What does breaking the fourth wall mean in stories and fanfictions?

Answer 1

"Breaking the fourth wall" means that a character in a story knows that he/she and any companions are in a story. The same goes for television/movies, books, manga, anime, comics, and so on.

For example, if there is a narrator, and the character stops to argue with the narrator, or converses with them at all, they recognize the presence of the storytelling and are thus breaking out of their universe, so to speak.

When a character in a movie/TV show looks at the camera/speaks to the audience, they are breaking the fourth wall.

Answer 2

Breaking the fourth wall means acknowledging the audience directly within the story, such as characters addressing the readers or viewers. In fanfiction, this can involve characters being aware that they are part of a story or interacting with the audience in a self-referential way. It can add a meta-fictional layer to the storytelling experience.