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And even more specifically for subs: translated vs. untranslated terms. Even MORE specifically, bring up TV-Nihon... especially among fans of Super Sentai and Kamen Rider. Some fans appreciate the leaving in of certain terms for the sake of authenticity, others see untranslated terms as being a case of laziness and/or being a weeaboo.
Bill 156 (NSFW). 4chan, especially /a/, has been fuming over the ruling, which is understandable, considering the side effects it will cause. (For one, with all suggestive content being removed from shows aimed at children, which is surprisinglya lot, several animation studios will be bankrupted from having to relocate outside Tokyo, causing unemployment rates to skyrocket, harming the Japanese economy due to the impact on exporting anime and manga, fueling hostilities between traditionalist and otaku cultures in Japan, leading to civil unrest, and... well maybe it won't be that bad... or will it?).
In general, Anime and Manga and its position when it comes to Animation Age Ghetto can rile up Flame Wars. On one end, go up to any Anime forum and say any variation of "Anime is nothing more than cartoons from Japan". If you're lucky, you might make it out of there alive before the Anime fan strangles you. Even better, point out that the Japanese themselves don't classify "anime" as different from other forms of animation, and that the "distinction" between Japanese animation and so-called "Western" animation exists primarily in the opinions of the American fans and see how far that gets you.
Likewise, go to a non-Anime related forum and simply start a discussion about Anime and Manga, or any given show, and you will get at least one person that will bash you and your taste in media, and that you are watching stuff for kids or nothing but hentai and naughty tentacles. And yes, despite all the cries for Animation Age Ghetto to stop, this even happens on TV Tropes.
Also, just causally mention that people in Japan are not as into Anime/Manga as one would think or that only "Weeaboos" think people in Japan like Anime. If you're lucky, you'll manage to survive with only a few minor burns from the ensuing flames.
Better yet, try mentioning that most people in Japan are not fans of Anime in general. Good luck, you're gonna need it.
Shipping wars. No matter what the fandom, they're never pretty.
This is especially true if it's Wedding Peach — that series is the one that most frequently gets accused of being a Sailor Moon ripoff, which has made the fandom rather defensive.
If you want to get really technical and obscure about it, they all have Cutey Honey to thank, not Sailor Moon. But that's a different war.
Say Rebuild is better than the original because of the amount of fanservice, especially whilst bashing the original for its complexity around a tried and true eva fan, and they WILL make you regret it.
The Great Trowa Rape Debate in the Mobile Suit Gundam Wing fandom. Was Trowa raped as a child, thereby explaining his withdrawn nature? Maybe, maybe not. Either way, don't ask.
Any remotely-positive comment about Gundam SEED Destiny, its head writer, director, Lacus Clyne and/or Kira Yamato in the vicinity of other series' Gundam fans, especially fans of Gundam in the UC continuity.
Mention that you actually like Shinn Asuka, Rey za Burrel, or Gilbert Durandal, and prepare to have people (even on this wiki) rant at you for being an idiot who didn't understand the plot and has crappy taste.
In regards to Mobile Suit Gundam 00... Did Ali rape Kinue before he killed her? Was Louise's brutal killing of Nena justified? Is Lyle a pale shadow of his twin brother Neil and doesn't deserve the name of "Lockon Stratos"? Was the whole "pixie dust" scene an Ass Pull? Either way, don't ask. Really, don't.
Gundam 00: Awakening of the Trailblazer. Aliens. you may enjoy the fire.
Never say a bad word about the Universal Century, or point out the Gundams in it are just as "Hax" as some of the ones in other continuities, they will Crucify you.
On the other side of the fence, there will be someone wanting to make it like New Battlestar Galactica or "Insert cynical science fiction here". That tends to drag out a burning debate as there are also people who think trying to be "mature" is bad for gundam.
The great "is downloading fansubs immoral/evil/going to destroy the animation industry as we know it?" debate in anime fandom. Especially dangerous to mention at Anime News Network. And while you're at it, it's also better that you don't mention Geneon or ADV Films as well.
And for an entirely different subject concerning fansubs: Mention OtaKing when discussing (the quality of) fansubs then run, run away unless you're a masochist.
Replace "anime fansubs" with "manga scanlations", oh dear...
Now replace "going to destroy" to "is destroying!" Debates occur as to what we can do to prevent SOPA/PIPA/ACTA from getting passed, or how Bandai Entertainment could've prevented discontinuing anime and manga releases. We'll save you some marshmallows.
Speaking of Greed, just casually asking whether or not Original!Greed is better than Ling!Greed (or vice versa) is bound to start a good-sized flame war.
And, now, since the Manga is over, it's pretty easy to start a flame war simply by asking whether or not the ending was the "best thing ever", was "ok, but felt a bit rushed", or if "Mrs. Arakawa pretty much relied on entirely on "Writer Ex Machina" and that too many loose ends were never tied."
Ask what Scar's real name is.We dare you. Better yet, bring up the fact that Hiromu Arakawa was supposed to tell us what it was at the end of the Manga...but never did. If you're not roasted alive by flames, you're a very lucky person.
In regards to Conqueror of Shamballa, ask whether the "real world" people are or not alternate versions of Greed or Archer. Flames ensue.
Want to send just about any anime forum (and some non-anime ones) into apocalyptic rage? Mention that you don't like FMA at all. Bonus points if you compare it to one of TheBigThree while doing so.
Even Woolseyism style translations get targeted. Argue the merits of changing Pokémon names for other markets and get people who claim the only real names are the Japanese ones.
The rift between the people who think Naruto Shippuden is good and the people who think it is not. Seriously, sparks start flying whenever someone mentions the series.
Or anything about shipping. Or Sasuke. Or Itachi really being a good guy. Or Sakura. Or any main, major, or secondary protagonist. Or anything! Seriously, the flames created by the fanbase last longer than Amaterasu's.
Pairing comments. Just pairing comments.
Go to any anime forum or just post a video on YouTube saying that you don't like Naruto, and then count how much death threats you've just received. For extra vitriolic rage, be sure to include reasons like, "Sasuke is such a one-dimensional character."
Mention basically any post-Shippuden event, especially Hinata's apparent death (Ultimately, she survived). Then sit back, relax, and wonder what on earth possessed you to do such a thing as the entire forum explodes.
Who would win in a fight between Itachi and Jiraiya. After NaruSaku vs. NaruHina pairing wars, it is the most crazed argument on the Internet about Naruto. At least one anime forum has banned discussion of it. The last major Internet backdraft came from some newbie pointing out they had the same total ability scores in the third installment of the money-grabbing 'Databook'.
For even greater lulz, bring up how Women are treated on Naruto anywhere, flames will burn - even though most people are in agreement that being a woman in Naruto SUCKS. But there's always going to be the one person that agrees with the treatment of them - they'll send Orochimaru and Madara after them.
Go up to the "fandom feminists" and even question their constant bashing of the female characters ("Sakura is the worst character ever, even worse than Madara and Orochimaru!" "Hinata is a fat and weak bitch who doesn't deserve Naruto!" "All the women in Naruto are (re: useless, whores, bitches, sluts) and should either die or not exist!" "KISHIMOTO HATES WOMEN!") That will be the death of you. Double if you're a female yourself or a feminist embarrassed by their absolute screeching hate of any Naruto female.
Asking "Why is Naruto such a crap Anime" on an anime forum gets three different responses; non-fans saying it is, fans saying it isn't and a third group that actually look at the question and point out its foibles & short comings, and try to answer it logically and factually. The first and second group will fight like hell, and the third inevitably joins in, and can take either side. Posting in the form of a question is best as it is open-ended; anyone can add any reason at all to like or dislike it. Also, the resulting Flame Wars can look accidental (almost). For extra rage, toss up DragonBall Z or even Hamtaro into the mix, suggesting that they are better animes.
Bonus points if you dare to say One Piece is a better than Naruto.
What, did we forget Shikamaru vs. Hidan? Shikamaru is either a super genius who should be the real protagonist, or a Jerkass Stu as well as a walking Broken Aesop ("Revenge is bad? What's that?"). Hidan is either an Faux Affably Eviland hilarious bastard who provides great interactions with his partner Kakuzu, or a super Complete Monster whom you aren't even allowed to appreciate as a character. Put fangirls of these two in the same breathing space and get ready for spectacular Internet Backdraft.
Just mention the fight between Sasuke and Deidara. The resulting inferno will have Deidara praising you AS A GOD!!!!!
The Reveal that the Rinnegan, the eyes that were exclusive to Nagato at the time was yet another Sharingan upgrade didn't sit well with a lot of fans.
You won't get very far in a Yu-Gi-Oh! forum without meeting someone who thinks one of the following things ruined the franchise: Chaos, Heroes, Synchros, GXseason 4, GX period, 5D's period, too much gay subtext, not enough gay subtext, Scaling, not Scaling, Netdecking, not Netdecking, Cyberdark Impact, 4Kids! Entertainment, all of the above, or everything else. Mentioning the Abridged Series, however, is A-okay.
The Dark Armed Dragon cards still causes controversy to this day.
In the 5D fandom, being a Crow fan is hell.
Also, don't cross paths with faithful Faithshippers!
Added: If you do not side with Carly in the Carly-Mikage-Stephanie-Jack love pyramid, you have proclaimed to the world you want to die. And that's even excluding the KingCrab Shippers.
Go to any One Piece-related forum or community and say something about "Zolo". Then run, if you value your skin.
The same reaction will occur if you use just about any of the names of anything from the 4Kids version.
Say that Bleach or Naruto have better art. And the flames will be there for long.
For that matter, saying that One Piece isn't the best Shonen series and that it has its share of flaws is likely to land you flames.
Even implying that you think one character may have a serious thing for another, even for non-insane or non-fanbratty reasons, often guarantees trouble. It doesn't matter if you're not even really a shipper; you're still going to upset at least some people who seriously hate the idea of romance in the story.
Just try to spout an anti-anime opinion and watch yourself rack up those one star ratings.
And conversely, mention that you like anime on some non-anime boards/sites. Much less a flame war than it is unbridled carnage....
Bizarrely enough, Blue Gender is the source of much backdraft. Mention it on /a/, it turns into a flame war between people who think it's a mindless ripoff of Starship Troopers and people who loved it because it had boobs and Humongous Mecha. Mention it on Other Titles, and you get trolled for not blindly hating anything made by KoichiOhata, or watching something that isn't from the current season.
Attempt to debate the morality (or lack thereof) of any character in Code Geass (except maybe the cat), and you're sure to see some fireworks. Alternately, compare Lelouch to Light Yagami, Suzaku to Kira Yamato, or say that you enjoyed the Ashford-centric episodes.
Debates on who is the best pilot (Specifically Suzaku vs Kallen) tend to end in flame wars. Especially regarding their final battle in the Grand Finale.
Or say you like R2 / think it's as good as the original.
Episode 14 of R2 is a huge point of contention. Was Lelouch really justified in massacring the children and the non-combatants of the Geass Cult, possibly as a Shoot the Dog scenario? Was he doing this merely as a show of power or a hissy-fit over Shirley's death at Rolo's hands? Did he truly cross the Moral Event Horizon? And what about the kids themselves - were they innocent victims of their horrid surroundings, or were they already beyond salvation so there truly was no other thing to do? Ask any of these questions and you'll have either rabid Lelouch fangirls/fanboys baring their teeth at the suggestion that their "pretty Lulu Baby" isn't a poor perfect angel, or rabid Lelouch haters screaming that he was an horrible monster without any chance of redemption.
Do not read the Morality Stuff about Haruhi, if you want to keep a sane mind.
And speaking of the franchise rather than its eponymous character, Kadokawa supposedly trolling the Haruhi fan base, what with the rerun news and the YouTube Nice Boat incident, has left much of the Internet in rage.
Endless Eight has careened right into this category, eclipsing the "morality of Haruhi" as the most polarizing subject on the series.
Is this a dancing anime?
Do not mention Nuriko's sexuality, especially in terms of his dealings with Miaka. Or the subject of whether or not Miaka counts as a Canon Sue. The resulting wank will give you a headache.
Even better/worse: Mention Nakago. Then RUN AWAY.
Hellsing TV series. Just say those 3 words on a Hellsing forum, and wackiness ensues. Try saying that it's better than the OVAs, that there should've been a second season, the characters were better and the other media ruined them, etc. There used to be a very vocal TV fanbase, but most of them disappeared after OVA III (the series split its continuity before that part).
Oh, and say that Integra is a nice guy, but a bit too feminine for a man. It always divides fans between humorous and irate. Mostly irate.
Do NOT under any circumstances ask if Hellsing could be considered a direct sequel to Dracula. Just. Don't. Some fans will say "yes" and point to all the similarities between the two, while others will say that it's an AU storyline, but not a direct sequel to the novel...and then others will just say that the only thing in common are the characters. No two fans will fully agree with the other on this.
If you're really brave, compare Hellsing to Vampire Hunter D and wait for the imminent fan base explosion on both sides to happen.
"Does Integra become a vampire at the end?" It's best not to ask...
Whether the battle between Gatomon should be with Patamon or Veemon. Forums taking one side or the other are still going, and fanfiction of both sides are still written, despite the season featuring it has been over for years. And that's not even throwing Wizardmon into the mix.
Yolei's Distant Finale. To an extension, anything from Grand Finale except Ken's future, which managed to be the only one with high levels of awesome.
Speaking of Digimon, calling it a ripoff of Pokémon (it's very different, and whether it is a ripoff at all remains to be debated).
Axis Powers Hetalia... A funny and original way to introduce young people to World History? A stupid waste of paper that runs only on yaoi fanservice? A shame to the Japanese society as a whole? A racist, offensive trivialization of WWII? Sit down, ask fans and anti-fans their thoughts on it, and watch the wank roll.
Special mention goes to "thoseKoreans!" Since some Korean netizens have been very vocal about their hatred of it, many Hetalia wanks are tinged with anti-Korean sentiments.
Or bring it up to someone who plays in panfandom journal-style RPs, regardless of whether they like Hetalia or not. Unless they play a Hetalia character themselves, be prepared to sit back and listen to a lot of ranting and raving about how Hetalia has totally taken over/ruined their game.
The Ship-to-Ship Combat is getting bigger and bigger. With the expected flame wars. America/England vs. Russia/America vs. France/England vs. England/Japan vs. England/Portugal? Greece/Japan vs. Greece/Turkey? Hungary/Austria vs. Hungary/Prussia vs. Hungary/Turkey vs. Hungary/Romania vs. Hungary/Poland? Russia/Lithuania vs. Poland/Lithuania? Poland/Lithuania vs. Poland/Ukraine? Germany/Prussia vs. Germany/North Italy vs. Germany/Austria? China/Japan vs. China/Taiwan vs. Taiwan/Japan vs. Taiwan/Hong Kong? Spain/Romano vs. Spain/Belgium vs. Spain/Netherlands? France/Canada vs. Prussia/Canada vs. Canada/Cuba? Sweden/Finland vs. Sweden/Denmark? Denmark/Norway vs. Norway/Iceland vs. Hong Kong/Iceland? America/England vs. EVERY other ship? Pick your poison. (The last one in particular has caused more wank than all the other combats put together.)
Then there was the tsunami of internet outrage when a group of Germany, Prussia and Austria cosplayers did a Nazi salute just minutes from a Holocaust memorial. On Passover. This is not helping anyone's case any AT ALL.
Evidence on this can still be found on Live Journal in the Hetalia community, since this happened at the start of April 2009.
Try asking about the countries personified as females in a discussion on gender roles. Watch both sides tear each other apart in arguing whether Hetalia is sexist or not to its females, or even if the countries they represent have as much significance as "First World" nations like America. It gets worse. Taking a third option might also not be very wise if the particular discussion is already heated.
Even better if you discuss the girls in regards to Shipping Wars. Is it valid to have them paired up, or would it kill their personalities? Do they become insta Relationship Sues if they have boyfriends and would be better off alone - and preferently, completelyout of the picture (so the boys can bone each other better)? Which guy should be The Chosen One? (re: Hungary/Austria vs. Hungary/Prussia vs. Hungary/Romania, Taiwan/Japan vs. Taiwan/Hong Kong vs. Taiwan/Korea vs. Taiwan/China, Belgium/Netherlands vs. Belgium/Spain vs. Belgium/Romano)? And what about Les Yay: a convenient third option to have both girls and slashy goodness, or mere fetishization and oversexualisation? Oh, giiiiiiiirl.
Mention the old version of the main storyline's third chapter, (G-R Nonaggression Pact?). See Russian and German fans tear each other down over the original one which Himaruya deleted and remade because of the Unfortunate Implications.
Botticelli's Erotic Painting: Post the translated strips to this old deleted story or ask people their opinions on its content. The fans will tear each other down over whether it was a satire on the effect of banning erotica, if the author was using it as an excuse to showcase a Shotacon fantasy, or if it's okay to be offended or not in general. France and Spain's behavior alone in the strip is also a very divisive matter among fans as to whether it should still be counted as "canon" or not.
Now that the dub cast has been released, ask about Vic Mignogna being cast as Greece. Have fun by watching Yaoi Fangirls screaming atop of their lungs and dissolving in utter, incoherent, but more or less understandable rage, considering Vic's... "polemic" stance on his characters' sexualities ("They like girls, like I do!").
On that note, Vic in general can be a rather... controversial topic. Either he's an absolutely awesome voice actor who should be revered and is always right even when he's not, or he is an absolutely horrible gayhater of a monster who should die and NEVER touch the Yaoi Fangirls' fandoms. Try to Take a Third Option, such as explaining that people are allowed to ship (and do in Real Life) whatever they want, he just always chooses to interpret his characters as straight, and enjoy being eaten alive by both sides.
Once the dub voice of England was released, the outrage over the dub voices grew, along with rage against liberties in the script and FUNimation calling him "Britain" (by request of the Japanese publisher), which is technically correct, but fandom has gotten used to calling him England. Asking about his voice or the name change will only generate more of a flamewar.
The dub itself has become a controversial subject of discussion due to its massive script rewrites which FUNimation claimed were necessary and "purposely offensive" to reach a wider audience. The results of bringing up this subject are a lot more loaded than any Shipping debate; The Hetalia fans that love the dub, the fans that hate the dub, and even the haters of Hetalia itself will tear each other to shreds.
Even within the fandom, the question of where to draw the line can get heated. When it comes to real warfare, natural disasters, political strife; what is or isn't appropriate cosplay attire; even the shipping of nations with especially bloody histories (such as Germany/Poland, China/Japan), there is no easy answer.
Go to a Berserkforum populated mostly by guys and declare that you think Griffith is gay or bisexual and prepare to have people defend his manly honor (and don't even think about mentioning Guts). Mention that you think Griffith isn't gay on a forum populated mostly by girls and watch the heads roll as they accuse you of being homophobic and/or hating yaoi as a whole, no matter what your stance on Real Life LGBT businesses are.
Call Casca a whore, and declare your own death to such people.
Talk about 4Kids. Period. If you have a death wish, mention that you don't think the dub of [insert any show that 4Kids worked on here] was all that bad and/or that the fans are dumb for getting so worked up over something so stupid. Even the most civilized board or chat room will dogpile you.
God forbid if you even mention you like the dubs even for nostalgic sentimental value.
Out of all of those, there is one in particular that even the mentioning of can be considered a form of suicide. Say that you like the 4Kids dub of One Piece. You. Will. DIE.
That said, mentioning that Ultimate Muscle or TMNT 2k3 were ok will normally pass without incident.
The 4Kids website has forums, one of which is Sonic based.
Lucky Star. Just mention it on the wrong forum and the flames will start flying.
Kannagi fanboys apparently don't like the idea of their favorite female character having a boyfriend. And God FORBID that you even SUGGEST that she's not a virgin. Seriously, read this shit (but be warned of the NWS ads). It's pathetic.
Show this article to any feminist forum, and see a flaming debate between otaku feminists and non-otaku ones.
Something similar happened in reaction to episode 9 of Panty and Stocking With Garterbelt, all because Stocking (gasp!) dared to fall in love! With a Ghost, no less. It's rather ironic that she's labeled as a slut for that, all while Panty gets to sleep with almost anything with a Y chromosome.
Speaking of Panty And Stocking, mention anything about The Stinger and prepare to run. FAST.
Mention that any JoJo's Bizarre Adventure villain is better than Dio and flames are the least of your worries. Better yet, suggest that Kira Yoshikage or Diego Brando are better specifically and have fun.
Go to any Death Note-related site or forum, and dare to say you liked it when L died. The fangirls will rip your legs apart if you don't run away fast enough.
Say that you didn't mind the ending or that you like any bit of the dreaded second arc. Watch out for the flamethrowers.
Call Light "Raito". Now watch the angry replies flood in. For added psychotic fan response, call L "Eru".
There are a loadofreasons you should never take a side in a Kira vs. L debate.
Also, never mention that you don't see what the big fuss is over Matt. Trying to ship him with anyone other than Mello is often asking for trouble, too.
And in some communities, mentioning you like Matt will often get you labeled a stupid, shallow Yaoi Fangirl. Strange how such a small character can be a Base Breaker.
In some places, if you dare to mention you like Misa Amane, you'll be eaten alive by her haters and the "feminist fans". (Who coincidentally forgive all the shit that L and Light pull on others while screaming that Misa is a dumb whore who must die.)
Depending on the Yuri Forum you're in, mentioning Kannazuki no Miko can lead to the internet reaching through your computer screen and slapping you.
This is specially huge if you ask people their opinion on Episode 8 (where Chikane rapes Himeko right before her Face Heel Turn) and the Grand Finale (where we learnt that she "only" raped Himeko as a part of a Xanatos Gambit to nullify her Virgin Power and "save" her from being erased of existence) Either you think her overall intentions gave her an at least understandable reason to reach such an extreme, or you believe it's said intentions were just an Ass Pull to give her a Karma Houdini over something that a male (like Souma) would surely get slammed to death for.
Go to virtually any Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha Forum and just bring up the slightest hint of Yuuno and Nanoha, half the board will cheer you, half of it will attempt to murder you over the Internet.
More like 99% will attempt to murder you over the Internet.
Animesuki has actually calmed down and now accepts most pairings save OC/CC except in rare situations.
Mentioning the "White Devil Incident" in Episode 8 of StrikerS can get you flamed if you lean too heavily in favor of Nanoha or Teana.
Do you ever dare say that you don't like the Nanoha franchise and/or don't think it's the bestest Magical Girl franchise ever. For a bonus, compare Nanoha to Puella Magi Madoka Magica, and then RUN THE FUCK AWAY.
Never defend the Pokémon anime or you'll be ripped apart and eaten alive and never say the first season was not the best. And for the record never ever compare the anime to the manga, or you and your entire family and anyone who knows you will be crucified seven times.
Unless you're begging for hurt, don't mention shipping. No matter who you think Ash ends up with, someone is going to beat you to a pulp for it in favor of another ship. It's gotten better as of late, but it's still dangerous territory.
Bring up Ash's Pidgeot; it is a sore spot with many fans.
On a similar note - Dawn's Ambipom. More specifically, the infamous "Ping Pong" episode in which she's Put on a Bus.
If you call Lucario, Arcanine, Rotom, or Zoroark a legendary, you WILL get flamed.
Speaking of Lucario, go ahead and say that he looks cool. Mewtwo fans will eat you.
Never ask which season was the best/worst. Some fans will argue that only the first few seasons are the best, others say it Grew the Beard after the Johto League. Still others will say that only seasons related to the games are the best, while others argue that it's the side-seasons that have the best plots.
Ask which genders you think any of the main characters' Pokémon are...yes, even the ones whose genders are already confirmed in the series.
Try going onto any Pokémon forum and asking if the movies are canon to the main series. Go on. Ask.
All the movies except 6, 9, 12, and 13 (plus the pre-Chronicles specials) are confirmed by the main anime.
"Who would win in a fight between Pokémon and Digimo- OH, GOD THE FLAMES! THEY BURN!"
Misty. Never mention her. Ever. Or face an explosion of her fans coming in to defend her and ripping into May or Dawn (both at the same time, sometimes) and watch the board explode with flames and arguments.
Team Rocket's characterization in the Unova episodes. 'nuff said.
Tobias. Is he a Canon Sue for using both a Darkrai and a Latios? Is he an underrated character who just wasn't given the chance to have a good backstory? Or, is his use of two Legendaries an awesome Curb Stomp battle against Ash? Good luck getting people to not get into a flame war over this.
Likewise, the very concept of trainers now using Legendaries is become a very touchy subject for the fandom.
Call Usagi "Bunny" or "Serena", Makoto "Lita", or Haruka "Amara" or "Alex" to anySailor Moon board/fan. Although it's dying off through the older fans (the ones that watched since the first airing in their countries or so), the younger ones are prone to a very destroying fit of nerd rage.
Now that Toei is finally licensing the show again, wars over the Canadian Sailor Moon dub are starting up again. FUNimation has made it clear that they want to license it and do a new dub, though they've yet to announce any plans. This inevitably leads to fights over whether a new dub, restoring the mountains of censorship and missing content for fans of Sailor Moon that prefer dubbing, is a boon to the show or the greatest evil to commit on fans that grew up on the old dub.
Names. The franchise used a lot of foreign loan words and went through so many fan and official translations that even translations trying to be faithful never agreed on them. This leads to serious fan fights as people argue over what to call every character, item, and power.
Die for Our Ship? Never dies. Mamoru/Usagi vs. Seiya/Usagi? These still go on and on a decade later...
Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle. This should be enough said, but the amount of fan wank that persists over the series is ridiculous. Heaven forbid should you mention that KuroFai is canon (by CLAMP's standards anyway) in front of a KuroTomoyo fan (for those not read CCS, Tomoyo is canon in love with Sakura) or in front of a FaiChii shipper (the latter who is a 'clone' of Fai's mother) you will get torn apart. Then point out to them that Tomoyo is a lesbian and Chii is Fai's mother.
And that's without even wading into the backdraft a particular dub voice actor put himself into when he took on the CLAMP fans by telling them Fai wasn't gay, and that Fai obviously liked girls like him. Without researching the character, and without reading the manga first. Said VA also used religion as his backdrop for his "Fai is straight" claim, and claimed that he asked CLAMP themselves about Fai's sexuality, something most people doubt has ever happened since the members of CLAMP do not speak English.
When you have two separatetags in the CLAMP Rants LJ comm claiming how much you suck, you know you've fucked up big time with CLAMP LJ fandom.
Bring up how the TV anime wasn't a complete and total mess and you'll more than likely be told to bugger off back to Noir and enjoy the perceivedlack of story therein.
Projects between two or more major anime (for example, showing a Naruto opening with a Bleach song, or a One Piece AMV with a Naruto song) tend to invite trouble, as people inevitably start comparing the two in the discussions, with most favoring one over the other(s). It gets even worse when people do crossovers, or pose the question, "If (Character from Series A) fights (Character from Series B), who would win?" (and sometimes even when the question is about two characters from the same series).
Ishiruki, Ishihime, Ichiruki, and Ichihime all equally just some not as loudly as others, all the ships are wanktastic. Or any pairings that don't really fall nice in certain fans' ears. See the flamewars between each coupling's fans, and heavily bashing. BTW, to the most hardcore ones, any pairing might make these throw raging fits. Oh, and say Chad is the worst character you've ever seen, and that he should be more of a pervert, and even some people that don't like Bleach will want to burn you alive.
Orihime- even beyond whether she should be with Ichigo- is quite a touchy subject, as any post about her is liable to anger either the part of the Bleach fandom that thinks that she is a wonderful person who has endured so much, who can't do anything wrong (even when she acknowledges herself as flawed) and whom no one should ever dare question, or the part that sees her as a Damsel Scrappy who is unable to do anything without Ichigo and should be killed for the sake of "feminism", uhm, the story. Say something like that you think Orihime is a good person, but is deprived of opportunities to prove herself or help her friends, and you're likely to offend both.
We also dare you to suggest that she and Rukia aren't OMG RIVALS for Ichigo's heart. See the most rabid Rukiafangirls unleash their anger at the mere suggestion that their Possession Sue version of Rukia isn't 1000 times better than the "anti feminist", "stupid", "slutty" and "big breasted" Orihime bitch. And if you remind them that Rukia and Orihime are friends in canon and care for each other very much (or more, according to some)... you're deader than dead.
Likewise, say anything at all about Ulquiorra. If you say you hate him, then his rabid fangirls unleash ALLCAPSRAEG about how he's just a lonely, sensitive soul and kicks a lot of ass. Say you like him, and the haters spell out how he's an emotionless jackass that mentally tortures Orihime for the evulz. And God help you if you say you love/hate Ulquihime.
Head to a mainly male board and express how you think Zaraki is secretly screwing Byakuya, or suggest the possibility of an Eleventh Company-wide orgy. They will go mad. Extra points if you say that Kenpachi and Nnoitra would make a good couple.
Head to a mainly female board and say the opposite: that Ho Yay doesn't exist, it's all wishful thinking, and no one should ever be gay. Expect your death in ten, nine, eight...
If you mention any shipping-related opinion apart from a pro-IchiRuki one in an Ending 19 posting on YouTube, you will get many thumbs down, particularly if you point out how much IchiRuki subtext is anime-only.
Don't ask about ethnicity in Bleach, especially in the case of Yoruichi. What's especially disturbing about this is the number of people who don't just disagree, but are violently opposed, offended in fact, at the suggestion that Yoruichi may be black.Wonder what their problem is?
Corrector Yui. The manga/anime had so many divided opinions that if you ever bring such name in certain anime forums, there'll be the ones that liked both seasons, ones that only liked one of them, and the ones that despise Corrector Yui like it's a 4-Kids dub, but made in Japan. To have a slight idea, even in Japan such backdraft happens, and some manage to call Yui an "indecent harlot", and say that was Kia Asamiya's second biggest error (some of them claim that his biggest error was to convert Batman into a manga, without the things that would make normal Japanese people think he was a villain).
Just try to go into any Mahou Sensei Negima or Mai-HiME fan board and say you don't like Natsuki/Shizuru and/or Konoka/Setsuna pairings, regardless of your overall sexual views. Or that you like Yuiichi Tate and Shiho Munakata. Or that you like the Hime manga, in which, among other changes, Natsuki is pursuing Yuuichi instead of a Celibate Hero who may return Shizuru's feelings for her. Or any of the Negima anime adaptations (other than the Ala Alba/Another World OVAs). On second thought, you'd better not, for your own sake.
How do you properly pronounce Saiyan again? This question can be used to unlock the gates of Hell.
Or "Kaioken" for that matter.
Never under any circumstance ask what the scouter says about anyone's power level, no matter how famousthe answer may be.
Never ask which Dragon Ball cast is the best. You will be set upon by the Ocean dub fans, the FUNimation dub fans, and those who think original Japanese with subtitles is the only way to go. Don't worry too much though. They'll quickly forget about you the original poster once they turn on each other.
Also, don't ever say that you prefer Linda Young to Chris Ayres or Nakao Ryusei.
Also, never ask which one of Majin Buu's forms is the strongest, Super Buu or Kid Buu (Fat Buu is out of discussion).
Just mention that you like Dragon Ball GT to most fans of the original series and watch the fireworks explode.
Also say to them that you like the live action movies, and prepare to take cover from the explosion of fan rage and hatred that follows.
Of the Goku/Vegeta fusions, we have the classic debate, "Who's stronger, Gogeta or Vegito?".
For Spanish speakers, never use in a Dragon Ball forum the expression "super warriors" when referring to Saiyans. Most Latin Americans will side against you, most Catalonians will join your side.
Superman vs. Goku. It's opening up a can of worms.
Ask who does a better job of voicing Kid/Teen Gohan in the Funimation dub, Stephanie Nadolny (DBZ) or Colleen Clinkenbeard (Kai), congratulations you have started a flame war.
Another from /a/: Toradora!. Use a tripcode for extra effect, and if you know Taiga's, then congratulations! You have the key of hell's gates.
It is not wise to bring up Kodomo no Jikan anywhere, except perhaps for /c/.
It is not wise to bring up Naruto anywhere, period.
People who like Kamina get bashed for being fanboys. People who like Simon get bashed for not recognising how GAR Kamina is. Don't bring up the possibility of Viral being a better character. And don't you even think of mentioning Rossiu either.
Post an NTR pretty much anywhere on 4chan. /h/ is optimal, but it'll get a reaction even in /a/.
Alternately, post Yotsuba&! porn. Especially that one doujin where she's aged up. Even /d/ will come after you.
Toonami is pretty much a taboo subject on 4chan nowadays since the users there would rather be seen as complete social pariahs rather than allowing the hobby to become popular.
Do not suggest that Japanese toy company Yamato has bad quality control, or that equally Japanese toy company Bandai makes better Macross toys than Yamato on the MacrossWorld forums. You're likely to get flamed for it. The truth is that Yamato has ongoing quality-control problems (since, like, 10 years), which tend to result in major breakages on multi-hundred-dollar toys and an on-going business in replacement parts, and of which the fans are simply in total denial.
The wanky reputation of the Frontier fandom is NOT helped by a massive case of false information released by a former BNF. Discussing the canonicity of this, that, and whatever can bring up pretty brutal flame wars.
Thanks to Gorespammer's long trolling/reverse-trolling campaign, it has become virtually impossible to seriously discuss Bakemonogatari on /a/.
As well as questioning the state of anime and how it has gotten "stale". You will be considered pathetic.
Also Visual Novel Adaptations like Clannad and Umineko no Naku Koro ni are impossible to discuss without an image spammer scouring the thread.
When Umineko no Naku Koro ni was adapted from a series of sound novels into an anime, it was received pretty negatively among fans of the original. Just try and go on any forum or even YouTube comments and mention that you thought the anime was alright. Or better yet, say that the anime is superior than the sound novels, or anything positive about Studio Deen.
It also suffers from a shipping war amongst Rena/Keiichi and Mion/Keiichi fans.
Go find any Katekyo Hitman Reborn fans that you can, and casually bring up whether 8059 is better than 5927 or not.
Do not ever mention any pairing on any Reborn! related forum, if you want to stay alive.
Bang Zoom! Enterntainment CEO Eric P. Sherman started a massive Internet Backdraft when he commented that Bang Zoom! would stop dubbing anime in 2011 without fan support and that the anime industry is dying. It also sparked the old Subbing Versus Dubbing debate again due to the fact that he blamed fansubs for this.
Bandai did ease the backdraft a bit saying that his comments doesn't relate to the state of the anime industry except for the cease dubbing part and Bandai might resort to releasing sub-only anime if this continues.
Speaking of Kidd, the shipping wars that ensue whenever someone asks who he should pair up with certainly applies. Some say he should be with Maka, others claim he'd be best with Chrona (which brings up the split of boy!Chrona vs girl!Chrona), and still others claim he's best with either Liz/Patti (or possibly both). Add in people who ship him with Black* Star and/or Soul and you're pretty much in a metaphorical land mine on this one.
And, for heaven's sake, don't bring up the possibility he's asexual. Don't. Just... Don't, more like symmetrisexual.
Say "Soul Eater ripped off Harry Potter". Do it. I dare you. You will set the entire internet ablaze, and the fandom will call you a heretic/bastard/other unspeakable things.
Excalibur can be seen as a hilarious character, or the most annoying in anime, depending on who you talk to.
Try mentioning One Piece, Naruto or Bleach on /a/ and be sure to get the thread filled with fan-base bashing and tacky jokes.
/a/ has already given up on this in official translations, but is it Macekre or Woolseyism when a fansubbing group translates around Honorifics? The flame will burn forever.
In the Project A-ko fandom, bringing the main girls' sexual orientation into question will lead to a long debate between the fans, with opinions ranging from "They're totally lesbians who want to get into each other's panties" to "They're perfectly straight girls who simply haven't found their men, you sick fuck." Also, any topic with C-ko as the main focus may cause a stir, especially if it's sexual, due to being the mostcontroversial character in the series.
Do you prefer a feminine anime girl over a tomboyish one? Never say it, even if you ARE fond of both of them and just happen to like the girly girl better. The "feminist fans" will immediately accuse you of stuff like "hating on strong women", "fetishizing females", "being a horny and sexist fanboy" (even if you're female), "setting back feminism 50 years", etc.
And if we go to love triangles, let's add "how dare you think that the tomboy shouldn't get the guy she may or may not be interested in?! YOU'RE ANTI FEMINIST!?". Ichigo/Rukia fangirls are specially infamous for this one.
If you pick the tomboy instead? You're not safe, either! There's this other group who will dogpile you for preferring her, because that apparently means that you hate femininity and view it as weak/wrong/annoying.
Want a good money sink? Discuss any anime (Ore No Imouto for example) that is remotely incest related and Zorak will ban you.
Tenchi Muyo!. Whatever you do, never mention that you liked the 3rd OVA. Or Tenchi Muyo! GXP. Or Tenchi in Tokyo. Or the movie Tenchi Forever. Or any of the Pretty Sammy spinoffs. Come to think of it, just don't ever mention Tenchi Muyo on any kind of message board.
Go to any decently active Tenchi web community and mention Mona Marshall's name. People will come at you with hot plasma pitchforks saying she's either not the real Ryoko or that she ruined Ryoko and/or Tenchi forever.
In regards to Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Kyuubey's reasoning that involved science. Just mention anything about entropy in /a/ would cause an argument. Even if two characters just died in that episode.
And be very careful in debating pairings in the series. In example: Does Sayaka and Kyouko's relationship count as prospect Yuri? Were Kyouko's feelings and her willingness to go through an Heroic Sacrifice for Sayaka a show of either explicit or potential romantic lesbian love, or just born from a motherly/sisterly instinct? Is Sayaka's crush on Kamijou detrimental or not for her character as a whole? You're crazy, Sayaka would never be a lesbian, she's too in love with Kamijou and would never ever return a girl's crush on her! You stupid homophobe, Sayaka's crush on Kamijou is antifeminist and heterosexist and makes her weak, she'll only be cool by falling for a woman and not for an icky man! 14-year-old girls are way too young to know anything about lesbianism, you sick fuckers! WHY DID YOU ASK THAT YOU IDIOT, SEE THE FLAAAAAMEEEEES!
Never mention that this isn't a typical magical girl show. Either you'll be flamed for daring to think it could've been like the standard, you'll get called "stupid" for any opinions on how True Art Is Angsty, or you'll see the old "THIS IS JUST FOR CREEPY OLDER MEN, WAH WAH!" debate in regards to Moe and Fan Service.
And now that the series has ended, there is already much heated debate about the ending, in which Madoka literally becomes a God. Talk about this in forums and boom goes the dynamite.
"Is Madoka Magica a Deconstruction or not in the end?" NOOOOOO! YOU BIIIIITCH! YOU BIIIIIITCH!
Or say that you approved of Claude killing Alois. THE FLAMES, THEY BURN!
Even better: bring up Grell Sutcliffe. More exactly: is Grell a female-to-male Transsexual, or merely a Camp Gay male? Oh boy, minefields aplenty.
Inuyasha has tons of these when it comes to pairings IN GENERAL. Just bring up InuKag or InuKik. They will murder you.
You don't even need to being up Inu/Kag or Inu/Kik, man. Sesshoumaru/Rin vs. Sess/Kagura? It will never ever die. Specially after a rabid trio of Sess/Rin shippers came out (or more exactly, a rabid Sess/Rin shipper and two "minions" that parroted everything she said) and left everyone mindfucked with Lolicon related antics. The less said, the better.
Also, there's not even the need of bringing Inuyasha himself into this. Just ask about the merits of Kagome and Kikyou as characters and you'll have a truly epic flame war in your hands. Is Kagome a stressed girl who was thrust into a really rocky situation and tries to deal like a normal person would, or a whiny Mary Sue who bitches way too much and gets away with shit that others wouldn't? Is Kikyou a selfcentered bitch who'll throw everyone under the bus to get what she wants, or a truly Broken Bird who has gone through way too much crap in both of her lives? Bring on the firefighters!
Even easier! Ask anyone if Naraku is a Villain Sue or not. You'll be dead in minutes.
Anime Conventions are usually looked at with disdain at some anime dedicated forums and imageboards who think the exposure of your interest to anime to the public world should be kept a dirty secret locked away in a dark cold place like some sort of Artifact of Doom.
When you bring up a certain scene from episode 14, be careful. If someone leans in favor of either Shouma or Ringo in there, a Flame War will likely erupt.
Episode 18 (more specifically, how Kanba managed to not lose his arms and Tabuki changing his mind and saving Himari from falling to her death) shall not be mentioned on /a/ unless you DO want a flamewar.
Episode 19 may become a new point of contention, what with the somewhat always present animosity between Shouma fans and Kanba fans being take Up to Eleven.
Never talk about pairings in Ranma ½ fandom. EVER. These Shipping Wars have carried on for almost one and a half decades.
For a bonus, ask whether Ranma/Akane is an abusive relationship or not. Add a question about who is the one to blame: Akane and her tendence to beat Ranma when he displeases her, or Ranma with his constant verbal abuse of Akane. Roast your mashmallows, and double if you bring the other girls and say that either they're more maliciously abusive than Akane would ever be, or that they'd worship and love Ranma more than Akane ever would do.
It's best not to wonder what the Wandering Son characters sexualities are. Also, similar to Yotsuba&!, posting or even mentioning porn - or sexuality period - of the characters isn't well received (especially on /a/).
Tiger and Bunny. We dare you to say you don't like Kotetsu; rest assured, you'll be dead in five seconds flat.
Or go make a Barnaby fan site in view of a Kotetsu fan...and watch them start screaming at each other within the next second.
Also, never EVER ask if Nathan aka Fire Emblem is Transsexual or not. It's for your own sake.
Moe as a whole has become one of the most divisive topics of discussion within the anime fan/otaku community in the last decade. Is it a genre? An aesthetic? Both? Neither? Many fans of more action-oriented fare have come to hate moe (and the closely related harem and Slice of Life shows that have become very popular among a sizeable segment of the otaku community) for "ruining modern anime" and act as though moe shows are the worst thing that's ever happened to anime or, in extreme cases, humanity as a whole. And let's not even get into the big question: whether moe encourages the objectification and submission of women (and is thus misogynistic) or not. Of course, many of the people who do claim it's misogynistic are the same people who loudly praise more action-oriented and/or plot-heavy fare, so some of its loudest critics on the misogyny topic may really just be pissed off about there not being as many action or shows as they'd like...
This review of Clannad is a good example of the above overlap between the people who cry misogyny and the "pissed off action anime fans complaining about shows that lack explosions" communities. The same site has heeps of praise for more action-oriented anime, some of which have their share of misogyny...
Say that you do NOT necessarily think Revolutionary Girl Utena is the most important, groundbreaking, perfect, complex and uniqueShoujo series ever. Prepare to be slain by the Utena fandom.
Try bringing up the four different Utena canons: the TV series, the manga by Chiho Saitou, the Adolescence Mokushiroku movie, and the manga based on The Movie. Within seconds, fans that support one of these medias will try to murder the fans who prefer the others. In particular, may God help you if you happen to prefer the first manga over the series; in fact, having a positive opinion of Saitou at all can get you slapped by those who think she's a homophobic so-and-so.
We also dare you to ever insinuate you don't ship Utena/Anthy. The Utena/Anthy rabid fans will tear you alive and accuse you of being an homophobe, regardless of your stance on LGBT rights on Real Life.
Speaking of LGBT matters, discussing the characters' sexual orientations can be a messy affair. (Is Utena straight, bisexual or lesbian? Is Touga straight or bi? Could Shiori ever reciprocate Juri's feelings for her? Could Juri possibly have romantic chemistry with Miki despite being attracted to women? And so on.) Wherever you stand, blood is gonna fly.
Anthy Himemiya herself is the biggest Base Breaker in the fandom. There's no middle ground on a character as complex as she is, specially on her relationship with Akio and her stabbing Utena at the end. Is she a person who is broken beyond belief after a millenia of pain and abuse, or a Manipulative Bitch who played everyone as fools as her revenge for said millenia of pain and abuse? Either way, don't ask: the mere mention of Anthy can send everyone into hategasms or lovegasms.
Do not bring up a certain scene from episode33 on Tumblr. You'll regret it.
And as mentioned above, if you say you like Mawaru Penguindrum better than Utena, you shall be marked for a painful death.
Do NOT assume the voice actresses in the Love Live! franchise as potential/actual JAV (Japanese Adult Video) actresses, especially on what happened to Emi Nitta after the alleged/fake news about her involvement in it.
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