Seeing anime trend online isn't anything new. But sometimes, it can happen for the strangest reasons. Sometimes, it's just because of a funny reaction image using an anime character's face, or the latest anime trend got everybody laughing.
But in some other cases, it can be for the weirdest reasons imaginable or it's something quite serious. Either way, these anime characters went viral for reasons beyond their control.
10 Sasuke Got Choked By Itachi & Every Character Imaginable
One of the darkest moments in the original Naruto anime saw Sasuke being pinned to a wall by his brother Itachi, who he once admired but now swears revenge on. What should've been a dramatic moment resurfaced years later not because it made nostalgic fans cry, but because it was kind of hilarious.
Fans edited characters and personalities in Itachi's place, including Josh from Drake & Josh, Marie Kondo, and Shrek (just to name a few). One of the edits had Sharpay from High School Musical holding Sasuke's neck, which is a reference to a really old roleplaying meme where Sasuke and Sharpay had a rivalry that ended with the latter promising to end the Uchiha bloodline.
9 Smol Nezuko Ran Into The Heart Of The Internet
Given Demon Slayer's massive popularity, the abundance of memes that Tanjiro and friends inspired shouldn't be surprising. One of the smash anime's most famous memes was that of Smol Nezuko. Specifically, the exact frame where she used her demon powers to shrink to the size of a small child.
Smol Nezuko was Photoshopped into just about every silly scenario memers could dream up, whether it was running alongside Naruto (who's obviously doing his signature Naruto Run) or joining the Storm Area 51 raid. Even after Demon Slayer's hype calmed down a bit, Smol Nezuko pops up every now and then to remind fans of how cute she is.
8 The PlayStation 5 Looks A Lot Like Seto Kaiba
The PlayStation 5 inspired countless memes, most of which were annoyed reactions aimed at the console's scarcity and the bots that overwhelmed retailers' systems. On the lighter side of things was a Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters reference, since the sharp and white PS5 bore a striking resemblance to one of Seto Kaiba's signature outfits.
This coincidence inspired people online to crudely attach images of Seto's head on the console, with some wondering if a custom Seto PS5 would ever be sold. One fan (Twitter user @lihasanxiety; right) even went the extra mile and painted a 3D print-out of Seto's head for their PS5, thus making the meme a reality.
7 Goblin Slayer Reminded People Of Doomguy
Thanks to its graphic content and a very controversial pilot episode, Goblin Slayer became a hot talking point for a time. When things finally calmed down, the anime still remained in the spotlight thanks to its titular protagonist. What made the Goblin Slayer intriguing to many wasn't his depth or nuance, but that there's literally nothing to him beyond mass goblin murder.
This drew comparisons to the Doom Slayer (aka Doomguy) from the DOOM games, especially since the anime aired when DOOM (2016) was still being played. The similarities between the two were uncanny: both are faceless armored behemoths who mercilessly slaughter the monsters that destroyed their past lives. Since then, fans have been clamoring for a DOOM-styled game starring Goblin Slayer.
6 Crunchyroll Renamed Naruto Into "Boruto's Dad"
A lot has been said about how Boruto: Naruto Next Generations seems intent on erasing the accomplishments and legacies of its predecessors. Nowhere was this made hilariously clear than in Crunchyroll's Tweet promoting a Naruto rerun, where it proudly declared that the anime chronicled the life and times of Boruto's Dad.
Naruto fans retaliated against what they considered to be a comical instance of historical revisionism, saying that Naruto Uzumaki didn't go through ninja hell and back just to be remembered as Boruto's Dad. Crunchyroll took their mistake in stride, sending out even more Tweets about Boruto's Dad and his appearances in his son's anime.
5 Ash Ketchum Finally Became Pokémon Master After Almost 20 Years
In 1997, Ash proudly declared to his friends and the world that he'll become Pokémon Master and be the very best like no one ever was. Ash accomplished just that during the Alola League tournament, but there's one catch: it took him nearly two decades to fulfill his longtime promise. To be specific, Ash finally became champion in 2019.
Shortly after his biggest win to date, Ash went viral as fans from around the world - especially those of the older age groups - celebrated with him. The disbelief inspired by Ash and Pikachu finally breaking their years-long losing streak was so enormous that mainstream news outlets even covered this momentous anime victory.
4 Pikachu Spoke & Broke The Fanbase's Collective Mind
With very few exceptions like Team Rocket's Meowth and Mewtwo, Pokémon can't talk. Though they're obviously capable of thought and emotion, Pokémon can only say their own name over and over again. This suddenly changed in the movie Pokémon: I Choose You!, when Pikachu talked in what's been assumed to be Ash's hallucination.
For context's sake, this happened after Ash narrowly saved himself and Pikachu from an explosion. Next thing he knew, Pikachu answered his question with a complete sentence. The scene (as did Ash's temporary death a few seconds later) quickly went viral not because it was heartwarming or sad, but because nobody could believe what just happened.
3 Mineta May Or May Not Have Confessed His Love For Deku
Mineta is easily the most disliked character in My Hero Academia, but the latest chapter of the hit superhero manga may have thrown a new light onto his character. During Class 1-A's desperate attempt to restrain an uncontrollable Izuku Midoriya in Chapter 321, Mineta suddenly admits that he fell for him after witnessing his boundless determination.
Mineta's Japanese dialogue roughly translates to "I was enamored by you" or "I fell in love with you," which was localized into "I fell for you" or "I admired you." This got Mineta trending, as fans considered this to be his romantic confession. That said, they still don't know how to feel about the story's potentially first gay character being the unpopular class pervert.
2 Uzaki-Chan Promoted A Blood Donation Drive & Sparked A Serious Debate
In 2019, the Japanese Red Cross Society (JRCS) advertised a blood donation drive with a poster featuring Uzaki-chan. Here, she taunted the reader by mocking their supposed fear of needles. This sparked controversy online, since using an adult comedy character to advertise something as serious as a blood drive felt inappropriate to some.
Uzaki-chan's sensual pose and persona fueled the heated online arguments, with detractors equating her poster's scenario to sexual harassment and defenders claiming it was artistic expression. Though the JRCS abruptly dropped Uzaki from their 2019 blood drive, they renewed the partnership with Uzaki-Chan Wants To Hang Out! shortly after.
1 Nagatoro Said "Sus" & Inspired Intense Overreactions
In the first localized episode of Don't Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro, Nagatoro taunted Senpai by saying that he was acting "sus." "Sus," of course, is the abbreviation of "suspicious" that many assume stems from a popular Among Us meme. The use of "sus" in Nagatoro's subtitles was generally laughed at or ignored, but it also somehow infuriated people beyond reason.
The reactions from a loud online minority ranged from petty to disturbing, with one of the most unhinged anti-sus rants from a now-suspended Twitter user devolving into a tirade that equated the use of a contemporary meme to certain offensive ideas. Crunchyroll responded by doubling down, making Nagatoro say "sus" again one episode later.