Where did the JoJo Reference meme come from?

The phrase was first posted on 4chan's /a/ (anime & manga) board on September 13, 2009.

What does "Is This a JoJo Reference?" mean?

It's a joke about the tendency of JoJo fans to see connections to the series in everything. The humor comes from applying it to obviously unrelated things.

How do you use the JoJo Reference meme?

Comment "Is this a JoJo reference?" on any post, image, or situation, especially when the connection to JoJo is absurdly thin or nonexistent.

Is the JoJo Reference meme still popular?

The meme peaked around 2016-2017 with its spread across Reddit, YouTube, and Facebook. It still circulates in anime communities but at lower intensity than its peak years.

Why does everything seem like a JoJo reference?

*JoJo's Bizarre Adventure* is one of the longest-running manga series and has influenced countless other anime, manga, and video games, making genuine references to it extremely common.

What is *JoJo's Bizarre Adventure*?

It's a manga series by Hirohiko Araki that started in 1987, published by Shueisha in *Weekly Shonen Jump*. It follows multiple generations of the Joestar family across different story arcs.

Which video game characters are based on JoJo?

Several fighting game characters are considered JoJo-inspired, including Guile (based on Stroheim), Rose (based on Lisa Lisa), and Juri (based on Jolyne Cujoh) from *Street Fighter*, and Benimaru from *The King of Fighters* (based on Polnareff).

What is the "not everything is a JoJo reference" counter-meme?

It's a frustrated response to the original meme, first appearing as an Expand Dong text edit on 4chan's /vp/ board in November 2016.

Jojo References

2009Catchphrase / rhetorical questionsemi-active

Published March 10, 2026 · Updated March 17, 2026

Also known as: Is That a JoJo Reference · JoJo Reference

"Is This a JoJo Reference?" is a rhetorical question used ironically online whenever something vaguely resembles anything from the long-running manga and anime series *JoJo's Bizarre Adventure*. The joke started on 4chan's /a/ board in 2009 and spread across Reddit, YouTube, and Facebook through 2016-2017, becoming one of the anime fandom's most recognizable in-jokes1. The humor comes from the over-the-top insistence that literally anything, no matter how unrelated, is somehow a reference to JoJo2.

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Overview

The meme takes the form of someone asking "Is this a JoJo reference?" in response to almost anything. The joke works on multiple levels. *JoJo's Bizarre Adventure*, Hirohiko Araki's manga series running since 1987, genuinely does contain an enormous number of cultural references and has itself been referenced in countless other anime, manga, and video games3. Characters like Guile and Rose from *Street Fighter* were designed based on JoJo characters Rudol von Stroheim and Lisa Lisa3. So spotting JoJo references in other media is a legitimate pastime for fans.

The meme pushes this to absurd extremes. Fans pretend to see JoJo references in everything from breathing to standing in a certain pose1. The Urban Dictionary captures this escalation perfectly: "Person: *breathes* Weeb: OH MY GOSH IS THAT A JOJO REFERENCE?1"

Gallery

Origin & Background

Platform

4chan /a/ (anime & manga board)

Creator

Unknown

Date

2009

The phrase first appeared on September 13, 2009, in a thread on 4chan's /a/ board. An anonymous poster responded to the statement "FUCK YEAH NAGARSUMI!" by asking "Is this a JoJo reference?"3. The earliest known ironic use followed on December 9, 2009, also on /a/, where the question was deployed sarcastically rather than as a genuine inquiry3.

The meme grew out of the reality that *JoJo's Bizarre Adventure* is one of the longest-running manga series published by Shueisha and ranks among the highest-selling titles in *Weekly Shonen Jump*'s history3. The series left such a deep mark on anime and gaming culture that spotting its influence became a fan hobby, and the meme emerged as a parody of that habit.

How It Spread

The joke stayed mostly within 4chan anime boards for several years before breaking out across platforms in 2015-2016.

On April 22, 2015, Redditor SamuraiDDD posted to r/stardustcrusaders asking users to "Name an anime that has a good JoJo reference," which drew a wave of sarcastic replies pointing out JoJo connections in other media3. This marked an early Reddit appearance of the meme's ironic tone.

YouTube picked it up in September 2016 when creator Mundano XXXIII uploaded "How JoJo's fans see Eevee Z-Move," a video overlaying *JoJo's Bizarre Adventure* music onto *Pokémon Sun & Moon* gameplay3. The Pokémon crossover angle proved popular. On November 3, 2016, someone posted a screenshot of 4chan's /vp/ (Pokémon) board header to the same board with the caption "Is this a Jojo reference?"3. Two weeks later on November 17, a /vp/ thread featured an image in Expand Dong lettering reading "not everything is a Jojo's Bizzare Adventure reference you fucking weeaboo," capturing the frustrated counter-reaction to the meme's spread3.

Facebook became a major hub in late 2016. The Jojo's Meme Adventure page posted "is this a Jojo's reference" on November 24, pulling in over 430 reactions and 50 comments3. Six days later, a dedicated "Is This a Jojo Reference?" Facebook page launched and attracted more than 10,300 likes within two months3.

Fan artists joined in too. On January 15, 2017, DeviantArt user TheSteveYurko uploaded a JoJo/Pokémon crossover illustration titled "Is this a JoJo reference?!"3.

Platforms

TwitterRedditTikTokInstagram4chanYouTube

Timeline

2016-Q3

Diamond is Unbreakable anime release sparks fanart and references

2017-Q2

Golden Wind anime adapts iconic story arc, references proliferate

2018-Q1

Meta-awareness emerges that JoJo fans reference series everywhere

2019-2024

References remain active as new anime seasons continue releasing

2021-01-01

Jojo References entered the broader pop culture conversation

2025-01-01

Jojo References is still actively used and shared across platforms

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How to Use This Meme

The format is simple. When you encounter anything, literally anything, that could be even loosely connected to *JoJo's Bizarre Adventure*, you ask: "Is this a JoJo reference?"

Common triggers include: - Someone striking a dramatic pose - Any mention of breathing techniques - Floating text or kanji appearing on screen - Muscular characters in flamboyant outfits - Any use of classic rock or band name references (the series names characters and abilities after musicians)

The joke gets funnier the more tenuous the connection. Seeing someone point at the camera? JoJo reference. A road roller? JoJo reference. The concept of time itself? Definitely a JoJo reference1.

The counter-meme also exists: responding to JoJo reference hunters with some variation of "not everything is a JoJo reference"3.

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Cultural Impact

The meme reflects how deeply *JoJo's Bizarre Adventure* influenced anime and gaming culture. The series' character designs, poses, and naming conventions have been referenced by major game franchises including *Street Fighter* and *The King of Fighters*3. Characters like Guile, Rose, Juri, and Benimaru from those fighting game series are considered to be based on JoJo characters3.

The "Is this a JoJo reference?" meme turned this legitimate cultural influence into comedy by applying it universally. It became a recognizable shorthand for the specific type of obsessive pattern-matching that anime fandoms engage in. The meme essentially pokes fun at how JoJo fans see their favorite series everywhere, while also celebrating how genuinely far-reaching the series' influence is1.

Fun Facts

*JoJo's Bizarre Adventure* names many of its characters and abilities (called "Stands") after Western musicians and bands, including Dio, Red Hot Chili Pepper, Killer Queen, and Sticky Fingers. This means actual music references can loop back to being JoJo references.

The meme's ironic tone mirrors the actual reality that *JoJo's Bizarre Adventure* is referenced so broadly in Japanese media that spotting genuine homages is a real hobby among fans3.

The meme predates the massive Western anime boom driven by streaming services. It started in 2009 when JoJo was still a relatively niche property outside Japan3.