What Is DD (Daredemo Daisuki)? The Fan Who Loves Everyone, and How the Word Went From Insult to Badge
DD · Loves them all
You say you can’t narrow your favorites down to one group, and someone replies, “You’re DD, then.” Is that a compliment or a slightly prickly remark? Here is what DD means, how its meaning has changed, how it differs from juggling several oshi, and what to keep in mind when you use it.
What DD Means
DD is short for daredemo daisuki (誰でも大好き), “I love everybody.” It refers to the style of supporting many idols, groups and genres broadly instead of narrowing to one person or one group, or to the fans who do so. It is pronounced “dee-dee.”
The word spread in idol scenes, especially the underground and live-idol world, and at first it was a jeer or self-mockery close to “fickle” or “unprincipled.” It began as a tease aimed at fans who showed up at genba (live events) all over the place, in an era when devoting yourself to a single oshi (tan-oshi) was seen as the sincere way to be a fan. Shrinking Japanese initials into two letters of the alphabet is also typical of insider slang that came out of the genba.
Origins and Spread
The word is thought to have spread from multi-act live shows. In a lineup where several groups perform one after another in a night, you automatically meet performers other than the ones you came for, and “before I knew it, I had more groups I liked” can happen to anyone. The more festivals and circuit events appeared around the country, the more people took that path.
- 01Come for one groupA multi-act live show
- 02Meet others by chancePerformers you did not plan on
- 03Your list growsMore groups you like
- 04Hop between showsFestivals and circuits everywhere
The line-up format does the introducing for you.
Telling Similar Words Apart
DD is the style of loving many targets broadly, hako-oshi is loving one whole group, and kakemochi is the state of supporting several oshi or fandom spheres in parallel. The feel of each depends on where the emphasis lies, not on the number. Remember that DD speaks to the breadth of your tastes, while kakemochi speaks to how you spread your time and budget, and you won’t hesitate when you introduce yourself.
DD
- Loving many targets broadly
Hako-oshi
- Loving every member of a group
Kakemochi
- Supporting several oshi or fandom spheres in parallel
The emphasis, not the number, changes the feel.
Examples
- “I’m a zasshoku (omnivore) DD, so I hop between genba every weekend.”
- “I’m DD, but I do have a top oshi.”
- “Oshi overlap? I’m DD, so everyone is my oshi.”
- (Profile bio) “Omnivore DD / if something catches my eye, straight to the genba”
Zasshoku (“omnivore”) DD is a common variant that people use to describe themselves when they fall for things regardless of genre.
From Self-Mockery to a Positive Word: How the Meaning Changed
The feel of DD has changed a great deal over the past decade.
| Era | Nuance |
|---|---|
| Up to the early 2010s | Jeer or self-mockery (the flip side of an atmosphere of “only tan-oshi is the real thing”) |
| From the late 2010s | Neutralizing (as ways of supporting diversify) |
| Now | A positive self-description (“having lots of things you love is a talent”) |
Behind the shift is that subscriptions and social media have made it physically easy to follow multiple genres in parallel. Festival culture and multi-act live culture also encouraged the DD way of enjoying things.
- Jeer or self-mockeryOnly tan-oshi is the real thing
- NeutralWays of supporting diversify
- A positive self-descriptionLots of things you love is a talent
Subscriptions and social media made following many things easy.
A Note on Usage: Free for Yourself, Careful for Others
Because the word has been through a change in meaning, how it’s received still varies from person to person. Calling yourself “DD” is ordinary now, but saying “that person is DD” about someone else can land in the old, jeering sense. Be especially careful in fandom circles with a strong tan-oshi culture. The better someone knows the history of the word, the more carefully they use it for others.
Merits and Cautions of Being DD
Merits: You get a lot of genba (there’s an oshi somewhere every weekend), the door to falling into the swamp (numa-ochi) is always open, and you gain knowledge and connections across fandom spheres.
Cautions: Your wallet and stamina are finite. Trying to do everything “properly” in every direction leads straight to oshi-katsu fatigue. Precisely because you’re DD, it matters to decide this month’s main battlefield and pace yourself.
The Order for Planning a Month’s Allocation
- Put the irreplaceable days in first. One approach is to fill in the plans that only work on that day, such as an anniversary show, a birthday or a show with a graduation announcement
- Write travel and recovery time into the schedule, too. In some months the stamina drained by getting there and back is greater than what the few hours at the venue take
- Leave one slot open. Keeping room to respond to shows announced at short notice helps you preserve the mobility that suits a DD
- 01Irreplaceable days firstAnniversaries, birthdays, graduations
- 02Add travel and recoveryStamina is used getting there
- 03Leave one slot openFor short-notice announcements
Decide this month's main battlefield.
Common Misconceptions
- DD does not mean shallow love. It just means a large total amount of love, and the passion for each genba is real. A DD who is “wide and deep” rather than “wide and shallow” is not unusual
- DD and having a top oshi are not contradictory. “I’m DD, but I do have a top oshi (sai-oshi)” is an ordinary stance. Breadth and a number one can coexist
- DD does not mean you will eventually leave everyone. With so many targets, the comings and goings are simply more noticeable, and DDs who have followed the same names for 5 or 10 years are not rare
Notes From The Oshi Lab: The “Carrier of New Fans” Across Fandom Spheres
For a fan business, DDs are “carriers of new fans.” DDs who move across fandom spheres export one group’s culture and ways of enjoying it into another. We see the value of multi-act shows, festivals and collaboration projects as lying less in one-off attendance than in “creating circulation routes for DDs.”
We also read the change in the meaning of the word DD itself as a market signal. The norm of “pledging loyalty to one person” is loosening, and the norm of “supporting as many as you love” is taking its place. The shift in values is pushing fan-club design away from fencing fans in and toward memberships that let people come and go freely and assume they will follow several things at once. A design that treats fan mobility as betrayal no longer suits the times. Keeping your membership card while showing up in other fandom spheres, and finding your place still there when you return after a break: the breadth of that room is becoming a factor in long-term retention.
Related Terms
FAQ
What does DD mean?
It comes from the initials of *daredemo daisuki* ("I love everybody") and refers to the style of supporting many idols and groups broadly instead of narrowing to one, or to the fans who do so.
Is DD a negative word?
It once carried a jeering or self-mocking edge of "having no principles," but today it is increasingly used as a positive self-description meaning "having lots of things you love is a rich thing."
What is the difference between DD and hako-oshi?
Hako-oshi means supporting "one whole group," while DD means supporting across "multiple groups and genres." The two can combine in the "hako-oshi DD," who supports several whole groups at once.
Is it okay to call someone else DD?
As a self-description it is used positively, but aimed at someone else it can land in the old jeering sense of "having no principles." Unless the person calls themselves that, it is safest to avoid it.
