{{Short description|Japanese anime art style with exaggerated proportions}} {{Redirect|Super deformed|the deformation of nuclei|Superdeformation|other uses|Chibi (disambiguation){{!}}Chibi}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}} [[File:Kawaii in Oxford English Dictionary.jpg|thumb|right|''Chibi'' character illustrations by Danny Choo]] {{italic title}} '''''Chibi''''', also known as '''super deformation''' ('''SD'''), is an art style originating in Japan, and common in anime and manga where characters are drawn in an exaggerated way, typically small and chubby with stubby limbs, oversized eyes, oversized heads, tiny noses, tiny bodies, and minimal detail. The style has found its way into the anime and manga fandom through its usage in manga works and merchandising.
==Word usage and etymology== The English term ''chibi'' derives from the Japanese {{nihongo3|{{gloss|tiny character}}|ちびキャラ|chibi kyara}},<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lord-Moncrief |first=Devon |date=2023-07-07 |title=What Makes a Chibi Anime Character? |url=https://yumetwins.com/blog/what-makes-a-chibi-anime-character|access-date=2025-06-20 |website=YumeTwins}}</ref> where {{nihongo||ちび|chibi}} is a colloquial word for very short people and children, itself deriving from {{nihongo3|{{abbr|v.|verb}} {{gloss|to wear down}}|禿びる|chibiru}},<ref>{{cite book|title=大辞林 {{transliteration|ja|daijirin}}|language=ja|isbn=4-385-13905-9|author1=松村明 |date=November 2006 |publisher=三省堂}}</ref> and {{nihongo||キャラ|kyara}} is loaned from the English "character".<ref>{{cite book |year=2000 |title=日本国語大辞典 Nihon Kokugo Daijiten |url=https://kotobank.jp/dictionary/nikkoku/ |language=ja |edition=2nd |location=Tōkyō |publisher=Shogakukan |isbn=4-09-521001-X}}</ref>
"Super deformed" and "S.D." come from Japanese {{nihongo3|{{gloss|stylistic distortion}}|デフォルメ|deforume}}, itself from French {{lang|fr|déformer}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sljfaq.org/afaq/french.html|title=Which Japanese words come from French?|website=sci.lang.japan}}</ref>
==Appearance and media usage== thumb|An example of a character being drawn with typical ''chibi'' proportions Compared to the average anime character, usually about seven to eight heads tall,<ref name="headheight">{{cite web |url=http://animeworld.com/howtodraw/bodies1.html |title=Body Proportion |work=Akemi's Anime World |access-date=16 August 2007 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070805152410/http://animeworld.com/howtodraw/bodies1.html |archive-date= 5 August 2007}}</ref> the head of a super-deformed character is normally anywhere between one third and one half the character's height.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.polykarbon.com/tutorials/chibi/chibiart.htm|title=Action Tutorial|website=www.polykarbon.com|access-date=5 July 2018}}</ref> In addition to their modified proportions, super-deformed characters typically lack the detail of their normal counterparts. As a result, when a character of average proportions is depicted as a super-deformed character, certain aspects of their design will be simplified and others will be more exaggerated. Details such as folds on a jacket are ignored, and general shapes are favored. If a character has a signature characteristic (odd hair, a particular accessory, etc.) this will typically be prominent in the super deformed version of the character.<ref>''How to Draw Manga Volume 18: Super-Deformed Characters 1: Humans''. {{ISBN|9784766114355}}</ref>
The chibi style easily falls under the Japanese category of kawaii, with the specific proportions being exaggerated in the ways that they are. With it being widely regarded as cute, the chibi style allows for easy advertisement in the culture, and even in other countries.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Barton |first=David Watts |url=https://www.amazon.com/Japan-Anime-Zen-Culture-History-ebook/dp/B085CLGYGB/146-0731620-2153000 |title=Japan from Anime to Zen: Quick Takes on Culture, Art, History, Food . . . and More |date=2021-04-27 |publisher=Stone Bridge Press |language=English}}</ref>
One example of the word's usage in Japanese media, which brought the term to the attention of American fans in the mid-1990s, is Chibiusa; this diminutive pet name for the daughter of Sailor Moon comes from ''Chibi Usagi'' ("Little Rabbit").<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kurozuki.com/takeuchi/sailormoon/volume03.html|title=Sailor Moon volume 3 translation|accessdate=2008-05-23|archive-date=9 May 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509132449/http://www.kurozuki.com/takeuchi/sailormoon/volume03.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> The ''chibi'' art style is part of the Japanese ''kawaii'' subculture.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wowjapan.asia/2017/08/japanese-student-turns-philosophers-super-deformed-anime-style-characters/|title=Japanese student turns philosophers into super-deformed anime-style characters - WOWJAPAN|date=4 August 2017|access-date=5 July 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/185406/Clash_of_Clans_5_keys_to_success.php|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130131095340/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/185406/Clash_of_Clans_5_keys_to_success.php|url-status=dead|archive-date=31 January 2013|title=Clash of Clans '5 keys to success|first=Mike|last=Rose|date=28 January 2013 |access-date=5 July 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.smosh.com/smosh-pit/articles/why-japan-hands-down-coolest-country-planet|title=Why Japan Is Hands Down The Coolest Country On The Planet - SMOSH|access-date=5 July 2018|archive-date=31 December 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121231003705/http://www.smosh.com/smosh-pit/articles/why-japan-hands-down-coolest-country-planet|url-status=dead}}</ref> Outside of Japan, the ''chibi'' style has also appeared in anime-influenced American series such as ''Teen Titans'', ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'', and ''Homestuck''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://idea.library.drexel.edu/islandora/object/idea%3A7142/datastream/OBJ/download/Applying_2D_Japanese_Super-Deformed_character_to_traditional_American_animation.pdf|title=Applying 2D Japanese Super-Deformed character to traditional American animation|access-date=5 July 2018|archive-date=3 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191103235241/https://idea.library.drexel.edu/islandora/object/idea:7142/datastream/OBJ/download/Applying_2D_Japanese_Super-Deformed_character_to_traditional_American_animation.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>
==See also== * Moe (slang), expression of fascination or infatuation
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Commons category|Chibi characters}} * [https://www.tofugu.com/japanese/chibi/ Tofugu article covering native usage of the word "chibi", as well as the chibi style] * [https://tips.clip-studio.com/en-us/articles/3448 Detailed tutorial for drawing in the chibi style]
Category:Anime and manga terminology Category:Articles containing video clips Category:Culture of Japan Category:Japanese popular culture Category:Japanese words and phrases