Fans of the fang are not just restricted to 2D any more, and it seems even some real women are opting to preserve or even create their own cute little fang – however there are still a great many who consider the phenomenon best restricted to 2D…
The “fang” tooth configuration (an out-of-alignment canine tooth in the upper jaw) which is such a staple element of moe character design is known as “yaeba” (八重歯) in Japanese, and the term is often encountered in non-otaku contexts (“kiba” (牙) also enjoys some currency as otaku jargon – meaning simply “fang”).
The fang itself is subjected to orthodontic correction with much less frequency than in the west, and treated with much greater forbearance.
In fact, thanks to the influence of moe the reputation of the fang as merely a dental defect rather than a “charm point” seems to have eroded to the extent that some women are actually opting to get dental work to enhance their fangs – even if only to better milk creepy otaku fans:
Pretty celebrities who can now get away with showing off their naturally occurring fangs are probably rather more common:
Plenty of otaku are adamant that fangs are best kept in the superior realm of 2D, however:
Wow, I just realized that Ahim from Gokaiger had a fang.
I don’t have any problem with crooked teeth, as long
as they don’t look like the ones on Shonen Knive’s
original bass player. (Shane Macgowan was something else entirely)
Actually, bleached, perfectly straight teeth are fucking
creepy and belong in the same category as ugly fake tits and fake tans.
It’s amazing how many ways greedy assholes can find ways
for people to feel ashamed about their natural appearance.
It’s one thing to fix your teeth so you can chew properly, and another thing to do it because of low self-esteem.
As far as deliberately making a tooth crooked, isn’t it about the same as a nose ring or some other body mod?
Whatever… I wouldn’t kick any of those girls out of bed unless they tried to bite me.
I think it’s kinda nice, but when there’re fangs on both sides .. Just one side looks a bit .. stupid?
They’re just making excuses so they can have fucked up teeth and say, “It’s beautiful…”
3D bitches getting desperate, huh.