Angry NPC Wojak

About

Angry NPC Wojak is an exploitable variation of the NPC Wojak character in a four-panel webcomic format. In the first panel, the grey NPC Wojak typically makes a claim that is refuted by another white-colored character in the second frame, leading the NPC Wojak to express silent anger by furrowing its brow in the final panel. Typically memes using the image macro format add a statement from the Wojak, followed by another caption from the second character.

Origin

The original NPC Wojak started to appear across 4chan in early September 2018, often associated with an alt-right perception of other human beings as brainwashed "NPCs" (non-player characters), but it was then picked up by mainstream media outlets and popularized among a larger audience the following month.^[1] The exact origin of the format is unknown, but an early example featuring an Angry Wojak with furrowed eyebrows appeared on Reddit on October 13th, 2018, in a since-deleted /r/memeconomy post (see below) that earned 76 upvotes and 33 comments.^[2] It's likely the format originated on 4chan sometime in late September.

Spread

Later that same day on October 13th, 2018, an NPC Wojak with furrowed brows also appeared on Reddit's /r/memes,^[3] this time speaking with a different stick-figure character though the concept remained the same (see below). The post received 117 upvotes.

The NPC Wojak continued to appear throughout fall 2018. Some memes featuring Angry NPC Wojak seemed to identify the character with a more left-wing political belief (like the post below left, posted by u/CountDooku_ to /r/The_Farage on October 20, 2018 receiving 115 upvotes) while others identified it with a more right-wing political belief (like the post below right, posted to this site a year ago and receiving over 1,100 views).

An Imgflip ^[4] meme generator for the angry NPC Wojak format was then posted to the site on April 21st, 2019, allowing others to create additional examples using the comic as it continued spreading online in the following years.

Various Examples

Template

Search Interest

External References