The Wibu Wave: Exploring the Phenomenon of Japanese Culture Obsession

The content with wibu (Weebo) themes is now widespread and easily found on the TikTok platform. The algorithm seems to direct us towards content like “Wibu Outfits for Hangouts…”, “Awkward Wibu Interviews…”, ” Hallucination of a wibu…”, and other wibu-themed content. There’s a guarantee of getting onto the For You Page (FYP) or going viral if you incorporate wibu topics.

Wibu can be considered an “old scene” whose existence is quite massive and widespread for a long time. However, few truly understand wibu itself. Thus, wibu-themed content seems to always arouse curiosity and interest. This curiosity leads to a question: Who exactly is considered a wibu? Are we too narrow in our understanding, only considering wibu as limited to anime and cosplay?

The emergence of the term ‘Wibu’

The term wibu is used to describe people outside of Japan who are obsessed with everything related to the country, including the language, music, films, food, Japanese cosplay, and more. Wibu are quite open when expressing their enthusiasm to others.

Yet, in a different context, not all enthusiasts of “jejepangan” (all things Japanese) seek to be branded with the term wibu. Some individuals prefer to self-identify as otaku.

Otaku is a term used to describe someone with a deep passion for anime, manga, games, and related interests. Typically, they are not inclined to openly display their hobbies to others.

“Like otaku, you’re really into it, totally focused. For example, if you’re an otaku of a certain Kamen Rider or a series, you collect everything, you follow everything. You’re a super fan,” explained Ferdi, a Professional Cosplayer Manager.