You know that one Spongebob meme where he’s propped up against a wall, just letting out the most embarrassed ‘whoosh’ because of cringe? That’s me at me back in the day. The years of yonder past filled with emo anime PFP being used as my profile on Facebook. Where I’d collect collages of different anime drawings where I recognized no characters but would tag my friends as ‘omg that is so you!!’. Being an Otaku back then was a wild time, and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.

In hindsight, having anime PFP (Profile Pictures) isn’t all that cringe. Sometimes, you just want to show your love for a character, and that’s cool. I know plenty of stan accounts across social media who do this and even certain fandom artists who draw their displays. I think it’s genuinely harmless fun.

Though I can see why some in the anime community consider it a little embarrassing, often the more, shall we say, the unsavory crowd in the community tends to hide behind such profile pictures when they don’t want to be recognized for their awful takes. I’m talking about the more misogynistic fans that use the anonymity granted to them through anime PFPs, to be complete jerks online. It works as immunity for them.

But is that all anime PFP will stand for? I think there’s a bit of truth to both scenarios. There is indeed some generalization going on with people that use anime pictures in their profiles. But also, that cringe in and of itself is kind of overrated. So, how does being an anime fan online differ from, say, a decade ago? Let’s discuss it!

The 2000’s Otaku PFP Era: Blingee, Abridged Series, And Fanfiction.net Aficionados

To be honest with you, the early days of the anime fandom were uncharted waters. It was a strange time that was being fuelled by social media, still in its infancy.

Anime was still such a foreign entity that you needed to be on designated forums to understand what was happening or what episodes were coming out. It was a time ruled by the ‘Big 3’ – Shonen anime that dominated the anime crowd and comprised One Piece, Naruto Shippuden and Bleach.

You had terrible photoshop jobs done by Sasuke Uchiha stans, using websites like Blingee. Abridged series on YouTube were at the height of popularity, rife with bad jokes that don’t stand the test of time. The top-rated fandoms after Harry Potter were anime related, so tons of bad self-insert fanfiction was there for you to binge to your heart’s desire.

Anime was still just a niche for the geeky kids; it wasn’t as mainstream as it is now. But the fans were dedicated and recognizable through their profile pictures. 

The Weebs Of Now: Fanart, Anime TikTok, and AO3 Enthusiasts!

The landscape has changed completely, to be honest. Anime exploded in the 2010s and became a global phenomenon that went out of control. Suddenly, liking anime was cool.

Artists came out to be fans of the medium and devoted their time to recreate their favorite characters in their styles. With the rise of Archive Of Our Own, fanfiction was less regulated, and that meant new avenues to explore. The same thing happened to social media as a whole, for example, with TikTok. The anime TikTok realm is huge, filled with content to be explored.

Gone are the days when you had to be anonymous with your love for all things weeb. Now, it’s celebrated. You don’t need to hide behind anime pictures to say what you want. Chances are, you’ll find like-minded people anyways!