+ 10 Influencers Who Are (Linguistic) Cannibals

Linguistic kamikazes who prove that accent isn’t a flaw, but a signature

English is the lingua franca of the globalized internet, which means it is constantly being devoured, digested, and expelled (whether shat out or vomited up) in different ways, to the rhythm of other voices, from other places. Metanthropophagy, or linguistic cannibalism, is a postmodern and radical extension of Oswald de Andrade’s 1928 Anthropophagic Manifesto.

While 20th-century anthropophagy proposed that Brazil should “devour” foreign cultural influences to create something new and authentically Brazilian, 21st-century metanthropophagy takes this idea into the realm of linguistics, language, and hybridity. In a previous article, I presented “10 Meta-Anthropophagic YouTube Channels,” featuring creators like Alice Capelle, Luna oi!, NFKRZ, and Davie504.

Now, I bring a new list of 10 influencers who, each in their own way, practice this linguistic cannibalism in real time, each in their own fashion.

1. PewDiePie

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I need to start by apologizing, because in my first text, I forgot about PewDiePie. It’s such an obvious omission that it’s embarrassing, after all, he’s perhaps the biggest linguistic kamikaze in YouTube history.

Felix Kjellberg was born in Sweden and, in 2010, created a channel where he would speak exclusively in English to the world. He gave up his own mother tongue to communicate with a global audience, and that led him to become, for nearly a decade, the most subscribed channel on the platform. English isn’t his native language, but he devoured it so thoroughly (with his Swedish accent, characteristic intonation, and a vocabulary that mixes American and European slang) that his voice became the signature of a generation.

PewDiePie is metanthropophagic not despite his accent, but because of it. He doesn’t try to sound like a native speaker; instead, he turned his accent into an asset, into a personal brand. His use of English with Swedish traits helps create a sense of intimacy and closeness with viewers, as if they were friends chatting.

Of course, it would be dishonest to ignore the controversies. He’s been involved in serious scandals, including accusations of antisemitic content in some videos, which led to contracts being severed with Disney and his removal from Google’s premium ad program. Later, his name was mentioned by terrorists in attacks in New Zealand and California, which he described as a turning point in his life, leading him to step back from explicit political positions.

Despite that, for the purpose of this list — linguistic cannibalism — his relevance is unquestionable. PewDiePie’s story is proof that giving up your own language can be the path to conquering the world.

Currently, he lives in Japan with his wife Marzia and son Björn, and is in a kind of “semi-retirement,” stopping monthly vlogs to protect his son’s privacy. Even so, he remains one of the internet’s biggest phenomena. He’s the linguistic kamikaze who made it, and who influenced an entire generation of creators to do the same.

The video I’m recommending is one that entertained me greatly back in the day. In it, Felix challenges viewers to make the video end with the same number of likes and dislikes. Nowadays, unfortunately, the public can no longer see the dislike count on a video, which is a tragedy, as I’ve argued elsewhere.

2. Vanessa Wingårdh

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Another person who gave up Swedish to master English and conquer the world is Vanessa Wingårdh. She’s a software engineer, and her videos discuss the IT job market, artificial intelligence, and the future of technology.

Her English is excellent, almost like a native’s, but deep down, if you pay attention, you can notice a slight accent that gives away her Scandinavian origins. It’s not a flaw, but a texture — a mark of someone who devoured English but couldn’t (or didn’t want to) completely erase their own roots.

The video I’m recommending is a perfect example of the kind of content that makes Vanessa such a relevant creator. In it, she explains the war between car manufacturers and independent mechanics over the right to repair.

Manufacturers want to force consumers to use only their authorized networks, while independent mechanics fight for access to the information and tools needed to fix cars — a battle that has huge consequences for consumers’ wallets and the future of the automotive industry as a whole.

Vanessa takes technical, complex topics like this, full of legal and economic nuances, and transforms them into clear, accessible, and engaging videos for a global audience.

3. Catarina Doria (The AI Ethicist)

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Catarina Dória is one of the necessary voices in the debate on artificial intelligence. She has established herself as a reference in AI ethics, offering deep yet accessible analyses of how technology is transforming our lives.

Her English is excellent (certainly much better than mine), but if you pay close attention, you can feel a Brazilian spice underneath. It’s yet another example of an accent that doesn’t hinder but rather signs the work.

As a recommendation, I leave a practical guide in which she teaches how to identify whether an image was generated by AI. I hope you enjoy it and start following her, okay? Because she’s great!

4. Amon (@amonista)

See this photo on Instagram A post shared by AMON (@amoninsta)

Amon is a case apart on this list, and perhaps one of the most interesting precisely for that reason. While most creators I’ve mentioned use fluent English with a subtle accent that gives away their origins, Amon does the exact opposite — he deliberately forces a Brazilian accent, and that’s what makes his videos so funny.

His content is primarily aimed at Brazilians who speak English, as he plays with this duality in a way that only someone from Brazil will fully understand. Maybe a foreigner will watch and not find it funny, but if you’re Brazilian, you’ll laugh your head off. Amon turns his accent into a comedic tool of cultural affirmation and celebration. He shows, with great humor, that our accent isn’t something to be hidden or corrected, but rather a beautiful and powerful mark of identity.

As a highlight, I leave one of his super funny videos where he speaks English with that very strong accent and, in the middle of the conversation, asks himself how people noticed he’s Brazilian.

5. Gabriela Gomes (A-life-of-reading)

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Gabriela Gomes is an essayist who writes on Substack and also maintains a YouTube channel. I confess that, in this case, I have some doubts about her nationality. Her English is SO good that it sounds practically native, with an accent I can’t pinpoint to any specific part of the United States.

Maybe she’s the daughter of Brazilians, maybe she’s lived there for a long time, maybe she grew up in a bilingual environment. Either way, what matters is that Gabriela is a passionate reader and a razor-sharp literary critic who found in English the perfect vehicle to share her passion with the world.

Her content is about literature, and she writes with a depth that few achieve. You can tell she’s a huge fan of David Foster Wallace (who in their right mind wouldn’t be?), and her analyses of him are a feast for those who love literature and aren’t afraid of difficult texts.

Gabriela has that rare ability to talk about super complex subjects in an accessible way without ever underestimating her audience’s intelligence — a very hard balance to strike.

The video I highlight here is one of my favorites. In it, Gabriela talks about Brazilian literature — the masterpieces that remain on the margins of the Western canon. It’s unmissable. Watch it!

6. Fiago

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Fiago is, without a doubt, one of my favorites on this list. German, passionate about football, he makes videos in English to reach a global audience, but the German accent is always there, in the background, giving personality to every sentence. It doesn’t hinder at all. On the contrary, it’s his trademark. It’s what lets us know we’re listening to someone who, although speaking the internet’s lingua franca, hasn’t erased their origins.

His videos are great for anyone wanting to stay informed about European football. He has a relaxed, fun way of telling stories and giving opinions. The coolest part is that he doesn’t just stick to Europe. Fiago travels, gets to know other football cultures, and brings that curious perspective to the channel.

The video I highlight here is proof of that. In this video, he came to Brazil to watch a Corinthians game at the Neo Química Arena in Itaquera. Watching a German immersed in the madness of the Corinthians fans, trying to understand the passion and intensity of Brazilian football, is hilarious. It’s the kind of content that shows how football is universal.

7. Chapéu Football

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Chapéu Football is one of those finds that makes you wonder why there aren’t more channels like this. The creator, Filipo, has English so good it sounds practically native, to the point where I suspect he’s the son of Brazilians, or that he went to the US very early, or that he’s lived there so long the accent simply dissolved. Either way, what matters is that he took the global language and used it to do something practically no one else does: talk about Brazilian football in English.

And he does it all very, very well. Chapéu Football’s content is a gateway to football from here — the Brasileirão, Libertadores, etc. He translates our craziness, our passion, our footballing complexity to an audience that might otherwise never have access to it all. It’s the best English-language channel for anyone wanting to understand Brazilian football without learning Portuguese.

The video I highlight here is an analysis of the Brazilian national team’s decline. Filipo isn’t afraid to be critical, to point out the structural, tactical, and even psychological problems that led Brazil to lose the prominence it once had.

8. HTX Studios

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HTX Studio is a Chinese team from Hangzhou that defines itself as a “do-it-yourself” (DIY) group with a simple goal: creating fun and engaging videos. They have two YouTube channels (one in English and one in Chinese), where they document all kinds of hands-on projects, and English is the bridge they use to reach the world.

The Chinese accent is there, yes, but it’s so subtle you barely notice it. They speak very, very well, and the accent, when it appears, doesn’t hinder at all. It’s yet another case where the “wrong” pronunciation is a mark, not a flaw.

The video I highlight here is one of my favorites: they built a telescope. It’s the kind of content that makes you want to watch the next video immediately, and it shows how DIY, when done well, is completely captivating.

9. Three Arrows

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Three Arrows is a German creator who produces video essays in English on politics, history, and culture, and his German accent is strong and unmistakable. But, as I’ve been repeating throughout this list, that’s not a problem — it’s a personal mark. It’s what lets us know we’re listening to someone who isn’t trying to pass for American or British, but simply picked up English as a tool to bring their perspective to the world.

And what a perspective! Three Arrows is known for his rigorous, well-researched, and often incisive analyses. Regardless of your political side, it’s hard not to appreciate the depth with which he tackles complex topics, especially when the subject is German history and its shadows. He brings the perspective of someone who grew up in a country that made peace with its past in a way few have managed, and carries that as both a burden and a lesson.

The video I highlight here is a perfect example. In it, Three Arrows argues that Jordan Peterson didn’t understand what Nazism was. Whether you agree or not, it’s impossible to ignore the historical rigor, the clarity of the arguments, and the courage to confront such an influential name with facts and context. It’s the kind of content that makes you think — which is a lot in a world where everyone just wants us to pick sides.

10. Diego Ruzzarin (Contranarrativas)

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Diego Ruzzarin is, by far, the most different case on this list, and perhaps for that very reason, the most interesting.

I came across him by chance while studying Spanish and exploring creators from other languages. I saw an interview he gave in English on some geopolitics channel, realized from the conversation that he was Brazilian, so I went to his channel and discovered something unexpected: all the videos are in Spanish.

Brazilian, but based in Mexico, Diego gave up Portuguese to communicate with Latin America. It’s not metanthropophagy in the strict sense of using English as a global lingua franca, but it is a form of linguistic cannibalism, yes. He swapped his mother tongue for Spanish to reach a huge audience, and today he’s a respected voice in philosophy, geopolitics, and Latin American cultural criticism. He doesn’t bring Brazilian culture much into his videos. The content is more general, more focused on structural and ideological issues that cut across the entire continent.

What I’ll recommend here isn’t his main channel, but a video from another project, Contranarrativas, in which Diego talks about the role of religion and football in the social formation of Latin America. It’s a deep analysis, full of historical and cultural references, that shows exactly the value of having someone who moves between languages and cultures to dismantle established narratives. It might not fit perfectly into the concept of metanthropophagy, but the content is so good I wouldn’t regret including it.

Bonus: tell a tale : 텔어테일

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tell a tale is the bonus on this list and perhaps the most unusual and delightful example of linguistic cannibalism I’ve ever seen. They’re a South Korean pagode group. That’s right: pagode… Korean.

I’d already seen Japanese pagode before, so the idea that samba crossed the ocean and reached Asia wasn’t entirely new to me. But Korean pagode? That was new.

I came across the group a few years ago through my brother’s recommendation, and I was completely fascinated. Seeing our rhythm, our cadence, our musical soul being interpreted by voices from so far away (and with so much care and skill) is an experience that moves you.

The Korean accent singing in Portuguese is there, of course. It can’t not be. But they do a fantastic job. The pronunciation is good, the rhythm is respected, the emotion is genuine. They’re not just imitating — they’re devouring pagode, digesting it in their own way, and giving back to the world a version only they could make. It’s beautiful! Highly recommended!

The video I highlight here is a minimalist version of a pagode classic, “Pé na Areia.” It’s proof that music, like language, is a living organism, meant to be devoured, transformed, and reinvented by those who play it.

This text was originally published in Portuguese on my personal blog and in English on The Brazilian Mutt. Thank you for reading it. If you liked it, don’t forget to share with your friends! Obrigado! Abraços!