YAI is the ultimate tsundere for me ?

Tsundere heroes are the best, because we ultimately get to see their fluffy feelings spilling in all directions & its worth it. :-D

Tsundere leads are not exactly my favourite type of leads but the way you have written about them just makes me go awwww! ?

Tsunderes... the stuff most leads in kdramas are made of. Definitely a catnip of mine! ♥

This works for me especially when the tsundere shows affection only for our heroine - like she is the only one to affect him and make him show emotions/acts of caring which no one else can do and that he'll never do with anyone else. He may do it in a grumpy way, but it's so squeal-worthy that he did it so in the first place! ?

A thousand times yes!

YES! I love bad boys with a heart of gold. This is my cat-nip for just about any genre, even out side of k-drama. I can think of so many of these characters I love. Great Catnip

Haha, you know, it's funny, I always say I want to move on from these kinds of male leads to ones more like Kim Boong-do, Ahn Min-hyuk etc. (and I still do want more of those)...

But, who am I kidding...when I love tsundere heroes? I love them SO MUCH. Sung Joon drove me crazy in Shut Up Flower Boy Band. And so many others...I can't help but adore them, hehehe.

I always loved tsundere heroes and that has never changed. It is definitely one of the reasons that I liked Chicago Typewriter, Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim, Tunnel, and Liar Game so much. Whenever there is a prickly lead character, but actually with a soft heart, my heart will always tune in.

Gosh I love watching there Tsundere cheeseballs flounder with how to express their feels! ^^ <3

Definitely a catnip of mine. For me, I think it's because these guys generally appear so confident, which I always find an attractive trait. But then it's also that it seems that much more special when they finally open up and show their vulnerable side to that one special person who has earned their trust. That makes me turn into goo!

This is definitely Ha Seok Jin's catnip! I haven't watch him portraying a different role aside from this so far. From D-DAY, DRINKING SOLO, 1% of SOMETHING, and RADIANT OFFICE. He's good in portraying this kind of character. Jinsang is my favorite character of him ?

I'm not big into the Tsundere characters, but I do like when you have a Tsundere who falls fast and hard for the heroine first.

This reminds me of Park Hae Jin, The Ultimate tsundere of em all. My 2nd favorite is YAI.

Don't forget Lee Hyun and his 15 + alpha as show of affection that has become the ultimate form of agreement and likability a on beanies.

"I was already done when Woo-jin came to the heroine’s aid and called himself her “faithful dog,” but then he had to go and say “Da-jung-ah” with those giant puppy dog eyes and I was toast." hahaha I just really get what you mean here ^^

Hwi-young in CT... broke my heart! Oh my God... he was beautiful even when he died....

That last screencap of YAI brings back tears that I have so far managed to keep hidden!!! Those memories of that drama!! The feels!!! All gushing back to my mind!!!!

Yes, this! I married one of these. I love watching them on screen! I think most men on kdramas are this way--at least the first leads. Seconds leads are usually just marshmallows all over.

Tsunderes!!! I blame the anime of my youth for getting me into loving tsunderes (both male and female).

I do love male tsunderes, especially in k-drama. Watching these prickly porcupines show affection to our heroines/designated bromance always warms my cold heart.

Me too! But it's one reason I won't let my daughter watch Kdramas until she's much older. Because guys like that don't really exist in real life. 99% of the time, he's just really an asshole, and love won't/can't change him.

It also only works if they eventually go soft & starry-eyed. I recently watched "Tomorrow's Cantable" and he didn't go soft enough for me. He did some sweet things, but never said "I love you" or got moony-eyed. I enjoyed the drama, but that ruined him for me. Because she deserved for him to go completely gaga over her.

I pictured their married life where he's just a dick to her the whole time and she just takes it.

Even though he was not the lead, I was crazy over Do Ji-han's Ban-ryu character in Hwarang. He was the ultimate tsundere for me! :) His scenes with Lee Da-in (as Soo-yeon) cracked me up and man, when he was finally able to talk coherently with his precious, I died :P

In real life, I could never date a tsundere but I go crazy for them in dramas. However, I love men who are stupid in love even more than tsunderes.

Yesss to all this!!, I guess I found my catnip :).

Gogh's Starry Night! I am so embarrassed by how much I love that little series and Kwang Tae Ho's inability to express himself well for the first half of the series. Like, I can watch it over and over again. I am always sad I can't watch/comment/debate on ongoing recaps of it.
(Most of the characters are reasonably well rounded, enough to almost make the mid-series office competition worth watching.)

And, loved YAI in SS to pieces.

LOVE.

Yes, this is my catnip too! I've always been drawn to heroes who are so gruff and unsmiling on the outside but are actually giant marshmallows on the inside; those who are scant with their words but speak volumes with their actions.

Yep, YAI is the ultimate dere dere tsundere.
Fell hard for Geol oh in SKKS.

Well, that's annoying - my comment didn't post. Ok, take two ---

I think some of the best characters that have this type of personality can be the non-romantic ones. As @shinayame 's first example mentions: Dr. Kim. Not necessarily a romantic interest, but a main character nonetheless. I think the best example of this (or the one that pops into my head immediately) is the dad from Reply series. Not a surface guy, but such a fierce love for his children.

Don't get me wrong. I am a huge Darcy fan, and love when this type of character is the main love interest, but I think when you combine it with another trope, as another pointed out, such as the hero falls first - yummy. :P

Tsundere! I'm slightly a noob in K-drama, so I didn't know there was a term like that. Reading this now, I realized I enjoy watching male leads who are tough on the outside but are total marshmallows, especially if they fall first and are totally unaware of it haha.

Thank you for bringing up Chicago Typewriter! I will never be over Hwi-young and the way he was so steadfast in everything. Also: is there anyone else than YAI who can make dying look good? What a man this man.

Most of kdrama heroes is a tsundere. They would usually be a fluffy mess once they fall for the heroine. ?

I like this one ONLY if the character is written well. Most tsundere characters in K-dramaland are jerks. Those who display their alpha in rude ways that I just can't swoon because they make me want to issue a restraining order.

Yes! Kwang Tae-ho in Gogh's Starry Night! Love Kim Young Kwang in that mini drama!
And Lee Sang Yoon as Prof Grumpy-pants in Twenty Again.

So Ji-sub does an amazing job as this kind of guy. Ji-soo, too! Ji Chang-wook in Healer was awesome, but not sure if it counts, as he was a recluse as well. I didn't realize this is a catnip category until you wrote about it, because everyone mentioned is someone I vividly remember and mostly enjoy. Thanks, @shinayame!

Didn't know i liked this trope until u gave examples, but only if the characters r done really well. YAI was born to be a rebel and also great as a tsundere hero too as y'all hv said. Can't ever forget his Hwi toung character in CT n also Moon jae shin in SKKS?

One of the reasons I love Liar Games is that there wasn't a romantic story line. I just appreciate that sometimes a girl has bigger things to worry about besides finding a man.

Park Kwang Ho is the epitome of tsundere men lol But then there's also Cha Hyun Seok from "Twenty Again" hahaha

Seo Hwi-young is my classic tsundere..

I want to tell you guys about the biggest tsundere I have ever seen in a drama. It's the main male lead in family drama Five Kids. In short, the male lead kept getting mixed up with the female lead. Crises seemed to follow her like a shadow and he kept swooping in like a knight in shining armor to help her out because .... well it just seemed the right thing to do. So he had this pattern of swooping in, rescuing her, and then backing off. But it kept getting more pronounced like her ex-hubby would be arguing with her and PING! the hero would pop up and defend his "girlfriend". Even she was like, "What is his deal? Does he LIKE ME?"

Oh, also, the male lead was her BOSS. She just got head-hunted to his company and transferred in as an assistant manager directly under him.

Anyway he finally pushed back really hard and chastised her for roping him into all these wacky situations and probably liking him, and she got pissed. She stewed all day and finally blew her stack at home and about 11pm called him up at home and ordered him to meet her at the park halfway between their houses. So middle of the night, they're there in their PJs and coats and she RIPS him one. She tells him she has never tried to suck him in to her problems, he keeps volunteering unasked and rushing in like a planet with an elliptical orbit. And she tells him to think about what his real motivation is.

He's not stupid. Once he's hit in the head with the clue bat he's all, " ... oh, *I* like *you*! We should date!" That was only halfway through that 50 ep family drama too.

R88's jung hwan should have def made the list

Kwang Tae-ho is such a great Tsundere. So was Le Soo Hyuk in Valid Love. <3