To Be Continued

2016video formatdeclining

Also known as: To Be Continued Meme · To Be Continued · TO BE CONTINUED · TBC

To Be Continued is a 2016 video format that interrupts mid-action with the 'To Be Continued' title card and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure theme, used for comedic gaming fails and unexpected cliffhangers.

A video format where unexpected scenes or comedic moments are interrupted mid-action with the 'To Be Continued' screen and music, typically from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. The format became popular for gaming fails, unexpected events, and cliffhanger humor.

jojos bizarre adventure memesparticipatory video memesfail memesgamingbait and switch memes

Overview

To Be Continued is a video format that interrupts video footage with the 'To Be Continued' screen and music popularized by JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. The format creates a comedic effect by suggesting that unexpected or embarrassing moments will somehow continue in a cliffhanger fashion, even when the situation is obviously concluded or failed.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is a long-running manga series known for its exaggerated animation style, dramatic cliffhangers, and distinctive visual presentation. The anime adaptation, beginning in 2012, frequently used stylized 'To Be Continued' screens at episode ends with distinctive music. The format became recognizable to anime fans and provided a template for internet creators. As anime culture became increasingly mainstream online in the 2010s, reference-based memes pulled from anime became more popular. The 'To Be Continued' format's visual style and music made it instantly recognizable and easy to replicate using video editing software.

Origin & Background

Platform
YouTube/Anime
Creator
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure production
Date
2012

The format originates from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, the long-running manga series adapted into anime starting in 2012. The anime series frequently uses the 'To Be Continued' screen with specific music and visual effects during cliffhangers. YouTube content creators began isolating and replicating this format for comedic purposes around 2016.

How It Spread

The 'To Be Continued' format became a popular video meme around 2016-2017 as content creators realized the format's versatility for creating comedic cliffhangers. The format works by interrupting video footage at comedic or unexpected moments, replacing the rest with the JoJo-style 'To Be Continued' screen and characteristic music.

Gaming communities embraced the format enthusiastically, using it for fail compilations, unexpected deaths, or moments where characters made poor decisions. The format also became popular in sports communities, where unexpected turnovers or surprising plays could be punctuated with the To Be Continued screen. The absurdist appeal of the format, combined with JoJo's cult popularity, made it endlessly shareable.

The format's longevity exceeded many similar video meme formats due to its consistent effectiveness and the versatility of application. However, like most formats relying on novelty, oversaturation gradually led to decline. By 2018-2019, the format transitioned from actively trending to nostalgia status, though it maintains occasional usage in gaming and anime communities.

Platforms

YouTubeRedditTwitchDiscordTwitter

Timeline

2012-01-01

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure anime begins

2016-01-01

To Be Continued format begins appearing in memes

2016-06-01

Format goes viral across gaming communities

2017-01-01

Peak popularity with widespread usage

2018-01-01

Remains popular but begins showing decline

2019-present

Maintained by anime and gaming communities

2021-01-01

To Be Continued entered the broader pop culture conversation

View on Google Trends

How to Use This Meme

The basic format involves taking video footage and pausing or stopping the video at a comedic moment, replacing the continuation with the 'To Be Continued' screen and JoJo-style music. The timing of the interruption is crucial, as the humor depends on breaking the narrative flow at an unexpected or inappropriate moment. Variations included using different sources for the To Be Continued screen, adding meme text to the screen, speeding up or slowing down the music, or combining the format with other memes. The format worked especially well in gaming fail compilations where deaths or unexpected game-overs could be punctuated with the screen.

1

Watch the original To Be Continued video to understand the format

2

Record your own version using the same concept or audio

3

Edit the video with the right timing and effects

4

Share on social media with relevant hashtags

Create Your Own

Cultural Impact

The To Be Continued format helped normalize anime references in mainstream meme culture and demonstrated the growing mainstream appeal of anime fan communities. The format showed how video editing could transform unrelated footage through clever comedic framing, influencing how other content creators approached video-based humor. The meme also contributed to JoJo's Bizarre Adventure's resurgence in mainstream popularity during the 2010s, introducing non-anime fans to the series through meme exposure. The format is still an important reference point in gaming and anime communities, even as its primary usage has declined.

Fun Facts

The format's effectiveness has led to countless variations across different fandoms and communities

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure experienced a popularity surge partly due to the To Be Continued meme

Gaming streamers often use the format in their highlight compilations and fail montages

The format works because the 'cliffhanger' is always subverted by the obvious reality of the situation

Some content creators have created custom 'To Be Continued' screens in styles from other anime or media

The To Be Continued meme has been shared millions of times across social media

You can create your own To Be Continued meme using free tools like Imgflip

To Be Continued first appeared in 2016

The meme is still remixed and adapted by creators

Brands and marketers have used To Be Continued in their campaigns

The meme is still remixed and adapted by creators

Derivatives & Variations

Custom To Be Continued screens from other anime and shows

A variation of To Be Continued

(2016)

Variations with different music from JoJo episodes

A variation of To Be Continued

(2016)

Mashups combining To Be Continued with other meme formats

A variation of To Be Continued

(2016)

Reverse versions where content continues despite the To Be Continued screen

A variation of To Be Continued

(2016)

Parodies using similar visual styles but different text

A variation of To Be Continued

(2016)

Frequently Asked Questions

To Be Continued

2016video formatdeclining

Also known as: To Be Continued Meme · To Be Continued · TO BE CONTINUED · TBC

To Be Continued is a 2016 video format that interrupts mid-action with the 'To Be Continued' title card and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure theme, used for comedic gaming fails and unexpected cliffhangers.

A video format where unexpected scenes or comedic moments are interrupted mid-action with the 'To Be Continued' screen and music, typically from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. The format became popular for gaming fails, unexpected events, and cliffhanger humor.

jojos bizarre adventure memes participatory video memes fail memes gaming bait and switch memes

Overview

To Be Continued is a video format that interrupts video footage with the 'To Be Continued' screen and music popularized by JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. The format creates a comedic effect by suggesting that unexpected or embarrassing moments will somehow continue in a cliffhanger fashion, even when the situation is obviously concluded or failed.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is a long-running manga series known for its exaggerated animation style, dramatic cliffhangers, and distinctive visual presentation. The anime adaptation, beginning in 2012, frequently used stylized 'To Be Continued' screens at episode ends with distinctive music. The format became recognizable to anime fans and provided a template for internet creators. As anime culture became increasingly mainstream online in the 2010s, reference-based memes pulled from anime became more popular. The 'To Be Continued' format's visual style and music made it instantly recognizable and easy to replicate using video editing software.

Origin & Background

Platform
YouTube/Anime
Creator
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure production
Date
2012

The format originates from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, the long-running manga series adapted into anime starting in 2012. The anime series frequently uses the 'To Be Continued' screen with specific music and visual effects during cliffhangers. YouTube content creators began isolating and replicating this format for comedic purposes around 2016.

How It Spread

The 'To Be Continued' format became a popular video meme around 2016-2017 as content creators realized the format's versatility for creating comedic cliffhangers. The format works by interrupting video footage at comedic or unexpected moments, replacing the rest with the JoJo-style 'To Be Continued' screen and characteristic music.

Gaming communities embraced the format enthusiastically, using it for fail compilations, unexpected deaths, or moments where characters made poor decisions. The format also became popular in sports communities, where unexpected turnovers or surprising plays could be punctuated with the To Be Continued screen. The absurdist appeal of the format, combined with JoJo's cult popularity, made it endlessly shareable.

The format's longevity exceeded many similar video meme formats due to its consistent effectiveness and the versatility of application. However, like most formats relying on novelty, oversaturation gradually led to decline. By 2018-2019, the format transitioned from actively trending to nostalgia status, though it maintains occasional usage in gaming and anime communities.

Platforms

YouTubeRedditTwitchDiscordTwitter

Timeline

2012-01-01

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure anime begins

2016-01-01

To Be Continued format begins appearing in memes

2016-06-01

Format goes viral across gaming communities

2017-01-01

Peak popularity with widespread usage

2018-01-01

Remains popular but begins showing decline

2019-present

Maintained by anime and gaming communities

2021-01-01

To Be Continued entered the broader pop culture conversation

View on Google Trends

How to Use This Meme

The basic format involves taking video footage and pausing or stopping the video at a comedic moment, replacing the continuation with the 'To Be Continued' screen and JoJo-style music. The timing of the interruption is crucial, as the humor depends on breaking the narrative flow at an unexpected or inappropriate moment. Variations included using different sources for the To Be Continued screen, adding meme text to the screen, speeding up or slowing down the music, or combining the format with other memes. The format worked especially well in gaming fail compilations where deaths or unexpected game-overs could be punctuated with the screen.

1

Watch the original To Be Continued video to understand the format

2

Record your own version using the same concept or audio

3

Edit the video with the right timing and effects

4

Share on social media with relevant hashtags

Create Your Own

Cultural Impact

The To Be Continued format helped normalize anime references in mainstream meme culture and demonstrated the growing mainstream appeal of anime fan communities. The format showed how video editing could transform unrelated footage through clever comedic framing, influencing how other content creators approached video-based humor. The meme also contributed to JoJo's Bizarre Adventure's resurgence in mainstream popularity during the 2010s, introducing non-anime fans to the series through meme exposure. The format is still an important reference point in gaming and anime communities, even as its primary usage has declined.

Fun Facts

The format's effectiveness has led to countless variations across different fandoms and communities

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure experienced a popularity surge partly due to the To Be Continued meme

Gaming streamers often use the format in their highlight compilations and fail montages

The format works because the 'cliffhanger' is always subverted by the obvious reality of the situation

Some content creators have created custom 'To Be Continued' screens in styles from other anime or media

The To Be Continued meme has been shared millions of times across social media

You can create your own To Be Continued meme using free tools like Imgflip

To Be Continued first appeared in 2016

The meme is still remixed and adapted by creators

Brands and marketers have used To Be Continued in their campaigns

The meme is still remixed and adapted by creators

Derivatives & Variations

Custom To Be Continued screens from other anime and shows

A variation of To Be Continued

(2016)

Variations with different music from JoJo episodes

A variation of To Be Continued

(2016)

Mashups combining To Be Continued with other meme formats

A variation of To Be Continued

(2016)

Reverse versions where content continues despite the To Be Continued screen

A variation of To Be Continued

(2016)

Parodies using similar visual styles but different text

A variation of To Be Continued

(2016)

Frequently Asked Questions