Isis Crappy Collage Grand Prix

On January 20, 2015, ISIS uploaded a video featuring "Jihadi John" standing between hostages Kenji Goto and Haruna Yukawa, both journalists clad in orange jumpsuits2. The militant demanded that Japan pay $200 million within 72 hours or the men would be executed5. Almost immediately, Japanese Twitter users created the hashtag #ISISクソコラグランプリ, which translates roughly to "ISIS crappy collage grand prix" or "ISIS crap Photoshop grand prix"4. The campaign kicked off on January 21, 2015, with users posting altered versions of the hostage video stills at a rapid pace6.

The meme exploited the fact that the original video's desert background looked obviously composited. Users swapped the backdrop for anime settings, outer space, and cartoon scenes5. Jihadi John was edited into Dr. Evil from Austin Powers, a ninja, Mickey Mouse, and dozens of other characters2. The hostages were redrawn as anime characters in some versions, while others placed Kim Jong-Un laughing at the footage on a screen2.

The campaign sparked a sharp debate about the ethics of humor in the face of genuine danger. Two men's lives were actively at risk, and critics on both Japanese and English-language Twitter called the Photoshops insensitive and inappropriate27.

Twitter user JB~kun wrote: "So here I was checking this hashtag and apparently some of the Japanese tweets are making fun of the whole thing. Japan pls"2. Japanese users on Togetter called the meme "imprudent" given the stakes7.

Defenders framed it as an act of defiance. English-speaking Japanese website Tokyo Desu published a piece saluting "the Japanese netizens participating with the strict intent of de-powering ISIS through the power of humor"64. One widely shared tweet from user @jlist captured the spirit of the movement: "You can kill some of us, but Japan is a peaceful and happy land, with fast Internet. So you can go to hell"5. Another user, djvjgrrl, tweeted: "Tomorrow will be sad but it will pass and #ISIS will still be a big joke. You can't break our spirit"2.

The Japanese government maintained a firm public stance throughout. Government spokesperson Yoshihide Suga told reporters: "Our country will not be intimidated by terrorism, and there is no change to our policy of contributing to the international community's fight against terrorism"5. The meme campaign ran parallel to this official response, functioning as an unofficial public counter-message.

The event became a widely cited case study in how internet communities can use collective humor to undermine propaganda, particularly against groups like ISIS that relied heavily on the intimidation value of their media output35.