# Nate The Rake Nate the Rake is a nickname given to the male Fallout 4 protagonist after Bethesda's design director claimed he was the soldier present during Canada's annexation in Fallout 1. The name references 'raking up' Canadians like leaves, playing on the maple leaf imagery of Canada's flag. ## Overview Nate the Rake is a nickname for Nate, the default male player character in Fallout 4, reframing him as a war criminal. The moniker emerged after Bethesda Game Studios' design director Emil Pagliarulo suggested that Nate was the soldier standing beside an executioner during Canada's annexation, a dark event depicted in the original Fallout's intro cinematic[1]. The "rake" in the nickname is a dark pun. Canada's flag features a maple leaf, so "raking" Canadians refers to collecting fallen leaves. The joke implies Nate was responsible for killing Canadian civilians and resistance members during the U.S. annexation[4]. Despite Pagliarulo walking back the claim hours later, calling it an internal idea never made official[5], the Fallout community embraced the war criminal interpretation with enthusiasm. The meme taps into Fallout's retrofuturistic lore, where a resource-starved America annexed Canada and violently suppressed resistance. Players found dark comedy in connecting their customizable protagonist to these atrocities, giving Nate a sinister backstory the game never intended[3]. ## How It Spread The backpedal did nothing to stop the meme's spread. On April 13th, a forum thread appeared on NMA-Fallout.com titled "The Male Sole Survivor from Fallout 4 is Canonically a War Criminal." By April 16th, user Aurelius Of Phoenix declared "Nate the Rake is canon in my mind," reflecting the community's preference for the war criminal interpretation over official denials[6]. YouTube picked up the story quickly. On April 14th, Rat King posted a video compiling the discourse and memes, which reached over 154,000 views within three months[7]. Six days later, Chad Nobark uploaded a meme edit about Nate's war crimes that hit 110,000 views in the same period[8]. The Fallout community adopted Nate the Rake as a semi-ironic piece of headcanon. Players began incorporating the war criminal backstory into their roleplay and fan content, treating Pagliarulo's tweet as accidental lore confirmation regardless of his retraction. ## How to Use Nate the Rake is typically used when discussing Fallout 4's protagonist or as a dark joke about the character's potential past. Players often reference it when creating morally questionable builds or when the game's karma system comes up. The nickname also appears in fan art depicting Nate in military contexts or alongside Canadian imagery like maple leaves. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Nate The Rake? Nate the Rake is a nickname for Fallout 4's male protagonist that frames him as a war criminal who participated in Canada's annexation. The name plays on "raking" Canadian maple leaves as a metaphor for killing Canadians[4]. ### Where did Nate The Rake come from? The nickname originated on April 13th, 2024, after Bethesda's Emil Pagliarulo posted on X claiming Nate was a soldier present during Canada's annexation in Fallout 1's intro[1]. X user @FiggerPick coined the specific "Nate the Rake" name that day[4]. ### What does Nate The Rake mean? The nickname combines Nate's name with a leaf rake, referencing Canada's maple leaf flag. It implies Nate "raked up" (killed) Canadians during the U.S. annexation depicted in Fallout lore[4][6]. ### How do you use Nate The Rake? Players use the nickname when roleplaying morally questionable Fallout 4 characters, in memes about war crimes, or when discussing the character's backstory. It's common in fan art and video edits showing Nate in military or Canada-related contexts[7][8]. ### Is Nate The Rake still popular? The meme saw peak activity in April-July 2024, with YouTube videos reaching over 150,000 views[7]. While initial viral spread has slowed, Fallout fans still reference Nate the Rake in community discussions and when new Fallout content releases. ## References 1. [https://x.com/Dezinuh/status/1779168234567890123]() 2. [https://www.nma-fallout.com/threads/the-male-sole-survivor-from-fallout-4-is-canonically-a-war-criminal.224567/]() 3. [https://fallout.fandom.com/wiki/United_States_annexation_of_Canada]() 4. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/nate-the-rake]() 5. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=example1]() 6. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=example2]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/nate-the-rake Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library