# 4Chan Flag Bearers 4chan Flag Bearers is a series of exploitable drawings showing a lineup of standard-bearers (flag-carrying soldiers) that are customized to represent different countries, ethnicities, fandoms, or groups. The format likely originated on Krautchan around 2010, with the earliest confirmed online appearance on Warosu's /tg/ board in September 2013[2]. It became a staple of imageboard ranking humor, especially on 4chan's /pol/ board, where users fill in the template to create humorous or provocative tier lists and country comparisons. ## Origin The first Flag Bearers image is believed to have been posted on Krautchan's international board (/int/) sometime in late 2010, comparing Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes[1]. Krautchan, a German-language imageboard, was known for its focus on international banter and country-versus-country humor, making it a natural birthplace for a format built around national comparisons. The earliest confirmed online appearance came on September 25, 2013, when a version was posted to Warosu's traditional games board (/tg/). That image featured a lineup of 10 flag bearers, each referencing characters from The Elder Scrolls game universe rather than real nations[1]. The post was reposted seven more times within Warosu, suggesting it found a small but engaged audience on that board. - **Platform:** Krautchan (believed origin), Warosu /tg/ (earliest known online post) - **Creator:** Unknown (community-created) - **Date:** 2010 (believed), 2013 (earliest confirmed) ## Overview The meme consists of a row of identical knight or soldier figures, each carrying a flag or banner. Users edit the template by assigning each figure a flag, logo, or label to represent different groups, then annotate them with humorous or satirical descriptions. The lineup format makes it natural for ranking and comparison humor, sorting groups from "best" to "worst" or assigning stereotypical traits[1]. The visual style is simple and intentionally crude, making it easy to edit in basic image software. Most versions feature between 5 and 10 flag bearers in a horizontal row, though templates with more slots exist. ## How It Spread The meme jumped to 4chan proper on July 19, 2014, when a user submitted a blank template to the politically incorrect board (/pol/)[1]. The thread invited other users to create their own versions, and the response was significant, with the thread collecting over 200 comments. 4chan's /pol/ board, known for irreverent and often provocative international discussion[2], proved to be fertile ground for a format designed around ranking nations and groups. By Fall 2015, a template had made its way to iFunny, where at least 34 different edits of the meme were created[1]. A search for "flag bearer" on 4plebs, a popular 4chan archive, returned 420 results as of the KYM documentation[1], indicating steady use across multiple boards over several years. ## How to Use Creating a Flag Bearers meme typically involves these steps: 1. **Find or download a blank template** with a row of standard-bearer figures. 2. **Assign each figure a group** by adding a flag, logo, or text label. Countries are the most common choice, but fandoms, political ideologies, game factions, and internet communities all work. 3. **Add descriptions or traits** beneath or above each figure. These are usually short, humorous stereotypes or rankings. 4. **Arrange them in order** if making a tier-style comparison, often from favorable on the left to unfavorable on the right (or vice versa). ## Fun Facts - The earliest known version compared three South Slavic peoples (Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes), fitting Krautchan's love of Balkan-themed shitposting[1]. - The meme's first confirmed online post wasn't about countries at all. It was an Elder Scrolls fan ranking on a tabletop games board[1]. - The original /pol/ thread in 2014 hit over 200 comments, an unusually high count for a single meme template thread[1]. - At least 420 instances were archived on 4plebs, making it one of the more persistent exploitable formats on 4chan[1]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is 4chan Flag Bearers? A series of exploitable drawings featuring a lineup of standard-bearer (flag-carrying) figures that users edit to represent and rank different countries, groups, or fandoms[1]. ### Where did 4chan Flag Bearers come from? The format is believed to have originated on Krautchan's international board around late 2010, with the earliest confirmed online post appearing on Warosu's /tg/ board on September 25, 2013[1]. ### What does 4chan Flag Bearers mean? The meme is used for comparison and ranking humor. Each flag bearer represents a different group, and the lineup format lets users assign humorous traits or rank them against each other[1]. ### How do you use 4chan Flag Bearers? Download a blank template, assign each figure a flag or label representing a group, add humorous descriptions, and share the edited image. Country comparisons and fandom rankings are the most common uses[1]. ### Is 4chan Flag Bearers still popular? The meme saw its peak use in the mid-2010s on 4chan and iFunny. With over 420 archived instances on 4plebs, it still appears occasionally on imageboards, though it's no longer a dominant format[1]. ### What was the first 4chan Flag Bearers image about? The believed first version compared Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes on Krautchan around 2010. The first confirmed online post, from 2013, ranked Elder Scrolls factions[1]. ### Why is the meme associated with /pol/? 4chan's /pol/ (politically incorrect) board is focused on international politics and cultural debate[2], making it a natural home for a format built around country comparisons. The first 4chan appearance was a /pol/ thread in July 2014 that got over 200 replies[1]. ## References 1. [Mais qui ?]() 2. [4chan Flag Bearers - Know Your Meme]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/4chan-flag-bearers Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library