Highlights
- Oujidere characters, like himedere characters, are defined by their prideful and arrogant demeanors, often due to their royal lineage or noble titles.
- These male characters can be complex in their personalities, harboring various insecurities and desires for power and superiority.
- Oujidere characters like Kuja, Berkut, and Dalton are ruthless and megalomaniacal, willing to do whatever it takes to achieve their goals, even if it means destroying others.
Considered the male equivalent to the himedere archetype, the oujidere naturally shares several key elements with its female equivalent. But one thing that obviously stands out is the term's origin; in this case, the word "ouji," the Japanese word for prince, is used instead of "hime" or princess.
Male characters that fall into this archetype can be described as very arrogant and prideful, often due to actually being princes or possessing other noble titles. But like himedere characters, oujidere men can be more complex in their personalities. These oujidere characters are defined by their prideful demeanors and often by their royal lineage.
6 Kuja (Final Fantasy 9)
In contrast to the main character Zidane, Kuja harbors no sense of humility or mercy whatsoever, instead choosing to boast about his power and superiority over his enemies. Though he may not be a prince, Kuja certainly plays the part of one; when not residing in his desert palace, he can be found in the luxurious city of Treno mingling with the nobility.
In battle, Kuja relishes death and destruction while taunting his opponents for their efforts, as seen during his fight with Zidane's group in Pandemonium. It is only when he learns about his own mortality that Kuja's sense of self falls apart, being replaced with a desperate desire to destroy all life in order to preserve his own.
5 Izuchi Nasuga (1bitHeart)
Izuchi Nasuga appears as one of the residents in the last area of 1bitHeart, collecting seashells at the ever-so-casual Sweet Beach. Unlike most of the residents of Sweet Beach, however, Izuchi's high intellect gives him an arrogant personality, which is shown by his tendency to refer to everyone around him as "commoners" and his remark that being a genius is "something you are born with."
When talking with Nanashi, Izuchi reveals that he has a younger brother named Kirai, who was (unbeknownst to him) one of the hackers vandalizing the flower garden in Coco Alley; though the two brothers are highly smart, Izuchi also refers to him as a "commoner." Some of his favorite gifts are the Victory Token and the Koala Cigarette simply because they do not offend him.
4 Emperor Mateus (Final Fantasy 2)
Often referred to as the Emperor of Palamecia or simply the Emperor, Mateus can be described as a full-on megalomaniac; he aims to be the ruler of everything and constantly refers to his enemies as "worms." Though he possesses great power, Emperor Mateus prefers to either let his underlings do his dirty work or get a strategic advantage over his opponents.
Being an emperor, Mateus cares little about the people over whom he rules and naturally has no qualms about wiping out any forces who would resist him. In fact, his personal airship, the Dreadnought, was built for the sole purpose of destroying any town that dared to defy him, making Emperor Mateus one of the most ruthless villains in the Final Fantasy series.
3 Berkut (Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia)
Much like Emperor Mateus, Berkut takes pride in his noble status and does not hesitate to show it off to those who would cross him. Having been raised with a "might makes right" mindset, Berkut holds the fatalistic belief that the weak will always remain weak and cannot entertain the idea of anyone beneath him besting him at anything.
Beneath his prideful exterior, however, Berkut possesses an immense amount of insecurity, which stems from the need to impress his stone-hearted uncle Rudolf. To this end, he confides in his fiance Rinea for advice, but even this is squandered when Berkut takes Rinea's comment as not caring whether he is an emperor as an offense.
2 Blue (Pokemon series)
One of the most recognizable characters in the Pokemon series, Blue is not only known for his overconfident attitude, making him a fan-favorite rival within the series, but he is the very first Champion to ever be fought in the series as well.
Throughout the entirety of Pokemon Red and Green, Blue relishes beating the character to each and every Pokemon Gym and does not hesitate to challenge them, even in the most unorthodox of situations. Blue's main motivation is to become the strongest Trainer ever, and he continues to seek new challenges even after becoming Viridian City's Gym Leader.
1 Dalton (Chrono Trigger)
One of many people after the power of Lavos, Dalton thus presents himself as an arrogant man under with a lust for power. One of Queen Zeal's henchmen, Dalton has little to no respect for his subordinates, the Daltonites, and does not hesitate to insult them at any given opportunity, such as when he called them idiots while they were reconstructing the Blackbird fortress.
Because of Dalton's hubris, many of the citizens of Zeal recommend for Crono and his party to stay away from him. In battle, Dalton has masterful control over his magic and also commands an army of Golems that he may use to do his dirty work, making him a memorable boss no matter how many times the player plays through Chrono Trigger.