Idiot Crows

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    When a boke (silly or idiotic character) says something stupid or foolish, one or more crows may be seen flying past, crying "aho! aho!" or "ba-ka, ba-ka". Aho is Japanese for "idiot". It's also the kansai-ben equivalent to the all-purpose insult Baka (one functional translation of aho is "dumbass"); kansai-ben is used by both the Boke and Tsukkomi Routine and The Idiot From Osaka.

    Much more common in comedy series than serious dramatic Anime, but sometimes found at lighter moments in serious series, too.

    Ravens and Crows also have a more serious purpose in Anime—as in Western mythology, crows are seen as heralds of death in Japanese folklore. The Idiot Crows are not usually meant to symbolize this darker meaning.

    Not to be confused with, the idiocy of Crow T. Robot or a particular nuclear powered raven who is an idiot.

    Also note that "aho" is a pun; it's also Japanese onomatopoeia for a crow's call, hence why it's used so often in comedic situations.

    Examples of Idiot Crows include:

    Anime & Manga

    Captain: (Makes a u_u face) You don't like them.
    Shute: (While chick flies by) No no, they're great... I guess...
    Captain: (Makes a ^^ face) I'm glad!


    Live-Action TV

    • An Idiot Crow example happening in live-action television (possibly scripted, but the location is actually close to where the crows congregate) in Gaki no Tsukai Ya Arahende 2008, "Do Not Laugh Newspaper Agency Special", during the lunch scene.


    Video Games

    • In the Rhythm Tengoku series, failing a rhythm game gives you the "Try Again" rating, which is accompanied by a dissonant piano chord followed by crows cawing in the background.
    • One of the extra emotions you could buy at Maple Story's Cash Shop shows your character with a Sweat Drop expression, followed by such a crow passing over the user's head, though the "aho-aho" sound is not included.


    Western Animation

    • One scene in Avatar: The Last Airbender, episode "The Beach", uses an idiot dove for a comment made by Azula, of all people.
      • This was mentioned in the commentary; the creators mentioned it was the idea of a Japanese member of the animation staff, who suggested not only that you have to have a bird fly by in such situations, but also the guy should leave the scene as if he's a cardboard cutout. Everyone looked at him as if he was insane. Then they went ahead and did it.
    • A rare western example of this happens in the Totally Spies! pilot episode.
      • Another episode used a duck as a substitute.
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