Gigguk Is One of the Most Popular Western Anime Influencers Ever — Where Does the Name Come From?

There's an endless amount of Japanese anime out there for folks to check out, with more coming out every season. Between brand-new shows, underrated one-off series, new seasons of existing anime, and more movie releases than you might expect, it can be difficult for newcomers or even seasoned anime consumers to know where to start. Luckily, Western influencers like Gigguk usually have recommendations at the ready. The British YouTuber is best known for his video commentary on Japanese animation.

But when it comes to influencers of any type on the internet, including Gigguk we either know them by their full legal name or their online handle and persona. On some outlets like YouTube or Twitch, you may end up associating a person's face with whatever word or nickname they decided to give themselves as a username, which typically isn't their real name.

On that note, it may not surprise you to know that "Gigguk" is not actually the YouTuber's real name, but what does it actually mean? Here's what we know.

Gigguk's real name is Garnt Maneetapho. In a 2022 interview with OfflineTV Podcast, he revealed that both of his parents are from Thailand, but he was born and raised in the United Kingdom. As a self-appointed running joke in his life, Garnt's name is often mistaken as the name "Grant," making curiosity around his name a humorously-recurring theme. He also elected to continue being referred to by his real name amidst many of his fellow Asian acquaintances adopting Western names while living in the UK.

As for the name, "Gigguk," fans have come up with all sorts of theories about the origin of his username. However, he addressed it in detail once before. In an archived 2018 interview with Verge Magazine, Gigguk told the outlet that this particular moniker was a family nickname that he used often when he began making online profiles. It simply stuck as he became more prolific in anime fandoms.

"I find it funny when internet personalities get asked about the origin of their username because I'm sure most of us put very little thought in our name when we made it because we never expected it to get any attention," he admitted to Verge. "Yet this is now how we're known publicly."

And that couldn't be more true. Since having joined YouTube in 2006, his name has since become synonymous with anime reviews, recommendations, and critiques aimed at Western fans of anime. He also goes by Gigguk on his Twitch channel as well as other platforms like Twitter and Instagram.

With more than 3 million subscribers on YouTube as he continues to upload regularly, the username "Gigguk" has become a trusted name among international anime enthusiasts.