Top 10 Signs Someone is an Otaku
- Categories: Anime, News
- Date: Jun 28, 2010 02:34 JST
- Tags: Anime Goods, Fashion, Otaku, Rankings, Ronery, Statistics
Japanese asked what sort of dubious behaviours they consider essential in identifying otaku deviants give a list sure to resonate uncomfortably amongst many who still harbour misplaced aspirations of relationships with partners not comprised of pixels, PVC or paper.
The ranking, based on the responses of 551 Japanese when asked about the “behaviours which make you think someone might be an otaku”:
1. They are using otaku slang, net jargon or 2ch cant
2. They just happen to have anime/manga/game goods about them
3. They respond to otaku type keywords and issues
4. They become very intense when the conversation turns to anime/manga/games, and only then
5. The tunes they hum are all anime related
6. They know excessive amounts about a given anime/manga/game
7. You can somehow just tell intuitively that they are an otaku
8. They talk unconcernedly about anime, manga and games all the time as if it were normal
9. They start talking about a seiyuu
10. They are carrying a bag from an otaku shop like Animate or Tora no Ana
It may be noticed that the list is more concerned with personal qualities than it is with fashion or outward appearance – fortunately for the curious, just such a ranking already exists.
Top 10 Most Followed Seiyuu
Wonder Festival 2012 Winter Wondrous As Ever
Ciel nosurge: “Your Date With Ion = $170″
Nisemonogatari – “Where Did All The Ero Go!?”
Police Hunt Ushijima for “Public Indecency”
Cops Bust Cop in Nude BDSM Club Raid
K-ON! “Causes Keionbu Girl Band Boom”
Vippers vs Vankers: 2ch Targets “Korean Propaganda”
Overflow Delays “Final” Game: “We Are Not Going Bankrupt!”
Ritsu Topless Manga Time – “She Has Boobs After All!”
Top 10 Most Boring Anime of Winter 2012
Behold: The ONACOUNTER
Future Diary Unveils Eye-Popping Scenes of Sex & Guro
K-ON! Pilgrims Invade London
Top 10 Essential Anime Elements
Lolicon Teacher Rapes Pupils 37 Times, Faces 30 Years
Strike Witches Movie Trailer Unveiled
China Menaced by Exploding Coins
TMA Makes “BL” Tiger & Bunny Cosplay AV
Hatsune Miku Takes Over New Chitose Airport
“Post The Highest Level Cosplay Ever!”
“Share The Cutest Cosplay Ever”
“Dolls vs Figures – Which is Best?”
“Why Do Girls Always Have Such Cute Rooms!?”
Ranka Lee Wedding Dress Cosplay by Tomia
Shoko-tan’s Madoka & Ika-chan Cosplay “Excessively Cute”
Guilty Crown Yuzuriha Inori Cosplay by Sasa
IdolMaster G4U: “Who Needs 3D Idols Now?”
Anegasaki Nene Cosplay by Rinami
“I Want To See What The Vipper Girls Wear To Bed!”
Ummm I do all those things, except carry around anime goods. Does that make me an Otaku?
No, everyone tells me that I don't look or act like one and I myself say that is true.
What's wrong with being knowledged in it for appreciation purposes?
Gotta disagree with 7. Went to japan recently, you'll find the most normal looking people browsing doujinshi in a manga shop.
They're all otaku. See #2.
At least I'm not an otaku who goes 'PSSSSHHHH SECOND HAND '
i like number seven
Shit, I'm an otaku.
7 sounds a bit fishy. I would expect 10 to be higher. =/
1. They are using otaku slang, net jargon or 2ch cant
Every Group has its own "Slang" these days.
2. They just happen to have anime/manga/game goods about them
*Looks down on Shirt* ah damm xD
3. They respond to otaku type keywords and issues
So if you say something like Haruhi, you expect me to start talking?
4. They become very intense when the conversation turns to anime/manga/games, and only then
I can also talk "intensely" about Guitars, or my favorite Bands.
5. The tunes they hum are all anime related
Not me, no Sir
6. They know excessive amounts about a given anime/manga/game
We all have a favorite Anime/Manga/Game.
7. You can somehow just tell intuitively that they are an otaku
How? Hardly anybody looks like a total "Nerd".
8. They talk unconcernedly about anime, manga and games all the time as if it were normal
Well duh its my Hobby.
9. They start talking about a seiyuu
Yeah i like Kanae Ito<3
10. They are carrying a bag from an otaku shop like Animate or Tora no Ana
Well i do have some Messenger Bags.
7 and 8 are just... wierd.
The rest, okay... kinda creepy in excessive amounts.
In other news, I didn't realize that Igor was an otaku.
No female can escape his pimp vision
Oh crap! It's THAT guy again!
which guy - or did you mean that gay guy?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otaku
Are you an Otaku ???
Ah man I fit all these criteria and I'm a girl. Way to go self!
I have some of those traits, #8 especially. But I don't care. Travis Touchdown is an American Otaku too lol
Anyone else thing that those 'signs' are a load of bullcrap? I sure as hell do!
Frankly, those signs are common in people who are NOT otaku as well, just people who are interested in manga, games and anime.
Though, in these stuck up bastards minds, just being interested in those things is enough to label you an otaku.
#7
http://img1.sankakustatic.com/wp-content/gallery/otaku-terror-ranking/g0831011.jpg
I... think he's an otaku... Not 100% sure though.
I don't see how #7 counts as a sign as #7 is just "He's an otaku because I feel he's an otaku" rather than "He's an otaku because he does or says something otakuish."
#7 basically means "person is physically unattractive; am going to assume the worst of them despite no evidence".
>>8. They talk unconcernedly about anime, manga and games all the time as if it were normal
So basically we're supposed to be closeted.
People who quote and talk about animated Comedy Shows where I'm from unconcernedly seem to get treated as fairly normal, and often even, funny and interesting.
I am sick of our society's double standards. Some of the things they taught us in grade school was to "explore new things" and "don't be afraid to be different". However if our society does not deem something mainstream or normal, they are immediately looked down upon. Is drunkenly watching Superbowl while screaming your ass off (and disturbing your neighbors) and possibly destroying your house when your team loses somehow better than watching your favorite anime show and discussing about it intensely with your friends at school? Is partying at some frat party with a bottle of vodka in hand and sleeping with someone you've never met (possibly with STD's) somehow superior than having a LAN party with your friends and having a good time?
Sure, we have lolis, tentacle raep, and other dark side to it. But assuming that every otaku is into it (or openly show off their dark hobbies for that matter) is just as bad as assuming that all of NASCAR watchers are rednecks and all the football fans beat their girlfriends after they've been ignored for a week. I'm aware that there are some creepers out there, but the normies shouldn't take one or two exceptional examples and condemn the whole hobby/genre as try to make us feel ashamed about our hobbies that we all enjoy.
NET Jargon otaku related?.... f... they insulted me.
I have only 8th and it doesn't really matter because I only talk about anime to other fans or to potential converts
hey hey...let's talk anime...
oh gawd that guy reminds me of a cousin but he isnt a otaku though..anyways i am can say i am guilty of some.
wooow evil otaku on the loose
1.Not me.
2.I do.
3.Not me
4.I usually keep my mouth shut on conversations regarding anime.
5.I hum the imperial march from Star Wars.
6.I only know about Azumanga Daioh, Haruhi Suzumiya, and Lucky Star.
7.People think I'm evil.
8.I'm not normal but I don't talk about anime.
9.What's a seiyuu?
10.I don't carry anything but the keys to my house and mailbox and a camera.
1. They are using otaku slang, net jargon or 2ch cant
>> I don't even know otaku slang
2. They just happen to have anime/manga/game goods about them
>> All i have are Gundam assembly Manuals, so yeah probably
3. They respond to otaku type keywords and issues
>> If i'm asked...
4. They become very intense when the conversation turns to anime/manga/games, and only then
>> Nope, i also get intense conversation in terms of Quality Control, Medicinals, Chemistry, Politics, Certain Novels, Movies
5. The tunes they hum are all anime related
>> Well i do sometimes but i'd definitely choose anime tunes rather than Justin gayber tunes
6. They know excessive amounts about a given anime/manga/game
>> Not all but yeah, on things i've watched.
7. You can somehow just tell intuitively that they are an otaku
>> WRONG! not one in my class has even guessed it not until i opened it on them
8. They talk unconcernedly about anime, manga and games all the time as if it were normal
>> Most of my onversation were Chemistry, or drug interactions, i hardly had game/anime conversation unless its with my sister
9. They start talking about a seiyuu
>> I hardly know seiyuu
10. They are carrying a bag from an otaku shop like Animate or Tora no Ana
>> School Bag...
Is being a Otaku bad? I consider myself as a Otaku and im also one of the best baseball players at my school...
Fat people can be 40% otaku around the world
Isn't this a form of racism?
I think it's called "discrimination"...
Even though I am very interested in Anime, Manga, Games and Japan in general doesn't that mean I have no self contr..--- TWGOK ANIME!?
"1. They are using otaku slang, net jargon or 2ch cant"
If there is any ONE point that annoys me to no end, it's this one.
Still that guy is VERY creepy... I would bead the shit out of him if he would even dare to come near me. Y, beating scary people is my hobby don't start "boo-ing" me now :)
Lrn2concealyourpowerlvls
#11- you care about things like nudifiers of underage anime girls.
#12- you bash the Xbox 360 because it isn't a Japanese console.
#13- you work for, or have bought hentai from, jlist.com.
#14- you read this website.
(Uh-oh...)
I have symptoms: 4, 5 and 8
:-)
RAPE TIME!
The camera. Why always the camera?
Yey I ain't one :) no signs present here :D
lol that pic kinda reminded me of my friend though he's not that addict to anime and stuff. and no.5 is not that bad unless they start imitating them out of nowhere in public
not #1 and #10 for me,,,
because I'm not Japanese...XD
11- When they know what otaku slang is.
12- When they know what otaku type keywords and issues are.
13- When they can tell all the tunes you hum are anime related.
They talk unconcernedly about anime, manga and games all the time as if it were normal...... too many talk about football as if it were normal,and its pretty damn normal to talk about somthing that intrests you
yah, but you have to remember that This isn't America being talked about. Gaming and Anime have much more negative connotations associated with them over there. Hell, most of the people I know would think carrying a portable gaming system on them is perfectly normal, on the other hand, over there its seen in a much less casual light. This is the only reasoning I can figure as to why that would be on the list :)
"Normal" people don't exist in Japan. All you have is soulless automatons or mutants.
What was the nickname 2ch gave this guy? He still haunts my dreams...
Saizensen-kun, Mr.FrontLine or something like that.
Good God I think my girlfriend is an anime Otaku!
I'm "guilty" of number 6 only.
I find this funny though:
"8. They talk unconcernedly about anime, manga and games all the time as if it were normal"
Indeed, we should instead talk about bitches, cars and sports...cause that's normal amirite? -_-
the joke is that being a retard is actually considered normal anong normal people...
sports are fun too
I would replace no.1 with: "He goes out with a dakimakura" :)
PS: guys, a loop hole detected: being a vocaloid fan doesn't make you an otaku (anime/manga/game), besides ProjectDiva...so Miku, Luka, Tei are safe :)
8. They talk unconcernedly about anime, manga and games all the time as if it were normal
It isn't?
Oddly enough, at my place most ppl who have these traits happened to be those popular, stylish and fashionable kids.. So far I've only found at most 3 otakus who are physically creepy.
Woahh!! that's some serious detective work.
These will come handy, thanks.
...
I almost feel sad for the guy in the picture. We've been using his picture for quite a while not as the archtype loser otaku.
As for the list, hmm I could just as easily convert that list and insert the word 'stupid jock' for otaku and sports for the topic. Or MMO gamers, car nuts, or Star Wars geeks, of tool fanatics, or just about anything.
Now if your room looks like the popular shrine images we often see, THEN you need help.
The guy in the picture though could do a lot to help himself with some situational awareness of his self as seen in public.
tbh you're right about that photo...especially when this kind of "survey" pops up X_X
but leave the man alone, he's chasing dreams.
Ahahaha.
He's chasing some poor girl's skirt, that's what.
Imagine that blob of a man trying to get a pantyshot on you.
well 8 out of 10..and yes i'm ronery and i'm fine with that ^_^
pretty much same with everyone then....
replace the otaku keyword with musician keyword and you have a guide to identify a musician, replace it with cosmetic keyword and you get guide to identify beautician, etc2...
the whole point 1-10 just so ... normal, example for #10 if you go to wallmart, will you use wallmart bag ?
since the survey stated that much, it might as well means that otaku just a normal person after all ?
This pretty much just goes to say that an otaku is a person with an interest in anime, manga, and games. And apparently people find that to be terrible. They could have at least had something like "otakus enjoy spreading their otaku-seed onto anime pvc figures."
#8 is not talk anime normal?
i'm interested in #1.what sort of slang do otakus use?
Sankaku is meant for otaku, no? :/ Aren't we all otaku? I have signs from 1-9... :S
You mistake otaku culture with Japanophilia. And in any case, being stereotyped or classified into very specific categories of 'persons' just upsets many.
An example of said classifications based on presumptions: It got to your notice that I like Japanese animation. From your experience and what others have told you in the past about my 'type' you assume I'm a smelly weakling and so awkward that I'm incapable of having a 'normal' conversation with someone else.
Why not just be proud to be an Otaku while one's at it? I couldn't give a crap about it either way.
I've seen people in my college with the Intel-logo-styled "Hentai Inside" like it's nothing. Even girls, black girls at that, talking VERY openly about hentai. lol
american attitudes toward otaku are waaaaaaaay more permissive than japanese ones.
Omgz pwn epic win ownage rawrr l33t win! Rest of u FAIL, xDxDxD!! kekekekek!
In other words, the shit only retards use..
Yeah that's what retards use. Otakus on the other hand are more prone to use terms like 'tsundere', 'yandere', 'loli', 'otaku', 'doujin', 'moe' etc.
Like there's any difference between the retard 4channers and otaku's..
kekekekekekekeke... wait i think i got the wrong stereotype.
I'm in your akiba, stabbing your d00ds.
FU FU FU you seem to be lost.
You're using it right now.
This is one of the best replies I've ever read here.
2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9 and probably 10 half the time~ fit me. Although I look nothing like that guy in the picture
i just want to ask why i have to look at gay male porn ads on the side of the screen while i type this
Arte~fact, you whiley devil you. lol
I don't get it. ~_~
How can anyone not know the etymology of the word "fap" if they've been on the internet more than five minutes?
google it, wiki it.
People wouldn't get on the internet if they didn't know what 'fapping' meant.
~_~ I don't see how g0dslay3r's comment is fully appropriate...oh well
I feel brave now. How many people actually knew what he meant? (hinting a handful of sancom users here)
he looks like a zombietaku XD look at the eyes so... creepy its like he is hunting seiyus or anime mascott XD
@Harino: Coming from someone who didn't even know what "fapping" meant. Gtfo.
LEAVE HARINO ALONE!!!! WHAT DID SHE EVER DO TO YOU!!!
cough*
Yet it still does not make any sense...care to enlighten me?
facepalmed so hard I got a concussion
For the slower ones: "Otaku" is itself a piece of otaku slang overwhelmingly used by otaku to refer to themselves, although it has entered into common currency (or was perhaps appropriated from there).
You're fun :)
"g0dslay3r" <- Leet speak. I'd imagine that's what artefact is referring to. Probably.
Wh... What was the question again???
As an english speaker, 'otaku' is a word only an otaku would use, unless it's used in the sentence 'What is an otaku?'
The more you know.
Harsh.
The only thing I would really be considered an otaku for is number 8, but only for games.
#4... Good thing when me and my friends talk about anime it's just for pure enjoyment.
hahaha oh wow.
# 7 looks great.
Been there done that..... Why didn't they slotted in...
11). They're either a Touhou, K-ON and/or Idolm@ster fanatic.
?
Whoo. None of those apply to me. >.>''
Yeah, #7 is awesome... you just somehow know. So your gut feeling is an actual attribute that can help identify an otaku.
I have it all except #9 and #10 D:
Similarly with #5, my cellphone's ringtone is anime songs ^^;;
probably "fapfap"
I'm more interested in7. Apparently all of Japan is perfectly clairvoyant, scary shit.
Oh no... they aren't clairvoyant at all.
^__^...
...
...
*Frown*, (as if they now know their secret.)
Probably, no, most certainly because they are such large hams about whatever they do.
It's the aura. Each person emits a different aura, and by reading that aura, one can tell whether another is an otaku, or just a normal, civilized human being.
Of course, reading of said auras would require a scouter, which, due to the advanced technology of the Japanese, are already implanted into the heads of most of the Japanese population.
oh shit I got that..... that must mean I'm an otaku
look at any convicted pedophile, they have this look on there face, almost all of them, that just makes you think something is up with them. while they talk, the way they move, everything else may never scream he is a pedophile, but that look on there face.
its like that, there is something about an otaku who are not open about it that will 90% of the time make most people think you are or could be one, they may have no proof, but thats a fact.
everyone here has, while you were in public, met that one person who has done nothing wrong to you knowledge but just gives off this vibe that makes you want to get the fuck away and fast.
and as a note, i don't mean people who look at things online when i say pedophile, i mean people who have acted on it.
"Cognitive bias". Look it up, alidan.
It's very simple to look at pictures of people that you 'know' are pedophiles, and say that they "totally look like a pedo."
On the other hand, if someone showed you a slideshow of various people, and then asked you to pick out which ones were pedophiles, or murderers, could you?
The first two Anon replies to your post were spot-on.
for pedophilse i believe i could do little better than 50% so long as they weren't hand picked to not look like them.
and i also dont mean that guy who only went after 1 person, i mean multiple. and as for killers, probably not, and a killer i assume you mean cold blood, not heat of the moment. for cold blood i probably could do a little better than 50% too.
years ago when i was in school, the teacher tried to probe a point that you cant judge someone by looks and out of 50 people i got 80% right on killer and not killer.
if you want to say that you cant judge a book by its cover, than you would also say that criminal profiling is a complete waste of time and why bother doing it. someone who is inexperienced or lets other factors weigh on there decisions may suck at it, but not everyone will.
Good thing I'm not a "Pedophile" but just a "Lolicon" (Those who still don't know the difference between the word Pedo and Loli should not speak or type english anymore)
look up on google pedophile smile, its the first link. the vast majority of them have this.
im guessing that its because it makes them look more harmless than they are, but it is a trait you can look for.
all it is is one thing and a bad vibe you get from someone and there you go, its semi reliable.
granted i have next to no clue what they are looking for to spot an otaku, but still...
Actually, most of the local murderers and pedos from southern Ontario are corporate suits or ancient teachers, looking nothing like Micheal Jackson at all.
I just recently held a psych experiment asking people to ID who was a clergy member, and who was a criminal (hur hur, yeah), and most people actually got far worse than what would be random guessing. There is no "vibe" for that.
The only "vibe" for otaku, I think, is the smell you can feel from twenty paces associated with the stereotype.