The Naruto series is full of meme-worthy moments such as the iconic Naruto Run and viral Choking Sasuke memes. In memes like these, much of the humor sprouts from the characters themselves.
Kakashi, for example, stands out as a character who naturally gives of meme vibes. He may be an elite ninja with a tragic backstory, but he also has his funny moments. From reading sketchy adult novels to concealing his true face behind a mask, fans can't help but poke fun at Kakashi for every little thing he does. Here are ten hilarious memes in honor of the infamous Copycat Ninja, Kakashi Hatake.
10 He Copies 1000 Jutsu But Only Uses 3
Known as the "Copycat Ninja", Kakashi has the ability to instantly copy another ninja's jutsu with the help of his Sharingan eye. This technically means that he has the potential to learn as many unique jutsu as he wishes.
Having access to that many different jutsu would be extremely helpful in gaining the advantage in battle. But for some reason, Kakashi opts to stick with the same old jutsu techniques. And more often than not, he just defaults to using his own original lightning jutsu, Chidori. Maybe it's because he's most experienced with lightning-style, but it would be cool to see more use out of the many techniques he's copied throughout his ninja career.
9 Kakashi The Lady Killer
Similar to the Team Seven love triangle, Kakashi also experienced a love triangle within his squad as a young ninja. While Obito was in love with Rin, Rin was in love with Kakashi.
During the same mission in which their comrade is crushed by a boulder, Rin expresses her feelings for Kakashi, to which he responds that he isn't good enough for her. Sometime later, Kakashi's Chidori literally goes through Rin's heart and kills her. Though it appears like Kakashi had viciously murdered his own friend, it is later revealed to be a sacrificial decision on Rin's end to protect the village from the tailed beast sealed inside her.
8 Lost On The Path Of Life
Kakashi doesn't mess around when lives are on the line, but the same can't be said when it comes to his responsibilities as Team Seven's teacher. Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura know better than anyone that Kakashi has a terrible habit of always showing up late.
To make things worse, Kakashi puts little effort into coming up with a valid excuse for being late. One of his most memorable excuses was that he was "lost on the path of life." While it sounds nice and philosophical, Kakashi shows no regret or shame in making his team wait for him.
7 His Mask Doesn't Burn
There is a lot of mystery and speculation on what Kakashi is hiding behind his mask. But the mask itself has also caught some attention.
Like Sasuke, Kakashi has access to fire-style techniques such as Fireball Jutsu. This technique, however, requires the user to blow fire from their mouth. In a confusing instance in the anime, Kakashi successfully uses Fireball Jutsu straight through his mask. Any normal mask would disintegrate in fire--but not Kakashi's mask. His mask must be made out of an indestructible material because it somehow remained untouched and completely clear of any flames.
6 Foreshadowing Obito's Death?
In the midst of the Third Great Ninja War, many things went wrong for Kakashi. First, he lost his eye, then he lost his friend, Obito.
During an important war mission to destroy the Kannabi Bridge, Kakashi is seen going over the plan with the rest of his team. Because Obito supposedly dies in this mission, someone took the opportunity to make a meme out of the scene. The map Minato is pointing to marks where Obito is eventually crushed by a boulder. The fake subtitles make it seem as though it was part of the plan for their poor comrade to fall.
5 Kakashi's Fist
This meme is the Kakashi version of the classic Arthur Fist meme. Even as a different variation of the original meme, the intention is the same. It expresses frustration and passive-aggressive feelings in a hilariously subtle way.
In this case, Kakashi's fist is clenched over the fact that anime episodes are sometimes loaded with recycled flashbacks. Not all flashbacks are annoying, but they can lose sentiment after being repeated multiple times across multiple episodes. It's even worse when you're eagerly waiting for the story to progress, but it goes backward instead.
4 Multitasking With The Sharingan
It isn't always easy to watch anime with subtitles because you're forced to multitask between watching the action and reading the dialogue. Some may even say it's a talent. Others, specifically Naruto fans, may say they have a special eye for it.
When Kakashi gets serious, he whips out his trusty Sharingan to enhance his vision and perception in battle. Likewise, when a serious anime fan watches their favorite subbed anime, they develop enhanced abilities to watch and read at the same time--kind of (not really) like the powers of the Sharingan!
3 One Thousand Years of Death
Aside from Chidori, one of Kakashi's most well-known techniques is called "One Thousand Years of Death". Despite its intimidating name, the technique is more ridiculous than it is deadly.
In One Thousand Years of Death, Kakashi sneaks up on an unsuspecting victim and sends them flying with a devastating blow to their behind. Although the technique was already goofy enough on its own, it was taken a step further when edited into a video titled "16 Photos Taken Seconds Before Disaster". Naruto better watch out because a disaster is definitely about to happen.
2 Stop Copying Me!
The Sharingan is first introduced in the anime when Kakashi reveals his covered eye in his battle against Zabuza. With the Sharingan, Kakashi begins copying Zabuza's very complex water-style jutsu.
Of course, it must be pretty annoying to have your own signature jutsu stolen from you in an instant. And it may not be Kakashi's intention, but it's as if he's making fun of Zabuza while imitating his every move. In combination with the Mocking Spongebob meme, it really emphasizes just how much Kakashi's copycat ability got under Zabuza's skin.
1 The Gang's All Here
As previously mentioned, Kakashi once had a team of his own with Obito, Rin, and Minato. But one by one, each of his comrades began to fall until he was the only one left.
After Obito is crushed to his assumed death, Kakashi promises to protect Rin. Shortly after, Kakashi accidentally kills Rin when she runs into his Chidori to sacrifice her life. Minato follows Obito and Rin after saving Konoha from the Nine-Tailed Fox. Without any comrades left from his youth, Kakashi often visits their graves when he's feeling lonely. Similarly, a lonely silver-haired Spongebob resorts to hanging out with finger-puppets of his fallen friends.