Anime Tourist? Who Cares?

2–4 minutes

I was called an anime tourist, and it honestly made my day. It was the first time this particular intended insult was thrown (commented) my way. It made me smile, got me to giggle, and I even made a point to tell my husband about it at the end of our day. All because I dared to make a video about a comment I got on a post about men liking cute things.

What is an Anime Tourist?

Screenshot of a social media comment thread about anime tourists and fan gatekeeping, featuring playful reactions.

The term Anime Tourist is meant to be a derogatory term used in some online communities to describe someone who is seen as an outside, casual fan or newcomer who interacts with anime because it is popular, without supposedly understanding or respecting its culture.

Essentially, when someone accuses someone else of being an anime tourist, they are saying, ‘You are not one of us, you do not understand our community and you should not be pretending to be one of us because it is popular‘

Sadly, this label is now being thrown at almost anyone who says anything another fan does not like, or at people who are just expressing their opinions about a series. Before Anime Tourist was a common phrase, we had true and fake fan accusations, so the sentiment has been around for a while.

What makes it all the more confusing is the muddying of the definition based on who is saying it. Sometimes it is aimed at people behaving disrespectfully towards a community or fandom. Other times it is simply directed at someone who enjoys mainstream anime. It can also describe someone who questions well-established tropes or has different opinions.

Does calling someone an anime tourist actually matter?

Close-up of green leaves with droplets of water, creating a fresh and vibrant natural scene. Close-up of green anime-style leaves with water droplets, symbolising growth and renewal during AllAnimeMag’s 10 Year Blogiversary.

The problem with the label is that it encourages closed-minded thinking and leads to a lot of gatekeeping in a space that does not need it. It creates an imaginary divide between people who enjoy the medium that is anime. Bringing about people who view themselves as better and more legitimate as ‘real fans’ than other people who also enjoy anime. It just brings back the ‘dub vs sub’ mindset ~ that is still honestly rife within the community.

This, in the long term, will stunt the community, as newcomers will be hesitant to join and will stop them asking questions, sharing opinions and exploring the medium further.

There is a big difference between disrespecting a community and simply being unfamiliar with it. You do not need decades of experience, an encyclopaedic knowledge of anime or a carefully curated watchlist to enjoy an anime.

We all start somewhere. I have the benefit of being an anime fan from the early 2000s and then starting this blog in 2015. All that means is I have had more time and longer exposure. I have had time to settle and explore the genres and get to know the tropes that are unique to anime.

The anime space is constantly shifting, evolving and adapting to what is going on around it. Although I have been actively in the community space for over a decade, I am still making new discoveries and learning new things, new tropes and new terms, because new ones come up and older ones get used less often. So when an older one pops up, sometimes I gotta do a bit of research.

So to all the ‘anime tourists,’ I say, welcome and I hope you find a welcoming home within the anime community.

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15 October, 2026

One response to “Anime Tourist? Who Cares?”

fiddletwix

October 15, 2026 at 8:08 pm

Interesting read! Never heard this term before, to be honest. Not surprising. Despite being a fan for so long, I tend to keep out of the communities at large specifically for stuff like this, but people gatekeeping is nothing new.

So many people forget that 9/10 anime fans, at least those who are younger than, say, 40, most likely got their own start being a “tourist” I became an anime fan as a kid in the late 90s with Pokemon, Sailor Moon, and Digimon – some of the most mainstream stuff you can think of – and I had barely any idea of Japanese culture. I wouldn’t be interested in that aspect of it for years.

The mainstream stuff can easily lead you down roads into the classics and a better appreciation for the culture over time. Or you can just be content with the mainstream stuff or casually watching whatever and that’s it. It’s fine. People really need to just let others enjoy what they want. There’s enough misery in the world without making people feel bad for harmlessly enjoying something.

Instead of calling someone a tourist, they can just say “Hey, if you liked this, maybe you’d be interested in (Something similar but older or less well known)!” or “If you didn’t like this, maybe try (Similar thing but different/better/maybe more their style).” It’s up to them if they take the recommendation, of course, but it’s a more positive spin to widen their enjoyment and knowledge of the medium than just dismissing them as a tourist.

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