There's a few flashbacks in the manga and lore bibles you should be looking at that will give you at snapshot into Laios' life at a younger age. No plot spoilers, but a characterization spoiler ahead for the bible. For instance, there's a comic where Laios meets Falin for the first time after she's born. He seemingly has 0 reaction to her and his father is a bit distressed over it as Laios runs out of the room after they're done being introduced. We then see Laios systematically tell all the animals on the estate that he's a big brother now. Additionally there's also why he enjoys monsters much more than people. You know where you stand with monsters and laios has never been able to make or keep human friends as a child and into adulthood due to not really understanding people on a deeper level.
That's definitely broadens the perspective of Laios. While I am going to wait for Season 2 before reading the manga, I think doing a follow-up video after I watching S2/reading the manga will be huge. Thanks for the idea.
@ so far the anime and manga are more or less pretty one to one in terms of plot, but they’re not animating a lot of the additional content that comes at the back of books or chapters. If you don’t have time for a whole read through it would be worth it to check them and the adventurer’s bible up.
@@YTThatOneGuy Also you have to consider Laios's reaction to Falin being turned into a monster. Most people, even fans of monsters, would be horrified. But Laios is so enamored with monsters he thinks this is amazing. You know until he realizes she's killing people and isn't at all in control. This is beyond not reading the room. This is him assuming Falin's feelings based on what his own would be in that situation. Even if he isn't autistic he can't be neuronormative.
I saw that flashback too and it's so relatable as someone with autism. Plus as a child enjoying animals more than people since people are so judgey when you're an autistic child.
Also Falin who is very much on his wavelengh, including them not tasting mermaids, ha ha, and she was a weird alone obsessed persom too at magic school, yeah laios is also loud playing dod as child, and both are super alienated in the village, as falin is as obsessed wit hspirit magic thats dealing with dead people, and marcela Falins only and closest, friends or more, confirms that Falin is on his wavelengh. Of course she asked what moster we ate, that as thing, is taboo in that world. And highly disagree, on whats common, and senshi figured out how because, a tragic backstory, and its highly frowned upon and said to drive people insane or is for the worst scum, the party, em he softens them in on it and they are that close to get along.
Laios is shown to be hyporeactive to pain, when marcille heals all party members they are all shown to be in terrible pain, while Laios says it just itches. He did not wash his body or cut his hair/shaved at all when he was living alone and only did so because Falin convinced him to (shown in extras) So to me he does check the marker for hyposensitivity to pain and external stimulli such as feeling dirty. He is also drawn wearing some different clothes in an extra comic and is complaining that he dislikes wearing clothes that feel tight and that he doesn't like how the turtleneck feels on his neck (some autistic people can be hypo sensitive to some things ans hyper sensitive to others); As for stimming, Laios is shown to always like handling monster itens such as the Shapeshifter's tail and the Giant Bat bones, used to pretend to be a monster or dog very often specially as a child (later manga chapters), read his favourite book so often he probably knows it by heart (extras) draws monsters often to the point he is very good at it, his room is shown to be filled with monster parts (extras as well). He also flaps his hands to prepare for the dog imitation and has rehearsed a siren's song over time so he could sing along. So yeah he does meet all the criteria, i'm a psychologist btw.
While I can't speak to the manga (Anime only at the moment), those are definitely some nice catches. I especially appreciate the hyposensitivity part! I completely forgot that moment when his leg was healed. When S2 comes around, I may have to take another watch of the whole series and do a follow-up video.
Tbf, being hyporeactive to pain could be a biological trait of Tallmen. IIRC, when they race swap from the mushrooms, Chuck (who became a Tallman) notes that his head/body feels foggier/duller (I don't recall the exact wording), possibly implying that Tallmen have lower sensitivity including to pain.
@@jk-2053 i think chilchucks reaction to being a tall man is more reflective of half foots than tall man. Marcille experiences intense anxiety as a half foot, and chilchucks tends to be on edge very often. It's often noted that he has sharper senses than the others and marcille reflects this as a half foot. Becoming a tall man helped dull his anxiety, and his senses were no longer as sharp, which is why I think he made those comments, if that makes sense
@@jk-2053That's more in comparison to Half-foots, who are noted for having sharper senses than other races, which is why many of them function as Rogues in adventuring parties, and were historically used for things like siren detection
Ryoko Kui said in an interview that she never intended Laios to be autistic, but she is glad people can see that in him. IMO Studio Trigger DID see that in him as well and leaned into it. A lot of his behaviors in the manga are simply reactions or gags, while the same scenes in the anime are coded as autistic behaviour. There are so few good depictions of autism in media that, even if this diagnosis is something we're all pulling out of our butts, I think we should celebrate it.
It's been a good couple years for it. Scavengers Reign had probably the most solid and respectful autistic kid who's like.... really autistic I guess 😂 like a lot of ticks and really quite socially awkward but also being just the best at the same time.
Tbf, recent anime has been pretty good on autistic rep. Theres Laios, ofc, but Frieren (and arguably Fern too) as well as the entire main trio of Spy X Family, just to name a few off the top of my head. And I heard good things about Apothecary Diaries too.
Is it really through? Like you said the author never intended Laios to be autistic. I also read the I twrview and I don't remember her ever mentioning she is glad other people see it that way she was surprised by the interviewer constantly asking her questions about autism, Senshis up skirt shots and shipping and you could feel through the screen how uncomfortable she was...... Anyway is it really a good representation when Kui-sensei did not mean to do one and a bunch of people just collectively decided that their headcanon?
NGL I feel Ryoko Kui may know someone who is autistic but may not have been diagnosed, some traits just feel very similar to my diagnosed friends and even they admit that Laios seems to hit a lot of markers.
@TheSpeep it really is a great system properly getting it diagnosed is an alienating and often completely unhelpful process. I've never once met a psychologist who is capable of giving practical advice. But the room of autistic people who confirmed me? They were great ya know more liable to give incorrect advice but they actually tried lol.
@@babygorilla4233 Yeah I'm of the opinion that if you are neurodivergent, you can tell. You might not be able to pin down exactly what it might be, but youll know youve got something. I didnt get my autism diagnosis til I was 17, but I'd had suspicions I might have something along those lines at least since I was 12. And if you are neurodivergent and have even slightly read up the some stuff, you will develop a decent sense for who else is too, call it whatever our version of a gaydar is. Adhdar? idk. Tldr: I wouldnt go too specific on a self diagnosis, but it doesnt take an (often unavailable) expert to tell you youve got something going on.
Many people go undiagnosed as children and we are currently seeing many adults getting diagnosed with autism in their 30s-50s because of both “masking” when they were younger and the fact that the “autism spectrum” is a new concept that people over 25 would not have been diagnosed with because at the time of their childhood, Asperger’s and autism were considered separate disorders with autism having more restrictive criteria than it does now. At that time many people on the spectrum have gone misdiagnosed as ADD (which is no longer valid) or ADHD, or under diagnosed with just the ADHD diagnosis recognised, such as myself at 33 who is diagnosed with ADHD but I also show strong signs of having Asperger’s. Case in point, Sean from JackSepticEye recent disclosed his autism diagnosis he just received in his mid 30s.
I was lucky and was Diagnosed with Aspergers when I was around 17. I'm 32 now. Prior to that I had been misdiagnosed and medicated for a ton of shit including "Eh, she's an asshole" and "It's just a phase she'll grow out of" as well as "Give her Ritalin"
Sean is the reason I am now actively pursueing a diagnosis for ASD but man is it tiring navigating the healthcare system. I hope I'll be able to get it next year. It would make me so happy to finally have certainty.
@@literallynooneimportant2337 it’s been a crazy week in the health insurance world. At least for Americans. I hope Sean has better healthcare in Ireland. Hope you get things resolved soon. I too have the same problem.
Nice to meet other people that were diagnosed as an adult. I am 28 and have only been diagnosed for 2 years so I am still learning all of the differences and nuances of the spectrum and what behaviors of mine are autistic. I also do not see the reason why it went undiagnosed for so long for so many people get so thoroughly explained like you described. Usually it is talked about with such willful ignorant causes as video games or vaccines. So thanks you for commenting.
And sometimes, you go through the trouble of persuing a diagnosis, only to be denied one because you are underprepared, you overthink the questions in the questionair and end up with the "wrong" answer, you don't recognize your own stims ("I don't stim", while spinning the pen), your parents claim that "the boy has been normal as a child", and your diagnostitian doesn't notice that half your symptoms are either covered by your masking or by your undiagnosed ADHD! Makes you wonder if peer review might be the more relyable method for autism diagnosis after all.
i love how you handled the diagnosis, very professional and clinical. if you simply dont have enough information, you cant make the choice of whether he is or not. splendid work
As an autistic guy myself (with proper diagnosis), I feel very similar to Laios. But I do understand the necessity to further analyse him to make a proper statement if he is or not autistic.
It's also okay to relate to a character without the character sharing the same diagnosis. People tend to project themselves on the characters that they relate with and that's okay but that doesn't mean that the character actually shares all of your traits... Actually now that I think about it being predisposed to assuming that kind of relationship does seem to happen more in people on the spectrum so that may also be part of the reason why so many people are so insistent about it. Ha that's interesting I am going to have to pay attention to see if that happens with other characters a lot too.
I will forever remember a scene in the manga (mild spoilers) in which lil Laios is shown his lil sis for the very first time by his parents, we can see and its verbally stated by his parents how he showed no explicit reaction nor emotion during that first meeting and how his parents think that "he might be too young to fully grasp it" (he was a bit above 3 years old) but we as the audience see how lil laios without any facial expression hurries out of the room to the animals and still without facial expression announces to them all individually that he has a lil sister now Not physically communicating feelings with others and having an easier time talkin to animals is such a classic autistic trait as well es adults assuming one is not neurologically developed enough just because they cannot read ones emotions and stuff Ps. we actually see him physically stimm in the anime a couple of times which pretty much never happens to be visualised for other characters sides them being in imense distress
The best "is character X autistic" video I've seen. Usually people just say "the character flaps their hands and is awkward, they must be autistic!" It's rare to see someone just go through the DSM and see how it fits. I don't think you need to be a professional to see if someone fits the DSM criteria or that being a professional would even help you see if they fit - they're pretty simple questions. The issue is usually lack of information on childhood or other possible causes. Given we often have direct access to the thoughts of fictional characters in a way we never do of humans IRL, it might be easier to 'diagnose' a fictional character than a real person. It seems the manga gives us more of his childhood than the anime, so he's one of the characters we're more able to "diagnose." (low rates of diagnosis in Japan and an unwillingness to talk about mental illness in media mean that the chance a fictional character meets diagnosis but isn't labelled in the show is higher than in the west)
for B 4, Laios has shown an ability to decipher the sounds of foot steps between different monsters, and that is ALSO sensory input, since sound is a sense. While it could be a truama response, it should have been taken into consideration
That's more about of his hyperfixation over monsters than trauma, because the only thing i remember that traumatizes him a bit are Ghosts, Since one almost took his soul when he was a child.
My husband asked me why lots of people kept saying Laios was autistic and started crying as I explained. I do suspect he is too but isn't ready to face that. I also most likely am, enough to have made it through primary evaluation (the appointment before they put you on the waiting list) and learning about autism and spending time in the autistic community helped me understand myself and other people better and has made my life a lot easier (but still hard, I'm limited in the kinds of jobs that won't make me miserable and get fired in more or less 6 months)
Yeah, the idea of being autistic can hit very differently for different people. I went to a therapist a while ago, talked about certain problems and anxiety attacks I had, but also about things like sensory overload and other problems I have. She asked me if I wanted to make an autism screening test that was made specifically for adults (I was 30 at that time). It didn't simply ask for symptoms, but also if they were present earlier in life and if they got better or worse. Let's just say that I scored much higher than I expected even though I already thought that I might be autistic. The diagnostic range started at eight points and I scored 20. Honestly, I was relieved. It's still strange to think of myself as disabled, but it helps to know that my struggles that nobody seemed to understand were actually valid. But I can understand that finding out that you have a disability can be hard for some people, especially those with high goals in life.
11:05 it’s worth noting that Shuro doing that was (at least partially) a commentary on the shortcomings of Japanese society regarding interpersonal relationships.
re: Shuro, that's a great insight in how while this could be an insight into Laios' autism, this was also a conflict of personality *and* culture. The "no means yes" culture of this world's verison of Japan (especially nobility like Shuro's family) is notoriously difficult to parse even regularly, so it's understandable to me where both of them are coming from. To Shuro, he was being blunt and obvious about his reactions and Laios didn't react properly. To Laios, he was being trying to be friendly and Shuro is the one who didn't respond properly. Interestingly, I've seen autistic and/or Japanese fans comment about how they think Shuro himself could be read as autistic from their viewpoint, because of how he acts within the anime and manga stuff, but that's a different topic. I just wanted to comment on it, cause I love this scene in particular cause it really showcases the mangaka's ability to provide insight on the characters and their cultures, and how she uses that to further delve into the idea of ecosystems and environments and the societies that come up out of them.
im so glad someone else said this! people are so mean to shuro when its like... its just a misunderstanding, they fought it out, and reached an understanding of other other, and its Funny. to me. i see shuro not only as someone in a cultural that had very specific conflicts (full of "soft nos" and such), but also as an autistic man who had to get good at masking really fast to survive in his particular environment. i think their interactions are so much richer with that in mind, with a high mask vs low mask autism pair, and the conflicting needs they represent. in short: we love autism 2 autism violence here
As a neurodivergent person (in the ASD and ADHD spectrum) I relate a LOT to Lios and both Chilchuck, and love the dungeon meshi series!!! But also as someone who has a special interest/hyperfixation in psychology, I'm nervous about the use of the DSM5 used in the video just because it's quite outdated in some of its terms and definitions and would heavily recommend the updated DSM6. Still, I love the video and I greatly appreciate how respectful you are through the full video along with providing Examples and explanations of neurodivergent traits, and how they could relate to Lios!
@emilybalentine9123 I mean I know but I was mostly talking about when it will come out later in the future. Despite the DSM5 being the most up to date copy we currently have, there is still a few things within it I wouldn't entirely trust by it's "text book definition" That's all I really meant sorry!!!
On top of some of the things other commenters already mentioned, in terms of additional context given by the manga that really adds credence to certain points of his characterization, I wanted to highlight what you mentioned in the video already in terms of masking, because that's one particular point that holds a lot of weight. Specifically, we have some indication already that Laios has historically masked some of his traits, prior to the story starting. He already knew Marcilke and Chilchuck long before the story, having adventure together since long before the fist episode, yet when they foray into the dungeon again, we see how shocked they both are by his more extreme behaviors and his heightened interest in monsters. It's not surprising, either, considering how he struggled with fitting in in the past, to think he might have started masking some of his behaviors, and the fact that those two, who have known him for a longer time, were still surprised by a lot of his behavior in the series indicates that he didn't show off those sides of himself until now. Even *with* that, we can see it was still a struggle for him to really fit in with others, and yet there was still a lot ohlf himself that he was hiding from his party. To me, this indicates that he already has some history of masking, making it not out of the question that there would be more he might be masking subconsciously, or simply have even learned to cope with over time so that it doesn't show actively. Of course, that only makes it more difficult, from a clinical perspective, to really determine how much he fits the criteria, if there may be behaviors or issues we as the audience don't get to see die to his masking, but it does stand to show that there's precedent for it and it's not out of the question. There's also the fact that a story is, by default, limited in the amount of information about him we get to see, just on account of what's relevant to the story. But, with the way he's characterized and the limited experiences we do see, I don't think it's a wonder that a lot of autistic people really saw themselves in Laios, at least within the context of what the story showcased the most, that being his social behaviors and difficulties. It was interesting to see this more objective look at his characterization through this lens, though, and I'm interested to see how your analysis will change after season 2, since like others have mentioned, there's a lot of additional information there that really helps fill out this image. On top of that, I can't recommend enough that you consider looking at the extra content! It's something the anime hasn't adapted, but at the end of each chapter of the manga, there are additional scenes that don't affect the storyline itself but really flesh out the characters and world, so once season 2 is out, even if you don't read the whole manga, I think it's definitely worth at least reading those bonus scenes for the insight they offer!
Understanding non-verbal communication is not indicative of not being autistic because you can learn it the way you would a foreign language Source: I've done a lot of trial and error when it comes to non-verbal communication
A lot of people who are diagnosed late have had time to study non verbal communication very deeply I'm still not great, but I'm better at it than I was as a kid
"Does Laios have Autism?" Yes, yes he does. And I cant believe it took me so long to see it! I've read the books since the very beginning and I cant help but think "How did I not See it?!"
@@redsapphire2878 Sorry sweety, as someone with Autism I'm not good with possessive tenses and nouns. To me, he has Autism, because to be Autistic is to have Autism. He IS neurodivergent, and so am I.
I do not think he is myself, tbh. Not a professional but i am autistic myself, it seems he has traits but everyone can have traits. eh its not like it matters if he is or not anyway, its a disability, and it doesn't seem to affect him much if he is like it does me and friends who have it. He's a cool character, and has a lot of traits u dont see much in media which is fun, and i think if we do get to learn more abt his past and it comes out from the creators he was written to be autistic thats also cool
As your follow i recommend you to read the other comments fron the fans who knows the manga and Laios' past more deeply. In some sense you Will Not feel him aa One, bit for me despite having different traits and manners i identified him as one of us because his specific behavior That All of us have, besides every Autistic person having different behaviors.
I've seen people argue that Laois can't be autistic because Ryoko Kui didn't intend to make him that way. My response is that my parents didn't intent to make me as autistic, and yet, here I am.
My mum never thought I was autistic because she used to work around Cambridge uni and all the professors she ran into acted like me. I thought it was culture clash bc Americans were "loud and boisterous" so clearly I was just British. I got diagnosed with smart and British as a kid and autism as an adult lmfao
Very nice breakdown. Systematic and acknowledges the common issues with the subject matter. Especially the issue of late identification and diagnosis, when masking is common.
This was really cool I'd love to see more stuff like this. You see a lot of psych analysis for live action characters or cartoons but not enough anime like this
Wait, mimicking animal sounds is a sign of an autistic trait? I used to hiss like a cat a lot as a kid, even at other people, and howl, and cockle doodle do… yeahhh, I did a lot of animal sounds 😅
@Rietto yeah I do that a lot lol, especially if I find it somewhat humorous. So I’ll like say it again and laugh. Idk I just enjoy doing it and I don’t really think about it 😄
Thank you so much for this video! Funnily enough relating a bit too much to Laios and encouragement from my parents is what led me to reach out to my psychologist and get diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder at 19 years old. I definitely agree with your decision to hold back a full diagnosis so far. I myself started looking into self diagnosis at a younger age because I just couldn't understand and communicate with the people in my life. Laios from an anime only perspective does not clearly meet all of the criteria and self diagnosing is a difficult topic within the autistic community. A lot of people may not do extensive research and end up self diagnosing themselves for one or two quirky traits that they have. Being able to critically analyze a character like Laios as an autistic person and diagnose him the way that you did is extremely important and I think this is a great example of what self diagnosis can look like and how it can also be critically analyzed as a means of a full diagnosis of autism. Something I wanted to add to Laios's diagnosis that you briefly mentioned is the different levels one might be diagnosed with. Autism can be diagnosed with levels 1-3 depending on how much support an autistic person may need. Level 1 being an autistic person that is able to live independently but is different from neurotypical people all the way to Level 3 which is an autistic person that cannot live without extensive support. Someone like Laios who would be diagnosed later in life would end up being diagnosed with Level 1 Autism due to his ability to mask and therefore not requiring extensive support. I will say having read the manga and extra bits in art books, Laios could definitely be diagnosed with Autism. Once season 2 releases/the entire series is animated I would love to see another video on Laios's diagnosis!
Funnily to me, Laios is one of the most refreshing and likeable male anime protagonists I've seen in sometime. Maybe because he breaks so many molds and is allowed to be quirky without falling into typical tropes. Wither or not it was the intent of the author, they did end up writing a very realistic autistic coded character and he's just so damn loveable too. That's what amazed me about Dungeon Meshi, the concept and characters are so simple, but so likeable.
The author has stated they didn't intent to make Laios autistic, however they don't mind it either. The animation studio however felt he was clearly autistic and thus coded him like that exaggerating scenes from the manga to fit that. So anime Laios is very much autistic but manga Laios is up for debate. But it might be that future Laios will be more autism coded because we're always influenced by our environment.
Actually the eating well and very balanced part really comes from senshi, from what we can see in the intro, it clearly they just did as they could pull, laios clearly sees senshinas a teacher in the way of life he wants, so him copying to the heart this aspect (not jaut being full bit apreciating food in this way) is from hai relationship with senshi (in the manga it was shows laios in many moments of his life he really did very poorly for his health and feeding)
Re: Laios's potential hypo- or hyper- sensitivity to external stimuli you missed in episode 1 with the man-eating plants how Laios is keenly interested in how Marcille felt to be grabbed by one of the plants - because he specifically thought the pressure would feel nice. It might be an overlap with his monster interest, but there's some indication that particularly interested in certain kinds of sensory input. Admittedly the manga/future seasons are likely to get into more detail, as many people have said.
It is also interesting that Laios has conflicted feelings about his father. He is also known for miscommunication and is a huge fan of dogs (that’s why their family had over ten dogs and Laios grew up with them). He tends to self isolate and seems cold on the outside even though he does care about his children. You just see him, look at Laios, at his dad and go “ooooooh… yeah that checks out”. These traits seems to run in family Also I would note down that there are doodles of what clothes do some characters prefer and Laios is shown to be a t-shit/hoodie guy disliking a lot of clothes for their texture or for being too tight, so that’s one for sensitivity from him It would be interesting to have such analysis of Falin too with s2 out and extras. Many autistic women relate to her and she seems to mask a lot
Everywhere there is a debate about whether Laios is autistic, I often see comments saying that the artist or most Japanese people are autistic simply because the artist says Laios is normal. I think that's very rude. I hope there aren't comments like that here.
I understand the mangaka has stated that it was not their intention when creating Laios to explicitly create an autistic character, but I do wonder if they unwittingly based character traits on autistic individuals, fictional and/or real.
ngl I think when people use "The author didn't intend for him to be autistic" in order to claim he's not is always a funny choice because like... I'm sure plenty of people have written a story where while they were doing it they didn't truly know what the story was about on the first draft and once that first draft was done they went "Oh! I see now!" while they are the literal author. I recall outlining a story that was just an idea for a beauty and the beast story, and it wasn't until I had the outline done that followed their journey that I went "Ah, I see... this is an allegory for how we treat out ill and disabled as burdens and sometimes as monsters, dehumanizing them in fear that we too shall catch the condition" meanwhile the starting intent was just "Beauty and the Beast fairytale romance. It's the same with characters. Sometimes you don't know what their ism is or went into it intended to have them represent the ism, but they very much have it in the text.
@@KichiMiangraok you see the problem is people are softening the author words She got asked if he was autistic and she straight up said "no, he is just a regular dude"
@@maritofuentes4690 I know you were just specificating the wording of the quote but I kinda laughed out loud when reading it because "Regular Dude [that exhibits autistic behavior]" is kinda the description of a High Functioning autistic! Even the direct wording sounded like my dad when I got diagnosed at 17 and he was in denial. I was just a regular normal girl who was awkward in social situations, avoided eye contact, couldn't stand certain textures or stimuli, was non verbal until kindergarten, made booping sounds at the checkout line's booping sounds, had encyclopedic knowledge of Dinosaurs and various other extinct fauna, couldn't tell when people were mad at me even when they were yelling so I'd laugh, couldn't sit still unless I was tapping my fingers on something, and threw a fit if you took me off my strict regimented routine. You know, regular girl stuff! Lol Although I think my statement still stands. Even if the author doesn't intend it, if you write an person being autistic you miiiiight have written an autistic person. Like, If you wrote a Guy character who only dates guys (with no further context) you Miiiiiiight have written a gay character. Same energy
Someone caught me! You're right, this video was made a while ago. Closer to when the Dungeon Meshi anime just ended. Some things got in the way of me posting the video unfortunately.
I was curious where you were going to go with this. I know the ASD diagnosis tends to look at how it inconveniences neurotypical folk and I've seen professionals approach it that way, which I find incredibly off-putting. You didn't do that. The author may not have intended to write Laios (or Falin) as autistic, but they both felt "normal" to me almost immediately, something that I don't generally experience. The way the other characters react to Laos, even his friends, was incredibly familiar. What really sealed the deal for me, though, is I watch reactions since I don't really have anyone to talk to about these shows, and the way the reactors I watched responded to him was painfully familiar. They didn't dislike him, but they didn't understand him at all. I was reading the manga for a bit, I need to pick it back up, but I was still getting the same feeling there. It's possible I was just carrying it over from the anime but it felt like the same person to me. ADHD dx'd 2x 25 years apart, both times as an adult, unofficial professional asd dx last year after some 20-odd years of debating with myself, taking a bazillion tests and reading all kinds of material.
One of the topics of conversation that came up relatively frequently with different reactors was his "lack of empathy." Among the non-autistic reactors I watched, that was what convinced a lot of them that Laios is autistic. I found that incredibly frustrating; Laios is not lacking in empathy by any stretch. I often used the doppelganger episode, one that some believed supported their claim, to show them his empathy. Briefly he would not have been able to pick out his friends if he hadn't been paying attention. That's really all there is to that. He notices things about them all the time, to the point where in some random situation he has a good idea of how they would react. That's his empathy. He can't always say or do the right thing at the right time, but he knows his people.
I feel like that too, at first I thought "Huh she feels kind of on the spectrum, but maybe it's just what being an elf is here" until we met some more elves in the series. Her hyperfocus on magic and limited facial expression and deadpan manner, while obviously caring a whole lot for her friends feel like big clues too. And of course the rather tragic part where she is completely oblivious to Himmel's obvious romantic interest in her because she can't rad the social cues very well.
While it is true that Laios shares his interest during the events of the show, it is also true that his party members who worked with him for years had no idea about them until they started the rescue mission. Once the floodgates are open, and everyone knows anyway, it becomes easier to talk about the it, but the fact that it took him years to start talking about it in the first place may be more significant.
That was a very interesting and well written video, I'm really excited to see what future content comes out from you so definitely going to follow :) I like that the comments section has pointed out quite a lot of really good info. But I do have to wonder, I wonder how Laios himself would respond to these diagnoses. He certainly seems to have trauma in regards to some of the points and is self aware on a few of his issues... But yeah! Fantastic show and I really look forward to season 2!
Autism has a high functioning variant, where the traits are still there but a high level of cognition compensates for it - allowing for complex conversations and even to occasionally appear as if you do not have some of the traits you actually have. It is harder to diagnose than regular autism for these reasons. And Lios is definitely very intelligent
So during this anime season it seems there was a lot of people happy with the representation, between Laios and Frieren, so is a possible future Frieren video in the cards? (Honestly between the main 3 and the psychopath girl there's a lot there that could be analysed haha!) Which also brings up another thought I've always had. What is the psychology of a fantasy "Hero", like Himmel? They always seem to be happy and positive, beams of light, self sacrificing yet smart. Not exactly every day traits, I'm sure you could read it as darker, need for attention and followers etc, but I'd be much more interested in the honest and good kind of hero and what drives them, how they manage and what sort of psychology they'd need for that 🤔
Laios is literally me. I'm Autistic as well (High Functioning), especially becoming super animated when it comes to something I like. There are also so many ways people talk with slang and acronyms that just sound completely foreign to me.
My dad thought Liaos was autistic when we watched the show together. He recognized a lot of the signs pretty quickly. To be fair half our family is autistic (most likely including my dad) so he knows autism better than the average Joe.
Yes very much next question he is very coded has problems understanding social cause has a special interest in monsters after watching the anime and reading the whole manga he is very much an autistic coded character
I would like to comment that the DSM-5's context for diagnosing ASD is entirely, or at the very least majority, based on behaviors expressed by young, white, boys and does not take into account the traits/symptoms/expressions present in children who have been taught [or abused] into high masking very early in their life because of birth gender and culture.
It doesn't matter if Laios is or isn't actually autistic. What the author says, what psychoanalyses say, what your autistic and non-autistic associates say, it all doesn't matter. At the end of the day, people will see what they want to see. If you view Laios as being autistic, he's autistic. If you don't view Laios as being autistic, he's not autistic. Let's just try to respect that we each can view things differently. I know I'm asking for the impossible but still.
19:37 "his expressiveness could be a learned behaviour of his family, or a product of tallman culture" so without spoiling anything not seen in the anime, you could probably rule those out. From what we see of Falin, she is very monotone and reserved, so unless shes also autistic and is the opposite to laios in this regard (uhhh which i do believe but still-) it implies its a personal difference. ^_^
I wasn't expecting how negatively having it worded as "does laios HAVE autism" or "people WITH autism" would effect me. Wording like that implies too heavily that autism is something that can be separated from us, rather than the very core of how our brains are wired
does the scene where he tell the difference between skeleton's and zombie's shuffling foot steps when the others cant hear anything count for b4? he seems really good with sounds.
not me being diagnosed with autism at the age of 20... turns out I'd make a really good spy or be good at among us irl. so good I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW I was masking...
A video regarding psychological topics without oversimplifying it or making jokes about it? Not to mention follow a properly established processes and tools!? Sign me the Freud up! Jokes aside, there is one scene in the show where he admits being unable to recognize the faces of his own teammates. Not to mention, his facial expressions were learned from Fallin, as she seems to have the same kind when looking through her background.
He's autistic bc he's just like me fr fr. Seriously though, awesome vid. I got diagnosed as an adult a few years back and we had a lot of the same issues you had trying to see if Laios' behavior went back to childhood.( Like "did you line up your toys?" "Idk man I was 3 I dont remember that shit".) Really good analysis. I'd also say that despite me being very pro "autistic Laios", we dont get the kind of good view of his day to day life outside of a major crisis. A lot of shit is happening to our boy when we see him so that's gonna muddy the waters a bit. The side stories help a lot tho
The author claims he's not autistic and is more of an exaggeration of what many Japanese people think is what a 'European' is like. As another side Shuro is the 'from the east' very traditional and the others are 'normal'.
I am 23, and am on the High Functioning end of the Autism Spectrum, and I totally get the whole "Masking" bit. It is so frustrating to hide yourself in public just to fit in. I honestly believe that due to Laios' age, he probably masks a lot of other things he might have done as a child, but that he knows might not be appropriate as an adult, and might still due them if he were to be by himself, which we have not seen. I'm not a professional, this is just my theory.
Bit funny story I watched the show with my Friend who have mild Schizophrenia and he loved the show so far But asked Me “What Is wrong With Laios !?” After he feed Fishmen eggs to marcille without telling. And I seen the show and knowing the fandom, I answer “oh he is written as an autistic Coded character” my friend looked skeptical. Then we got further into the episode where laios and Shuro was fighting and he expected Laios to read his obvious Social cues. And my Friend pause and said lowly “ _omg he is Autistic_ ” Having experience with his own autistic friends i guess that was the final nail. 😂😂
Nice video, I just have a couple things to say. The correct grammar would be “is Laois autistic” not “does he have autism”. I know that might seem small but it’s actually very important. To say “has autism” implies that it’s a modifier, potentially even a bad thing, which is not true. We say “I am autistic” because autism is intrinsic. Not good or bad, just who we are. Thank you for your interest in our community.
Very valid. Language is powerful and is an important conversation, especially surrounding Person-First language vs Identity first language. In healthcare, I think we aim to use person-first language in an attempt to not objectify a person by their condition (i.e, "A person with schizophrenia" vs. "a schizophrenic"). Though, like you said, my use of words in the title and in the video ("Person with autism" "have autism") can have a negative connotation and invalidate an individual's identity. Thanks for sharing, I'll correct the grammar in the title and carefully consider my language in future videos. (Quick aside, I did a little digging through some research around the subject. Some very high impact articles, like "Autism in Adulthood," exclusively use Identity-first language, and the APA has changed their stance from person-first to using what is appropriate to the context and preference.)
I've seen people say this before, but personally, its not rly something thats ever rly bothered me. Might be a language thing, since English isnt my native language, but generally I prefer "I have autism", not because I think its an external or negative thing. But at least in my own language it kinda feels like "X is autistic" almost sounds like an accusation of sorts, like "dont listen to them, theyre insane", which generally doesnt feel great either. And I have ADHD too, we say "have" there too, so I've never rly had a problem saying "I have autism" as well. I also *have* toes, heterochromia and a crooked nose, and those are all a part of me as well. I'll use either depending on what feels better in any given sentence tbh, but generally I actually prefer "I have autism".
It sets the bar extremely low if he is. It would seriously make me wonder about the mental health of the regular population if having any amount of interest in anything at all or any moment of awkwardness growing up automatically qualified someone. Like, how incredibly boring would life have to be to avoid that 100%. I don't think humanity would even exist if that were the case, at least not as we know it. No one would ever make any progress doing anything ever because no one would care enough to do anything ever other than basic survival. It's cool to see yourself in a character but you don't need to give them a diagnosis to do so. It's okay to share things in common with a character without them being a specific diagnosis that matches your own, but I understand the appeal. I guess for my perspective I really hope he's not autistic because if he is that means neurotypicals must just have absolutely no interest in anything ever and care about nothing but basic survival and showing off to each other which just sounds incredibly sad and unrealistic. I think sometimes people really struggle to understand the difference between an interest and a special interest. There's probably a lot more context behind the character that has not been shown yet, but I doubt the author sat there and was like you know what I'm going to write somebody autistic. No they wrote a person and trying to diagnose a fictional character that is meant to be a highly identifiable character for the majority of the population seems unfair. Of course people are going to see themselves in him because he is explicitly written to be somebody that you as the reader identify with. It's only natural that people would then project their own diagnoses onto him and he's certainly not the first and won't be the last character too have this happen. I'd almost say it's a sign of good writing the More different groups of people identify with the character and assign their own traits to them.
Didn't the author/mangaka already confirmed that he isn't ? I think I remember there's being a drama about it. People claiming he is, but then the creator said he's not, blablabla, drama.
I made a dnd character thats just me as a wolf man who likes to eat monsters , before Dungeon Meshi was even animated my character Hayate, was so Laios coded it hurt when I watched the show - sure there was SOME influence from Laios after I watched to influence future moments but it was very similar already.
I may be on the spectrum, but I actually didn't know that Hyposensitivity might be part of it. But that makes sense. Hell I didn't even know Hyposensitivity was a thing, so that's interesting.
I'm more interested in whether or not Ryoko Kui is autistic. She created multiple characters that people all over the spectrum identify with, including Laios; he's the most "classically" autistic, but everyone in that party has something going on. Even if she isn't autistic herself, she clearly knows a lot about the topic and how to create autism-coded characters who don't feel like complete assholes (Sheldon Cooper) or boring melodramatic woobies (Shaun Murphy).
Oh well.. "hard" is relarive, when it comes to diagnosing adults. As it was in my case and apparently for many others of my generation, you just need a severe burnout around 30 and a little bit of self awareness or people around you, who notice your oddities. I got my Autism and ADHD diagnoses within like three months, where I was going to therapy in Switzerland, which is pretty damn fast even for our system, but had to deal with my therapist trying to sabotage the diagnostic process, based on me being able to mask and having really good social skills (despite CONSTANTLY avoiding eye contact, by looking at stuff every time I had to think and stimming permanently with my feet, where she was able to see those tells and having had problems to express negative emotions properly) and literally argued with the neuro psychologist, that I couldn't possibli have Autism and that I just had a whole list of personality disorders, she wasn't even sure made sense, prior to hearing that I am actually auristic. And the best part is, is that she had the thought, that I could be on the autism spectrum early on, but changed her mind in favour of the personality disorders and just giving me random anty depressants, despite me not being depressed at all at hat point in time.
Just scrolling through the comments, I see a few people not just disagreeing, but very upset that we would even think this. Some pointing out the author didn't intend to write an autistic character (This is not the same as saying he doesn't have it, it's simply saying she didn't set out to write him that way.), and others saying its offensive and stereotypical to think he is. My argument with that is (besides, dude shut up and let people have fun) is that Laios is a pretty positive portrayal of autism. We have so few autistic characters who are genuinely loved by people and excitable and loving life. They're always shown as rejects and outcasts that nobody really likes and everybody puts up with rather than likes (The Good Doctor, god damn that show, comes to mind) It's not at all selfish or unreasonable to relate to a character that we read as autistic, it's not offensive to see it either. It's people seeing they traits they're usually shown being hated and worked around in a character that is genuinely loved and is shown in a positive light. If that offends you, perhaps you should consider introspection on why it offends you so much?
Idk about Laios being autistic or not but I saw my friend comment about this topic and she has autistic son, She don’t think autistic people love to try a lot of new food that no human ever try before. 😅
There's a few flashbacks in the manga and lore bibles you should be looking at that will give you at snapshot into Laios' life at a younger age. No plot spoilers, but a characterization spoiler ahead for the bible. For instance, there's a comic where Laios meets Falin for the first time after she's born. He seemingly has 0 reaction to her and his father is a bit distressed over it as Laios runs out of the room after they're done being introduced. We then see Laios systematically tell all the animals on the estate that he's a big brother now. Additionally there's also why he enjoys monsters much more than people. You know where you stand with monsters and laios has never been able to make or keep human friends as a child and into adulthood due to not really understanding people on a deeper level.
That's definitely broadens the perspective of Laios. While I am going to wait for Season 2 before reading the manga, I think doing a follow-up video after I watching S2/reading the manga will be huge. Thanks for the idea.
@ so far the anime and manga are more or less pretty one to one in terms of plot, but they’re not animating a lot of the additional content that comes at the back of books or chapters. If you don’t have time for a whole read through it would be worth it to check them and the adventurer’s bible up.
@@YTThatOneGuy Also you have to consider Laios's reaction to Falin being turned into a monster. Most people, even fans of monsters, would be horrified. But Laios is so enamored with monsters he thinks this is amazing. You know until he realizes she's killing people and isn't at all in control. This is beyond not reading the room. This is him assuming Falin's feelings based on what his own would be in that situation. Even if he isn't autistic he can't be neuronormative.
I saw that flashback too and it's so relatable as someone with autism.
Plus as a child enjoying animals more than people since people are so judgey when you're an autistic child.
Also Falin who is very much on his wavelengh, including them not tasting mermaids, ha ha, and she was a weird alone obsessed persom too at magic school, yeah laios is also loud playing dod as child, and both are super alienated in the village, as falin is as obsessed wit hspirit magic thats dealing with dead people, and marcela Falins only and closest, friends or more, confirms that Falin is on his wavelengh. Of course she asked what moster we ate, that as thing, is taboo in that world.
And highly disagree, on whats common, and senshi figured out how because, a tragic backstory, and its highly frowned upon and said to drive people insane or is for the worst scum, the party, em he softens them in on it and they are that close to get along.
Laios is shown to be hyporeactive to pain, when marcille heals all party members they are all shown to be in terrible pain, while Laios says it just itches. He did not wash his body or cut his hair/shaved at all when he was living alone and only did so because Falin convinced him to (shown in extras) So to me he does check the marker for hyposensitivity to pain and external stimulli such as feeling dirty. He is also drawn wearing some different clothes in an extra comic and is complaining that he dislikes wearing clothes that feel tight and that he doesn't like how the turtleneck feels on his neck (some autistic people can be hypo sensitive to some things ans hyper sensitive to others);
As for stimming, Laios is shown to always like handling monster itens such as the Shapeshifter's tail and the Giant Bat bones, used to pretend to be a monster or dog very often specially as a child (later manga chapters), read his favourite book so often he probably knows it by heart (extras) draws monsters often to the point he is very good at it, his room is shown to be filled with monster parts (extras as well). He also flaps his hands to prepare for the dog imitation and has rehearsed a siren's song over time so he could sing along. So yeah he does meet all the criteria, i'm a psychologist btw.
While I can't speak to the manga (Anime only at the moment), those are definitely some nice catches. I especially appreciate the hyposensitivity part! I completely forgot that moment when his leg was healed.
When S2 comes around, I may have to take another watch of the whole series and do a follow-up video.
Tbf, being hyporeactive to pain could be a biological trait of Tallmen. IIRC, when they race swap from the mushrooms, Chuck (who became a Tallman) notes that his head/body feels foggier/duller (I don't recall the exact wording), possibly implying that Tallmen have lower sensitivity including to pain.
@@jk-2053 i think chilchucks reaction to being a tall man is more reflective of half foots than tall man. Marcille experiences intense anxiety as a half foot, and chilchucks tends to be on edge very often. It's often noted that he has sharper senses than the others and marcille reflects this as a half foot. Becoming a tall man helped dull his anxiety, and his senses were no longer as sharp, which is why I think he made those comments, if that makes sense
@@jk-2053That's more in comparison to Half-foots, who are noted for having sharper senses than other races, which is why many of them function as Rogues in adventuring parties, and were historically used for things like siren detection
isnt playing an animal normal thing for children? or is it cultural part of criteria and i live amongst freaks?(slash positive)
Nah he's not autistic he's just like me and I'am normal.
(I was diagnosed in 2013)
sounds like something an autistic egg would say
Normalize being on the Spectrum ✊
Yeah normalize being on the tisim spectrum ✊✊🎉🎉🎉
Ryoko Kui said in an interview that she never intended Laios to be autistic, but she is glad people can see that in him. IMO Studio Trigger DID see that in him as well and leaned into it. A lot of his behaviors in the manga are simply reactions or gags, while the same scenes in the anime are coded as autistic behaviour.
There are so few good depictions of autism in media that, even if this diagnosis is something we're all pulling out of our butts, I think we should celebrate it.
It's been a good couple years for it. Scavengers Reign had probably the most solid and respectful autistic kid who's like.... really autistic I guess 😂 like a lot of ticks and really quite socially awkward but also being just the best at the same time.
Tbf, recent anime has been pretty good on autistic rep.
Theres Laios, ofc, but Frieren (and arguably Fern too) as well as the entire main trio of Spy X Family, just to name a few off the top of my head. And I heard good things about Apothecary Diaries too.
ryoko accidently makes my favorite autistic rep since the both pairs of pines twins from gravity falls is godly
Is it really through? Like you said the author never intended Laios to be autistic. I also read the I twrview and I don't remember her ever mentioning she is glad other people see it that way she was surprised by the interviewer constantly asking her questions about autism, Senshis up skirt shots and shipping and you could feel through the screen how uncomfortable she was...... Anyway is it really a good representation when Kui-sensei did not mean to do one and a bunch of people just collectively decided that their headcanon?
NGL I feel Ryoko Kui may know someone who is autistic but may not have been diagnosed, some traits just feel very similar to my diagnosed friends and even they admit that Laios seems to hit a lot of markers.
Sadly weather or not he'd get a clinical diagnosis doesn't matter, because we have already claimed him
Yeah according to the far superior peer review system. Yep he one of us.
@@babygorilla4233 LOL, "peer reviewed autistic" is a new one, I'm stealing that one.
But also yes he is.
@TheSpeep it really is a great system properly getting it diagnosed is an alienating and often completely unhelpful process. I've never once met a psychologist who is capable of giving practical advice. But the room of autistic people who confirmed me? They were great ya know more liable to give incorrect advice but they actually tried lol.
@@babygorilla4233 Yeah I'm of the opinion that if you are neurodivergent, you can tell.
You might not be able to pin down exactly what it might be, but youll know youve got something.
I didnt get my autism diagnosis til I was 17, but I'd had suspicions I might have something along those lines at least since I was 12.
And if you are neurodivergent and have even slightly read up the some stuff, you will develop a decent sense for who else is too, call it whatever our version of a gaydar is. Adhdar? idk.
Tldr: I wouldnt go too specific on a self diagnosis, but it doesnt take an (often unavailable) expert to tell you youve got something going on.
Regardless of whether or not Laios actually has autism, he is definitely 100% a character that autistic people can relate to.
Many people go undiagnosed as children and we are currently seeing many adults getting diagnosed with autism in their 30s-50s because of both “masking” when they were younger and the fact that the “autism spectrum” is a new concept that people over 25 would not have been diagnosed with because at the time of their childhood, Asperger’s and autism were considered separate disorders with autism having more restrictive criteria than it does now. At that time many people on the spectrum have gone misdiagnosed as ADD (which is no longer valid) or ADHD, or under diagnosed with just the ADHD diagnosis recognised, such as myself at 33 who is diagnosed with ADHD but I also show strong signs of having Asperger’s. Case in point, Sean from JackSepticEye recent disclosed his autism diagnosis he just received in his mid 30s.
I was lucky and was Diagnosed with Aspergers when I was around 17. I'm 32 now. Prior to that I had been misdiagnosed and medicated for a ton of shit including "Eh, she's an asshole" and "It's just a phase she'll grow out of" as well as "Give her Ritalin"
Sean is the reason I am now actively pursueing a diagnosis for ASD but man is it tiring navigating the healthcare system. I hope I'll be able to get it next year. It would make me so happy to finally have certainty.
@@literallynooneimportant2337 it’s been a crazy week in the health insurance world. At least for Americans. I hope Sean has better healthcare in Ireland. Hope you get things resolved soon. I too have the same problem.
Nice to meet other people that were diagnosed as an adult. I am 28 and have only been diagnosed for 2 years so I am still learning all of the differences and nuances of the spectrum and what behaviors of mine are autistic.
I also do not see the reason why it went undiagnosed for so long for so many people get so thoroughly explained like you described. Usually it is talked about with such willful ignorant causes as video games or vaccines. So thanks you for commenting.
And sometimes, you go through the trouble of persuing a diagnosis, only to be denied one because you are underprepared, you overthink the questions in the questionair and end up with the "wrong" answer, you don't recognize your own stims ("I don't stim", while spinning the pen), your parents claim that "the boy has been normal as a child", and your diagnostitian doesn't notice that half your symptoms are either covered by your masking or by your undiagnosed ADHD!
Makes you wonder if peer review might be the more relyable method for autism diagnosis after all.
i love how you handled the diagnosis, very professional and clinical. if you simply dont have enough information, you cant make the choice of whether he is or not. splendid work
You could argue his preoccupation with tasting unusual things is an example of an unusual reaction to sensory input.
As an autistic guy myself (with proper diagnosis), I feel very similar to Laios. But I do understand the necessity to further analyse him to make a proper statement if he is or not autistic.
It's also okay to relate to a character without the character sharing the same diagnosis. People tend to project themselves on the characters that they relate with and that's okay but that doesn't mean that the character actually shares all of your traits... Actually now that I think about it being predisposed to assuming that kind of relationship does seem to happen more in people on the spectrum so that may also be part of the reason why so many people are so insistent about it. Ha that's interesting I am going to have to pay attention to see if that happens with other characters a lot too.
I will forever remember a scene in the manga (mild spoilers) in which lil Laios is shown his lil sis for the very first time by his parents, we can see and its verbally stated by his parents how he showed no explicit reaction nor emotion during that first meeting and how his parents think that "he might be too young to fully grasp it" (he was a bit above 3 years old) but we as the audience see how lil laios without any facial expression hurries out of the room to the animals and still without facial expression announces to them all individually that he has a lil sister now
Not physically communicating feelings with others and having an easier time talkin to animals is such a classic autistic trait as well es adults assuming one is not neurologically developed enough just because they cannot read ones emotions and stuff
Ps. we actually see him physically stimm in the anime a couple of times which pretty much never happens to be visualised for other characters sides them being in imense distress
The best "is character X autistic" video I've seen. Usually people just say "the character flaps their hands and is awkward, they must be autistic!" It's rare to see someone just go through the DSM and see how it fits.
I don't think you need to be a professional to see if someone fits the DSM criteria or that being a professional would even help you see if they fit - they're pretty simple questions. The issue is usually lack of information on childhood or other possible causes. Given we often have direct access to the thoughts of fictional characters in a way we never do of humans IRL, it might be easier to 'diagnose' a fictional character than a real person. It seems the manga gives us more of his childhood than the anime, so he's one of the characters we're more able to "diagnose." (low rates of diagnosis in Japan and an unwillingness to talk about mental illness in media mean that the chance a fictional character meets diagnosis but isn't labelled in the show is higher than in the west)
for B 4, Laios has shown an ability to decipher the sounds of foot steps between different monsters, and that is ALSO sensory input, since sound is a sense. While it could be a truama response, it should have been taken into consideration
That's more about of his hyperfixation over monsters than trauma, because the only thing i remember that traumatizes him a bit are Ghosts, Since one almost took his soul when he was a child.
My husband asked me why lots of people kept saying Laios was autistic and started crying as I explained. I do suspect he is too but isn't ready to face that.
I also most likely am, enough to have made it through primary evaluation (the appointment before they put you on the waiting list) and learning about autism and spending time in the autistic community helped me understand myself and other people better and has made my life a lot easier (but still hard, I'm limited in the kinds of jobs that won't make me miserable and get fired in more or less 6 months)
Yeah, the idea of being autistic can hit very differently for different people.
I went to a therapist a while ago, talked about certain problems and anxiety attacks I had, but also about things like sensory overload and other problems I have. She asked me if I wanted to make an autism screening test that was made specifically for adults (I was 30 at that time). It didn't simply ask for symptoms, but also if they were present earlier in life and if they got better or worse. Let's just say that I scored much higher than I expected even though I already thought that I might be autistic. The diagnostic range started at eight points and I scored 20.
Honestly, I was relieved. It's still strange to think of myself as disabled, but it helps to know that my struggles that nobody seemed to understand were actually valid. But I can understand that finding out that you have a disability can be hard for some people, especially those with high goals in life.
11:05 it’s worth noting that Shuro doing that was (at least partially) a commentary on the shortcomings of Japanese society regarding interpersonal relationships.
Honestly I legit think he’s a canonically undiagnosed Autistic person given my own experience as someone in the spectrum
re: Shuro, that's a great insight in how while this could be an insight into Laios' autism, this was also a conflict of personality *and* culture. The "no means yes" culture of this world's verison of Japan (especially nobility like Shuro's family) is notoriously difficult to parse even regularly, so it's understandable to me where both of them are coming from. To Shuro, he was being blunt and obvious about his reactions and Laios didn't react properly. To Laios, he was being trying to be friendly and Shuro is the one who didn't respond properly. Interestingly, I've seen autistic and/or Japanese fans comment about how they think Shuro himself could be read as autistic from their viewpoint, because of how he acts within the anime and manga stuff, but that's a different topic.
I just wanted to comment on it, cause I love this scene in particular cause it really showcases the mangaka's ability to provide insight on the characters and their cultures, and how she uses that to further delve into the idea of ecosystems and environments and the societies that come up out of them.
im so glad someone else said this! people are so mean to shuro when its like... its just a misunderstanding, they fought it out, and reached an understanding of other other, and its Funny. to me. i see shuro not only as someone in a cultural that had very specific conflicts (full of "soft nos" and such), but also as an autistic man who had to get good at masking really fast to survive in his particular environment. i think their interactions are so much richer with that in mind, with a high mask vs low mask autism pair, and the conflicting needs they represent.
in short: we love autism 2 autism violence here
Did anyone notice the scene where Laois does hand flapping around his head? Pretty sure that’s a common ASD stim am I right?
Not sure how common it is necessarily, I dont do it myself, but its definitely known for being that.
As a neurodivergent person (in the ASD and ADHD spectrum) I relate a LOT to Lios and both Chilchuck, and love the dungeon meshi series!!!
But also as someone who has a special interest/hyperfixation in psychology, I'm nervous about the use of the DSM5 used in the video just because it's quite outdated in some of its terms and definitions and would heavily recommend the updated DSM6.
Still, I love the video and I greatly appreciate how respectful you are through the full video along with providing Examples and explanations of neurodivergent traits, and how they could relate to Lios!
…the DSM-6 hasn’t been released/is still being created??
@emilybalentine9123 I mean I know but I was mostly talking about when it will come out later in the future. Despite the DSM5 being the most up to date copy we currently have, there is still a few things within it I wouldn't entirely trust by it's "text book definition"
That's all I really meant sorry!!!
@ omg no need to apologize, I was just confused. And I do agree with you that the DSM-5 is merely a guide and in need of improvement.
On top of some of the things other commenters already mentioned, in terms of additional context given by the manga that really adds credence to certain points of his characterization, I wanted to highlight what you mentioned in the video already in terms of masking, because that's one particular point that holds a lot of weight. Specifically, we have some indication already that Laios has historically masked some of his traits, prior to the story starting.
He already knew Marcilke and Chilchuck long before the story, having adventure together since long before the fist episode, yet when they foray into the dungeon again, we see how shocked they both are by his more extreme behaviors and his heightened interest in monsters. It's not surprising, either, considering how he struggled with fitting in in the past, to think he might have started masking some of his behaviors, and the fact that those two, who have known him for a longer time, were still surprised by a lot of his behavior in the series indicates that he didn't show off those sides of himself until now. Even *with* that, we can see it was still a struggle for him to really fit in with others, and yet there was still a lot ohlf himself that he was hiding from his party. To me, this indicates that he already has some history of masking, making it not out of the question that there would be more he might be masking subconsciously, or simply have even learned to cope with over time so that it doesn't show actively. Of course, that only makes it more difficult, from a clinical perspective, to really determine how much he fits the criteria, if there may be behaviors or issues we as the audience don't get to see die to his masking, but it does stand to show that there's precedent for it and it's not out of the question. There's also the fact that a story is, by default, limited in the amount of information about him we get to see, just on account of what's relevant to the story.
But, with the way he's characterized and the limited experiences we do see, I don't think it's a wonder that a lot of autistic people really saw themselves in Laios, at least within the context of what the story showcased the most, that being his social behaviors and difficulties.
It was interesting to see this more objective look at his characterization through this lens, though, and I'm interested to see how your analysis will change after season 2, since like others have mentioned, there's a lot of additional information there that really helps fill out this image. On top of that, I can't recommend enough that you consider looking at the extra content! It's something the anime hasn't adapted, but at the end of each chapter of the manga, there are additional scenes that don't affect the storyline itself but really flesh out the characters and world, so once season 2 is out, even if you don't read the whole manga, I think it's definitely worth at least reading those bonus scenes for the insight they offer!
Understanding non-verbal communication is not indicative of not being autistic because you can learn it the way you would a foreign language
Source: I've done a lot of trial and error when it comes to non-verbal communication
A lot of people who are diagnosed late have had time to study non verbal communication very deeply
I'm still not great, but I'm better at it than I was as a kid
Again, him being an adult makes it harder to diagnose
"Does Laios have Autism?" Yes, yes he does. And I cant believe it took me so long to see it! I've read the books since the very beginning and I cant help but think "How did I not See it?!"
We don't really say have autism, we say autistic. Its a neurodivergence not an illness.
@@redsapphire2878 Sorry sweety, as someone with Autism I'm not good with possessive tenses and nouns. To me, he has Autism, because to be Autistic is to have Autism. He IS neurodivergent, and so am I.
@@AmberfoxCM Lol! *"To be autistic is to have Autism!"* Go pound sand Redsapphire!
I do not think he is myself, tbh. Not a professional but i am autistic myself, it seems he has traits but everyone can have traits. eh its not like it matters if he is or not anyway, its a disability, and it doesn't seem to affect him much if he is like it does me and friends who have it. He's a cool character, and has a lot of traits u dont see much in media which is fun, and i think if we do get to learn more abt his past and it comes out from the creators he was written to be autistic thats also cool
As your follow i recommend you to read the other comments fron the fans who knows the manga and Laios' past more deeply.
In some sense you Will Not feel him aa One, bit for me despite having different traits and manners i identified him as one of us because his specific behavior That All of us have, besides every Autistic person having different behaviors.
He’s obviously not autistic, ppl just feteshize autism lately
@@emanoelalexandre8856lmao go touch grass
Ppl can have different opinions @emanoelalexandre8856
How saying laios is autistic is fetishism of autism?@@lepossboy
I've seen people argue that Laois can't be autistic because Ryoko Kui didn't intend to make him that way. My response is that my parents didn't intent to make me as autistic, and yet, here I am.
My mum never thought I was autistic because she used to work around Cambridge uni and all the professors she ran into acted like me. I thought it was culture clash bc Americans were "loud and boisterous" so clearly I was just British.
I got diagnosed with smart and British as a kid and autism as an adult lmfao
Very nice breakdown. Systematic and acknowledges the common issues with the subject matter.
Especially the issue of late identification and diagnosis, when masking is common.
This was really cool I'd love to see more stuff like this. You see a lot of psych analysis for live action characters or cartoons but not enough anime like this
Wait, mimicking animal sounds is a sign of an autistic trait? I used to hiss like a cat a lot as a kid, even at other people, and howl, and cockle doodle do… yeahhh, I did a lot of animal sounds 😅
I shrieked like a hawk, putting it on the list....
@ lol yeah, I need to put this on my list of possible autistic traits. I swear I get more sure each day 😅
Amazing. Well that's another checkbox filled on my chart...
And echolalia (repeating words and sounds after you hear them) in general, yeah.
@Rietto yeah I do that a lot lol, especially if I find it somewhat humorous. So I’ll like say it again and laugh. Idk I just enjoy doing it and I don’t really think about it 😄
This video is underrated af
This means a lot more than you know. I appreciate it
Whatever Laios is, he's my precious boy
No the author already stated that he's normal.
Thank you so much for this video! Funnily enough relating a bit too much to Laios and encouragement from my parents is what led me to reach out to my psychologist and get diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder at 19 years old. I definitely agree with your decision to hold back a full diagnosis so far. I myself started looking into self diagnosis at a younger age because I just couldn't understand and communicate with the people in my life. Laios from an anime only perspective does not clearly meet all of the criteria and self diagnosing is a difficult topic within the autistic community. A lot of people may not do extensive research and end up self diagnosing themselves for one or two quirky traits that they have. Being able to critically analyze a character like Laios as an autistic person and diagnose him the way that you did is extremely important and I think this is a great example of what self diagnosis can look like and how it can also be critically analyzed as a means of a full diagnosis of autism. Something I wanted to add to Laios's diagnosis that you briefly mentioned is the different levels one might be diagnosed with. Autism can be diagnosed with levels 1-3 depending on how much support an autistic person may need. Level 1 being an autistic person that is able to live independently but is different from neurotypical people all the way to Level 3 which is an autistic person that cannot live without extensive support. Someone like Laios who would be diagnosed later in life would end up being diagnosed with Level 1 Autism due to his ability to mask and therefore not requiring extensive support. I will say having read the manga and extra bits in art books, Laios could definitely be diagnosed with Autism. Once season 2 releases/the entire series is animated I would love to see another video on Laios's diagnosis!
It is interesting to add that he's voiced by a guy with Autism
Are those sound effects from Kingdom Hearts? They're hitting memories in the back of my brain.
Kingdom Hearts has left an undeniable, unshakable wrinkle in our temporal lobes.
Funnily to me, Laios is one of the most refreshing and likeable male anime protagonists I've seen in sometime. Maybe because he breaks so many molds and is allowed to be quirky without falling into typical tropes.
Wither or not it was the intent of the author, they did end up writing a very realistic autistic coded character and he's just so damn loveable too.
That's what amazed me about Dungeon Meshi, the concept and characters are so simple, but so likeable.
The author has stated they didn't intent to make Laios autistic, however they don't mind it either. The animation studio however felt he was clearly autistic and thus coded him like that exaggerating scenes from the manga to fit that. So anime Laios is very much autistic but manga Laios is up for debate. But it might be that future Laios will be more autism coded because we're always influenced by our environment.
17:55 The jhin jumpscare
Actually the eating well and very balanced part really comes from senshi, from what we can see in the intro, it clearly they just did as they could pull, laios clearly sees senshinas a teacher in the way of life he wants, so him copying to the heart this aspect (not jaut being full bit apreciating food in this way) is from hai relationship with senshi (in the manga it was shows laios in many moments of his life he really did very poorly for his health and feeding)
His English voice actor is, so there's that.
Re: Laios's potential hypo- or hyper- sensitivity to external stimuli you missed in episode 1 with the man-eating plants how Laios is keenly interested in how Marcille felt to be grabbed by one of the plants - because he specifically thought the pressure would feel nice. It might be an overlap with his monster interest, but there's some indication that particularly interested in certain kinds of sensory input. Admittedly the manga/future seasons are likely to get into more detail, as many people have said.
It is also interesting that Laios has conflicted feelings about his father. He is also known for miscommunication and is a huge fan of dogs (that’s why their family had over ten dogs and Laios grew up with them). He tends to self isolate and seems cold on the outside even though he does care about his children. You just see him, look at Laios, at his dad and go “ooooooh… yeah that checks out”. These traits seems to run in family
Also I would note down that there are doodles of what clothes do some characters prefer and Laios is shown to be a t-shit/hoodie guy disliking a lot of clothes for their texture or for being too tight, so that’s one for sensitivity from him
It would be interesting to have such analysis of Falin too with s2 out and extras. Many autistic women relate to her and she seems to mask a lot
Absolute banger video
That was a really interesting and well made vidéo, I loved it ! (props for the music choices, good taste 😎👍
Everywhere there is a debate about whether Laios is autistic, I often see comments saying that the artist or most Japanese people are autistic simply because the artist says Laios is normal. I think that's very rude. I hope there aren't comments like that here.
I understand the mangaka has stated that it was not their intention when creating Laios to explicitly create an autistic character, but I do wonder if they unwittingly based character traits on autistic individuals, fictional and/or real.
Oh you asked what I wanted to eat, man, everything looks so good, idk uhhh Namari? wait
ngl I think when people use "The author didn't intend for him to be autistic" in order to claim he's not is always a funny choice because like... I'm sure plenty of people have written a story where while they were doing it they didn't truly know what the story was about on the first draft and once that first draft was done they went "Oh! I see now!" while they are the literal author.
I recall outlining a story that was just an idea for a beauty and the beast story, and it wasn't until I had the outline done that followed their journey that I went "Ah, I see... this is an allegory for how we treat out ill and disabled as burdens and sometimes as monsters, dehumanizing them in fear that we too shall catch the condition" meanwhile the starting intent was just "Beauty and the Beast fairytale romance.
It's the same with characters. Sometimes you don't know what their ism is or went into it intended to have them represent the ism, but they very much have it in the text.
@@KichiMiangraok you see the problem is people are softening the author words
She got asked if he was autistic and she straight up said "no, he is just a regular dude"
@@maritofuentes4690 I know you were just specificating the wording of the quote but I kinda laughed out loud when reading it because "Regular Dude [that exhibits autistic behavior]" is kinda the description of a High Functioning autistic!
Even the direct wording sounded like my dad when I got diagnosed at 17 and he was in denial. I was just a regular normal girl who was awkward in social situations, avoided eye contact, couldn't stand certain textures or stimuli, was non verbal until kindergarten, made booping sounds at the checkout line's booping sounds, had encyclopedic knowledge of Dinosaurs and various other extinct fauna, couldn't tell when people were mad at me even when they were yelling so I'd laugh, couldn't sit still unless I was tapping my fingers on something, and threw a fit if you took me off my strict regimented routine. You know, regular girl stuff! Lol
Although I think my statement still stands. Even if the author doesn't intend it, if you write an person being autistic you miiiiight have written an autistic person. Like, If you wrote a Guy character who only dates guys (with no further context) you Miiiiiiight have written a gay character. Same energy
Good vid! This should have more views lol
You said it’s getting warmer but you have what I assumed was an American accent?? Wild. Thanks for the video!
Someone caught me! You're right, this video was made a while ago. Closer to when the Dungeon Meshi anime just ended. Some things got in the way of me posting the video unfortunately.
@@YTThatOneGuy Hey no harm done! I wouldn't have found you if you posted sooner. I really enjoyed the video!
This is a very well done video!
I was curious where you were going to go with this. I know the ASD diagnosis tends to look at how it inconveniences neurotypical folk and I've seen professionals approach it that way, which I find incredibly off-putting. You didn't do that.
The author may not have intended to write Laios (or Falin) as autistic, but they both felt "normal" to me almost immediately, something that I don't generally experience. The way the other characters react to Laos, even his friends, was incredibly familiar.
What really sealed the deal for me, though, is I watch reactions since I don't really have anyone to talk to about these shows, and the way the reactors I watched responded to him was painfully familiar. They didn't dislike him, but they didn't understand him at all.
I was reading the manga for a bit, I need to pick it back up, but I was still getting the same feeling there. It's possible I was just carrying it over from the anime but it felt like the same person to me.
ADHD dx'd 2x 25 years apart, both times as an adult, unofficial professional asd dx last year after some 20-odd years of debating with myself, taking a bazillion tests and reading all kinds of material.
One of the topics of conversation that came up relatively frequently with different reactors was his "lack of empathy."
Among the non-autistic reactors I watched, that was what convinced a lot of them that Laios is autistic.
I found that incredibly frustrating; Laios is not lacking in empathy by any stretch. I often used the doppelganger episode, one that some believed supported their claim, to show them his empathy.
Briefly he would not have been able to pick out his friends if he hadn't been paying attention. That's really all there is to that. He notices things about them all the time, to the point where in some random situation he has a good idea of how they would react. That's his empathy.
He can't always say or do the right thing at the right time, but he knows his people.
I swear Frieren is autistic too. I'm autistic and I recognise far too much of her experience.
I feel like that too, at first I thought "Huh she feels kind of on the spectrum, but maybe it's just what being an elf is here" until we met some more elves in the series.
Her hyperfocus on magic and limited facial expression and deadpan manner, while obviously caring a whole lot for her friends feel like big clues too.
And of course the rather tragic part where she is completely oblivious to Himmel's obvious romantic interest in her because she can't rad the social cues very well.
@@Virtualblueartbut almost everyone in the show is severely lacking emotions.
I find Laios relatable. I like Monsters and I specifically love the Skeletal variants! Plus, I'm on the Autism Spectrum.❤
While it is true that Laios shares his interest during the events of the show, it is also true that his party members who worked with him for years had no idea about them until they started the rescue mission. Once the floodgates are open, and everyone knows anyway, it becomes easier to talk about the it, but the fact that it took him years to start talking about it in the first place may be more significant.
That was a very interesting and well written video, I'm really excited to see what future content comes out from you so definitely going to follow :)
I like that the comments section has pointed out quite a lot of really good info.
But I do have to wonder, I wonder how Laios himself would respond to these diagnoses. He certainly seems to have trauma in regards to some of the points and is self aware on a few of his issues...
But yeah! Fantastic show and I really look forward to season 2!
Autism has a high functioning variant, where the traits are still there but a high level of cognition compensates for it - allowing for complex conversations and even to occasionally appear as if you do not have some of the traits you actually have. It is harder to diagnose than regular autism for these reasons.
And Lios is definitely very intelligent
After everyone started calling this dude autistic, it made me question myself.
So during this anime season it seems there was a lot of people happy with the representation, between Laios and Frieren, so is a possible future Frieren video in the cards?
(Honestly between the main 3 and the psychopath girl there's a lot there that could be analysed haha!)
Which also brings up another thought I've always had. What is the psychology of a fantasy "Hero", like Himmel? They always seem to be happy and positive, beams of light, self sacrificing yet smart. Not exactly every day traits, I'm sure you could read it as darker, need for attention and followers etc, but I'd be much more interested in the honest and good kind of hero and what drives them, how they manage and what sort of psychology they'd need for that 🤔
That Psychology of a Hero has definitely gone into the notes
It also helps that his English voice actor is on the spectrum! I'm on it too and I love Laios!
Laios is literally me. I'm Autistic as well (High Functioning), especially becoming super animated when it comes to something I like.
There are also so many ways people talk with slang and acronyms that just sound completely foreign to me.
My dad thought Liaos was autistic when we watched the show together. He recognized a lot of the signs pretty quickly. To be fair half our family is autistic (most likely including my dad) so he knows autism better than the average Joe.
I would love to taste the red dragon pizza!
I didn't know there was a red dragon pizza!?
I got a neuron activation when I heard the first KH Sound👀🤣
Yes very much next question he is very coded has problems understanding social cause has a special interest in monsters after watching the anime and reading the whole manga he is very much an autistic coded character
Love Dungeon Meshi! Laios is my favorite, I kinda relate to him. Alot...
I would like to comment that the DSM-5's context for diagnosing ASD is entirely, or at the very least majority, based on behaviors expressed by young, white, boys and does not take into account the traits/symptoms/expressions present in children who have been taught [or abused] into high masking very early in their life because of birth gender and culture.
It doesn't matter if Laios is or isn't actually autistic. What the author says, what psychoanalyses say, what your autistic and non-autistic associates say, it all doesn't matter. At the end of the day, people will see what they want to see.
If you view Laios as being autistic, he's autistic.
If you don't view Laios as being autistic, he's not autistic.
Let's just try to respect that we each can view things differently. I know I'm asking for the impossible but still.
19:37 "his expressiveness could be a learned behaviour of his family, or a product of tallman culture" so without spoiling anything not seen in the anime, you could probably rule those out. From what we see of Falin, she is very monotone and reserved, so unless shes also autistic and is the opposite to laios in this regard (uhhh which i do believe but still-) it implies its a personal difference. ^_^
I wasn't expecting how negatively having it worded as "does laios HAVE autism" or "people WITH autism" would effect me. Wording like that implies too heavily that autism is something that can be separated from us, rather than the very core of how our brains are wired
we love out (possibly) autistic king
does the scene where he tell the difference between skeleton's and zombie's shuffling foot steps when the others cant hear anything count for b4? he seems really good with sounds.
i thought he was more adhd like, but we can all agree he is neurodivergent.
-Insert El Dorado "both" gif-
not me being diagnosed with autism at the age of 20...
turns out I'd make a really good spy or be good at among us irl. so good I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW I was masking...
I would love to have the scorpion hot pot
A video regarding psychological topics without oversimplifying it or making jokes about it?
Not to mention follow a properly established processes and tools!?
Sign me the Freud up!
Jokes aside, there is one scene in the show where he admits being unable to recognize the faces of his own teammates.
Not to mention, his facial expressions were learned from Fallin, as she seems to have the same kind when looking through her background.
all of them all the food looks so good
≧﹏≦
Valid response 👍
Thanks for this cool video 😁, all that’s left to do is advertise it
Im not necessarily niave but i can be over trusting not understanding why others would lie or manipulate so i do fall for things every once in awhile
Okay fine ill watch dungeon meshi dammit
I recently realized I’m autistic!!!
His voice actor sure is Damien Hass ❤
Yea Damien! 🤘🏻🔥🖤
He's autistic bc he's just like me fr fr.
Seriously though, awesome vid. I got diagnosed as an adult a few years back and we had a lot of the same issues you had trying to see if Laios' behavior went back to childhood.( Like "did you line up your toys?" "Idk man I was 3 I dont remember that shit".) Really good analysis. I'd also say that despite me being very pro "autistic Laios", we dont get the kind of good view of his day to day life outside of a major crisis. A lot of shit is happening to our boy when we see him so that's gonna muddy the waters a bit. The side stories help a lot tho
The author claims he's not autistic and is more of an exaggeration of what many Japanese people think is what a 'European' is like. As another side Shuro is the 'from the east' very traditional and the others are 'normal'.
I am 23, and am on the High Functioning end of the Autism Spectrum, and I totally get the whole "Masking" bit. It is so frustrating to hide yourself in public just to fit in. I honestly believe that due to Laios' age, he probably masks a lot of other things he might have done as a child, but that he knows might not be appropriate as an adult, and might still due them if he were to be by himself, which we have not seen.
I'm not a professional, this is just my theory.
Bit funny story I watched the show with my Friend who have mild Schizophrenia and he loved the show so far But asked Me “What Is wrong With Laios !?” After he feed Fishmen eggs to marcille without telling.
And I seen the show and knowing the fandom, I answer “oh he is written as an autistic Coded character”
my friend looked skeptical.
Then we got further into the episode where laios and Shuro was fighting and he expected Laios to read his obvious Social cues. And my Friend pause and said lowly
“ _omg he is Autistic_ ”
Having experience with his own autistic friends i guess that was the final nail.
😂😂
Underrated video ngl
Nice video, I just have a couple things to say. The correct grammar would be “is Laois autistic” not “does he have autism”.
I know that might seem small but it’s actually very important. To say “has autism” implies that it’s a modifier, potentially even a bad thing, which is not true. We say “I am autistic” because autism is intrinsic. Not good or bad, just who we are.
Thank you for your interest in our community.
Very valid. Language is powerful and is an important conversation, especially surrounding Person-First language vs Identity first language. In healthcare, I think we aim to use person-first language in an attempt to not objectify a person by their condition (i.e, "A person with schizophrenia" vs. "a schizophrenic").
Though, like you said, my use of words in the title and in the video ("Person with autism" "have autism") can have a negative connotation and invalidate an individual's identity. Thanks for sharing, I'll correct the grammar in the title and carefully consider my language in future videos.
(Quick aside, I did a little digging through some research around the subject. Some very high impact articles, like "Autism in Adulthood," exclusively use Identity-first language, and the APA has changed their stance from person-first to using what is appropriate to the context and preference.)
I've seen people say this before, but personally, its not rly something thats ever rly bothered me.
Might be a language thing, since English isnt my native language, but generally I prefer "I have autism", not because I think its an external or negative thing.
But at least in my own language it kinda feels like "X is autistic" almost sounds like an accusation of sorts, like "dont listen to them, theyre insane", which generally doesnt feel great either.
And I have ADHD too, we say "have" there too, so I've never rly had a problem saying "I have autism" as well. I also *have* toes, heterochromia and a crooked nose, and those are all a part of me as well.
I'll use either depending on what feels better in any given sentence tbh, but generally I actually prefer "I have autism".
@@YTThatOneGuy Thank you.
first scene in the first episode is Laios complaining about not having eaten, and asking what the point is. I think this adds enough weight to B.2
It sets the bar extremely low if he is. It would seriously make me wonder about the mental health of the regular population if having any amount of interest in anything at all or any moment of awkwardness growing up automatically qualified someone. Like, how incredibly boring would life have to be to avoid that 100%. I don't think humanity would even exist if that were the case, at least not as we know it. No one would ever make any progress doing anything ever because no one would care enough to do anything ever other than basic survival. It's cool to see yourself in a character but you don't need to give them a diagnosis to do so. It's okay to share things in common with a character without them being a specific diagnosis that matches your own, but I understand the appeal. I guess for my perspective I really hope he's not autistic because if he is that means neurotypicals must just have absolutely no interest in anything ever and care about nothing but basic survival and showing off to each other which just sounds incredibly sad and unrealistic. I think sometimes people really struggle to understand the difference between an interest and a special interest. There's probably a lot more context behind the character that has not been shown yet, but I doubt the author sat there and was like you know what I'm going to write somebody autistic. No they wrote a person and trying to diagnose a fictional character that is meant to be a highly identifiable character for the majority of the population seems unfair. Of course people are going to see themselves in him because he is explicitly written to be somebody that you as the reader identify with. It's only natural that people would then project their own diagnoses onto him and he's certainly not the first and won't be the last character too have this happen. I'd almost say it's a sign of good writing the More different groups of people identify with the character and assign their own traits to them.
Love this video!!
Didn't the author/mangaka already confirmed that he isn't ?
I think I remember there's being a drama about it.
People claiming he is, but then the creator said he's not, blablabla, drama.
I made a dnd character thats just me as a wolf man who likes to eat monsters , before Dungeon Meshi was even animated my character Hayate, was so Laios coded it hurt when I watched the show - sure there was SOME influence from Laios after I watched to influence future moments but it was very similar already.
All I need to hear is Morrowind music to know the video is based as fuck.
I may be on the spectrum, but I actually didn't know that Hyposensitivity might be part of it. But that makes sense. Hell I didn't even know Hyposensitivity was a thing, so that's interesting.
I'm more interested in whether or not Ryoko Kui is autistic. She created multiple characters that people all over the spectrum identify with, including Laios; he's the most "classically" autistic, but everyone in that party has something going on. Even if she isn't autistic herself, she clearly knows a lot about the topic and how to create autism-coded characters who don't feel like complete assholes (Sheldon Cooper) or boring melodramatic woobies (Shaun Murphy).
I am autistic, and I am very similar to Laios, so I'm pretty confident that hes probly autistic as well
Love how you just completely skipped the Special Interest tab because we fuckin' KNEW.
Let's be real, NOBODY needs me to explain that
people need to realize that having some traits doesn’t mean you have autism
I don't know if you've seen this anime but I'd love for you to do this test with Mayuri from Steinsgate! I think she's quite autistic coded
Oh well.. "hard" is relarive, when it comes to diagnosing adults. As it was in my case and apparently for many others of my generation, you just need a severe burnout around 30 and a little bit of self awareness or people around you, who notice your oddities.
I got my Autism and ADHD diagnoses within like three months, where I was going to therapy in Switzerland, which is pretty damn fast even for our system, but had to deal with my therapist trying to sabotage the diagnostic process, based on me being able to mask and having really good social skills (despite CONSTANTLY avoiding eye contact, by looking at stuff every time I had to think and stimming permanently with my feet, where she was able to see those tells and having had problems to express negative emotions properly) and literally argued with the neuro psychologist, that I couldn't possibli have Autism and that I just had a whole list of personality disorders, she wasn't even sure made sense, prior to hearing that I am actually auristic.
And the best part is, is that she had the thought, that I could be on the autism spectrum early on, but changed her mind in favour of the personality disorders and just giving me random anty depressants, despite me not being depressed at all at hat point in time.
Laois = Damien Haas. Damien Haas = autistic. One of us, one of us!
I would love to see a video like this on frieren my sister and I both think she's autistic
Just scrolling through the comments, I see a few people not just disagreeing, but very upset that we would even think this. Some pointing out the author didn't intend to write an autistic character (This is not the same as saying he doesn't have it, it's simply saying she didn't set out to write him that way.), and others saying its offensive and stereotypical to think he is. My argument with that is (besides, dude shut up and let people have fun) is that Laios is a pretty positive portrayal of autism. We have so few autistic characters who are genuinely loved by people and excitable and loving life. They're always shown as rejects and outcasts that nobody really likes and everybody puts up with rather than likes (The Good Doctor, god damn that show, comes to mind)
It's not at all selfish or unreasonable to relate to a character that we read as autistic, it's not offensive to see it either. It's people seeing they traits they're usually shown being hated and worked around in a character that is genuinely loved and is shown in a positive light. If that offends you, perhaps you should consider introspection on why it offends you so much?
As an autistic adult: one of us.
Idk about Laios being autistic or not but I saw my friend comment about this topic and she has autistic son, She don’t think autistic people love to try a lot of new food that no human ever try before. 😅