What Is 'Kabedon'? The Ubiquitous And Controversial Anime Trope Explained

In anime and manga, particularly in the past few years, it's not uncommon to see a gag centered around one character pinning another to a wall with their arm. In general, the gags seem to indicate that the action is a cliché, making one or both of the characters uncomfortable.

Where'd this trope come from, and why did it become such a running gag? Here's what you need to know about kabedon.

What Is "Kabedon"?

"Kabedon" literally translates to "wall-slamming." The trope comes from "shojo" manga, a subgenre of manga marketed towards young women. In romance shojo manga, it's not uncommon for a hunky love interest to make the heroine's heart flutter by pinning her against a wall with his arm, creating a sudden intimate moment. The shojo manga LDK by Ayu Watanabe, which ran from 2009-2017, has been credited with popularizing the trope.

How Did Kabedon Become a Humorous Trope?

The term "Kabedon" appears to have been coined around 2008 by the voice actress Ryoko Shintani, but the trope appears to have quickly inspired humorous variations. In 2012, a fan art trend showing characters using all four of their limbs to pin another character to a wall began spreading on the Japanese internet, dubbed the cicada block.

Manga and anime were quick to build parodies off the trope, as dozens of anime from the mid-2000s included gags centered around characters usually failing to make another's heart stir by performing Kabedon.

Once it became better known to Western anime fans around the mid-2000s, the trope was parodied in numerous ways, either by depicting characters humorously attempting Kabedon or showing them using a leg to pin another to a wall.

Why Is Kabedon Controversial?

While there hasn't been much uproar about the trope's popularity in manga and anime, the tactic's real-life efficacy has been the subject of articles and even political debate. Several writers have opined that the tactic could be seen as sexual harassment if tried in real life.

Incredibly, in April of 2022, the Japanese government published a document titled "Research Document on Love" that actually encouraged young men to attempt Kabedon. Japan, and particularly former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, have been the subject of global jokes about potentially using anime to try and inspire the Japanese populace to procreate, but this was beyond the pale for many in Japan. TV personality Suzu Yamanouchi went viral for her criticism of the document, saying on Japanese TV, "Things like kabedon only show up in shojo manga, and it's the fact that handsome actors do it in film adaptations that makes viewers' hearts race. If someone you don't even like tries to do a kabedon on you in real life, the only thing you'll feel is scared."

For more information, check out the entries for kabedon and cicada block on Know Your Meme.