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Imoutos This character archtype has long been my favorite ever since I came across it for the first time. I'm not entirely sure what it is that makes me like imoutos so much. Is it the "we shouldn't do this because we're siblings" thing or is it just that having someone related to you adoring you just boosts their cuteness to dangerously high levels? Regardless of reasons, lately I've been wondering about something that, for me, really factors in how much I like a little sister character. And that is the way they refer to their older brother. For some reason, despite the relationship being similar in several series, I've noticed I tend to dislike when the older brother is referred to by a particular set of names. The relationship might be close and cute, but just by calling a name I am not particularly fond off it suddenly makes me not like the character as much. So with this thread I want to ask member that like (or not) imouto characters: What drives you to like/dislike them? And Does the way they refer to the older brother play any role at all in the way you like the character? Since I'm making this thread and since I like imoutos so much I decided to compile all my opinions in most common names. So let's start off Onii-chan Classical term of referring to your older brother and the most commonly used in the industry. The word Onii-chan for me is one I can never hate. It is the most pure form to refer to one's older brother and boosts up the cuteness on almost any imouto character that uses it. No matter in what tone it is pronounced, being refered to as Onii-chan just sparks up something within me. Dropping the O to turn it into Nii-chan is still acceptable but the impact may vary depending on the tone used to pronounce it. Nii-san/Onii-san Rarely used to refer to an actual brother, i still consider the characters who refer to you as Onii-san to be imouto type, but it's not as powerful as the honorific chan for obvious reasons. I personally prefer with O than without it simply because without it it almost lacks any impact given that the honorific being used is -san (symbolizing a stranger) and there's no O to symbolize respect. Being referred to as Onii-san makes me want to help the person in question, it's like being relied on. Onii-sama/Nii-sama One of the honorifics I dislike. For some reason I've always felt that the honorific sama was more of a barrier between the 2 characters rather than bringing them close. By refering to one's brother as sama they are putting their brother in a tier different than their own, even though it shows respect it doesn't show cuteness. Most, if not all, characters that refer to their brother as Onii-sama have always managed to make me not like them all that much. It just doesn't feel imouto like to me. Aniki I don't love or hate this term, when being refered to as Aniki however it's basically symbolizing that the character in question sees their brother as either someone cool or they just don't like calling them by an affectionate nickname, it's a little half assed sometimes. Hence why being referred to as Aniki never really sparks up a flame within me. No honorific If you the imouto character is not using any honorific form to refer to their older brother they either don't like them or just don't see them as a brother at all and don't feel the need to use an honorific form. Obviously being called by your own name with no honorofic pretty much destroys a basic foundation for the imouto character. Exception to this rule are tsunderes that call you an honorofic form when in dere mode. Nii Nii One of the most powerful weapons a imouto character can wield. Nii Nii represents utmost joy for almost any siscon (me included). Being referred to by a nickname that was made just because you are adored by your sister exponentially boosts their cuteness and is almost impossible to resist. I can not resist this nickname at all, it is a true form of moe in itself. Nii Half the power of Nii Nii but still powerful nonetheless. Dropping the O might impact it, but dropping any kind of honorific at the end also brings one closer to their sister, it's quite the gap moe I daresay. The effects of Nii heavily depend on what tone is used to pronounce it. For me at least. Onii-tan This character is clearly too young to pronounce the word -san correctly. This character should not be viewed in a lascivious manner. Please make sure this character is raised with love and care so they can evolve into one of the above forms. Ani-ue We interrupt this thread to bring you ancient Japan. Jokes aside I don't like this term. Similar to Onii-sama it creates a hierarchical type of relationship, creating a gap between the sister and the brother that I pesonally don't find cute. Good thing it's pretty outdated and rarely used. As you can see, for me all these names provoke different feelings, they can even be a deciding factor on wether or not I end up liking the character. Just thought I'd share this with all of you and see if anyone has different opinions. Regardless, imouto characters who love their brothers need to be treated with love and care. Make sure you give plenty of love to your imoutos, they're the one being that won't leave your side no matter what. If not, this might happen: That is all.