What Does This Mean?
リアコ (riako) is short for リアルに恋している ("really in love"). In Japanese fandom it describes a fan whose feelings for an idol, actor, streamer or fictional character go beyond admiration (推し) into genuine romantic feeling, often including wanting to be the person's special someone. It is used by fans about themselves and about others.
REAL-WORLD EXAMPLE
""He says he is リアコ for the lead singer, not just a regular fan.""
LORE & ORIGIN
Weblio says リアコ is a contraction of リアルに恋している, that it spread first among idol fans and is now also used for 2D characters and VTubers, and that it has been introduced as young women's social media slang. It notes a theory that the コ ending resembles the 子 in women's names, so it is used more for women. It separates リアコ from 推し (broad support) and from ガチ恋 (a heavier, more direct term). No dated first use is named.
MENTIONS OVER TIME
Radar observation data not yet available for this term.
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