“Otaku” in the literal Japanese definition, yes. However in terms of “Otaku subcultures” it doesn’t quite fit.

Powerleveling for a moment, but in my circles an “autist” is used positively, neutrally, and negatively. It can play a synonym to “obsessive”, or be used to criticize behavior. It naturally is also used for it’s actual definition. On the contrary “otaku” refers exclusively to those who are into Japanese media but who do not worship Japan, as those are always weeaboo.

> On the contrary “otaku” refers exclusively to those who are into Japanese media but who do not worship Japan, as those are always weeaboo.

Huh? I thought people that are obsessed with trains can also be referred to as otakus so it is not exclusive to Japanese media.

In Japan, sure. Outside of Japan an Otaku is someone who likes anime.

In Japan, by definition, an “otaku” is essentially someone who is obsessed with a specific subject and dedicates an overwhelming amount of time to it. For instance, a “train otaku” is someone who spends all their free time working on model trains, to the detriment of their responsibilities.

However, on the Japanese-speaking Internet (mainly 2ch), and to a lesser extent in English-speaking circles (4chan’s /a/), “Otaku” was co-opted from an insult to the tongue-in-cheek name of the subcultures surrounding anime, manga, video games, idols, and nowadays Vtubers. The dedicated “Otaku subculture” is essentially all forms Japanese media, but especially manga.

It’s best to think of it like the real world definition of autism compared to 4chan’s definition of autism.