4Chan

Besides Google and Facebook, few websites have garnered as much infamy, yet also have so many satisfied users as 4Chan. Besides being the birthplace of some of the most influential memes on the internet and a source of extreme political, culture, and legal controversy – 4Chan is also an interesting place to find porn.

A Site With An Epic History

Founded by one Christopher Poole (no relation to the Irish veteran) in 2003 as an imageboard. Originally intended to be the English-equivalent to the Japanese site Futaba AKA 2Chan, this site has evolved into one of the largest western forums. Furthermore, not only has 4Chan overtaken its parent site's Alexa ranking, it has also become quite the cultural force worldwide.

While famous for many reasons, 4Chan is rather noteworthy for its extensive collection of (mostly) user-generated pornography.

The Format Is Certainly Unique

One of the things about 4Chan, which makes it stand out, is the bizarre format that it uses. We suspect that this may have been a deliberate choice on the part of the strategy Poole used to make his site stand out from rival forums.

Whatever the case, when viewing 4Chan on a desktop device, each thread features a picture loaded to the left as well as a few or several responses to each thread in an awkward manner. Some response text takes up the lateral space of your tab, while others are horizontally long.

Interestingly, if you click on a picture, a larger version of the same image will expand in the window without opening a new tab or window. To get to the full thread itself, you are going to need to click on the link ‘Reply.'

We have found that the only way to adjust is to force your brain to adapt to the bad design.

Porn For Nearly Every Taste

As this is a forum with users of every color, creed, and orientation, the range of content you are going to find is quite varied. With so many options that are classified by either their English or Japanese title or colloquial term, we will do a quick rundown on the Adult categories on 4Chan.

Sexy Beautiful Women – As the name suggests, this section is choke-full of women from all over the world. Being rather generalized and softcore, you are going to mostly see solo nudes and semi-nudes of a variety of amateur women, but there is not too much actual sex.

This category also appears to be a repository for a lot of the amateur porn, which was booted from Tumblr during The Great Purge of 2018.

Pro tip: Like most of the other categories on this part of the site, do not post requested content. And like every category on the entire site, do not post any pictures of x-rays, fake pics,”fap roulette,” wincest/revenge porn, content which is questionable with respect to the model’s age, or anything illegal. Violation of these rules can result in being banned.

Hardcore – Contrasting the previous section, this category focuses on all sorts of real sex, mostly of, by, and for amateurs. However, just because amateurs are featured does not mean that the content is not worth looking at, however.

We have shown some of the threads to reviewers of our website and found that they were never disappointed by what they saw. Besides all sorts of sex, there are plenty of genital shots, some of which are clean while others are covered in semen.

Pro tip: the rules on this page are comparatively lax, but to start a thread, you MUST include at least six images.

Handsome Men – Combining softcore with some hardcore, this section caters almost exclusively to gay and bisexual men. That does not mean that no women are allowed to participate, but we have only observed man posting pictures and commenting.

Pro tip: other than standard 4Chan rules, the moderators reiterate that users do not post threads asking for advice, requests for sources, or about broader LGBT topics. All of those types of threads have other sections on 4Chan.

Furthermore, posters who are exclusively looking for hookups, cam-to-cam session, or want ratings, they are encouraged to post their material on the /soc/ page.

Hentai – For those who do not know, hentai is a sub-genre of manga (Japanese comics), which are somewhat or highly eroticized. Stories tend to focus on sensual and romantic relationships, while the more ‘hardcore' variety is devoted entirely to erotic entertainment.

If that is what you enjoy viewing, creating, or both, then you will find yourself in good company in this section. There are new posts, both by amateurs and professionals, which are added several times a week, along with daily additions to several threads.

Pro tip: To keep your post up, you must provide credit to the original artist as well as the character's name if she/they are from a copyrighted franchise.

Other types of niche anime porn, i.e., ecchi, yuri, yaoi, should be posted in the sections described below. Also, furry and loli posts, as well as Western-style erotica, is strictly prohibited.

Ecchi – Meaning literally ‘softer,’ ecchi refers to more suggestive, erotic anime and is typically slightly less sexually explicit as other forms of hentai. In fact, much of this genre is devoted to sensual (not sexual) fan service.

Consequently, much of the content in this section is, and in the ecchi genre in general, are parodies of existing IPs. Furthermore, this section contains some professional work, but far more amateur content than the Hentai section. As a bonus, users allowed to make requests from 4Chan artists.

Pro tip: While you are allowed to post requests here, users are encouraged to make it simple and respectful, and request only one drawing at a time. Also, the same policies as the Hentai page apply here.

Yuri – Meaning ‘girl love,' yuri is a type of hentai which focuses on lesbian romances and relations with particular emphasis on the emotional aspect of the relationship. By nature and tradition, this genre is far more cerebral and sexually suggestive -- you can still find explicit cartoon lesbian smut.

Pro tip: This a section in which you are going to have to post 5-6 images to start a new thread.

Hentai/Alternative – While the main Hentai section is for "mainstream" hentai and does not allow for requests, this category is for artists and hentai enthusiasts to let their creative juices (among other fluids) flow.

Pro tip: the section-specific policies are quite extensive, but the most important is being respectful towards the artists when making requests and do not request depictions of real people.

Yaoi – Meaning ‘boy love,' this category is the gay version of the Yuri section, though with a few significant exceptions.

For one, this section – as with most yaoi comics – the focus is on sex, rather than relationships. Second, in this 4Chan category, there is much more amateur-made content. Also, the moderators are a bit more relaxed when it comes to non-Eastern-style content being uploaded.

We should also note that there are a variety of styles and more GIFs than compared to other anime-focused sections. Also, there are a considerable number of women users in this section, and the others tend to be very female-friendly.

Pro tip: With so many requests being made and added all of the time, be sure to check the category subpage before making a request. Furthermore, real gay porn, safe-for-work gay discussion posts, furry uploads, and other ‘exotic’ content should be posted elsewhere.

Spoiler alert: Rule 34 is very much in effect in this category.

Torrents – If you are looking for downloadable, erotic content, most of it is loaded here. In addition to traditional porn, there are titillating original ASMR videos/recordings as well as non-pornographic material. We can firmly attest to the safety of all or even most of the torrents, so download at your own risk.

Pro tip: Even though it has plenty of downloads, do not make requests on this page.

Note: Do not take out a review of this part of the site as an endorsement of any pirated material which may exist in this section. We do not need to deal with that kind of lawsuit.

High Resolution – This section is a grab bag of all sorts of porn, which is all in 720p or higher. While there appear to be no extra rules in this section, the vast majority of content is of celebrity women onset and offset.

Further, most of the posts tend to be attractive, though mostly or entirely clothed women, rather than nude photos. But just because the content is more classy, does not mean that the users in this category are.

Adult GIF – If you enjoy short erotic clips on an infinite loop then this is the category you are going to need to see. Unfortunately, to see the actual GIF clip, you will have to click on the individual GIF to see it rather than seeing them autoplay. Also, depending on the browser that you use, you may need to upgrade or install a recent edition of a Flash player.

Pro tip: in addition to the usual, be sure that you post at least two images per new thread and give the images' source. Also, any posts which run afoul of 4Chan's "questionable age" policy will be removed. This includes links to or posts from sources that are notorious for hosting underage content like Omegle, Gifo, and Chatroulette.

Adult Cartoons – This category is for all of the non-anime-inspired erotica. The cartoons themselves are mostly made by (very talented) amateurs, though there does seem to be some professional content. While there doesn’t seem to be any hard and fast rules when it comes to requests, it would appear that it is permitted here so long as you respect other users.

Pro tip: Since this a non-hentai section, 2D & 3D Western and similar forms of art are required. Further, Global Rule #3 applies here – that means no furry, grotesque, or underage content is allowed. However, on average, getting the content you want usually only takes a few days.

Adult Requests – For all of the requests which you cannot make on most pages, you can place all of them here. Response time varies and seems to depend on the specificity and novelty of the request made.

And be sure to thank the user who fulfills your requests.

Pro tip: In addition to standard rules and procedures, be sure to us TinyEye or do a similar reverse image search to cut down on the number of unneeded requests.

Lastly, since there are prohibitions against it, be exceptionally careful when releasing personal information. Doxing and calls to invasion (i.e., raids) are expressly prohibited, which suggests that it actually happens.

There Is Even More Porn Outside The Adult Section

In addition to the Adult's section, there is more NSFW material in the Misc. section as well. It tends to be mixed up between the six subsections, most of the erotic material can be found on the Random and Cams & Meetups threads.

On the plus side, the later section can be a place to potentially hook up with users, whether in-person or in a private cam-to-cam session. Keep in mind that both pages are going to be a mix of pornography, especially selfie nudes. Most of it is fairly tame, so we suspect that most users will not find anything too jarring, but there are pics of both genders.

4Chan On Desktop & 4Chan On Mobile

With more people interacting with the internet on mobile devices, we feel that one of the best metrics when judging a website is how it looks on mobile phones and tablets. Despite being started during the early days of the net and before the smartphone revolution, 4Chan’s wonky formatting looks tremendously better on mobile devices.

Rather than threads being seemingly haphazardly strewn across a page, each thread appears in order and is so much easier both to view images as well as post on. Occasionally, picture expansion times are not as quick for some reason, but this typically is not a problem. Consequently, we think that the best way to view 4Chan is on mobile device.

What We Like About 4Chan

While we understand that ad revenue is a common means to generate money to maintain and expand a website, but we also believe that too many adverts interfere with the site's aesthetics and user experience. Of course, pop-ups and redirects absolutely ruin it.

However, while 4Chan does have some adverts, the number of ads, while prominently posted near the top of each page, they become less noticeable as you become accustomed to the forum's design. Further, there are not any pop-ups, redirect, and, as far as we can tell, risk of catching any malware.

Signing up is easy, and there is no charge to join or participate on any part of the site.

Given the fact that the users themselves tend to post pictures of themselves or their own artistic erotica rather than post pirated material means that you are going to see porn, which is completely unique. Or rather, at least unique until someone copies it and uses it as their own.

Further, with over a dozen categories with thousands of threads, each covering nearly every fetish, it is unlikely that users would ever get bored. And of course, with a thriving community, there is new material added on an hourly basis we think you all will enjoy that.

What We Hate About 4Chan

The biggest issue we have 4Chan is the lack of moderation, or rather the inconsistencies when it comes to moderation and rule enforcement. Strangely, there are very strict rules to be a member of 4Chan with additional policies that are unique to each section.

However, even with all of the rules and policies, it is very common to be berated by obscenities and (non-sexual) vulgarities. Keep in mind, some of this is actually friendly – for example, new f*g is an affectionate moniker for new members. For those of you who are unaware, 4Chan is referred to as the As*h*le of the Internet – consequently, it is expected that a lot of sh*t comes out of it.

However, receiving hate mail, being trolled, and having your thread loaded up with spam is all too common.

Though moderators are certainly better at cracking down on these users, some members are even threatened with violence, sometimes with impunity.

While the offending uploaders have been arrested, further proof that this site needs better moderation is the fact that several members have posted ch*ld porn. Let us also remember, this is the same site where the pedobear meme started.

Though some of our readers may find a community with them, we think that most of you will be put off by the incel culture on 4Chan. However, from what we can tell, most of those community members tend to frequent the /r9k/ page and, curiously, do not post on the porn pages.

Lastly, while we understand that this is the nature of allowing people to post pictures of themselves on a public forum, the quality of content – both with respect to fidelity and erotic quality – varies greatly.

Ways We Would Change 4Chan

Besides increasing the number of moderators and levels of moderation, there are a couple more ways we would improve 4Chan.

To cut down on the frustration when following the rules, we would develop a core set of guidelines all sections must adhere to. In addition to instructing moderators to be much more aggressive when dealing with spammers, trolls, and aggressive users, we would also add a non-automated appeals mechanism.

Lastly, we would take the use of certain pejoratives, at least when used in an abusive manner, would result in the offending user being permanently banned.

Should You Become a New F*g And Join Up?

Given its popularity and infamy, 4Chan is a sort of website which is going to be rather divisive. Consequently, we realize that some of our readers may love it, others will hate it, and there will be few in the middle.

If you enjoy amateur porn, you can enjoy this site without signing up. However, if you have a strong exhibitionist streak, like talking about other people’s nudes, and enjoy socializing on cyberspace, then this is the forum for you.

Overall, we give 4Chan three and a half out of five hands and a moderate endorsement.