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"Chuunibyou" (JP) is a term for a character who has delusions of grandeur.
Etymology
Meaning of the Term
Chuunibyou (中二病) comes from "chuuni" (中二), meaning "second year in middle school", and "byou" (病), meaning "disease". The name is in reference to the typical time when these delusions manifest.[4]
Alternate Spelling
The term is usually spelled as "中二病" using all kanji, but it is also commonly spelled as "中２病" using the number symbol "2" for the "ni" instead of the kanji for "二". In both cases the pronunciation is the same.[2]
Localization
The most direct was to romanize the term is as "chuunibyou", however, it is most commonly romanized as "chunibyo".[3]
It is also sometimes less commonly romanized as "chuu-2 byo" using the number symbol for "2" in place of the "ni", which also means two.[1]
Origin
The term was first coined by the Japanese comedian Hikaru Ijuuin in 1999, who described the childish aspirations of elementary school students as if it were some kind of illness.[5][6]
Personality
Chuunibyou characters are characters who want to stand out so badly that they develop delusions. Characters who have moved on from acting chuunibyou are often embarrassed at their past self's previous delusions.
Sub-Types
Hyouya Saegami wrote a book titled Chuunibyou User Manual (JP) which categorized chuunibyou characters into three different groups.
Dokyun
Dokyun (JP), or DQN, types of chuunibyou characters pretend that they are delinquents. They will make up stories about being in a gang, beating people up, or drinking and smoking, even though they are too cowardly to partake in those sorts of activities.[7]
Subcultural
Subcultural (JP) types of chuunibyou reject mainstream cultures. They think that liking obscure things makes them cooler than everyone else, even though they often don't even research the culture they claim to be a part of and make a fool of themselves.[8]
Evil Eye
Shun Kaidou from Saiki Kusuo no Ψ-nan
Evil Eye, or Jakugan (JP), types of chuunibyou are the most popular type in Japanese media. They are characters who believe that they have supernatural abilities of some sort. They make exaggerated poses and long speeches about their so-called abilities to look cooler, however, they just end up looking lame. They often believe that they are the protagonist of a story, their delusions often being inspired by their favorite piece of media. Another common belief among chuunibyou is that they are the reincarnation of a deity or hero from long ago since it explains why they can't use their powers anymore.[9]
Differences From Other Archetypes
Chuunibyou is somewhat similar to usodere, as they are both notorious liars. The difference is chuunibyou characters only make up lies about themselves in order to seem grander than they are, while usodere characters manipulate others with their lies for their own personal gain. The lies told by a chuunibyou characters are also typically so grand and outrageous that it's immediately obvious that they are lying, whereas an usodere character will try to hide it.
Similar Archetypes
- Onidere: A term for a character with oni-like monstrous strength who puts on an act and pretends to hate and be cruel to their love interest around other people to maintain a reputation of being feared, but will be extremely cute, lovey-dovey, and deredere to them when others are not looking. Some chuunibyou may try to act like an onidere character even if nobody takes them seriously.
- Usodere: A term for a character who at first pretends to have feelings for their love interest and creates a perfect facade for self-interested desires, but eventually starts to fall in love with them for real and becomes genuinely deredere for them.
List of Characters
Gallery
 Kobato Hasegawa from Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai  Fischl from Genshin Impact  Megumin from Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Syukufuku wo!  Shun Kaidou from Saiki Kusuo no Ψ-nan  Rikka Takanashi from Chuu-2 byo demo KOI ga Shitai!  Yoshiko Tsushima from Love Live! Sunshine!! |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Chuu-2 byo demo KOI ga Shitai!. Anime Chu-2.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Ore no Kanojo to Osananajimi ga Shuraba Sugiru. Square Enix (2013/01/06). “Eita Kido: The protagonist of this work. He is thoroughly averse to romance. He used to have chuu2byou and kept a notebook of painful fantasies....”
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 KONOSUBA -God's blessing on this wonderful world! EP2 - An Explosion for This Chunibyo!. Crunchyroll (2017/01/20).
- ↑ What is Chuunibyou. Pixiv Encyclopedia.
- ↑ Chuunibyou: Funny or Something Darker?. Honeys Anime (2017/04/25).
- ↑ What Makes a Character a Chuunibyou. Anime Nation (2013/12/06).
- ↑ What is Dokyun. Goo Dictionary.
- ↑ What is Subcultural. Pixiv Encyclopedia.
- ↑ What is Evil Eye. Pixiv Encyclopedia.