The Brief: This meme features a scene from the anime series Naruto in which the character Sasuke is being choked by his brother, Itachi.
DEEP DIVE
Variations of this choking anime meme have other characters photoshopped into the image so that it looks like they are brutally choking Sasuke, sometimes with a smile on their faces. The original image comes from a scene in Naruto in which Sasuke and his estranged brother-turned enemy are fighting. With one hand, Itachi holds an exhausted-looking Sasuke by the neck.
This meme format combines a violent and intense anime scene with humor taken from other media including other memes, movies, TV shows, and anime, turning it into an absurd, comical, and dark meme. It’s particularly popular on Twitter and Reddit. It first spread on the Anime Memes subreddit and has infiltrated many other popular pages as well. People are calling it the first viral anime meme of 2019.
A reference to the conspiracy theory around the queen of England dying on January 5, 2019.
Choking Sasuke meme is LIT you gotta buy it now! from r/MemeEconomy
Oh my.. from r/dankmemes
Your worthless sasuke . You don’t even know how to make good ramen 🍜 from r/Animemes
A Robbie Rotten crossover:
A Tidying Up With Marie Kondo reference:
sasuke uchiha brings me no joy
– marie kondo probably pic.twitter.com/X3Oydt38XE
— Nikko Genesis Evangelion (@NikkoGuy) January 15, 2019
I’d love to see you try sasuke pic.twitter.com/xMuweHJkhb
— Celeste✨ (@Celeste_Treal) January 15, 2019
"Judge Judy here. I love the truth. If you don't tell me the truth, you're gonna be eating your shoes. If you live to be a hundred, you will never be as smart as me. On your BEST day, you're not as smart as *I* am on my WORST day. Sasuke, you're dismissed" pic.twitter.com/pDcFRpdX2P
— Lan (@Kishido_Spirit) January 15, 2019