Area 51 Naruto Run

2019Viral video / image macroclassic

Published March 10, 2026 · Updated March 18, 2026

Also known as: Area 51 Naruto Runner · Naruto Runner

Area 51 Naruto Run refers to a viral moment from the September 20, 2019 Storm Area 51 event, where an attendee named Elia Elixir photobombed a live KTNV newscast by performing a Naruto run behind reporter Joe Bartels2. The clip spread across Twitter, Reddit, and YouTube within hours, turning Elixir into a folk hero of the internet's most absurd collective action event1. The moment became the defining image of the Storm Area 51 phenomenon, spawning object-labeled image macros and reaction memes across platforms2.

facebook event memesbody pose memesstreet footage memesconspiracy memesinterview memes

Overview

The Area 51 Naruto Run meme centers on a clip of a man sprinting through the Nevada desert behind a live TV reporter, arms flung back and torso tilted forward in the signature style of anime character Naruto Uzumaki1. The running style, which features a person leaning forward with arms stretched behind their back, was directly referenced in the original Storm Area 51 Facebook event description: "If we Naruto run, we can move faster than their bullets. Let's see them aliens"3. Screenshots from the broadcast became widely used as object-labeled image macros, with the runner and reporter assigned different roles to fit various jokes2.

Origin & Background

Platform
KTNV live broadcast (source video), Twitter (viral spread)
Creator
Matty Roberts
Date
2019

The backstory starts with Matty Roberts, a Bakersfield, California vape kiosk clerk who created the Facebook event "Storm Area 51, They Can't Stop All of Us" on June 27, 20193. Roberts got the idea after watching Area 51 conspiracy theorist Bob Lazar on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast3. The event was framed as a sardonic shitpost, asking people to meet in Amargosa Valley on September 20 and rush the heavily classified Air Force facility3. Roberts said the event sat at about 40 responses for three days before unexpectedly going viral3. Eventually, more than 2 million people marked "going" and 1.5 million marked "interested"3.

On September 20, 2019, only about 150 people showed up at the two entrances to Area 51 itself, with none getting inside3. Two music festivals ran alongside the event: Alienstock in Rachel, Nevada, and Storm Area 51 Basecamp in Hiko, Nevada, drawing an estimated 1,500 attendees total3. During KTNV's live coverage from the scene, reporter Joe Bartels was delivering a segment when Elia Elixir sprinted behind him performing the Naruto run2. KTNV uploaded the clip to YouTube, where it picked up over 1,600 views in its first four days2.

How It Spread

The clip took off on Twitter first. User @palmerdebra shared the video and pulled in more than 26,000 likes and 9,700 retweets within four days2. A post by @MunaNawabit1 with the caption "#LiveFromTheArea51Raid the kid that runs behind the reporter is going down in history" hit 176,000 likes, 56,000 retweets, and 5 million video views2.

Twitter reactions ranged from awe to affectionate mockery. One widely shared tweet read: "We live in such a great times we can witness a dude Naruto-running his way to Area 51. Now folks I'm not usually sentimental but that shit's beautiful"1. Another called it "highkey the dumbest greatest thing our generation is doing"1.

KTNV interviewed Elixir later that day, revealing his identity. The interview racked up over 9.2 million views in four days2.

On Reddit, the moment blew up simultaneously. User cafecl0pe posted an object-labeled version where the runner personifies the creation of a rainbow, earning over 70,000 upvotes2. A GIF of the moment posted by user Hoggord hit 120,000 upvotes and 2,500 comments2. User Tutankhhamun shared an object-labeled version using a screenshot from The Office, pulling 136,000 upvotes and 500 comments2. Media outlets including TIME and CNET covered both the video and the memes it generated1.

Platforms

FacebookTwitterRedditInstagramTikTok
View on Google Trends

How to Use This Meme

The Area 51 Naruto Run format typically works as an object-labeled image macro. Users take a screenshot from the broadcast showing Elixir running behind Bartels and label each figure to represent a humorous dynamic. The reporter usually represents something serious, stable, or authoritative, while the Naruto runner represents something chaotic, reckless, or exciting charging past it.

Common setups include labeling the runner as an impulsive decision and the reporter as rational thinking, or using the runner as a representation of something unexpected disrupting a normal situation. The GIF version is also used as a standalone reaction clip to express enthusiasm or reckless abandon.

Create Your Own

Cultural Impact

The Storm Area 51 event and the Naruto runner clip drew attention at every level. The U.S. Air Force acknowledged awareness of the event, with spokeswoman Laura McAndrews warning that "Area 51 is an open training range for the U.S. Air Force, and we would discourage anyone from trying to come into the area"3. The Defense Visual Information Distribution Service posted a now-deleted tweet showing military personnel and a B-2 bomber with the caption "The last thing #Millennials will see if they attempt the #area51raid today," later issuing an apology3.

Lincoln County, Nevada drafted emergency preparations in August 2019 to handle the potential influx of visitors3. The FAA posted temporary flight restrictions over areas near Area 51 during the event weekend3. The FBI also confirmed they were monitoring the situation3.

Rapper Lil Nas X released a music video for the Young Thug and Mason Ramsey remix of "Old Town Road" themed around the planned raid3. Copycat Facebook events popped up proposing to storm locations ranging from the Bermuda Triangle to the Vatican archives3.

The event itself, while far smaller than 3.5 million RSVPs suggested, produced real gatherings with attendees wearing tinfoil hats and carrying Infinity Gauntlets from the Avengers films1.

Fun Facts

Matty Roberts created the original Facebook event as a shitpost after watching a Joe Rogan podcast about Area 51 conspiracy theories. He was working at a vape kiosk at the time3.

The event got only about 40 RSVPs in its first three days before suddenly going viral3.

Despite 3.5 million RSVPs, only about 150 people actually showed up at Area 51's gates. Around 1,500 attended the associated music festivals3.

Attendees at the Rachel, Nevada festival could get free tinfoil hats made by volunteers Justin and Christopher1.

Someone showed up to the event carrying a North Korean flag, which confused other attendees1.

Derivatives & Variations

Naruto Run Applications

Uses of the Naruto running style in various other contexts and scenarios

(2019)

Area 51 Variations

Memes applying the same logic to other military installations or secure locations

(2019)

Frequently Asked Questions