Are you Otaku, Weaboo, or just Anime Fan?

I’m sure almost everyone has heard of an anime fan, but if you spend some time on anime sites, you may have come across the terms “otaku” and “weaboo” as well. So what do these words mean and what do they have to do with anime, you ask? Well, luckily for you I’m going to teach you the general meaning of each term and who they apply to in the rest of this article.

First off, lets start with an anime fan. Like I said before, most people already know what an anime fan is so I won’t get into much detail. Anyone who watches and likes an anime can be considered an anime fan. This can be any type of anime from simple anime like 
Beyblade to more complex ones like Naruto. Anime fans may also buy a few anime-related trinkets like key chains and cell phone straps, but simply said, if you’ve watched an anime and liked it, then you’re a fan.

WEEABOO (Also known as Wapanese or Japanese Wannabe)

Definition:

A weeaboo is someone who loves to think that they can fit in with other Asians. Preferably, Japanese. What they don't understand is how fucked up they would look if they where to enter a normal Asian school or even walking the streets of an Asian city. Another aspect to weeaboo is the way they dress. They think adding random/colorful pieces of fabric and accessories is totally awesome. They will dress up as their favourite characters in public or wear something that can only be related to anime. The only people who would think that it is would be another weeaboo. Another aspect is the way they use Japanese words. Examples like "Desu", "Kawaii", "Sugoi" and especially "Baka". There are other ones but they like to use them in their daily life and sometimes don't even know shit of the real meaning. To makes things short, a weeaboo is just a JAPANESE WANNABE but fail really badly at it.

Signs:

* Likes anime and manga a lot.
* Say random Japanese words.
* Dress strangely like the picture above.
* Likes to do Asian gestures such as the peace sign near their face with a smile.
* Sometimes fat/ugly and don't have many normal friends.
* Have anime related items in their possession or at home.
* Go to anime conventions and cosplay.
* Don't like to be called a weeaboo.
* Eat Japanese oriented treats such as "Pocky".
* Are not Asian.

This poor bastard must have been kicked in the head a 1000 times before showing up like this.

OTAKU : 

Definition:

An otaku is a step up from an anime fan. The term otaku actually has a negative connotation in Japan, usually being applied to people who are so obsessed with anime/manga/video games that they barely have any real social interaction. Outside of Japan, however, otaku is usually used to describe people who like more than just 1 or 2 anime. They are usually also interested in manga, Japanese video games, and Japan in general. Otaku may buy or collect items related to their favourite anime, attend anime conventions, and try drawing their favourite characters, but if you spoke to an otaku, you would not know they were one unless you asked about their interests.

Signs:

* They like anime and manga really bad.
* Will always have a toy, poster or item of some anime or some sort.
* Like to cosplay as anime (in Japan they do it normally in big public areas).
* Spend a lot of their money on figurines, art books, mangas, dvd's and cd's.
* Can be fat and watch anime on their computers for hours.
* Go to anime conventions.
* Create fan art.
* Don't mind being called an otaku unless it was stated negatively.

So there you have it, the three main classifications of anime watchers. I know that these terms overlap with each other, but generally speaking, obsession increases as you go from anime fan to otaku to weeaboo. If you feel I’ve left something important out or disagree with my classification, then you’re welcome to leave comments with your thoughts.