Anime
Published March 10, 2026
Anime (a term derived from a shortening of the English word animation) is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan.
Overview
Anime is the Japanese pronunciation of the English word animation, and outside Japan the term specifically means the colorful, expressive style of animation that originated there3. Character designs typically feature oversized eyes, exotic hair colors, and dramatic close-ups, with plots ranging from kids' shows to adult-themed action, romance, and horror6. As an internet subject, anime became one of the web's most productive meme sources, generating everything from single-panel image macros to seven-second dub clips repurposed across every fandom on the site4.
Popular series like Attack on Titan, Jujutsu Kaisen, Dragon Ball Z, and Jojo's Bizarre Adventure have been mined so heavily for memes that some viewers know the memes long before they know the shows5. Some anime memes are so widespread that even people who don't watch anime recognize them, thanks to cross-pollination between fandoms and the rise of GIF-based chat4. The Jojo pose, the Gigachad-adjacent Chad Yamcha edits, and countless "nervous sweating" reaction faces all trace back to specific anime frames.
Gallery
Origin & Background
Anime (a term derived from a shortening of the English word animation) is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan.
How It Spread
Anime (a term derived from a shortening of the English word animation) is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan.
How to Use This Meme
Anime meme formats vary by source material. Reaction images typically pull a single frame of a character with a wild expression and use it as a stand-in for a mood, like Nichijou's Yuko Aioi vibrating with energy after a dog bites her hand5. Template memes like Is This a Pigeon swap the butterfly and pigeon labels for mismatched real-world concepts, working best when the substitution is comically wrong2. Catchphrase memes like Nah I'd Win are often edited over other characters' mouths or dropped into unrelated arguments as a smug refusal4. Dub-based memes such as Speed Racer's "stop crying" clip get their comedy from the deadpan voice acting, and edits usually loop or subtitle the seven-second clip with a new caption5.