What Does 'I Always Come Back' Mean And Why Do Five Nights At Freddy's Fans Say It?

With the release of the Five Nights At Freddy's movie, memes from the series that have been around for years have started to make a comeback. Because of this, phrases that don't seem to make any sense, such as 'I Always Come Back' have been popping up in memes more lately, with their usage spiking as the line was moved in the movie. If you aren't a fan of the series, however, the line itself seems out of place, and it's usage in memes makes no sense, but not for long.

Where Does It Come From?

The phrase is first said in the trailer for the third game of the series, Five Nights At Freddy's 3, when referring to the character William Afton. This character, who is confirmed to be the main antagonist and the central lore figure behind the hidden plot of the first two games, says the phrase as a way of saying that he is immortal and will always come back to haunt the player. The phrase would be properly said by the character in the sixth game, Pizza Simulator, living on as a meme ever since.

What Does It Mean?

Without getting too deep into the lore of the games, it simply means that the character William Afton is impossible to kill. Even after being mortally wounded and sealed behind a wall for decades, he appears to still be alive and shambling around. Essentially, whenever it's used in memes it's basically signaling that you are thinking about the character who for several games across decades of in-universe years is responsible for all of the game's history. It's similar in tone to Somehow, Palpatine Returned in that the fans themselves aren't completely sure how it keeps happening.

In The Movie

In the highly anticipated FNAF movie, fans were excited to see if he would say the line or not. At the climax in the movie's final moments, the actor Matthew Lillard says the line, which reignited its usage online as now a movie and sound clip existed for use in fan edits of the material.

For the full history of the "I always come back" meme, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.