….I don’t get paid enough to write about this.

So, there are actual people, like grown-up adults, who actively believe that their favorite anime girls (waifus) can become real someday. And as a long-time weeb, don’t get me wrong, I’ve dabbled into this myself. I have a whole list of husbandos and waifus alike, but we have to address the elephant in the room here!

Real-life isn’t like Pinocchio, my dudes. And your 2D waifu is not becoming a 3D girlfriend anytime soon.

Waifu culture is as synonymous with the Otaku umbrella as anime itself. It’s just how anime work. You can’t help but find a character you obsess over because, let’s be honest, there are so many characters to choose from. So of course, there is going to be one character that seems perfect, the ideal partner who is almost too good to be true. That’s because they are, considering they happen to be fictional?

I’ve discussed lightly how waifu culture impacted early anime spaces in a less than positive manner. There were simply a lot of negative connotations with having waifu preferences just right there, out in the open. It wasn’t like it is nowadays, where having a waifu/husbando is more lighthearted than a serious declaration of love.

But that old harmful ideation still exists on some anime forums, even now. They devote themselves to this single-minded worship of a person that doesn’t exist, which isn’t the healthiest thing. There’s a lot to unpack here, so let’s go.

The Chad Waifu VS The Pleb Human?

It’s kind of fascinating interacting with weeaboos that actively idolize their waifus, morbidly. To a lot of these fans, a normal woman just doesn‘t cut it when compared to the fantastical caricatures they’ve created in their heads.

It is easy to see the appeal for some of these people, because of how anime used to write its female characters. There was no nuance back in the day, with the girls being no more than eye candy or background support for the male lead. They were one-sided and simple, relegated to tropes such as the cute and innocent loli or the cold and quiet tsundere.

Real women are multi-faceted human beings with a personality. They have expectations and wants and won’t just settle because someone asked them to. They aren’t submissive creatures to be objectified. Women wouldn’t be able to survive in this world if they went around acting like ditzy anime waifus.

But that is exactly why it’s so easy to sexualize these anime girls who can’t say no. For those fans, they are the ‘superior’ choice.

Have Anime Waifus Enabled Reclusive Behavior?

So, this is a question I think about often. Because I can see how some anime are made to self-insert fantasies for a ton of fans out there.

Some of it is harmless like certain fans fantasize about living a life inspired by the aesthetic of a Studio Ghibli movie because of how serene and cute it is.  I even have a husbando in the same fandom, in the form of Howl Jenkins Pendragon from Howl’s Moving Castle. It’s wholesome fun, with fans hyping up a character just because they like them or what they stand for.

But then there is anime that have protagonists meant to be stand-ins for the (predominantly male) audience. The only personality traits those protagonists have is that they are some vague forms of cool, super powerful, and surrounded by a harem of waifus that adore them. An example of this that comes to mind is Sword Art Online, with its protagonist Kirito having the emotional attractiveness of a wet piece of cardboard. And yet, somehow Asuna is hopelessly devoted to him, much like every girl he encounters.

When immature fans start idolizing that sort of lifestyle, they tend to forget real life doesn’t work the same way. This can be isolating, leading them to be reclusive. And then they try to emulate the environment they yearn for, where their waifus are real.

Could Virtual Reality Waifus Be The Answer?

Technology has come a far way. You can reach someone with the touch of a screen, the entire world in the palm of your hands. We have bionic arms and artificial intelligence. Virtual reality is less sci-fi, more Oculus Rift. It’s something you can buy in stores now, an entirely new world. So of course, the next logical step was creating waifus through VR.

Some argue that those fans should take their depravity out on these VR iterations because it means they don’t prey on people in real life. I feel like that’s flawed logic because it still enables those people to pursue this unrealistic ideal that is computer-generated.

So, no, you weirdos. Your waifus are not and cannot be real. Ever. Please go touch some grass.