Solaire Of Astora

2011Character meme / catchphrase / gestureclassic

Published March 31, 2026

Also known as: Sunbro · Praise the Sun

Solaire of Astora is a beloved NPC from the 2011 action RPG *Dark Souls* who became one of gaming's most iconic meme figures. His signature "Praise the Sun" pose and cheerful personality spawned a massive fan following, with the phrases "praise the sun" and "jolly cooperation" becoming fixtures of internet culture. Created by director Hidetaka Miyazaki specifically to champion the gesture, Solaire turned into a symbol of camaraderie and optimism in a franchise known for punishing difficulty.

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Overview

Solaire Of Astora, a knight NPC the player encounters early in *Dark Souls*. He wears armor decorated with a hand-painted sun emblem, carries the Sunlight Straight Sword, and worships the sun with a single-minded devotion that borders on delusional3. His defining trait is his relentless friendliness in a world where nearly everything wants to kill you. He greets the player warmly, hands them a White Soapstone for cooperative play, and invites them to "engage in jolly cooperation"4.

The meme culture around Solaire centers on two pillars: the "Praise the Sun" gesture, where he spreads his arms wide and looks skyward, and his various quotable lines about sunlight and cooperation. Fans adopted his pose, his language, and his optimistic worldview as both sincere appreciation and ironic commentary on the brutal *Dark Souls* experience.

Origin & Background

Platform
*Dark Souls* (FromSoftware), gaming community (viral spread)
Key People
Hidetaka Miyazaki, Unknown
Date
2011

*Dark Souls* launched on September 22, 2011, developed by FromSoftware4. Solaire appears as one of the first friendly NPCs the player meets, standing on a sunlit bridge in the Undead Burg. His mission in the game is to "find his very own Sun," and he belongs to the Warriors of Sunlight covenant3.

The "Praise the Sun" gesture actually predates Solaire himself. It originated as a rare holy animation in *Demon's Souls* (2009), triggered by casting a miracle while wearing the "Ring of Sincere Prayer"3. Miyazaki secretly included the pose despite being told by the publisher that it wasn't "cool enough" after he physically demonstrated it3. The gesture became personally significant to him, and he built the entire character of Solaire around it for *Dark Souls*, positioning Solaire as "a champion who is the first truly helpful NPC that most players see in the game"3. Miyazaki also personally designed the sun emblem on Solaire's armor and called Solaire his favorite character3.

How It Spread

The fan community latched onto Solaire almost immediately after *Dark Souls* released. Players who joined the Warriors of Sunlight covenant started calling themselves "sunbros," and cooperative play became synonymous with Solaire's philosophy4.

On August 8, 2012, the Facebook page WarriorOfSunlight launched, posting an image of Solaire with his quote "If only I could be so incandescent." By January 2018, the page had over 8,000 likes and followers4. On Tumblr, several dedicated tags gained traction: sunbro, jollycooperation, solaireofastora, and praisethesun all became active community hubs4. A dedicated Tumblr blog called "sunbro" launched on October 25, 2015, curating fan art of *Dark Souls* characters4.

DeviantArt became a major repository for Solaire fan art. By January 2018, nearly 6,000 posts were tagged "solaire" on the platform4. On May 5, 2015, DeviantArt user Emortal982 posted a moody illustration of a weary Solaire at nightfall, imagining that "a man so obsessed with the sun would be less than 'Jolly' come nightfall"1. The piece pulled in over 29,000 views within three years4. A search for "solaire" on DeviantArt still returns an extensive range of fan art from artists worldwide2.

Frequently Asked Questions