Overview
Denpa (電波, denpa, lit. "radio wave") or denpa-kei (電波系, denpa-kei, lit."radio-wave-type") is a Japanese term that describe people who are delusional, who claim to have received some kind of revelation, whose behavior and speech are unintelligible and uncanny, and who do not try to communicate with others. The history of the word comes from radio waves (see below) as denpa literally means radio wave.
A good term in English that fits under this is conspiracy theorist but denpa is also used as a genre in horror media.
A lot of these people ended up falling into such mindsets due to cultures looking down a persons metal health or from people who feed into their delusions. Of course the start of the mindset can come from a mental illness or a form of trauma but it can come from of sorts of factors as the mind is complex.
Genre
The term has been used to describe such people as the subculture writer Hyakurou Murasaki, a self-proclaimed "radio wave" receiver by nature which have made the term denpa-kei a household word.
Many elements of the genre often had a use of technology such as radio waves, antennas and telephone poles and may affect a character. It can also feature themes of metal illnesses and the genre can be pretty depressing and fall into the category of everyone's trauma. But the genre isn't all depressing and can be very surreal.
Note that there's also a music genre known as denpa song but seems have a much more upbeat tone. It is still very odd with uses of off-key vocals and word salad.
History of the Term
The term is believed to have originated from the statement of the Fukagawa murders perpetrator that he had been under the influenced of radio wave attacks.
Denpa Characters
Literature
Light Novel
- Erio Touwa (藤和 エリオ, Tōwa Erio) → Ground Control to Psychoelectric Girl
Anime and Manga
- Kohina Ichimatsu (市松 こひな, Ichimatsu Kohina) → Gugure! Kokkuri-san
- Kururu (クルル, Kururu) → Sgt. Frog
- Lemon (アンリーチェ) → Aotu World
- Licht Jekylland Todoroki (リヒト・ジキルランド・轟, Rihito Jikirurando Todoroki) → Servamp
- Trafalgar Law (トラファルガー・ロー, Torafarugā Rō) → One Piece Party
Games
- Agitha (アゲハ, Ageh) → The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
- Cyrus (アカギ, Akagi) → Pokémon
- Ruriko Tsukishima (月島 瑠璃子, Tsukishima Ruriko) → Shizuku
- Tatsuya Sudou (須藤 竜也, Sudō Tatsuya) → Persona 2
Denpa Media
Literature
Light Novel
- Denpa teki na Kanojo (電波的な彼女, lit. The Radio Wave-Like Girlfriend")
- Ground Control to Psychoelectric Girl (電波女と青春男, Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko, lit. "Electrowave Girl and Youthful Boy")
- Shigofumi (シゴフミ)
Anime and Manga
- Arakawa Under The Bridge (荒川アンダーザブリッジ, Arakawa Andā za Burijji)
- Boogiepop Phantom (ブギーポップは笑わない, Bugīpoppu wa Warawana)
- FLCL (フリクリ, Furi Kuri)
- Flowers of Evil (惡の華, Aku no Hana)
- Key the Metal Idol (キィ・ザ・メタル・アイドル, Kii Za Metaru Aidoru)
- Nekojiru (ねこぢる)
- Neon Genesis Evangelion (新世紀エヴァンゲリオン, Shinseiki Evangerion)
- Paranoia Agent (妄想代理人, Mōsō Dairinin)
- Perfect Blue (パーフェクトブルー, Pāfekuto Burū)
- SSSS.Dynazenon (ダイナゼノン)
- SSSS.Gridman (グリッドマン)
- Serial Experiments Lain (シリアルエクスペリメンツレイン)
- Tamala 2010 (タマラ 2010)
- Ultimate Otaku Teacher (電波教師, Denpa Kyōshi, lit. "Electromagnetic-wave Teacher")
Games
- Chaos;Head (カオスヘッド)
- Doki Doki Literature Club! (ドキドキ文芸部!)
- Higurashi When They Cry (ひぐらしのなく頃に, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni)
- Needy Girl Overdose (ニーディーガールオーバードーズ)
- Saya no Uta (沙耶の唄)
- Sayonara o Oshiete (さよならを教えて)
- Shizuku (雫, Shizuku)
- Steins;Gate (シュタインズ・ゲート)
- Yume Nikki (ゆめにっき)
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