Cringe attacks: Fans try to imitate Ayanokoji in real life

We have all gone through that strange stage in youth where we want to act like our favorite fictional character, but today's internet has taken this to an extremely uncomfortable extreme. In recent weeks, a viral trend has garnered millions of views on social media, starring content creators who try to teach their followers how to exactly emulate the sociopathic and calculating personality of Kiyotaka Ayanokoji, the protagonist of the acclaimed anime Classroom of the Elite (Youkoso Jitsuryoku Shijou Shugi no Kyoushitsu e).

From fiction to an absurd "personal development"

The videos flooding the platforms take the matter with alarming seriousness. Users break down the character's extreme emotional control and strategic capacity, selling it as a definitive guide to personal development. Under titles like "how to study like Ayanokoji" or even combining his twisted philosophy with "The 48 Laws of Power," this sector of the fandom seeks to apply his cold stoic methods to daily life, teaching absurd tactics such as maintaining a dead facial expression regardless of what happens around you or calculating every move of your own classmates.

The Sasuke syndrome strikes again

As expected, the other half of the otaku community has shown no mercy with their criticism. The vast majority labels these videos as the ultimate peak of cringe, calling them the most edgy material of the season. Many anime veterans feel an undeniable déjà vu, comparing this trend to the old dark days when fans wanted to be cold and distant like Sasuke Uchiha, or the recent internet obsession with trying to be like Patrick Bateman from American Psycho. The mockery focuses on reminding these young people that Ayanokoji is not a role model, but a traumatized youth who was raised in an extremely cruel human experimentation lab that has nothing to do with the problems of a normal high school.

Seeing how these trends of imitating cold and calculating personalities keep returning to the community every few years, do you think young people really use this as healthy motivation, or is it just another embarrassing anime phase they will want to erase from the internet when they grow up?