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"Chuunibyou" or "eighth-grade syndrome" is a condition where people believe
they have super powers. The first time I heard this term is in the anime
[Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai!](http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/chuunibyou-
demo-koi-ga-shitai) Is this syndrome real? Is there any medical term or at
least more common term for this?

![Togashi Yuuta from _Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai!_: "...this boy was a
textbook example of eighth-grader syndrome
too."](https://i.stack.imgur.com/7E92u.jpg)


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terminology love-chunibyo-and-other-delusions
Is chuunibyou syndrome real?


**_Chuunibyou_** describes teenagers around the age of fourteen that try to
look cool to impress people around their age and are _self-important_ trying
to be unique.

This way of thinking, however, may continue even after the teen reaches
adulthood, but it does not actually relate to any medical condition or mental
disorder.

It's more like a growth phase for some teenagers.

* * *

Based on "Chuunibyou User Manual" (中二病取扱説明書, Chuunibyou Toriatsukai Setsumei
Sho) by Saegami HYOUYA, there are 3 types of chuunibyou.

  1. DQN-type pretends to be antisocial even though they aren't, or can't be and has made-up stories about antisocial behavior (gang fights/crime). 

  2. Subculture-type/Hipster prefers subculture or minor trends just to be different and have the "cool" factor. (obsessed with imitating idols/fictional characters)

  3. Evil Eye-Type admires mystical powers and pretends to have one of their own, to the extent of establishing an alias just for that.1

* * *

An example of DQN Chuunibyou:

> "Look at all those bandages wrapped around you! What happened?"
>
> "I had a bunch of gang fights."
>
> "Come on, I know you're too kind to be a gangster."

An example of Subculture Chuunibyou:

> "When I collect Pokémon cards, I only collect ones that are imported from
> Japan."
>
> "Can you read all those?"
>
> "-_-; S-sure I can..."

An example of Evil Eye Chuunibyou:

> "Don't take that bandana off my left wrist. It's sealing an evil spirit
> inside me and if you take it off I may go berserk."
>
> "Dude, calm down. You just have chuunibyou."2

* * *

References:

1 [Animanga Wikia: "Chuunibyou"](http://animanga.wikia.com/wiki/Chuunibyou)  
2 [Urban Dictionary:
"Chuunibyou"](http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Chuunibyou)  
3 [The Free Dictionary Language Forums: "Japanese Slang--
Chuunibyou"](http://forum.thefreedictionary.com/postst29720_Japanese-Slang--
Chuunibyou.aspx)  
4 _Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai!_ :)


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answer


As for medical term or more common term for chuunibyou, they actually show it
on first episode.

[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/DvZgf.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/DvZgf.jpg)

> eight grader syndrome, pubescent crisis, fourteen sick, hebephrenic
> schizophrenia, 8th grader syndrome. A decade ago it was still considered to
> be part of the rebellious age of puberty.

I couldn't find any reliable source of pubescent crisis or fourteen sick but
there are a lot explanation about hebephrenic schizophrenia and it seems like
hebephrenic schizophrenia is more chronic mental disorders then the chuunibyou
we know

From [wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disorganized_schizophrenia)
(emphasis mine):

> Disorganized schizophrenia, also known as hebephrenia or hebephrenic
> schizophrenia, is thought to be an extreme expression of the disorganization
> syndrome that has been hypothesized to be one aspect of a three-factor model
> of symptoms in schizophrenia, the other factors being reality distortion (
> **involving delusions and hallucinations** ) and psychomotor poverty (lack
> of speech, lack of spontaneous movement and various aspects of blunting of
> emotion).


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answer


**Yes, it’s a real thing.**

In reality, **Chuunibyou is way more common than we usually think.** That’s
because it isn’t just about pretending to have superpowers, but rather about
**pretending** in general. And its categorized into 3 types by how people tend
to pretend.

Hope I answered your question. If you’re still curious, try:

  * <https://godanimereviews.com/what-is-chuunibyou-is-it-real/>


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