So here's a question for all of you:
What is your opinion on tsunderes? Do you like them or dislike them?
If you like them, who are some of your favorite tsunderes?
Do you have any tsunderes you consider to be well-written? Any you consider to not be well-written?
I'll give my two cents later.
I now have the time to post my thoughts.
I generally like tsunderes. Initially, they can get on my nerves when they act very snappy and rude, especially early on, but later on, I tend to appreciate them when they show their kind and softer side, especially when it's done through good character development. To me, a good tsundere is one that strikes a good balance between the two traits of the character trope and not the kind where the one or the other trait gets overused. Another aspect I look for in tsunderes is when the tsundere characteristic is not the defining point of the character and there is much more to the character that meets the eye.
That being said, one of my favorite tsunderes has to be Rin Tohsaka from the Fate series. She has many of the classic traits of the average tsundere, but I feel like she strikes a good balance between the two sides of the trope. She also never gets too violent when being tsun, and she never overly sweet when being dere. There's also a lot more to her character that meets the eye. We know her backstory regarding how she was raised to be a proper mage and fulfill her family's duty in the Holy Grail War, and we see her acting like a nice mentor figure for Shiro by telling him about the Holy Grail War in the three routes of Fate/Stay Night.
My favorite tsundere, and also one that I consider to be
very well-written for her trope, is Makise Kurisu. The main heroine of Steins; Gate, Kurisu has tsundere traits like a harsh side but also a sweet and caring side to her as well. Most of her harsh personality is seen early into the show when she gets annoyed with Okabe's chuunibyou tendencies, but we see much less of that later on in the show, to the point she even appreciates Okabe for having that side to him.
What I like about Kurisu the most, though, is that her tsundere personality is NOT the focal point of her character. It's more of a side thing at best; she never takes her tsundere characteristics to the extreme, and when they do show up, it's done in a cute way and not in the eye-rolling fashion. She has much more to her character that goes beyond "being tsundere." She's loyal, wise, curious, and very smart. She's a genius scientist who wants to find the answers regarding time travel and lend a hand to her friends when they need her help. She also develops a very believable and sweet romance with Okabe later into the show, one of the best relationships I've seen in anime for that matter. In all, I'd argue Kurisu is a tsundere done right.
As for tsunderes I dislike... this one's going to be an unpopular opinion, but one tsundere I dislike is Severa/Selena from the Fire Emblem series. In fact, I consider her to be a tsundere done wrong. From the support conversations and the other dialogue I read of her, she acts
way too rude and snappy with a lot of people she interacts with. If anything, it makes come across more of an unpleasant person. Yes, I am aware this aspect about her is toned down in Fates, and I do know her backstory why she acts the way she does, but still, I just can't bring myself to like her.