/a/

About

/a/ is a 4chan board dedicated to anime and manga discussion, and is one of the site's original boards. Since its creation, it has grown to become one of the biggest anime and manga discussion boards on the English-speaking Internet, though it has also gained the reputation for its interest in moe. Users of the board are commonly referred to as /a/nons.

History

/a/^[1] (Anime & Manga) was one of the first boards created on 4chan alongside /b/. Since its creation, the board has grown to become one of the most frequently used and notable boards on the site. Over time, the board’s popularity grew significantly enough that it was split up into 3 additional boards: /c/ (Anime/Cute)^[2], /e/ (Ecchi)^[3], and /u/ (Yuri).^[4]

Board Culture

Although /a/ is, in theory, a board that discusses all kinds of manga and anime, the board has gained a notorious reputation for its approval of moe and harem anime and manga and disapproval of mainstream series, especially the "Big 3" ( Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece ).

Waifu

Waifu is an Engrish term primarily used by Asian men to refer to one’s own wife. While the colloquial use of the word in East Asan cultures predates its online popularity, the term has been since adopted by Otaku circles and anime fans to refer to one’s favorite female manga or anime character. Due to /a/'s nature and moe-orientated reputation, waifu discussions are common and are often used to poke fun of other users' choice of waifu. The male equivalent of a waifu is a husbando.

Click to see the full image

Smug Anime Face

Smug Anime Face is a term used to refer to a variety of reaction images featuring anime characters with a smug expression. They have become common reaction images on /a/.

Boku no Pico

Boku no Pico is a a series of hentai shotacon (young boys portrayed in an erotic manner) original video animations (OVAs) released over the course of several years by Natural High Studios. Due to its explicit sex scenes and paedophilic theme, it is often used as a troll suggestion to anime newcomers on /a/. A copypasta related to the anime is also commonly used.

WataMote / It's Not My Fault That I'm Not Popular

It’s Not My Fault That I’m Not Popular (Japanese: 私がモテないのはどう考えてもお前らが悪い！, Watashi ga Mote Nai no wa Dou Kangaetemo Omaera ga Warui!) is a manga series by Niko Tanigawa and published online on Square Enix’s website. The series became popular on /a/, due in part to the percieved similarities between the main character of the series and the board's users.

Sakurafish / Every Day Until You Like It

Sakurafish is the name given to an ilustration of Sakura, one of the main female protagonists from the visual novel Fate/stay night, forcefully biting into a fish. The image became a form of shitposting on /a/ and /jp/, normally accompanied by the catchphrase "I’m going to post this every day until you like it".

Semen Demon

Semen Demon is term used to refer to attractive anime characters, related to the catchphrases “Who is that semen demon” and “What anime is this semen demon from?", and often being associated with the Tantei Opera Milky Holmes' character Sherlock “Sharo” Shellinford. On /a/, it is usually used as a form of shitposting.

Are They Still On Namek?

Are They Still On Namek? is a phrase used to mock long story arcs in anime. The phrase refers to the Namek arc of the anime Dragon Ball Z and was first used in a mocking sense on /a/ during the Soul Society arc of Bleach.

/a/ Sings

/a/ Sings is a series of singing threads where /a/ users sing opening and ending songs from various anime series. These are often seen as cringeworthy by other /a/ users as well as users from other boards.

Usuka

Usuka is a mispelling of Asuka, the first name of Evangelion main character Asuka Langley Soryu, normally associated with a poorly drawn fanart of Asuka. On December 4th, 2014, Asuka's birthday, moot modified /a/'s header with a vertical posting featuring Asuka's name and starting the vertical post on the "u" and the text "Best Waifu" (shown bellow, left), becoming target of various joke threads. One of these threads featured a post with a poorly drawn Asuka fanart with the message "USUKA IS MAI WAIFU" (shown bellow, right).^[6]

Hours later, after changing various times the header and finally correcting the post, moot replaced it with "USAKA" and the text "Usuka is luuv, Usuka is luuf", and featuring the fanart (shown bellow, left). He also added as background music a bike horn cover of A Cruel Angel's Thesis, Evangelion's opening song, and featured it on every 4chan board with a Honk Honk image.

Search Interest

External References