Whether you think that you’re just a casual fan of a trending anime, or you’ve accepted the fact that you’re a complete degenerate, we’re here to set the record straight.
Anyone can be a weeaboo. With so many genres of anime, manga and light novels out there, there’s a series for any taste. Some shows offer killer action and a riveting plot. Others reel you in with deep and memorable music and art. And others yet beat you into submission with a barrage of cute waifus.
Sooner or later, you’re jamming out to a show’s awesome OP and ED song. You pick up the meaning of a few phrases in Japanese. You buy merch of your favourite series. You could even be participating in ship wars or crazy fan theories. And just like that, you’re treading the path of the weeb.
The only question now is – how far gone are you? Are you a weeb who can function properly in society, or do you long to be isekai’d into a 2D world?
Time to face the facts - are you a weeb? Take our weeaboo quiz and learn the cold, hard truth.
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Some people, especially those who are unfamiliar with anime or manga, use weeaboo incorrectly to address anyone that enjoys Japanese media or culture. Here’s a refresher on what people mean when they call a person a weeaboo.
In its broadest and earliest sense, a weeaboo refers to a non-Japanese person with excessive Japanophilia, or the love of Japan and Japan-related things. Weeaboos take their love a step further. They usually ridicule other cultures – even their own – just to show the superiority of Japanese culture and media. The term first rose to popularity in the mid 2000’s and originated from a webcomic called The Perry Bible Fellowship.
Over time, the Internet has associated several traits with a stereotypical weeaboo, including a passion for collecting Japanese katanas, wearing clothes such as the traditional kimono, attempting to learn the language through Rosetta Stone or Duolingo, using Japanese words in regular conversation, and adopting immature behaviour when their favourite shows are criticized.
Being called a weeb on the Internet or in real life has several connotations. It is usually used to mock someone’s obsession with anime or Japan, but can also refer to one’s poor hygiene, awkward or annoying social skills, or emotional investment in a particular series, all of which are part of the stereotypical weeb lifestyle.
Despite starting out as a derogatory term, it is not uncommon nowadays for fans with a healthy appreciation for anime to use the term in a neutral or endearing manner, especially when referring to close friends. Naturally, the meaning can change depending on the context.
The related term “men of culture” is always used in a positive light. Another term, “degenerate,” usually carries a negative connotation.
Nope. When it first appeared in The Perry Bible Fellowship, it was a nonsensical word that simply referred to something people hated. It was adopted by 4chan in 2005 as a euphemism for the term “Wapanese” or “wannabe Japanese,” which the site administrators deemed had become an excessive slur.
Ironically, weeaboo quickly succeeded Wapanese as an insult, and caught on across the internet as a derogatory term for obsessed and obnoxious fans of Japan, and particularly anime.
Just as weeaboos refer to people with an annoying obsession of Japan, people have taken to calling die-hard fanatics of Korean culture as “koreaboos.” Instead of anime or manga, koreaboos are typically fixated on Korean television dramas, K-pop idol groups, and the country’s cuisine.
Note that “koreaboo” is, in general, less offensive than its Japanese counterpart. Some K-pop lovers that engage in fan activities such as taking BTS personality quizzes or learning Korean openly refer to themselves as koreaboos.
