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How did it get so popular in otaku subculture?

What is the name of the proper name for name tag that's commonly found on
female school swimwear? Sometimes it just says the name, sometimes just the
class number, and other times both. What significance does it play both in-
universe and in real life?

[![Ah
so?](https://i.stack.imgur.com/qPGL1l.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/qPGL1.png)


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culture
Why are school swimsuits with name tags such a popular item in otaku subculture?


It's a bit difficult to find the name, though using the word from the Japanese
Wikipedia page, it seems to be this: 名札.

To summarize the [Japanese
Wikipedia](http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%BD%93%E6%93%8D%E7%9D%80) page on
gym clothes:

It seems like there are two reasons to have these name tags. The first reason
is for identification for emergency response. If a student is injured while
exercising or, in this case, has a problem while swimming, they can be quickly
and easily identified. Also, it allows for identification both to help people
keep their clothing straight and to be identifiable to the teachers/other
students in the class.

This is corroborated as well in the German Wikipedia page on
[mizugi](http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_Mizugi), or Japanese swim-wear,
where it states that the name-tags help teachers identify their students
because identification is otherwise difficult due to the swim-caps.

The reason for it being so popular with otaku subculture is likely just that
swimsuits in general are popular, and this is just one aspect of it.
Additionally, they are used in schools primarily, so they likely show an
aspect of innocence that is also popular.


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# What is it called?

There doesn't seem to be a separate name for that kind of school swimsuit, but
the the part with name and class written on it can be called either ゼッケン
(zekken, literally meaning cloth) or 名札 (nafuda, literally meaning name tag).

# Why is it popular?

I don't think there's a definitive or objective way to answer why school
swimsuits are so popular in anime, but here are translations of some of the
possibilities mentioned in various answers to [a very similar Yahoo Chiebukuro
question](http://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail/q1189881196):

  * It's easier to draw everyone in school swimsuits than to make up a swimsuit design for each character
  * They make the character seem younger, inferior, and/or weaker
  * They expose some skin and show off a character's body while still seeming immature
  * It's moe (see related question: [What does 'moe' mean?](https://anime.stackexchange.com/questions/894/what-does-moe-mean))
  * They have a simple design which is appealing
  * Lolicons prefer school swimsuits, and it's easier to please all of lolicons with school swimsuits than to attempt to please all the other groups with widely varying preferences

# What is its purpose?

From the [Japanese Wikipedia article for gym
uniforms](http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%BD%93%E6%93%8D%E7%9D%80#.E3.82.BC.E3.83.83.E3.82.B1.E3.83.B3),
which typically also include the same patch with a student's name:

> In order to manage students and in the event of an accident while
> exercising, the student's name, class, attendance number (similar to an ID
> number), etc. are filled out on a white cloth name tag that is sewn or
> embroidered onto the clothing.

There was no relevant information in the article specifically for school
swimsuits which is why I used the article for gym uniforms in general.


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