Animation is a historically popular medium that continues to evolve and attract fans throughout the ages, and anime fans have probably come across the term "otaku" on several occasions. While otaku is more of a catch-all phrase for any kind of fanatic in Japan (say, for cars, or trains), its meaning outside Japan tends to be specific to fans of anime and manga.
Thus, Western audiences have adopted "otaku" as a term describing their passion for anime and manga. Frequently, otaku in anime are represented by men, but that seems to be a trend that's fading away. More and more often, fans are getting to see female otaku in anime who may or may not be out and proud about their love for otaku culture.
10 Kae Becomes Depressed After Her Favorite Anime Character Dies (Kiss Him, Not Me)
Kae Serinuma, the main character from Kiss Him, Not Me, is so attached to anime and manga that she becomes depressed after her favorite anime character, Shion, dies. Part of her claim to fame is the rapid transformation she underwent during her depression. Initially an overweight girl, Kae locks herself away in her room for a week after Shion's fictional death, refusing any food. After the week was over, she'd lost a lot of weight and emerged looking like a completely different person. That's a pretty passionate otaku love.
9 Sylphyn Is Openly Enthusiastic About Her Love For Anime (Himouto! Umaru-Chan)
Unless it's in front of her brother, Alex Tachibana, Sylphynford Tachibana is happy to gush about her otaku hobbies in Himouto! Umaru-chan. She becomes embarrassed in front of her brother because he thinks of her as meek, so showing such enthusiasm in front of him makes her nervous. Nevertheless, Sylphyn has a passion for anime that rivals Umaru Doma's herself. But unlike Umaru, Sylphyn isn't afraid to talk about her passions openly. Being of German and Japanese descent, she also has an interest in Japanese culture outside of anime.
8 Narumi Is A Closeted Otaku, But She Loves Anime Nonetheless (Wotakoi: Love Is Hard For Otaku)
Although she'd rather her otaku hobbies stay a secret, Narumi Momose's love for anime is so strong in Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku that she goes through pains to hide it instead of giving it up altogether.
Narumi is able to change her demeanor and language at a moment's notice and therefore has a "normal" mode and "otaku" mode that she's careful to keep track of. Narumi also produces her own boys' love manga and sells it at Comiket, something that many otaku aspire to do.
7 Mizusaki's Passion For Animating Extends Into Anime (Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!)
Ever since she was young, Tsubame Mizusaki has expressed an interest in movement. Specifically, how things move and how she can create motion herself. In Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!, Mizusaki decided that animating was the best way to recreate her passion for motion. Mizusaki's parents are famous, though, and they have other plans for their daughter than to have her become an animator. Nevertheless, Mizusaki found a way to express her love for anime and animation by joining a club at school.
6 Patty Used Anime To Teach Herself Japanese (Lucky Star)
Patricia Martin, or Patty for short, is a United States citizen who transferred into a Japanese school as a foreign exchange student in Lucky Star. Patty loved anime even in her own country and learned all her Japanese through watching subtitled anime in the US. She's openly enthusiastic about her passion for anime but mistakenly interprets what she's seen in anime as representations of actual Japanese culture. While there's a bit of overlap between anime content and Japanese culture, it's a mistake to think what's in anime is 100% representative of actual Japanese culture.
5 Erika Openly Loves Both Anime & Manga (Durarara!!)
A cosplayer and avid fan of boys' love and yaoi, Erika Karisawa is one of Durarara!!'s resident otaku, along with her friend Walker Yumasaki. She becomes excited whenever anything anime or manga-related comes up, and she even fantasizes about Shizuo Heiwajima and Izaya Orihara as a gay couple since their rivalry mimics the ones found in boys' love and yaoi stories. But Erika also has a dark side, and she's skilled in the art of interrogation, even resorting to mental and physical torture. Her otaku passion is apparent even when she's embracing her darker side since her interrogation techniques are usually taken from anime or manga.
4 Kirino's Passion For Anime Is A Well-Guarded Secret (Oreimo)
Afraid of what her parents might think of her hobbies in Oreimo, Kirino Kousaka hid a veritable treasure trove of otaku goods in her room. Part of her embarrassment hinges on the fact that she enjoys sister complex games and manga, but she's also very invested in the fictional magical girl series Stardust Witch Meruru.
After her brother Kyosuke accidentally finds out her secret, she slowly starts to open up about her otaku hobbies and expresses them with more confidence as the series goes on.
3 Umaru Loves Anime Enough To Keep It A Secret From Her Classmates (Himouto! Umaru-Chan)
Unlike her classmate Syphynford Tachibana, Umaru Doma is nervous about her otaku hobbies being exposed in Himouto! Umaru-chan. Keeping a secret life is no easy task and it takes a lot of work, so Umaru's passions for otaku culture are strong enough for her to keep up the façade. She pretends to be the perfect student at school, but at home, Umaru devolves into a lazy, indulgent otaku who spends all day watching her favorite anime and playing her favorite games.
2 Konata Is A Walking Advertisement For Otaku Culture (Lucky Star)
The key character trait of Konata Izumi in Lucky Star is her complete shamelessness about how much she loves otaku hobbies. After all, her father is a genuine otaku himself, so Konata was never taught to be ashamed of anime, manga, or games. Since Lucky Star is a parody anime, Konata is seen parroting several memes from famous anime, manga, and games from the past. She even cosplays as characters from anime, namely the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. Fun fact: In both the Japanese and the English dub, she and Haruhi are both voiced by the same voice actresses.
1 Asakusa Starts Off Talking About Her Passion For Anime (Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!)
Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! is an anime all about the passion behind creating anime. Midori Asakusa is the leader of the Eizouken (Motion Picture Club), but her real aim is to create her own anime. Asakusa lives in an imaginative world where everything in her environment is fodder for an anime, and she's almost never seen without a sketchbook that she uses to jot down her ideas. Asakusa often references older anime when she's talking about her ideas, and she has spirited conversations with Tsubame Mizusaki, another proud anime fan.