guides
What Is A 'Hoodweeb'? The Controversial Anime-Related Internet Slang And Its Memes Explained
Discussions about race, representation and cultural appreciation for anime and Japanese culture are still growing online — especially now that anime and manga are more popular than ever.
The latest topic going viral in the community is the slang term "hoodweeb," a complex term that walks a thin line between cultural backgrounds, media consumption and, unfortunately, racism in the anime community.
Hoodweeb isn't exactly a "new" slang word, but YouTuber Malcome Xnox's satire video titled "What is a 'Hoodweeb'? and HOW they are destroying ANIME," inspired many discussions in the community in early March 2025.
Here's what we know about the "hood weeb" slang and how it's sparking a divisive debate in the anime and manga community.
What Is A Hoodweeb?
"Hoodweeb," also known as "hood weeb," is an internet slang term that mainly refers to Black Americans who enjoy anime, blending the term "weeb" (short for "weeabo"), which typically describes non-Asian individuals who have a strong interest in anime, manga and Japanese culture, with "hood," shorthand for "neighborhood" that's commonly used interchangeably with "ghetto."
It's unclear who exactly coined the slang, but the earliest mention on Urban Dictionary was posted in March 2021, where it was defined as referring to "weebs from the hood or a bad neighborhood who watches anime" with a specific taste generally favoring shonen anime.
How Did The Hoodweeb Slang Go Viral?
Hoodweeb became fairly popularized on X in March 2025 after Malcome Xnox's satire video. A month prior, however, the term was already being used in heated discussions regarding YouTuber Chibi Reviews, who some netizens alleged his fans made several racist remarks after his X account was hacked and his information doxxed in October 2024.
X user @Anarseldain claims hood weeb was a "self-appointed term that a group of blacks adopted while defending their friends" who hacked Chibi and posted NFSW content on his accounts.
On the other hand, X user @B_Rabbit843 does not agree that "hoodweeb" was a term coined by Black anime fans, writing that "every time I see it tweeted, it's mostly being used to be racist towards Black anime fans."
Muthafuckas on this app love playing in your face when it comes to racism, bruh. These fools will say Black anime fans came up with "hood weeb," yet every time I see it tweeted, it's mostly being used to be racist towards Black anime fans. Cut the bullshit out. pic.twitter.com/k0KZwI92Ut
— 𝕌𝕟𝕕𝕖𝕣𝕕𝕠𝕘𝔹𝕋: 𝔹𝕃𝕄 ✊🏿 (@B_Rabbit843) February 22, 2025
How People Use The Hoodweeb Slang Online?
As mentioned earlier, the hood weeb slang is sparking many debates about racism in the anime community, as X user @YaBoyRoshi wrote, "Glad people are starting to call out this 'hood weeb' shit. It's a dog whistle and the majority of y'all using that are racist losers who wanna call people the hard r."
On March 11th, 2025, X user @ALPHATEAM76 posted a speech bubbling meme combined with a picture of a Ku Klux Klan member, captioning it, "'Hood weeb' – hooded weebs."
For the full history of the Here Lies Wokeness meme, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's entry for even more information.
