is a Japanese light novel series written by Yuyuko Takemiya and illustrated by Yasu. ASCII Media Works released ten volumes between March 2006 and March 2009 under their Dengeki Bunko imprint. Three volumes of a spin-off light novel series titled Toradora Spin-off! were later published. The main series follows Ryūji Takasu and Taiga Aisaka, two social outcasts who gradually fall in love while trying to help each other get with their crushes. The title Toradora! is derived from the names of the two main characters.
A manga adaptation by Zekkyō was serialized in MediaWorks' shōnen manga magazine Dengeki Comic Gao! from September 2007 to March 2008. The manga continued serialization in ASCII Media Works' shōnen manga magazine Dengeki Daioh in the May 2008 issue.
A 25-episode anime adaptation produced by J.C.Staff aired in Japan on TV Tokyo between October 2008 and March 2009. NIS America released the anime in North America in two half-season DVD collections in July and August 2010, with an English dub released in July 2014. An original video animation (OVA) episode was released on December 21, 2011.
Plot Ryuji Takasu is frustrated at his appearance as he enters his second year of high school. Despite his gentle personality, his glaring eyes give him the appearance of a delinquent. He is happy to be classmates with his best friend Yusaku Kitamura, as well as the girl he has a crush on, Minori Kushieda. However, he unexpectedly runs into Taiga Aisaka, an infamously short-tempered girl, who is Minori's best friend. Taiga takes an instant dislike to Ryuji. She also happens to live in an apartment next to Ryuji's house. When Ryuji discovers that Taiga has a crush on Yusaku, and Taiga finds out about Ryuji's affection towards Minori, they decide to help set each other up with their crushes.
Over the course of the series, Ryuji and Taiga try to set up romantic situations to help each other get to know their friends, but many of the situations backfire. Their classmates observe that they are spending a lot of time with each other, leading to rumors that they might be a couple. Although Ryuji and Taiga try to dispel the rumors, they find that they do enjoy each other's company, with Taiga visiting Ryuji's house to share meals, and Ryuji checking up on Taiga and cleaning her messy house. Later, they meet Yusaku's childhood friend Ami Kawashima, a popular teen model who transfers into their school. She appears to be friendly and is a self-proclaimed ditz, but beneath her facade is a more mean and spoiled side, and she quickly finds herself at odds with Taiga. In spite of this, Taiga tries to put up with her antics as Yusaku wants them to all get along, and Ami begins to grow feelings for Ryuji. The series follows the lives of these friends and how love blossoms among them.
Characters
Main characters
The viewpoint character of the light novels, Ryuji is introduced as a second-year high school student with a mistaken reputation of being a delinquent because of his sanpaku (glaring) eyes which resemble his father's. He lives with his single mother, his father having left before he was born. Because of this, Ryuji has learned to be self-sufficient: he cooks and cleans. Despite his appearance, he is a kind and selfless person, and takes care of his mother and his friends. He has a longstanding crush on his cheerful and pretty classmate Minori Kushieda. After Ryuji meets Taiga Aisaka, he often helps her with domestic chores, and develops a new reputation as the "only person able to stop the Palmtop Tiger" as well as having to fend off rumors that the two might be a couple. Although he initially does not have a romantic interest in Taiga, he decides to look after her and try to become friends with her. Due to the misunderstandings caused by his appearance and his family situation, he has low self-esteem. In spite of this, he is rather calm in most situations and is responsible, smart, and has great grades, even compared to Yusaku Kitamura, his best friend. He prefers avoiding serious conflicts and tends to put others first, to the point of losing sight of what he really wants in life. In the light novels, he sees a tender side of Taiga that she hides from everyone. In the anime, he is dense when it comes to girls' feelings, especially when it comes to Taiga, Minori, and Ami. His relationship with Taiga begins to change as he spends more time with her throughout the series, although he is oblivious to Taiga's feelings for him at first. Eventually, he reciprocates, and he and Taiga become a couple at the end of the series.
The other title character of the series, a girl who sometimes acts like a tsundere when talking to Ryuji. She has a beautiful appearance, but dislikes the company of others, with the exception of her best friend Minori Kushieda. Because of her tendency to snap fiercely at others, and her diminutive stature (), Taiga's nickname is . She often receives confessions of love from boys due to her cute appearance but she turns down every single one. Despite her reputation, she is a clumsy girl who is very shy and awkward around her crush Kitamura. Although she comes from a well-to-do family, she constantly fought with them, eventually moving out and living on her own. Having come from a privileged household, she does not know how to do any domestic chores. Upon meeting Ryuji and learning of his domestic talents, she relies on him to cook for her. Aside from sleeping in her own apartment and going to school, she spends most of her time at Ryuji's house, so much so that his mother considers her a member of the family. She eventually admits to herself that she has fallen in love with Ryuji, and they become a couple at the end of the series.
A cheerful red haired student who is Ryuji's crush and Taiga's best friend. She is captain of the girls' softball club. She tends to be air-headed at times, but is very perceptive and hardworking, being one of the few people to see Ryuji for the gentle person he is and also not being fooled by Ami's facade. When she hears rumors that Ryuji and Taiga are a couple, she pulls both of them aside and begs Ryuji to take good care of Taiga. She works many part-time jobs preferring to keep herself busy. She enjoys food, having once made a whole tub of pudding, and teaming up with Taiga as a struggling "diet soldier". She is capable in cooking and cleaning as a result of her part-time jobs as well as taking care of her little brother, Midori while both her parents work. She loves horror, and talks about "ghosts" as a metaphor for love, which she hopes to be able to "see" someday; one time, she opens up to Ryuji regarding her feelings about love.
Ryuji's classmate and initially his only friend. He is the vice-president of the student council, the class representative, and captain of the boys' softball club. Yusaku wears glasses and has a diligent personality. Although he thinks he is poor at talking to girls, Ryuji observes that Yusaku is actually quite popular with them. When Taiga confesses to him, he reveals that he had actually confessed to Taiga a year prior because she was so beautiful, but was rejected. While not buried in student council activities, Yusaku exhibits an eccentric personality, as demonstrated in a bonus chapter where he plays the President card game without knowing the rules, and a summer trip story where he walks around in a towel and flashes the girls. In a later storyline, it is revealed he had a crush on the student council president Sumire Kanou, but got so depressed over her departure that he bleached his hair. His nickname is "Maruo" (a reference to the class president in Chibi Maruko-chan).
Yusaku's childhood friend who transfers into his class midway through their second year of high school. She works as a fashion model and is very popular with both guys and girls. However, behind the façade is a spoiled person who looks down others, aside from those she's trying to impress. Yusaku hopes that Ami will be honest with her true character and not have such a dual nature. She develops a fierce rivalry with Taiga, and flirts with Ryuji to demonstrate how she can easily manipulate him to take him away. However, Ryuji and the other main characters are all aware of her true nature. In a storyline where she is trying to evade a stalker, she ends up depending on Ryuji and Taiga, although the latter blackmails her using footage of Ami's singing and reciting a list of Pokémon. After seeing Taiga standing up to the stalker, she drops her sweet façade to chew out the stalker, and later asks Ryuji if he would come to love her real self. She comes from a rich background; her family has a lavish vacation home that she takes Ryuji and his friends to over the summer. She often understands the feelings of others easily and teases others for being naive. Over the course of the series, she becomes attracted to Ryuji despite regularly teasing him, and matures in her character.
Supporting characters
Ryuji's parakeet, usually called Inko-chan. Her name is the Japanese word for parakeet. Though apparently healthy, she often looks sickly. Despite struggling to say her simple name (a running gag throughout the series), she has a good understanding of human speech and can interact with her owners and pronounce words much more difficult than her name, oftentimes relevant to the situation at hand.
Ryuji's mother who works nights at a hostess bar (a Japanese "snack club"). She acts childish, depending on Ryuji to cook and clean for her. She is often seen getting in trouble with the landlady for whatever shenanigans go on in their apartment. She is proud that Ryuji is able to go to high school, something she was not able to complete. She initially claims that her husband died before he was born, but it is later revealed that he left her instead. She instantly takes a liking to Taiga and treats her like a family member.
Ryuji's homeroom teacher. She has a reputation of telling long stories that Kitamura stops immediately by dismissing the class. She likes to do things at her own pace and is timid towards Taiga's way of speaking out. In the fifth volume of the light novel, she becomes concerned about getting into a relationship leading to marriage before she turns 30, and when that birthday comes, she becomes depressed, which is further aggravated whenever Taiga mentions that she is single. She has interests in real estate, which is a crutch for her being single.
Ryuji's classmate, a student who has long hair. He is regarded as the class "idiot", an opinion deepened by his poor grades and overly energetic behavior. His childish pranks often target Taiga, and he has been the victim of her violent outbursts. Despite his clueless demeanor, later in the series he is revealed to have a girlfriend.
A male student in Ryuji's class who wears glasses. He was also in Ryuji's class the previous year and is on good terms with him. He is first seen during the basketball warmup scenario where he pairs up with Minori. Noto begins to develop feelings for Maya Kihara following an argument they have during the class' winter ski trip.
An attractive classmate of Ryuji who often hangs out with Nanako. She is a kogal and the center of the "stand-out-group" of girls of class 2-C. She ends up pairing with Yusaku in basketball warmups. She has a crush on Yusaku, and she wants Taiga and Ryuji to be together so that she can have Yusaku instead.
A female student in Ryuji's class who often hangs out with Maya and Ami.