Weeaboo

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"Ohio /tg/-kun, you are looking kawaii today uguu~ (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧. Shall we play pretend on the futon after we eat our bento boxes desu? (>^3^)> Don't be Tsundere, you baka! It'll be sugoi!"

– Sample text of a typical weeaboo

Weeaboo, commonly shortened to "weeb" in most conversations, is a noun/adjective commonly used as a perjorative for people whose main interests revolve around anime and/or manga. The term has some controversy around it, as nobody can agree on where the threshold is for what counts as a weeaboo. However, it is still a commonly used term due to the prevalence of anime-related content on the internet and in media, including many domains that /tg/ is interested in.

Overview

The original PBF comic.
Welcome to 4chan!

The name Weeaboo is derived from a Perry Bible Fellowship comic, reaching internet stardom after the term was used as a wordfilter for "wapanese" on /b/. Although used in the comic as a nonsense word, it has since become synonymous with "wapanese" (itself short for "wannabe Japanese") until it supplanted the original term altogether. The term typically refers to people who believe that Japanese stuff is better simply because it is Japanese, with implications of harboring an unhealthy obsession with the culture and media of Japan (such as anime) while simultaneously managing to know very little about it. The term has spun off to describe other types of obsessions, such as Teaboo (girls obsessed with stereotypical Proper British culture, specifically the new Sherlock show and The Eleventh Doctor), Koreaboos (girls obsessed with K-Pop boy bands; considering the West hasn't really had actual boy bands since the 90s, it's not hard to see why) and Wolfaboo (kids obsessed with wolves, may or may not overlap with furries).

They are also known to hate all other Asian cultures and think that Japan is the "Best Asia Country Ever!", despite not knowing that just seventy years ago (and before!), the Japanese and Japan itself was one of the most conservative, imperialistic, xenophobic, theocratic, fascist nations in the world, hated or despised by almost everybody else, with the majority of the vote stemming from China and Korea (just open a history book you lazies). Modern Japan was given a rise in popularity due to American propaganda, as THE Capitalist Ally in the East, and the new Japanese generation, after being nuked to submission, putting on a new liberal democratic theme presenting themselves as sexually-liberal free-market libertarians with almost no similarity to their past conservative-fascist ancestors, to the point that they became the opposite. While conservative-Imperial Japan boasted a high population rise, modern anime Japan is almost sterile to the point of extinction. This isn't surprising, given their issues with having space for everyone (fortunately, not as bad as it could be... yet). It helps that conservative-Imperial Japan arranged-married pretty much everyone. It was much quicker to get people making babies that way.

Aside from the association with a real-world nationality and culture, everything wrong with weeaboos (obsession to the point of breaking with reality, among other things) could just as easily be applied to bronies, furries, or any fandom, really. Weeaboos simply get a lot of attention because it gets applied to a whole medium where many of the same tropes and stereotypes will cross-pollinate over many different franchises, thus making weebs very numerous and visible. Nobody really knows why weebs behave the way they do; some people blame anime itself, but more likely these people are just sad and lonely individuals who were badly socialized growing up, and likely didn't have enough sane friends to tell them when they were acting obnoxious and/or creepy.

The Japanese side of the Coin

In Japan, the Japanese have a similar concept they call the "Otaku"; there, an Otaku is basically a shut-in super-nerd who never leaves their room and obsesses over a typically nerdy hobby, usually anime/manga, and often leads to hoarding useless crap in their tiny apartment. (In other words, a Japanese Neckbeard) Weeaboos appropriated the term to simply mean "anyone who watches anime / reads manga," so be wary about applying the term across cultural boundaries. One key difference between Otaku and Weebs though is that Otaku understand Japanese culture, and more importantly, social etiquette. Weebs whose only idea of Japanese society comes from anime/manga make the critical mistake of assuming that they're accurate depictions of Japanese social interactions instead of what they oftentimes are, pure escapism. People in the real-life Japan emphasize being reserved and polite, with many, many unwritten rules of social interaction, which is very unlike the extroverted and loud characters you frequently see in fiction. Visiting weebs who don't realize this quick may find themselves committing multiple social faux-pas without even realizing it.

Fun fact: Japanese people see no real distinction between eastern and western animation. If you ask someone what their favorite anime is, they're as likely to reply "Spongebob Squarepants" as "Naruto." Weeaboos, on the other hand, are extremely adamant that there is a massive fucking difference between Japanese anime and all other forms of animation, and that any non-Japanese animation that mimicks anime isn't true anime (one such example is Avatar: The Last Airbender. Looks like anime, but made in America). It gets especially funny when you realize that reverse weeaboos exist; if you want some grade-A entertainment, go watch some Japanese people argue over dubs vs. subs on King of the Hill.

On /tg/

Because Moot originally intended for 4chan to revolve around the /a/ board as a clone of Japan's 2channel imageboard, it's unsurprising that many 4chan users are heavily into anime. Fa/tg/uys are no exception, though many people will argue that it takes more than a love of anime to be a weeaboo. The key factor is the obsession and obnoxiousness that comes with being a weeaboo, which is what draws people's ire in the first place.

/tg/ has a tendency to use the word in a derogatory manner to describe anything vaguely Asian in origin or inspiration one does not like. This often incites the ire of fa/tg/uys who insist on the more precise definition of the term, resulting in rage all round.

Of course, the fact that /tg/ tends to name any female original character [something]-chan ironically unironically who even knows anymore, and so many of the drawfags tend to have animesque art styles, means that fa/tg/uys are the most weeaboo people on the- *BLAM*

In a weird way, one might say that weeaboo has made a full circle, and has returned to its origins--being of a word that means absolutely nothing, keeps getting repeated again and again, and leads to actions that are a complete waste of time.

tl;dr: no fa/tg/uys, you are the weeaboos.

When a weeaboo enters /tg/

What doesn't make you Weeaboo

  • A general interest in Japanese Culture and History (this can knock a few points off the weeaboo counter if it goes for non surface level things).
  • Watching anime / reading manga
  • Eating Japanese cuisine
  • Wanting to visit Japan
  • Learning Japanese
  • Liking cute shit
  • Owning normal memorabilia of your favorite show (Such as a T-shirt or poster)

What DOES make you a Weeaboo

Weeaboo discovers the horrifying truth

Note: This is a non-comprehensive list that includes all items that definitively make you a weeaboo; because the line between weeaboo and non-weeaboo is blurry, the traits shown here tend to be on the more extreme side. Someone who has traits that aren't quite as bad as the ones listed may still get called a weeaboo, but that's a matter of debate.

  • Considering anime / manga as a superior art form just because it's from Japan
  • Automatically thinking Japan and everything about it is superior to other countries for no conceivable reason, other than the fact that it's Japan.
  • Complain that any Western work of fiction is ripping off anime using very weak evidence
  • Getting angry when someone doesn't watch your favorite show
  • Refusing to acknowledge flaws in Japanese stories or merits in Western stories because of their origin
  • The exception to this is getting into intense arguments about which anime is better
  • For extra stupid: complaining about "dubs" and asking for the "original Japanese sub" for shows that were made in English.
  • Next level stupid: Only watching western shows in Japanese dubs with English subtitles.
  • Eating Japanese cuisine exclusively.
  • Bonus points: thinking the Japanese eat nothing but traditional Japanese food, despite the fact they've been taking a liking to western food for centuries (Tempura was brought to Japan by the Portugese in the 16th century).
  • Getting angry at people who eat Asian Fusion instead of "real" Japanese food
  • Alternatively: Only eating Panda Express / Asian Fusion because you have no idea what Japanese food is besides Sushi and Ramen
  • Wanting to visit Japan and then getting disappointed that it's not like anime
  • Expecting all Asian people to have watched anime and be as big a weeaboo as you
  • Learning Japanese poorly by watching anime, then slipping in the handful of words you know into everyday conversation constantly, whether your peers understand you or not (see above sample text)
  • Shouting "Kimochi!" in public. The literal translation means feeling good, however the connotations are closer to "I'm cumming!", which is not something you use in a casual conversation. Bonus points for saying it in front of someone fluent in Japanese, who will either look at you funny and/or call the police out of fear of sexual harassment.
  • Referring to everyone you know as -chan or -kun or -senpai at all times, despite you not being in Japan. (bonus points for using honorifics incorrectly or using them when describing yourself)
  • Endlessly quoting shit from anime, whether it's appropriate or not
  • "Glomping" (leaping at and aggressively hugging) people who at best only think of you as an acquaintance. This can be especially bad if you're significantly heavier than the intended target.
  • Watching excessive amounts of hentai (look, we get it, for most people porn is porn. But there's a point where watching 30 cartoons a day about dickgirls getting their asses rammed becomes a problem)
  • Liking Lolicon or Shotacon (of course, maybe you're just a pedophile and don't give a shit about Japan)
  • An obsession with Yaoi or Bishies, particularly stories with rape (most often applies to female weebs. The Japanese actually have a term for this: Fujoshi, which literally means "rotten girl.")
  • Taking your obsession into the real world by "shipping" real life dudes, whether they're gay or not.
  • Blackmailing creators into making your gay fanfiction canon.
  • Unironically rejecting all real-life women for cartoon women (aka "3D Pig-Disgusting")
  • Getting into arguments over how your waifu is superior and all other waifus are shit
  • Getting into arguments with artists over misrepresenting your waifu
  • Getting into arguments over whether or not having more than one waifu counts as infidelity
  • Getting angry at people drawing/fapping to porn of your waifu
  • Getting angry when a cosplayer isn't in character 100% of the time, or else is "doing it wrong"
  • Wearing cosplay when you are too fat to resemble the characters body type. Nobody wants to see a lardass in revealing clothes.
  • Unironically owning a dakimakura
    • Going on dates with your dakimakura without a hint of irony
    • Going on dates with your dakimakura in public that isn't part of a joke
  • Believing Katanas are the best weapon ever and can cut through ANYTHING (and in the event that if they could do so if made from a hypothetical bullshitium alloy, that any other type of sword would not be able to do the same if made from the same metal)
  • Going to the Holocaust Museum and taking a photo doing the Nazi salute because of Hetalia (yes, that actually happened)
  • Shoving Hetalia characters into geography or talks about it during a class of international relations and expecting people to get your reference

Things that don't necessarily make you a Weeaboo, but are commonly associated traits

See Also

Links

You think we were kidding about the war crimes? [[1]]. [[2]]. [[3]]

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