Are we Otaku's?

Yeah. Fans of anime, Manga, Japanese culture, online culture - sometimes to the detriment of other things. Its a broad concept. *incert* nerd seems to narrow it down, but I think most people on here are fans of multiple things.

The term in Japan is for someone obsessed with something specific. Like model planes for example. It's the basic definition of a nerd. Outside Japan we use it for people into anime and Japanese pop culture. So yes we're Otaku and most of us fit both uses.

You can use this term but it sounds kinda chuuni. Some use this term because they feel superior to people who aren't into anime/manga/Japanese culture, people who they call."normies".

Otaku roughly translates to "nerd". When used normally, it tends to refer to a nerd of anime/manga/games. However, there are plenty of other subjects people would use the word Otaku with. The term is mostly used in a derogatory fashion, but often its just neutral, and just refers to someone that is extremely passionate about something.

Yes while it's true that it can mean something derogatory in Japan, depending on the person you talk to you wouldn't want to say to someone you Identify as one when in Japan cause it can come off as different meanings to different people, while over here in the west, it can be used similarly to the words "nerd" and "geek" and you would probably be safe (like 99% of us on here). It is kind of like how the word geek used to have very a negative definition (biting the heads of chickens off) but its definition has evolved over time into its modern usage.

I do believe there seems to be a confusion with some other terms that are in a similar vein. Hikikomori is one of them, along with NEET. They are not the same as Otaku. "nerd" != "shut in" != "deadbeat"