Anything can become a meme at this point. Anime, in particular, has become meme fodder over the years because of the characters’ overexaggerated expressions and hilarious scenes taken out of context to confuse people out of the loop.
A few anime, however, have become memes just by existing. Sometimes, a fandom can sneak their favorite anime into everything by making an obscure reference to the series. Other times, the mass hatred of a particular series has become a meme among anime fandoms as a whole. Regardless, these anime series have become laughingstocks, whether it’s to their detriment or otherwise.
10/10 Kuroko’s Basketball Is Full Of Overpowered Super Moves
Kuroko’s Basketball takes every sports anime cliché and amps it up by one-thousand percent. While other sports anime series try to portray the sport as realistic as possible, Kuroko’s Basketball throws that notion out the window. It introduces hilariously overpowered moves that are impossible in real life.
One of the most common memes among Kuroko’s Basketball fans is to point out the rays of light from the character’s passes, shots, and blocks. One instance, in particular, became a popular Tumblr post where one user pointed out the “death rays” coming out of Aomine’s hand, prompting another user to compare the series to the Chicago Bulls in 1992.
9/10 Attack On Titan Is Surprisingly Memeable
Attack On Titan has become a meme for a variety of reasons over the years. Whether it’s because of the characters’ facial expressions, cringeworthy quotes throughout the series, or taking Titans out of context, there are plenty of things to joke about with this otherwise dark series.
Recently, criticizing and hating on Attack On Titan has become a meme among anime fans. The manga’s ending was controversial, and many anime-only viewers didn’t like how the series was heading. Though most people wouldn’t expect a series like Attack On Titan to become a meme, one could argue that it’s a byproduct of the series taking itself way too seriously.
8/10 Don’t Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro’s “Sus” Became A Meme
Don’t Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro is one of the most unserious shonen anime of all time. Most people disregard the series as a string of running gags and don’t take it too seriously. The series has made a meme out of itself a few times, but one particular scene caught everybody’s attention thanks to the English localizers.
The word “sus” is slang for something that looks suspicious. Though it’s debatable about who can use the word because of its origins in AAVE, it became popularized on TikTok because of Among Us. In Don’t Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro, the titular Nagatoro told the protagonist that he’d been “acting sus” the entire time.
7/10 The Fan-Favorite Shonen Classic Naruto Is Full Of Memes
Naruto is one of the longest-running animanga series of all time. Since it’s been going on for so long, a few memes coming out of it were inevitable. Character reaction memes are pretty common with Naruto, but a few very specific memes stand out from the rest.
One of the most prominent memes in the fandom is Sasuke getting choked. There are plenty of variants of the meme, but the original started with a screencap of Itachi choking Sasuke. From there, fans edited cats, Shrek, Gordon Ramsey, and even various K-Pop idols choking Sasuke.
6/10 Tokyo Ghoul Should Have Been Animated By MAPPA
Tokyo Ghoul gained a reputation as the peak of edgelord anime, so it was inevitable for a few memes to come from the series. One of the most common came from the Tokyo Ghoul:re manga, with a photo of Kaneki throwing his head back like he’s in pain.
The image became synonymous with being in a state of self-pity and melancholy, often used to overdramatize minor inconveniences. Another popular meme from the Tokyo Ghoul fandom is the same recycled tweet from various users about how much better the anime adaptation would have been if it were animated by Studio MAPPA.
5/10 Hating On Demon Slayer Has Become A Meme
Demon Slayer isn’t exactly the peak of battle shonen, but it’s a solid story nonetheless. While many of its criticisms are valid, there’s no doubt that hating on the series has become a meme on social media at this point.
One of Demon Slayer’s most common criticisms is that UFOTable’s animation quality saves the story. That exact statement has been repeated over and over by fans on Twitter and Reddit, probably hoping to score some clout by hating on one of the most popular shonen series around right now.
4/10 Spy X Family’s Anya Forger & Jujutsu Kaisen’s Yuji Itadori Could Be Long-Lost Siblings
Spy X Family was the breakout series of Spring 2022. Shortly after its premiere, one of the most popular memes was to compare Anya Forger to Jujutsu Kaisen’s Yuji Itadori. They both have pink hair, bubbly personalities, and hilarious facial expressions, so fans joked that they could be brother and sister.
Fandom artists got to work and started making fan art of the two like they were long-lost siblings. It was a refreshing, lighthearted meme in a community normally known for its constant, neverending stream of complaints and arguments.
3/10 The “Is This A Pigeon?” Meme Made The Brave Fighter Of Sun Fighbird Relevant
One of the most popular meme formats of all time comes from an obscure 1991 anime called The Brave Of Sun Fighbird. The screenshot that broke the internet shows the protagonist, Yuutarou Katori, pointing at a butterfly and asking if it’s a pigeon.
The meme has become popular for expressing confusion and comparing two completely unrelated things, typically as a sarcastic response to something nonsensical someone else said or joking about characters in another series. The meme became wildly popular, even extending outside of anime fandoms.
2/10 My Hero Academia’s Big Reveal Outshined The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election
My Hero Academia’s 290th chapter, “Dabi’s Dance,” came out. The chapter discusses Dabi’s backstory, revealing him as Touya Todoroki. It confirmed many fans’ suspicions and outshined the 2020 election.
Many joked that they received confirmation of Dabi’s true identity before anyone knew who the 46th president of the United States would actually be. This also occurred around the same time as Supernatural’s infamous Destiel confession scene.
1/10 Everything Is A Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Reference
Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure is easily the most meme-able anime series of all time. It’s pure camp and doesn’t take itself seriously at all, resulting in some pretty hilarious character reactions and scenes that can easily be taken out of context. One of the most popular memes is from Phantom Blood.
After Dio killed Erina, he mocked her by saying that her first kiss wasn’t with Jonathan, it was with him. It resulted in the now-infamous meme, “It was me! Dio!” or “Kono Dio da!” Even funnier, however, is the fact that everything can be a Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure reference. Whether it’s the Japanese onomatopoeia for “menacing” or the entire country of Italy, it’s safe to say that if something exists, it’s likely a Jojo’s reference.