This site entry has been translated from an article originally posted by Mushizuka Mushizo here.

This article examines people who believe they receive “denpa” (radio) waves from another world and produce delusional literature—from divine revelations to conspiratorial claims. This article is not intended for readers who prefer to ignore the lives of those driven entirely by their own convictions and delusions.

• The term “denpa” refers to people who openly express irrational delusions or assertions. It may also be written as “デンパ,” “電波,” or “デムパ.” The transmission and receival of denpa waves is expressed through onomatopoeia such as “yun yun,” “yon yon,” or “yan yan.”

• The term “denpa” as a manifestation of paranoia became widely known after the perpetrator of the 1981 Fukugawa serial slashings testified that he was “commanded by denpa waves” to orchestrate his attacks.
  
  During his initial hearing, the defendant read a letter describing his perceived torment:
  
  “For years—day in and day out, without a moment’s rest—I was systematically tortured by psychological radio waves and recorded voices: the screams of men and women. It defied logic, was utterly inhuman, and is something no one should ever have to endure. A normal person would have suffered a breakdown within a week. I was relentlessly hounded by their unearthly, ferocious screams.”

• GIGAZINE is a magazine whose interior is lined with aluminum foil, supposedly to block denpa waves—even those said to come from outer space.

• Nemoto Takashi, who dubs himself as a “special manga artist” and the “President of Special Manga,” is a central figure in the study and representation of inga-sha (“karmic beings”) and denpaningen (“radio-wave people”). His work occupies a prominent place within Japan’s “bad taste” subculture and has exerted substantial influence on its development.

  He is credited with coining several key terms:

• Inga-sha: “Karmic being”; an individual interpreted as experiencing retribution for past actions, grounded in Buddhist conceptions of cause and effect.
• Ii kao: "Good face"; an expression marked by spiritual fulfillment, indicating not only attractive features or clear skin but a visible sense of inner contentment.
• Denpa-kei: A category describing individuals who claim divine revelation, engage in delusional thinking, or speak incoherently.
• Gomi yashiki: "Hoarder house"; a dwelling overrun by accumulated garbage and unwanted items, often to the detriment of its surrounding environment.
• Tokushu manga: "Special manga."

Nemoto’s contributions have played a significant role in shaping the vocabulary and aesthetics of Japan’s “bad taste” subculture.

• During the 1990s, amid the surge of “bad taste” and kichiku (“devilish”) subcultures, Murasaki Hyakuro positioned himself as an adherent of the “devilish” aesthetic, declaring his intent to “destroy the vulgar depths of pretentious Japanese culture.” Embracing “cowardly and despicable” as a personal credo, he cultivated a literary career characterized by deliberate sleaze and vulgarity, which he framed as a means of hastening societal decay.

  In 1996, he co-authored Denpa-kei with Nemoto Takashi. In this work, he claimed to possess a peculiar sensitivity that enables him to perceive the delusions and malice of others through so-called “denpa waves.”

• Uzuki Taeko is a manga artist and former adult video actress. She has experienced schizophrenia since childhood and underwent multiple hospitalizations related to overdoses, self-harm, and episodic homicidal impulses.

  Her ability to draw manga diminished over time due to hand tremors; nevertheless, she continued to work as a stage actress despite recurrent hospitalizations and suicide attempts. In 2007, she survived a suicide attempt involving a jump from an overpass, resulting in severe injuries, including facial disfigurement and blindness in one eye.

• This book offers a systematic compilation of accounts from individuals who claim to receive otherworldly messages or produce cryptic texts through “denpa” wave transmissions. It is not intended for readers who prefer to overlook or minimize the behaviors of individuals driven by fixed convictions or delusional beliefs.

The book's obi states:

“From divine revelations to conspiracy exposés… ‘Denpa’ individuals are those who receive messages from the other side directly within their minds. This work presents a nightmarish display of phantasmagoria, created through the collaboration of two leading figures: Murasaki Hyakuro, a fiendish, real-life denpa who has received thousands of transmissions, and Nemoto Takashi, the President of Special Manga and an authority on inga-sha and denpaningen. Everything denpa.”

• “After a month-long absence from school, Natsumi returns as a follower of the new Omoidekyo religion. The cult employs Meguma prayer and magic to induce madness, leading to a series of brutal incidents. As I become entangled in this world of delirium and violence, what will become of my love?”

Otsuki Kenji’s first full-length novel portrays a youth immersed in horror.

Articles include:

• Wiretapping Syndrome
• Suicide Attempts
• Technophobia
• The Woman Who Loves Too Much
• Personality Disorders
• Drug Addiction
• Prison Psychiatric Wards
• The Human Rights of Psychopaths

These texts open a window onto the distant yet disquietingly familiar borderlands of the psyche, where delusion, hallucination, dependency, and madness converge. The material is more unsettling than conventional horror, encompassing accounts of psychiatric illness, Stockholm syndrome, substance dependence, alcoholism, prison-induced psychosis, and the dangers posed by obsessive idol fixations.

I recommend this volume to readers with a scholarly or clinical interest in psychopathology, though it may not be appropriate for all audiences.

• “At Awaji Station, a woman on the platform was shouting, ‘Keep your smartphone away from me!’ She drank hydrogen water between outbursts, insisting, ‘Smartphones emit radiation that harms your health—it’s scientifically proven!’ I couldn’t stop laughing.”

- @vwxyzumi0709

• “The phrase ‘Hakko Ichiu’ reminds me of that denpa cafe near a certain Tarumi station. Its handwritten sign read ‘Hakko Ichiu.’ I think the owner got busted for making a pass at an underage girl.”

• Hakko Ichiu: translates to "all eight corners of the world under one roof." It is a Japanese nationalist concept that was used to justify expansionism and militarism. While initially framed as a divine mission for world peace and universal brotherhood under benevolent Japanese rule, it was interpreted by many in occupied territories as a justification for conquest and a source of Japanese imperial dominance. Its use was banned after the war ended.

- @ppponsu

• “I just remembered this denpa old lady who used to ride her bike through Ikebukuro West Exit Park at breakneck speed with a Pomeranian in the basket, shouting ‘Balls are the symbol of manhood!’... She’s right, you know.”

- @justicepower

• “The denpa old man in my neighborhood (whose house looks amazing!) is always scribbling mathematical equations, Chinese poetry, famous quotes, and surprisingly good artwork in chalk on the road in front of his house in the morning. I happened to be passing by one day and saw him playing a bamboo flute in the park across the street. What a talent!”

- @umeno_13

• “I sometimes come across denpa on Twitter—people posting incoherent messages or repeating the same specific, incomprehensible story. Once, in a basement cafe in the Osaka Station Building, both the owner and staff were speaking nonsense. Total denpa cafe lol”

- @cornelius0321

• “Not long ago, denpa were considered schizophrenic, but now they’ve gained acceptance as victims of “gang stalking.” My place is haunted–weird noises, inexplicably bent clock hands, etc.,–but I never thought it was the doing of some secret society. I heard there was even an old lady handing out flyers saying that Prime Minister Abe lives in her attic. Scary…”

- @bluesandblue

• “They tweet about ‘gang stalking’ and ‘denpa wave attacks’, and the more I learn about them, the more frightening they become. It’s on a whole ‘nother level.”

- @inukani715

• “(Osaka) A 29-year-old woman was arrested for suddenly attacking a boy in a park. Her incomprehensible statement reads, ‘I was ordered to do so.’

  This kind of person is called a ‘denpa’.”

- @countzerocount

Karaage Danshaku on Tumblr claims the term ‘denpa-kei’ originated from the ‘denpa cafes’ that used to be located near Nakameguro Station. The editor in charge of Nemoto Takashi’s “Life Detox Wharf” (a series that ran in Takarajima 30) recounts his memory of said cafes. Neither Takarajima 30 nor the denpa cafes exist anymore, but…

• Flyers promoting incoherent ideologies are often found hidden among notices posted on public properties or handed out in front of train stations. Examples of denpa flyers (from Twitter) are below.

  _{Translator’s note: I ain’t readin all that}

On platforms like YouTube, there are videos showcasing disruptive behavior by individuals with schizophrenia—public screaming, violent outbursts on trains—and videos posted by the individuals themselves, filming ordinary people or vehicles as supposed evidence of gang-stalking.

On NicoNico Douga, videos involving individuals with schizophrenia became a topic of discussion among certain groups like the Koushin cult and the Inmu-chu community. Examples include a woman causing a disturbance on a train by picking fights with others, forcing the train to stop; videos featuring popular “delusional warriors” later dubbed as “The Four Lords of Carbs” (Sayuri, Adachi Shin, Terai Neki and aiueo700, who is credited with sparking the initial surge in popularity).

• Inmu-chu: an umbrella term to describe online video editing subculture on the Japanese web.
• Toushitsu (lit., “carb[ohydrate]”): a Japanese slang term used to refer to individuals with schizophrenia.

This article examines the origins and anatomy of the denpa individual–one perceived as expressing delusional, paranoid, or otherworldly claims—and traces how the term has evolved across criminal cases, subcultures, literature, and online communities. It situates denpa both as a social label for individuals exhibiting symptoms associated with psychosis and as an aesthetic category within Japan’s “bad taste” subculture, shaped by figures like Nemoto Takashi and Murasaki Hyakuro. The article also highlights how denpa has been sensationalized in media, adopted into literature, and spread through street flyers, personal anecdotes, and viral videos—culminating in a portrait of denpa as a hybrid of pathology, urban folklore, and digital-era spectacle. I hope to pick up more of Ohta Publishing's books and translate them if I can.

I gotta admit, it was kinda depressing to read about the Four Lords of Carbs. I don't know them personally, nor have I seen any of their content, but the treatment they receive online mirrors that of Western "lolcow" culture, and it rubs me the wrong way. Yes, it can be funny when someone falls for ragebait, but I can't help but feel pity for those being bullied (if that's even the proper term) for exhibiting clear symptoms of mental illness. Let us learn from this and treat those afflicted by mental illness with dignity and respect.