Flash Game Memories

2007Viral song / music meme / participatory cover trendclassic

Also known as: Okkusenman · Omoide wa Okkusenman! · 思い出は億千万 · 110 Million Memories

Flash Game Memories is a 2007 Japanese song set to Mega Man 2's Dr. Wily's Castle theme, spawning hundreds of vocal covers and animated videos on Nico Nico Douga.

Flash Game Memories, known in Japanese as Omoide wa Okkusenman! (思い出は億千万, "110 Million Memories!"), is a collaborative Japanese song set to a rearrangement of the Dr. Wily's Castle theme from *Mega Man 2*. First uploaded to YouTube on February 6, 2007, the song became a major hit on Nico Nico Douga, spawning hundreds of vocal covers, instrumental performances, and animated music videos that made it one of the defining memes of the Japanese internet's golden age1.

japanese internet memesnico nico douga memesvideo game music memesnostalgia memesparticipatory video memes

Overview

The meme centers on a nostalgic song built around a rearranged version of the Dr. Wily's Castle stage music from *Mega Man 2*, one of the most recognized video game soundtracks ever made. The track was ranked second on ScrewAttack's list of the 10 greatest video game themes1. A musician going by "Blue Fang" (蒼い牙, Aoi Kiba) created the arrangement, and anonymous users from Nico Nico Douga wrote lyrics about childhood memories, growing up, and the bittersweet realization that life turned out differently than expected1.

The song's most distinctive lyrical image describes the singer and his childhood friends pretending to be heroes from the tokusatsu TV series *Ultraman (Ultra Seven)* by holding spoons over their eyes1. This specific detail gave the song its emotional punch, grounding video game nostalgia in real-world childhood play.

In early 2007, a group of anonymous users from Nico Nico Douga and related online communities collaborated on writing lyrics to fit Blue Fang's *Mega Man 2* arrangement1. The lyrics were uploaded to YouTube by user PiggKingg on February 6, 2007, with the full-length version following on February 141. The song's title, "Omoide wa Okkusenman!" translates roughly to "110 Million Memories," playing on the Japanese word *okkusenman* (億千万), a large number used to evoke an overwhelming flood of recollections1.

The original *Mega Man 2* was published by Capcom in 1988 for the Nintendo Entertainment System and was both a critical and commercial hit1. The Dr. Wily's Castle theme had already achieved iconic status among gamers before Blue Fang's rearrangement gave it new life as a vocal piece.

Origin & Background

Platform
Nico Nico Douga (collaborative creation), YouTube (first upload)
Key People
"Blue Fang" / Aoi Kiba, anonymous Nico Nico Douga community, PiggKingg
Date
2007

In early 2007, a group of anonymous users from Nico Nico Douga and related online communities collaborated on writing lyrics to fit Blue Fang's *Mega Man 2* arrangement. The lyrics were uploaded to YouTube by user PiggKingg on February 6, 2007, with the full-length version following on February 14. The song's title, "Omoide wa Okkusenman!" translates roughly to "110 Million Memories," playing on the Japanese word *okkusenman* (億千万), a large number used to evoke an overwhelming flood of recollections.

The original *Mega Man 2* was published by Capcom in 1988 for the Nintendo Entertainment System and was both a critical and commercial hit. The Dr. Wily's Castle theme had already achieved iconic status among gamers before Blue Fang's rearrangement gave it new life as a vocal piece.

How It Spread

On February 19, 2007, just two weeks after the initial upload, YouTuber Gomu posted the first vocal cover of the song. Gomu's distinctive singing style struck a chord with audiences, and the cover pulled in over 3 million views on YouTube. On Nico Nico Douga, user CHROMES uploaded a vocal version that reached over 5.7 million views by August 2011.

The song quickly became a fixture of NND's cover culture. Users produced "Utattemita" (tried to sing) videos and "Ensoushitemita" (tried to perform) videos featuring guitar, violin, and piano renditions. On May 27, 2007, NND user Douro of DNA uploaded a flash animated music video depicting the singer's life and childhood memories, a step beyond the original video game footage. That animation hit 1.3 million views on Nico Nico Douga and 2.7 million on YouTube.

The track was regularly featured in the *Kumikyoku Nico Nico Douga Medleys*, appearing alongside other memetic NND songs like *Marisa Stole the Precious Thing*, *Air Man ga Taosenai*, and *Hare Hare Yukai*. In 2009, Japanese rock supergroup JAM Project, known for anime theme songs, recorded a professional cover as a bonus track on the album *Nico Nico Douga Selection: Sainō no Mudazukai* ("A Waste of Talent").

Platforms

RedditTwitterReddit

Timeline

2023-01-15

First appears

2023-06-01

Goes viral

2024-01-01

Continues in use

2025-01-01

Flash Game Memories is still actively used and shared across platforms

View on Google Trends

How to Use This Meme

Flash Game Memories typically appears in one of several formats:

- Vocal covers: Singers record themselves performing the full lyrics over the arranged track, often adding personal vocal style or comedic delivery - Instrumental covers: Musicians perform the melody on guitar, piano, violin, or other instruments - Animated music videos: Creators animate original visuals depicting childhood nostalgia themes to accompany the song - Medley inclusions: The song's recognizable melody gets woven into larger mashup compilations of Nico Nico Douga hits

The common thread is personal interpretation. The song's nostalgia-heavy lyrics invite performers to bring their own emotional delivery, and the *Mega Man 2* melody provides an instantly recognizable musical foundation.

Create Your Own

Cultural Impact

Flash Game Memories marked an early example of large-scale collaborative songwriting on the Japanese internet. Anonymous users collectively wrote lyrics, a musician provided the arrangement, and the community then generated hundreds of derivative performances. This workflow prefigured the participatory cover culture that would define platforms like Nico Nico Douga throughout the late 2000s.

JAM Project's 2009 studio recording brought the song from internet novelty to professional music production. The supergroup's involvement signaled that meme-born music had reached a level of cultural legitimacy in Japan, bridging the gap between anonymous web creators and established anime/game music artists.

The song's inclusion in the *Kumikyoku Nico Nico Douga Medleys* placed it in the canon of essential NND memes, ensuring its preservation even as individual video uploads disappeared or were reuploaded over the years.

Fun Facts

The original *Mega Man 2* Dr. Wily's Castle theme was ranked #2 on ScrewAttack's list of the greatest video game themes of all time

The lyrics reference *Ultra Seven*, a 1967 tokusatsu show, specifically the childhood game of holding spoons over your eyes to mimic the character's eye slugger weapon

The album title *Sainō no Mudazukai* ("A Waste of Talent") was a self-aware nod to the idea that talented musicians were spending their skills on internet meme songs

The song's collaborative creation process, with anonymous users writing lyrics for someone else's arrangement, was a template for how NND culture would produce viral music throughout the late 2000s

Derivatives & Variations

Gomu's vocal cover (2007):

The first and most popular singing version, known for its distinctive vocal delivery, with 3+ million YouTube views[1]

CHROMES' NND cover:

The leading Nico Nico Douga vocal version, reaching 5.7 million views[1]

Douro of DNA's flash animation (2007):

An animated music video depicting childhood memories, with combined views over 4 million across platforms[1]

JAM Project studio cover (2009):

A professional recording by the anime rock supergroup, released on the *Sainō no Mudazukai* compilation album[1]

Kumikyoku Nico Nico Douga appearances:

The melody featured in multiple community-compiled medleys of iconic NND songs[1]

Frequently Asked Questions

Flash Game Memories

2007Viral song / music meme / participatory cover trendclassic

Also known as: Okkusenman · Omoide wa Okkusenman! · 思い出は億千万 · 110 Million Memories

Flash Game Memories is a 2007 Japanese song set to Mega Man 2's Dr. Wily's Castle theme, spawning hundreds of vocal covers and animated videos on Nico Nico Douga.

Flash Game Memories, known in Japanese as Omoide wa Okkusenman! (思い出は億千万, "110 Million Memories!"), is a collaborative Japanese song set to a rearrangement of the Dr. Wily's Castle theme from *Mega Man 2*. First uploaded to YouTube on February 6, 2007, the song became a major hit on Nico Nico Douga, spawning hundreds of vocal covers, instrumental performances, and animated music videos that made it one of the defining memes of the Japanese internet's golden age.

japanese internet memes nico nico douga memes video game music memes nostalgia memes participatory video memes

Overview

The meme centers on a nostalgic song built around a rearranged version of the Dr. Wily's Castle stage music from *Mega Man 2*, one of the most recognized video game soundtracks ever made. The track was ranked second on ScrewAttack's list of the 10 greatest video game themes. A musician going by "Blue Fang" (蒼い牙, Aoi Kiba) created the arrangement, and anonymous users from Nico Nico Douga wrote lyrics about childhood memories, growing up, and the bittersweet realization that life turned out differently than expected.

The song's most distinctive lyrical image describes the singer and his childhood friends pretending to be heroes from the tokusatsu TV series *Ultraman (Ultra Seven)* by holding spoons over their eyes. This specific detail gave the song its emotional punch, grounding video game nostalgia in real-world childhood play.

In early 2007, a group of anonymous users from Nico Nico Douga and related online communities collaborated on writing lyrics to fit Blue Fang's *Mega Man 2* arrangement. The lyrics were uploaded to YouTube by user PiggKingg on February 6, 2007, with the full-length version following on February 14. The song's title, "Omoide wa Okkusenman!" translates roughly to "110 Million Memories," playing on the Japanese word *okkusenman* (億千万), a large number used to evoke an overwhelming flood of recollections.

The original *Mega Man 2* was published by Capcom in 1988 for the Nintendo Entertainment System and was both a critical and commercial hit. The Dr. Wily's Castle theme had already achieved iconic status among gamers before Blue Fang's rearrangement gave it new life as a vocal piece.

Origin & Background

Platform
Nico Nico Douga (collaborative creation), YouTube (first upload)
Key People
"Blue Fang" / Aoi Kiba, anonymous Nico Nico Douga community, PiggKingg
Date
2007

In early 2007, a group of anonymous users from Nico Nico Douga and related online communities collaborated on writing lyrics to fit Blue Fang's *Mega Man 2* arrangement. The lyrics were uploaded to YouTube by user PiggKingg on February 6, 2007, with the full-length version following on February 14. The song's title, "Omoide wa Okkusenman!" translates roughly to "110 Million Memories," playing on the Japanese word *okkusenman* (億千万), a large number used to evoke an overwhelming flood of recollections.

The original *Mega Man 2* was published by Capcom in 1988 for the Nintendo Entertainment System and was both a critical and commercial hit. The Dr. Wily's Castle theme had already achieved iconic status among gamers before Blue Fang's rearrangement gave it new life as a vocal piece.

How It Spread

On February 19, 2007, just two weeks after the initial upload, YouTuber Gomu posted the first vocal cover of the song. Gomu's distinctive singing style struck a chord with audiences, and the cover pulled in over 3 million views on YouTube. On Nico Nico Douga, user CHROMES uploaded a vocal version that reached over 5.7 million views by August 2011.

The song quickly became a fixture of NND's cover culture. Users produced "Utattemita" (tried to sing) videos and "Ensoushitemita" (tried to perform) videos featuring guitar, violin, and piano renditions. On May 27, 2007, NND user Douro of DNA uploaded a flash animated music video depicting the singer's life and childhood memories, a step beyond the original video game footage. That animation hit 1.3 million views on Nico Nico Douga and 2.7 million on YouTube.

The track was regularly featured in the *Kumikyoku Nico Nico Douga Medleys*, appearing alongside other memetic NND songs like *Marisa Stole the Precious Thing*, *Air Man ga Taosenai*, and *Hare Hare Yukai*. In 2009, Japanese rock supergroup JAM Project, known for anime theme songs, recorded a professional cover as a bonus track on the album *Nico Nico Douga Selection: Sainō no Mudazukai* ("A Waste of Talent").

Platforms

RedditTwitterReddit

Timeline

2023-01-15

First appears

2023-06-01

Goes viral

2024-01-01

Continues in use

2025-01-01

Flash Game Memories is still actively used and shared across platforms

View on Google Trends

How to Use This Meme

Flash Game Memories typically appears in one of several formats:

- Vocal covers: Singers record themselves performing the full lyrics over the arranged track, often adding personal vocal style or comedic delivery - Instrumental covers: Musicians perform the melody on guitar, piano, violin, or other instruments - Animated music videos: Creators animate original visuals depicting childhood nostalgia themes to accompany the song - Medley inclusions: The song's recognizable melody gets woven into larger mashup compilations of Nico Nico Douga hits

The common thread is personal interpretation. The song's nostalgia-heavy lyrics invite performers to bring their own emotional delivery, and the *Mega Man 2* melody provides an instantly recognizable musical foundation.

Create Your Own

Cultural Impact

Flash Game Memories marked an early example of large-scale collaborative songwriting on the Japanese internet. Anonymous users collectively wrote lyrics, a musician provided the arrangement, and the community then generated hundreds of derivative performances. This workflow prefigured the participatory cover culture that would define platforms like Nico Nico Douga throughout the late 2000s.

JAM Project's 2009 studio recording brought the song from internet novelty to professional music production. The supergroup's involvement signaled that meme-born music had reached a level of cultural legitimacy in Japan, bridging the gap between anonymous web creators and established anime/game music artists.

The song's inclusion in the *Kumikyoku Nico Nico Douga Medleys* placed it in the canon of essential NND memes, ensuring its preservation even as individual video uploads disappeared or were reuploaded over the years.

Fun Facts

The original *Mega Man 2* Dr. Wily's Castle theme was ranked #2 on ScrewAttack's list of the greatest video game themes of all time

The lyrics reference *Ultra Seven*, a 1967 tokusatsu show, specifically the childhood game of holding spoons over your eyes to mimic the character's eye slugger weapon

The album title *Sainō no Mudazukai* ("A Waste of Talent") was a self-aware nod to the idea that talented musicians were spending their skills on internet meme songs

The song's collaborative creation process, with anonymous users writing lyrics for someone else's arrangement, was a template for how NND culture would produce viral music throughout the late 2000s

Derivatives & Variations

Gomu's vocal cover (2007):

The first and most popular singing version, known for its distinctive vocal delivery, with 3+ million YouTube views[1]

CHROMES' NND cover:

The leading Nico Nico Douga vocal version, reaching 5.7 million views[1]

Douro of DNA's flash animation (2007):

An animated music video depicting childhood memories, with combined views over 4 million across platforms[1]

JAM Project studio cover (2009):

A professional recording by the anime rock supergroup, released on the *Sainō no Mudazukai* compilation album[1]

Kumikyoku Nico Nico Douga appearances:

The melody featured in multiple community-compiled medleys of iconic NND songs[1]

Frequently Asked Questions