Why This Nigga Look So Mad: Decoding the Viral Meme

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About • Origin • Spread • Various Examples • Search Interest • External References • Recent Images

Original image of Why Dis Nigga Look So Mad meme

Jujutsu Kaisen redraw of Why Dis Look So Mad meme by X user @Kx1T0_

Zenless Zone Zero redraw of Why Dis Look So Mad meme by X user @ZaLantwrn

Jujutsu Kaisen redraw shared on Reddit's r/Jujutsufolk

Sonic and Shadow redraw of Why Dis Look So Mad meme

Spy x Family redraw of Why Dis Look So Mad meme

Breaking Bad redraw of Why Dis Look So Mad meme

Anime characters redraw of Why Dis Look So Mad meme

The Boys redraw of Why Dis Look So Mad meme

Animal Crossing redraw of Why Dis Look So Mad meme

About

“Why Dis Nigga Look So Mad,” often also seen as “Why Dis 🥷🏿 Look So Mad 😭😭😭,” is a viral meme originating from a TikTok photo slideshow. The meme is based on a photograph of two young men standing on a sidewalk at night. The key visual element is the stark contrast between the two figures: one face is brightly lit and clearly visible, while the other is cast in deep shadow, with only his eyes discernible, giving him a perceived angry or menacing appearance.

This image quickly evolved into a popular Redraw art trend, particularly gaining traction on Twitter (now X) starting in July 2024. The meme’s virality stems from its simple yet effective visual contrast and the humorous caption. As it spread, artists began reimagining the original photo, replacing the figures with characters from a wide range of pop culture, including TV shows, movies, anime, and video games. This adaptation utilized the original image’s contrasting aesthetic to highlight personality differences between characters, often paired with the adaptable phrasal template “Why Dis X Look So Mad.” The meme taps into the internet’s love for relatable humor, character comparisons, and the redraw trend, making it a significant online phenomenon.

Origin

The meme’s genesis can be traced back to July 27th, 2024, when TikTok user @lilsleepyjp[1] uploaded a photo slideshow. The slideshow commenced with the now-iconic image of the two young men on a nighttime sidewalk. The shadowed figure on the left, with only his eyes visible, and the well-lit figure on the right immediately created a visual dichotomy. Accompanying the image was the caption: “why dis 🥷🏿 look so mad 😭😭😭.” Here, the ninja emoji (🥷🏿) is used as a stand-in for the racial slur “nigga,” a common internet vernacular. Within four days, the slideshow garnered significant attention, accumulating approximately 265,600 views and 56,800 likes, highlighting its immediate appeal and virality on the platform.

While the origin of the photograph itself remains unconfirmed, with it being unknown whether TikToker @lilsleepyjp was the original photographer, the TikTok post served as the catalyst for the meme’s widespread dissemination and subsequent evolution into the redraw trend.

Spread

The spread of the “Why Dis Nigga Look So Mad” meme beyond TikTok began swiftly. On July 28th, 2024, just a day after the original TikTok post, X (Twitter) user @funnyhoodvidss[2] reposted the image. This repost proved to be crucial in amplifying the meme’s reach, quickly amassing over 122,000 likes within three days. The tweet became a hub for user engagement, generating numerous quote retweets and replies. Crucially, these responses included the first instances of users redrawing the photograph with different characters, marking the birth of the redraw trend associated with the meme.

The earliest documented redraw is attributed to X user @Kx1T0_[3], shared on July 29th. This redraw cleverly incorporated characters from the popular anime series Jujutsu Kaisen, demonstrating the meme’s adaptability to various fandoms and artistic interpretations. This Jujutsu Kaisen redraw rapidly gained traction, accumulating over 7,300 likes within two days, signaling the redraw trend’s potential and appeal.

Later on the same day, July 29th, X user @ZaLantwrn[4] further expanded the meme’s reach by creating a redraw featuring characters from the video game Zenless Zone Zero. This iteration proved even more popular, garnering over 60,000 likes in just two days. The success of both the Jujutsu Kaisen and Zenless Zone Zero redraws solidified the meme’s format and demonstrated its broad appeal across different fandoms and online communities.

The meme’s proliferation wasn’t limited to Twitter. It extended to other social media platforms, including Reddit. On July 30th, 2024, Redditor gettingfreakyonfries shared another Jujutsu Kaisen redraw to the /r/Jujutsufolk subreddit[5]. This post received over 370 upvotes within a day, indicating the meme’s cross-platform appeal and its resonance within specific online communities like anime and gaming fandoms. This rapid and widespread adoption across multiple platforms cemented “Why Dis Nigga Look So Mad” as a significant internet meme trend.

Various Examples

The versatility of the “Why Dis Nigga Look So Mad” meme format is evident in the wide array of redraw examples that have emerged. Artists have creatively applied the template to countless characters and scenarios, highlighting contrasting personalities or situations in humorous ways. Common themes include:

Hero vs. Villain: Redraws often depict a stark contrast between a heroic character, typically shown in the well-lit side, and a villainous character, placed in shadow to emphasize their “mad” or menacing demeanor. Examples include redraws featuring characters from superhero comics, anime antagonists, or video game villains.
Optimist vs. Pessimist: The meme is also used to visually represent contrasting personality traits. A cheerful, optimistic character might be placed in the light, while a gloomy, pessimistic character occupies the shadowed side, embodying the “mad” look through their contrasting expressions and implied attitudes.
Popular vs. Unpopular/Outcast: Some redraws play on social dynamics, positioning a popular or conventionally attractive character in the light and a less popular or more unconventional character in the shadow, humorously commenting on perceived social “madness” or resentment.
Character Development Contrast: The meme can also be used to showcase character development, placing a character’s “before” persona in the shadows (perhaps representing an angrier or more troubled past) and their “after” persona in the light (representing growth or a more positive present).

These diverse examples illustrate the meme’s adaptability and its capacity to generate humorous and relatable content across various fandoms and online communities. The simple visual contrast and the flexible phrasal template allow for endless creative interpretations.