I know for a fact that there is a special place in Hell for people who ruined me on a major character death in Jujutsu Kaisen. Like, no joke, I was about to reach out through my phone screen and threaten violence at whoever the jerk on Twitter was that didn’t start his recap of chapter 120 with a spoiler alert. Like, it’s basic manners of being a weeb that is chronically online. Anime 101: A) You don’t act like an incel with girls who like anime and B) Don’t serve spoilers to people on currently ongoing plotlines! It’s not that hard.

So, why do so many people struggle with keeping spoilers to themselves? Or hell, why do spoilers even exist? For one thing, as much as I want to argue against this, spoilers are a reactionary tic that isn’t limited to just anime alone. Spoilers exist for everything, from movies to shows, basically anything that is a series or has preexisting source material. And, sometimes, you just can’t help yourself from oversharing.

Say, you read a highly anticipated manga chapter on time and you’re so hyped (Or distraught, depending on how the story goes)that you just have to announce it, share it with people who enjoy the same thing. But a lot of people who like that thing, probably don’t have the same accessibility to new content as you do. So, what do you do in that case? Well, you can either keep it to yourself until people catch, or you can post about with a trigger warning. It’s simple, easy, and effective.

And yet somehow, people still have an issue navigating their way through being an ethical viewer. It’s so infuriating because personally, I’m always busy with work and only have time to catch up with the things I like during the weekend. So, if a chapter I’d been waiting for comes out in the middle of the week, I can’t read it. Luckily, most of my circle understands that and gives time before posting spoiler free. But some people can’t take a hint. Why? Let’s dissect it!

Spoilers And Why They Are Important:

So, I know I went on that whole tangent about spoilers are terrible, but I also happen to be one of those people that like them. It’s about choice really.

Like I said, I’m busy 24/7 so I can’t fully commit to a show that doesn’t hook me in from the very beginning. Often times, I spoil myself just enough where I can be like ‘Okay, I definitely need to get on this hype train’ without completely ruining everything about the story for myself. Because that is the entire purpose of spoilers from the start.

Often times spoilers help condense a plot down enough where you don’t have to think about any complicated dynamics that you have to decipher on your own. Which means, you can just enjoy the story for what it is. There is no extra work your mind has to do, and the minute details still remain there for you to discover at your own pace.

It especially helps when the material is particularly triggering, like if there is any gory or violent content that can hurt some viewers. In that context, spoilers are great to avoid making yourself uncomfortable.

Why Spoiling People On Shows Isn’t The Flex Trolls Think It Is:

But, hey, anything good on the internet can also be exploited for evil pretty easily. Some people get a kick out of spoiling things for others prematurely because, honestly, they have nothing better to do.

It’s always seemed so childish to me that certain people don’t have anything else going for them, so they choose to be an incel online and ruin things for other people that might be enjoying those things at their own pace. Like, it’s such a weird hill to die on, you know?

Spoilers don’t have to be malicious, but some people never learn their lessons. However, a great way to remember how to post spoilers without being one of those people is to make sure you always start with a warning. Also, it’s always best to give a week of notice before openly discussing new things because that ensures people have time to catch up!