It’s finally 2018, and we’re back on track baby! I hope you guys n’ gals had an awesome New Year’s Eve last night while planning what your New Year’s Resolutions will be this year. With us on the D&A front we’ll continue doing what we’ve been doing since January 2016; to be the best two-man operated anime blog in existence. Now that we’ve gotten all of the introductions out of the way, it’s time for another D&A Breakdown filler post on the topic; Otaku vs. Weeaboo.

If you’re an anime fan, then you’ve probably heard these two terms before. In one of our latest filler posts of 2017, we covered the difference between a Geek and a Nerd (hybrids are an exception). Nowadays we hear the word Weeaboo getting thrown around, and while most of the anime community both know and despise that term, there are some who have no idea what it means. So to those who wanna know the difference between an Otaku and a Weeaboo, allow us to tell you.

An Otaku is an individual who has a genuine love, respect, and passion for anime as a whole. In Japan this term was deemed derogatory as an individual who was overly obsessed with the medium, but in North America this term has become the forefront of the anime community and is celebrated. The word “Otaku” is another name for “Geek” in Japan, as the definition between the two words are rather similar.

A Weeaboo is a slang (or “street”) term used to describe an individual of non-Japanese decent, who places everything about anime and manga so high on a pedestal, that it overrides any and everything else in life (including their racial heritage and Western Animation). Many people who aren’t aware of the difference between an Otaku and a Weeaboo (or Weeboo) tend to get the two terms mixed up, and believe that they’re the same thing. The origins of the word spawned from the word Wapanese, or someone who is Caucasian that wants to be Japanese, which came about in the early 2000’s on 4chan’s website.

Here’s the funny thing about these two terms; both are regarded as insults to opposite sides of the world, with ‘otaku’ being labeled as an insult in Japan, and ‘weeaboo’ labeled as an insult to Western anime fans – in some cases. Although both terms have similar meaning to one another, they are by far completely different from each other. Some would even say that word “weeaboo” is nothing more than the annoying kid brother (or sister) of the word “otaku”. In days of old both terms had their moments of hatred and backlash, but now they’re both showing fan appreciation to the Japanese culture in their own way – at least we hope they are.

We don’t know what the future holds for the meaning of these two terms, but one thing’s for sure; knowledge is power! If you’re an otaku, don’t be afraid to educate the weeaboo grasshopper in what it means to be a fan of anime and Japanese culture. By this we mean don’t disrespect, slander, or hurt them in any way, instead teach your ‘little brother’, so that one day both Otaku and Weeaboo alike can one day walk to the same convention together.