Wait, is anime otakuism hereditary?!?

Most people would say that a love of anime isn’t something that has to be hard-wired into your DNA. Serving as obvious examples are the legions of overseas anime fans whose parents have no interest in Japanese animation, and thus only discovered and developed their appreciation for the medium entirely on their own, independent of the influences of the genes passed down by their parents.

But otakuism is still a relatively new phenomenon, and while it’s been getting increasing attention from sociologists and psychologists, very few clinical studies related to anime have been performed in the field of prenatal medicine. So perhaps there really is an otaku gene, and lending some visible credibility to such a theory is a photo shared by Japanese Twitter user @0x07188.

@0x07188 is a gamer and cosplayer, but she’s currently on a costuming hiatus since she’s about four months pregnant. Her due date isn’t until September, and at this relatively early stage even her most recent ultrasound didn’t reveal the baby’s gender. But while @0x07188 may not know if she’ll be having a boy or a girl, it does look pretty clear that she’ll be giving birth to one of Dragon Ball Z’s most iconic characters.

“We still don’t know the gender,” tweeted @0x07188, “but since the face in the ultrasound looks like Frieza, we’re calling the baby Fri-chan until we decide on an actual name.”

It turns out that @0x07188 isn’t the only mother to have carried a Frieza lookalike baby either, as yet another Twitter user chimed in to show off her ultrasound.

▼ “I gave birth five months ago, but I had a Frieza ultrasound too.”

Now, some might feel that seeing the face of a character who’s a planet-destroying megalomaniac is a bad omen for @0x07188. However, that interpretation overlooks the fact that Frieza is largely considered to be one of the most compelling characters in one of Japan’s most popular pieces of narrative fiction, but that he’s also often cited as being an ideal leader of men. “I think your baby will grow up to be a boss who’s really kind to his subordinates,” commented one well-wisher, and aside from the Frieza-influence boding well for the child’s future economic prospects, it might also mean that @0x07188’s baby is destined to be a great dancer as well.

Source: Hachima Kiko, Twitter/@0x07188