# Detective Pikachu Dancing Detective Pikachu Dancing is a 2019 viral video meme built around a looped clip of Pikachu doing an aerobics-style routine from the live-action Detective Pikachu film. It started with a fake 90-minute film leak on YouTube, was boosted by Ryan Reynolds himself, and turned into a remix template pairing the dance with dozens of unrelated songs. ## Overview Detective Pikachu Dancing is a viral video and reaction meme centered on a short loop of Pikachu doing an aerobics-style dance routine pulled from the 2019 live-action Detective Pikachu film[1]. The original upload was staged as a full-length film leak but actually ran for around 90 minutes of the same dance clip on repeat, set to a synth-heavy 80s workout beat[2]. Once viewers caught on that the 'leak' was a bait-and-switch, the clip turned into a swappable audio template. Fans dubbed the dance over unrelated pop songs, from A-Ha's 'Take On Me' to Lil Nas X's 'Old Town Road'[4]. A second strand of the meme placed the loop next to a Key and Peele sketch that many argued the choreography was copied from, which pulled in a response from Jordan Peele himself[3]. Both strands trended for roughly a week in early May 2019, timed to the film's theatrical opening[1]. ## How It Spread Reynolds' Wednesday, May 8 tweet pushed the clip past the Pokémon fanbase, and within hours users on Twitter were dubbing their own soundtracks over the loop[1]. Twitter user @zigstripes set the routine to A-Ha's 'Take On Me' and pulled in about 33,000 retweets and 81,000 likes over the next two days[3]. Others swapped in Toto's 'Africa,' the Avengers theme, Britney Spears' 'Toxic,' Lil Nas X's 'Old Town Road,' and BTS and Halsey's 'Boy With Luv,' most posted under the hashtag #DetectivePikachu[4]. The parallel thread was a source hunt. Twitter user @luulubuu posted a side-by-side of the Pikachu dance and a Key and Peele workout sketch that used near-identical choreography, arguing the sketch was the reference material[3]. That tweet cleared 77,000 retweets and 217,000 likes in two days. Jordan Peele himself quote-tweeted it with the caption 'Cease and desist,' which added another 33,000 retweets and 222,000 likes[3]. The meme also jumped to Reddit as a reaction image. On May 9, r/dankmemes user Lmnja posted an 'Oompa Loompa Celebrating' template with the dancing Pikachu as the punchline panel, hitting more than 57,000 upvotes and 280 comments in under 24 hours[3]. Coverage from Bustle, Mashable, SyFy, and PopBuzz followed the same week, mostly framing the fake leak as a stealth marketing hit for the film ahead of its opening weekend[1][2][5][4]. ## How to Use The typical Detective Pikachu Dancing edit takes the roughly ten-second loop of Pikachu's routine and dubs a new song underneath it, usually a track with a clear beat that matches the arm-pump and hip sway[4]. Text overlay is optional; the punchline is normally just the song choice itself. A common convention is the split-screen version, pairing the loop with the Key and Peele workout sketch that fans said inspired the choreography[3]. Reaction uses drop the clip into an image macro as the payoff frame, in the same slot as older 'celebration' reaction images[3]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Detective Pikachu Dancing? It's a 2019 viral video meme where a looped clip of Pikachu doing an aerobics routine from the Detective Pikachu film gets paired with different songs or reaction setups[3]. ### Where did Detective Pikachu Dancing come from? A YouTube account called Inspector Pikachu posted a fake film leak on May 7, 2019, that was actually about 90 minutes of Pikachu dancing on loop[3]. ### What does Detective Pikachu Dancing mean? It works as both a music remix template and an in-joke about the film's marketing team pretending to leak the movie ahead of release[2]. ### How do you use Detective Pikachu Dancing? Dub a new song over the dance loop, or drop the clip next to the Key and Peele sketch that fans said inspired the choreography[3]. ### Is Detective Pikachu Dancing still popular? It peaked in the week of the film's release in May 2019 and mostly stayed as a classic 2019 movie-marketing meme rather than an ongoing trend[1]. ### Who tweeted the fake Detective Pikachu leak? Ryan Reynolds, who voiced Pikachu in the film, quote-tweeted the fake leak on Wednesday, May 8, 2019, tagging the studio as if genuinely flagging it[1]. ### How long was the fake Detective Pikachu leak video? About 1 hour 42 minutes, close to the actual runtime of the film, with the same short dance segment on repeat[4]. ### Why did Jordan Peele respond to the Detective Pikachu meme? Fans compared the choreography to a Key and Peele workout sketch, and Peele quote-tweeted the side-by-side with the joke 'Cease and desist'[3]. ### What songs got paired with the Pikachu dance? A-Ha's 'Take On Me,' Toto's 'Africa,' Lil Nas X's 'Old Town Road,' Britney Spears' 'Toxic,' the Avengers theme, and more[4]. ### Which subreddit boosted the Detective Pikachu meme? r/dankmemes, where an Oompa Loompa Celebrating template using the Pikachu dance as the punchline pulled in over 57,000 upvotes[3]. ### Was the fake Detective Pikachu leak an official marketing stunt? Outlets like Mashable and PopBuzz called it a stealth marketing move for the film, especially given Ryan Reynolds' involvement in signal-boosting it[2][4]. ## References 1. [https://www.bustle.com/p/these-17-best-detective-pikachu-dancing-tweets-prove-the-pokemon-can-shake-his-tail-off-to-anything-videos-17855723]() 2. [https://mashable.com/video/detective-pikachu-movie-leak/]() 3. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/detective-pikachu-dancing]() 4. [https://www.popbuzz.com/internet/viral/pikachu-dancing-memes/]() 5. [https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/detetive-pikachu-dance-meme]() 6. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAA_yWX8ycQ]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/detective-pikachu-dancing Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library