, but if you liked Seven because he pushed you away and then got over it (tsundere) or Jumin’s frosty initial demeanor (kuudere), you will probably like:

Shin from Amnesia: Memories. A classic, upfront tsundere. Get ready for the baka.

Takeru Sasazuka from Collar x Malice. Another classic, upfront tsundere. Many much baka.

Jiwoo from Dandelion ~wishes brought to you~ Another classic, upfront tsundere. Baka but now in Korean.

Van Helsing from Code: Realize ~guardian of rebirth~ Ah our megane tsundere combo. Van is a little bit of a combination of tropes, but ultimately I’d file him under very mature kuudere/tsundere. Also, call him master in a non-kinky context, he likes it.

Lance from Nameless ~the one thing you must recall~ Kind of an off-type tsundere/kuudere. He’s called the ice prince for a reason.

Caesar from Ozmafia! Classic tsundere. Also immediately apparent he’s a bit ax-crazy for Fuka.

Akito Shukuri from Norn 9: Var commons. Another classic tsundere. All your baka needs.

Kyrie from Ozmafia! is an atypical tsundere but shares traits of one. He definitely thinks you and everyone else are idiots, but doesn’t so much push you away as wonder why you even like him in the first place.

Normally a term used for girls, a genki boy is full of energy to an almost hyperactive degree. If the people around a genki boy are exhausted, astonished, or even creeped out by their chronic outbursts of vitality, then they probably fit the criteria. Often genki boys are in touch with their feminine side, not hetero and/or found cross-dressing either for fun or plot reasons. If you liked Seven because of his initial spunky defender of justice attitude but didn’t like that he went tsundere on you, you will probably enjoy:

Red from Nameless ~the one thing you must recall~ A non-tsundere version of Seven and just all around wholesome boy who actually thinks he’s a hero. Also brought to you by Cheritz.

Heishi Otomaru from Norn9: Var commons. Just for the love of god, don’t break the cutie. 

Impey Barbicane from Code: Realize ~guardian of rebirth~ sometimes is also this, though he also shares traits with bishonen/casanovas.

Lupin from Code: Realize ~guardian of rebirth~ Another defender of justice and all around good boy. More mature. Calls himself a gentleman thief and will sweep you off your feet 10/10 times.

Kei Okazaki from Collar x Malice. Also more mature version and less energetic, but shares traits with when you meet Seven initially. He’s quirky and he protecc. He likes weird snacks too.

Dark and troubled past is a pretty obvious trope. Stepford smilers are obsessed with projecting an image of wholesome happiness in order to either be accepted by peers or left alone. The crafted facades of stepford smilers hide a deeply flawed person, usually breaking under the strain of keeping up their deception. They almost always have a Dark and Troubled past, though not everyone with a dark and troubled past ends up being a stepford smiler. If you liked Seven or V because of their tragic backstories and stepford smiling, you might like:

Saint-Germain from Code: Realize ~guardian of rebirth~ Oof, and how. The tragedy cranked up to 11 for this guy. I’d recommend playing his route last of the four because it contains the most spoilers aside from Lupin. And bring the tissues while you’re at it.

Kageyuki Shiraishi from Collar x Malice. Another cranked up to 11, similar to Saint-Germain, just different details. I’d recommend playing his route last of the four because it contains the most spoilers aside from Yanagi’s. And keep those tissues handy while you’re at it.

Actually everyone in Collar x Malice to a degree, it’s just that much worse with Shiraishi.

Ukyo from Amnesia: Memories. Arguably the most tragic of all the characters on this list, Ukyo is without a doubt a tear-jerking finale to the game. Not to be confused with Ura Ukyo also having the classic slasher smile.

All of the dolls in Nameless ~the one thing you must recall~ have emotional baggage, but both Yeon-ho and Tei have more due to being secondhand, as well as Nameless, but Tei might be the most since he’s also clearly experiencing reset theory.

Both Robin Hood and Hamlin from Ozmafia! are pretty tragic. You find out why on their routes.

It's never hinted during his route or others, but Kyrie from Ozmafia! is probably the most tragic of all, you just don’t find out why until fully completing the game. Also, you are a monster if you end up preferring Kyrie’s normal end.

Senri Ichinose from Norn9: Var commons fits this, though lacking the stepford smiling. You get to find out in his route how they broke the cutie.

Jisoo from Dandelion ~wishes brought to you~ has a pretty sad story, but Jihae’s is equally if not more tragic.

If your fav is the guy with the best lines in the game, you probably like the deadpan snarker and might want to look at the tsundere options, as they usually have the most cutting wit and tongues. But if you liked Vanderwood’s cameos or Jumin for his lack of tsundere, you might enjoy:

Kyrie from Ozmafia! And how. The crowned king of deadpan snarking on this list.

Tei from Nameless ~the one thing you must recall~ It’s mostly Yuri on the receiving end of his snark, though others do find themselves victim at times. And yet he’s still called Prince Sunshine...

OKAY BIG HUGE MAJOR SPOILERS AND TRIGGERS HERE!!!! IF YOU DONT WANT SPOILERS OR TRIGGERS HERES A SIMPLIFIED LIST: Non-spoiler list if you liked Jumin’s route (YMMV):

Tei from Nameless ~the one thing you must recall~.

Toma from Amnesia: Memories.

Kageyuki Shiraishi from Collar x Malice.

Non-spoiler list if you liked Ray’s route (YMMV) because of break the cutie and/or dating the enemy tropes:

Yeon-ho from Nameless ~the one thing you must recall~

Ukyo from Amnesia: Memories.

 Nameless from Nameless ~the one thing you must recall~ 

Caesar and Hamlin from Ozmafia!

Natsuhiko Azuma from Norn 9: Var commons.

Kakeru Yuiga from Norn9: Var commons. 

NOW ONWARD TO THE YANDERES!!! YOU’VE BEEN WARNED :)

Yanderes are people who will kill for the one they “love” and are obsessed with, going even so far as to stalking, drugging, trapping, raping or even killing the MC so no one else can have them. People tend to either love them or hate them, as they are usually the more complex characters of the games, but it can be hard to see the good aspects of them when they’re busy well... doing yandere things like locking you up, drugging your drinks for your own good or trying to kill your friends because of their obsession with you.

Yangires are often mistakenly lumped in with yanderes and to add ot the confusion, some yanderes can seem more yangire or even vice-versa if they were already a bit ax-crazy to begin with. The main defining feature is that yangires lack the love aspect behind their killing to be a real yandere. These characters are ax-crazy and ready to snap at a moment's notice (or already have) and start killing the cast. Up until his route, Saeran would have been considered a yangire, though now with his route that’s obviously changed.

I’ve divided these into two catagories: minor yanderes (one bad end or situation) or major yanderes (a pervasive running theme in their route,  particularly violent ones and/or yangire-like ones, sadists, etc). I will also list the minor yanderes bad ends so anyone who wishes to avoid them can! Stay safe and don’t get triggered!!!

Minor Yanderes:

You (to Yeon-ho in Nameless ~the one thing you must recall~). You can become the yandere in his Bad end 1: Unforgiven doll.

Ikki in Amnesia: Memories. Bad end 2: “I’ll get rid of those who hurt you.” Situational. Ikki shows his yandere really only once in this end, shadowed eyes and all.

Yuri in Nameless ~the one thing you must recall~ Bad end 2: Triangle. I’d still argue this is more Tei’s fault than Yuri being an actual yandere.

Heishi Otomaru from Norn 9: Var Commons. Bad end only. Situational yandere. Oof, and here I thought he was just a good boy.

Sakuya Nijou from Norn 9: Var Commons. There’s a minor unavoidable yandere moment in his route but he’s mostly just obsessed with Mikoto as some kind of savior for him. The obsession is apparent, but he’s a relatively non-dangerous version and barely deserves to be on this list.

Major Yanderes & Yangires:

Tei from Nameless ~the one thing you must recall~. Jesus Christ, this guy so much. He’s probably the biggest yandere I’ve ever seen played to the trope and makes Jumin Han look like a vanilla amateur version. Completely wonderful wholesome exterior with darkness lurking below that only Yuri seems to notice. This guy gate crashes all the other LI’s in Nameless besides Lance’s bad endings at least once and makes them worse. Major trigger warning: Most of the bad ends involving him contain violence due to him. Honestly, so many a detailed list is silly, but the worst probably being the implied non-consensual sex in his Bad end 3: My owner.

Toma from Amnesia: Memories. Toma is probably the male yandere trope holder as most people know about the cage, which he did years before Jumin Han. A classic yandere, he’s obsessed with the MC so much he completely overlooks that she likes him. Expect all the classic yandere elements: childhood friend, drugging, caging, violence and rape-y comments but he just really loves you, okay??? Major trigger warning: A few of the bad ends in Amnesia: memories involving him contain violence due to him, especially his route and the unavoidable violence in Shin’s route. He stretches over into other people’s routes via bad ends a few times too, but the worst probably being the implied non-consensual sex in his Bad end 2: “We’ll be together forever.”

Yeon-ho from Nameless ~the one thing you must recall~  is a good example of when a shota gets obsessed. He’s upgraded from minor yandere because he’s pretty goddamn obviously obsessed with you and while seemingly not particularly violent, he shows he is capable of it in Bad end 2: Competitor. To be fair to Yeon-ho though, you really need to watch out for Tei more.

Saint-Germain from Code: Realize ~guardian of rebirth~. Unfortunately, you can’t avoid the yandere in his route, though I’d mostly consider him a situational yandere depending on how you look at it since he’s following orders. However, he does make a few offhand comments in other routes that firmly put him in the major yandere category regardless.

Jisoo from Dandelion ~wishes brought to you~. Classic yandere in his bad end. Shows yandere traits throughout his route, though maybe less extreme than most on this list. 

Kageyuki Shiraishi from Collar x Malice. Again more situational than anything else and technically a yangire stepford smiler in other routes. Once this aloof boy likes you he’s pretty stuck on you for reasons that make sense. You can’t avoid the yandere in his route (it’s both good and bad ends) but it’s waaaaaay less creepy in the good one. Also his later bad ends are BAD. Hell, his good end is bad. Dear god, please just give this poor guy a break already.

Robin Hood from Ozmafia! Is a low-key example of this, but not for Fuka. I’ll let you figure out why. Major trigger warning: It’s debatable his route contains non-consensual sex.

Nameless from Nameless ~the one thing you must recall~ Think precursor to Saeran. Got it? Okay now play his route again to find out why.

The Wizard from Dandelion ~wishes brought to you~. Though not a playable character, it's obvious once you play through at least one route of Dandelion he’s obsessed with Heejung. It all comes to a tragic culmination in the final end of Dandelion you get from finishing all routes in the game.

Ukyo from Amnesia: Memories. Ax-crazy Ura Ukyo unfortunately puts Ukyo’s route firmly in the yangire category rather than yandere, as Ukyo himself is pretty wholesome. He kind of reminds me of V, honestly. And not just because of the photography thing. He gets a bad rap from anyone who doesn’t properly finish the game because of his ura side, but boy the explanation for why he kills you over and over again is one of the saddest routes I’ve ever played.  Major trigger warning: Most of the bad ends in the entire game not involving Toma being yandere involve Ura Ukyo pretty much flat out killing you. Honestly, so many a detailed list is silly, since there’s multiple for each guys route iirc.

Ron Muraboshi from Norn 9: Var commons. Jesus lord have mercy I was not expecting this one. For all of his nonchalant attitude about everything, Ron might be the worst offender on this list. Not presented as a classic yandere as I am firmly convinced no one in the game or playing it actually likes Ron, his route devolves into some extremely problematic shit with yandere elements. His route is a relationship is based on obsession, abuse, and Stockholm Syndrome and even I felt icky after playing it, but his alternate bad ending (purple) is the worst IMO on this list because it's arguable he still sees you as disposable, while at least real yanderes cherish their object of affection. Also that 9 year age gap between him and Nanami… yikes.

Anyway, that's my list and character analysis of the otomes I’ve played so far! Hope you enjoyed it and feel free to leave me any asks or comments.