Souzai are a type of pixel emoji/emoticon, or in Japanese "decome" (デコメ) or "decorative messages" (デコメ絵文字 or デコメール), that are often used on blogs to express emotions. Souzai are larger than typical emoji and are very similar to 'doll' graphics. They come either with or without text, however the text is almost always in Japanese.
Gyaru Souzai[]
Gyaru culture has its own set of souzai, featuring gyaru style girls expressing various emotions and saying different things. These souzai are very popular additions to gyaru blogs although they are seen less frequently now than they did during the early 2000s. Gyaru souzai are more commonly referred to by Gaijin gyaru as "gyaru pixels".
Origin[]
The main images associated with gyaru pixels originate from the site 'Deco Gal', founded by SOCKETS Inc. in 2008. Sadly, their service ended June 30, 2023.
Examples[]
- For the full gallery of gyaru pixels, see the gallery.
