Chigyu

Chiizu gyudon(Japanese:チーズ牛丼,Hepburn:Chīzu gyūdon,lit.'Cheese beef bowl'), or simplyChigyu(Japanese:チー牛,Hepburn:Chī gyū)is a Japaneseinternet slangterm used to refer to so-called "otaku", and "uncool", "introverted" and "gloomy" people.It is always regarded as atauntand term ofabuse.
Achigyuis described as "a somewhat disgustingotaku" or "a gloomy character with little sense of presence".The slang mainly refers to gloomy males, but is sometimes also used to refer to females with similar personalities.
The characteristics of achigyuinclude wearing glasses, having a "childish hairstyle", "not a domineering face",  childlike appearance, spiritually childish, "although active online, appears gloomy in reality".Besides, thechigyuhas also been used to refer to the appearance similar to individuals withdevelopmental disabilitiesorenlarged adenoids.
The Paperanalyzed how the "childishness" ofchigyu"violates the ideal definition of adult male's 'masculinity' in society", and how the image ofchigyushows a gloomy person in a lowersocial classwho lacks socialization. It describedchigyuas a discriminatory term towardsgender,body, andclass.
In 2008, thedoujinshiartist "ibiryo" drew a self portrait as a high school student and uploaded it to his blog, which later became the generic appearance ofchigyu.
On 9 July 2018, a user on5channel's "Nandemo Jikkyo J" board said:
Later adding:
The user used a negative perspective to describe "chigyuface" and associated it withotaku, so there are also criticisms that he is alookist.
The post has received a lot of responses, with most responders claim that "there are indeed people around who look like this", and other discussion boards have also shown related discussions. In April 2019, a summary website reprinted a related discussion thread, making the termchigyumore widely spread.In June 2019, three different styles ofchigyuillustrations (samurai,juvenile delinquent, andikemen) were shared online. OnC97, a malecosplayedas achigyu.
In April 2020, there were an average of 500-1000tweetsper day mentioning the term "Chiizu Gyudon", while there were an average of 100 tweets mentioning "Chigyu" per day. By June, the average number of tweets mentioning "Chigyu" per day had reached 10000.
In June 2020, Japanese news website J-CAST News interviewedZensho Holdings, which runsSukiya, about this slang. The company's publicity department responded "Of course we know whatchigyuis. That's our top popular product No.1, 'Gyudon with 3 Cheeses'. We hope our customers will continue to enjoy our products in the future. We will launch a new product, 'Cheese Beef Rib Gyudon', and welcome everyone to try it out in person."Disability information collection website shohgaisha.com pointed J-CAST News' report did not mention the relationship between 'chigyu' and individuals with developmental disabilities, instead introducing it as just amemethat mocks dull men to avoid stirring up controversy. The website also thought Sukiya actually knew the meaning of "chigyu", but due to fear of online debates, it shifted the focus to new products.
The termChiizu Gyudonwas nominated for theInternet Buzzword Award2020,and won third place at theInstagramBuzzword Award 2020.
Hong KongactivistJoshua Wongwas known by Japanese netizens as the "chigyuaroundAgnes Chow" due to his resemblance to the generic appearance ofchigyu. Wong responded positively to this, and fellow activist Chow said that Wong was "very happy about it and didn't take it to heart at all". Wong later collaborated with a restaurant selling cheese beef bowls which were named after him.
On 28 July 2020, during the live broadcast of thePuyo PuyoChampionships,Toshihiro Nagoshicommented on the entrants, saying that they "look like they like to eatchiizu gyudon," sparking controversy.Segadeleted the live playback on YouTube and re-uploaded it after removing the "unpleasant parts". HostAyana Tsubakiapologized on Twitter.