Waifus

Waifus, unlimited waifus, but no waifus.

So to preface, I treat the term waifu as a meme. Actually treating a fictional character as your idealized wife is a bit weird, even for me. However, this term has sort of stuck itself into my vocabulary and I think this is no coincidence.

Perhaps it’s a symptom of loneliness and not having a significant other to share all your feelings with. That to me would be my main theory on the term. Outside of that, I think on a simple level, it’s an idealized version of what you look for in a person. It would partly be on a romantic level, but do I really want a yandere girlfriend (the answer might be yes)?

Showcasing your taste is more so an indicator of character dynamics that you enjoy. For instance, Reze from Chainsaw Man is such an enjoyable character for me. I believe that’s due to the split nature where she feels broken and doomed to be a soldier versus her want to escape and live a quiet life in the country side. The only real wife Reze would have been was for Denji and not for me. Why? Cause it’s a fictional idea that an author made up. But see, that’s the appeal to why the term waifu sticks. It sort of shapes what sort of traits you would wish for a significant other to have, or in some cases like mine, an relatable version of yourself.

You could go down the rabbithole and start growing a parasocial delusional relationship with these characters, but for most, I believe they simply just enjoy the character. The collection of ideas, art decisions, voices, etc. that shape the character all culminate in a character that you may have a emotional attachment to because of the underlying connections to them.