A lot of users on the forums seem to imply that scripts are virtually essential for success, so I must ask, who has reached higher levels with no scripts? Raise your hands.
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The phrasing kind of implies that itās somehow difficult to do without scripts.
Thereās got to be a pretty strong correlation between time spent here and adoption of scripts, since most scripts are for quality of life improvements.
That is to say, most scripts donāt affect the difficulty of WK.
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Thatās what several users have implied in the āWho Wants to Challenge me to a Race?ā thread.
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Itās not more difficult, itās just more inconvenient, and probably a little slower.
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Presumably that thread is about maximizing your speed on WK. Certain scripts go hand in hand with that.
Just using the site like the average user does presumably involves a lot of superficial scripts, because people like to make themselves comfortable the longer they stay somewhere. Donāt see how that somehow is something people should want to avoid.
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Doesnāt āinconvenientā and āslowerā imply more difficult?
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I donāt know how to use scripts, and donāt really see the point.
I am not here to impress anyoneā¦ I donāt know anyone here.
Wanikani has helped me to being more able to read at my work,
and Iām happy with it but it is not the only resource I use to learn
Japanese.
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Have you ever changed a setting on a website? Thatās the point. WK lets users do that with code.
You donāt have to want to impress people to want a website to work better than it currently does.
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Not really. Itās slower because, without the override script, you could be prevented from levelling up because of a typo. Itās more inconvenient because typos could also bring items back to guru and apprentice, unnecessarily increasing your work load.
Without Reorder and Ultimate Timeline, itās harder to level up in the minimum time.
These are the main scripts, and theyāre useful mostly if youāre trying to go fast. The others are study aids, stats, interface changes and other minor conveniences.
Scripts donāt make any difference in the actual memorisation of kanji and vocab.
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Iām not sure its āvirtually essential for successā but I wouldnt want to use WK without scripts now that Iāve seen them.
Scripts have not only enhanced my understanding of how wk works (ultimate timeline) but its furthered my understand of what iām learning. With the stroke order script I can visually break down kanji into more than just WK radicals, which helps me understand what iām looking at better. The reorder script helps me in reviews make stronger ties to readings and their meanings. and thats just to name 2 of the 8 or 9 scripts I use.
For me, Ive been able to customize my learning experience in a way that makes me more confidence in how i use this app and more confident in the money i spend on it.
sure, i could reach whatever level without them. But i wouldnāt want to.
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I donāt really use any scripts of consequence (the one and only script Iāve installed is the font randomizer oneā¦Iāve also considered the pitch info one, but havenāt gotten around to installing it). I donāt personally find them necessary, but I can see why people use them. I do get stuff sent down for typos on occasion, but it honestly doesnāt bother me that much, because it just means Iāll get to review it more and cement it even further into my head. I donāt level at āmax speed,ā but my average level time is ~10 days, which I donāt have an issue with.
Whether scripts are āessentialā or not depends entirely on your own goals and preferences. 
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Same. Could I complete WK without scripts? Yeah I guess. Would I want to? Noooope. Intentionally turning down massive quality of life improvements is not how I approach any piece of software or online service.
Just being able to override accidental typos (particularly mistyping ć-related readings) is of incalculable value to me. The frustration it prevents could literally be the difference between me finishing WK and quitting in annoyance.
WK doesnāt need a lot of scripts in my opinion, but there are a few I feel turn WK into an unquestionably better kanji-learning service.
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All this battle with not using scripts is understandable, taking into consideration that @crollins7 is still lvl 4. I did all the lessons in one row until lvl 5. I only used the override script until lvl 8 (mainly because I used the android app that comes with it). In my case, I just didnāt know how to install scripts.
Letās give an example with the ultimate timeline.
I donāt know at what time my radicals are going to appear. I want to guru them as soon as possible. Without any scripts, I would have to check a radicalās page to see the time left for the review. With the script, I can just look to the graph and look for the color blue (indicates radicals) and check the time. Done. Did I really hurt my learning?
Now you tell me, ābut I knew at what time the radicals were going to appear!ā Hey, with the script you didnāt need to. The less unnecessary stuff you have in your mind, the better you can focus on necessary things.
Iām not going full speed on WK. Iām going full speed on Grammar, vocab, WK, KW and HelloTalk. I also listen to Japanese through anime and youtube videos. All this is done on a daily basis. The only thing lacking is speaking, but I do speak to myself in Japanese every day. Iām sharing this because I know that you want to go full speed and learn as much as you can as fast as possible. However, for that to happen, you need to make smart choices, which includes finding ways to improve your efficiency in learning the language. Scripts help with that. Sure, the override scripts letās you skip wrong answers you didnāt really knowā¦ but you could do exactly the same thing by using the search option on WK to look for the item before answering. āOh I remember this word now, so that means that I know it! Letās consider it right!ā
I really think you should give scripts a try. Choose 1 and see how it works. Saying no to something you never tried is not the most humble way to go 
And hey, not all scripts are the same.
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Yes, KW is KaniWani
I decided that messing with Anki wasnāt very healthy to me because I canāt understand how to really use it. I also donāt like the multiple choice that Memrise gives either. However, recently I discovered that you can install a script on Memrise that will remove the multiple choices and force you to actually write the answers, much like WaniKani. For now, Iāve been doing the Genki I and II vocab courses there, since thereās some vocab from it that I still donāt know. Iām also starting with the vocab course of ćć¤ć°ćØļ¼(Beginner book club) and with the Katakana course with 4000+ words.
Genki I Genki I - by Johan86 - Memrise
ćć¤ć°ćØļ¼vocab Yotsubato Vocabulary - by TinyCaterpillar - Memrise
Katakana HELLO ć«ćæć«ć - by ć¾ćć£ć” - Memrise
OBS: If you want to increase your study time, I would suggest you to do 1 step at a time. Trying to do everything at once will only make you give up. Get used to doing WaniKani first on a daily basis. Then, choose another thing to add to your study routineā¦ and so on.
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Thank you for the detailed response. Iām gonna have to decide on a vocab course soon. Damn, that Katakana course looks intense. Whats your rate of learning with vocab? Do you think youāre learning words faster or slower than kanji?
What do you consider the definition of āfull speed Grammar, vocab, WK, KW and HelloTalkā?
Iām curious about the time commitment on such a high pace schedule and how many hours of study it ends up being in a day or a week.
For example, does it mean:
- Every waking hour? (Full speed minus sleep)
- Forty hours a week? (Full as in equal to full time employment/studies)
- Whenever you have free time? (Full speed minus work/separate hobbies/time with friends)
- Other?
Wanikani has a set max speed, but what does full speed entail as for the other parts of the language? What is full speed on grammar for example? Or full speed on HelloTalk?
I wouldnāt say Iām especially high level, and Iām also pretty darn slow (but still moving!) going through WK, but I donāt currently really use much. I used to use a reorder for lessons to control how many radicals, kanji, and vocab I had starting at any one time, but now WK batches up radicals then kanji for you before vocab anyway. Sometimes I still use it if there are too many new kanji at once to get some vocab going simultaneously (I like a mix, personally, as long as kanji is still getting in there in a somewhat timely fashion). I make a fair number of typos in reviews because Iām usually going pretty fast, but I usually slow down and double-check my mnemonics for new radicals and kanji Iām trying to guru anyway. The override script might move things along a little faster for me, but I figure I might as well just see whatever I mess up again anyway. One other thing I do have going is a level celebration script. So maybe my level-up cat gif is the secret cheat for me
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Sorry if I used a term that is not the most correct. āFull speedā was a way to say āIām doing those things the best way I can without crossing the barrier of burning out.ā More specifically, this is what I meant:
- For WaniKani, Iām doing a level every 7 days.
- For KaniWani, Iām following my progress on WK.
- For vocab, it means that Iām learning words outside of WK every day. I donāt have an amount defined per day nor do I worry about it. My only goal is to keep progressing. I might study 3, 5 or 20 words, I donāt really care. Doing the reviews of what Iāve already learned on Memrise takes priority to me. Plus, it really depends on the work I have extra outside of my Japanese studies. I also donāt try to learn too much if my body isnāt in its best conditions. For example, I wonāt even dare to learn too many words if I only slept 6h that night. I also donāt study when Iām stressed. I always make sure to isolate myself from external stuff so I can better focus on studying.
- For grammar, I try to review at least 1 thing that Iāve been having problems with or learn a new concept.
- For HelloTalk, it means exchanging messages with my main language partner every day.
It might seem too much, but I try to make this as efficient as possible. For example, during my conversation with my language partner, If I make a grammatical mistake, I make sure to review it the next day or even in that same day. If my partner used words that I havenāt learned, I use the context of the conversation to learn them. It makes the learning easier
I donāt wanna sound too sure of myself or anything. I apologize if I sounded like that
EDIT: I also donāt worry much about time. There are days where Iām more free than others. Plus, if I finish my tasks early, I wonāt try to push for more. For WK, I make sure to check the phone every hour during the day (instead of checking FB).
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Do your own thing. Our daily routine is much more than studying Japanese. Try 5 words. Check them the next day and try to learn some more. Youāll find your own pace soon enough 
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