Lobotomy Kaisen

Confirmed 60,955

Part of a series on Jujutsu Kaisen. [View Related Entries]

About

Lobotomy Kaisen is a catchphrase used to describe fan art, memes and internet posts created by fans of the anime and manga series Jujutsu Kaisen when the show or anime goes on a production break. Coined on the subreddit /r/JujutsuFolk in late 2023, Lobotomy Kaisen is used to describe the influx of JJK memes such as Domain Expansion, Nah I'd Win and Gojo Backshots. The phrase uses the slang term "lobotomy" as a way to describe the chaotic and nonsensical nature of the memes.

Origin

The earliest known mention of the phrase "Lobotomy Kaisen" on the internet is an October 21st, 2023, YouTube^[1] video posted by LoLeo. The post showed a redrawn version of the show's title song "SPECIALZ," gathering over 9,000 views in two months (seen below).

However, the popularization of the phrase "Lobotomy Kaisen" is generally attributed to JJK subreddit /r/JujutsuFolk where Redditors began sharing inane and nonsensical JJK memes during the manga's break from publishing. These memes were often posted with the caption "Lobotomy Kaisen."^[2]^[3]

On November 12th, 2023, Redditor^[4] /u/Blizzard108 posted a recaptioned clip of two JJK characters carrying on a conversation rife with meme catchphrases and buzzwords from the show. The post was captioned, "Lobotomy Kaisen week is almost over," gathering over 3,000 upvotes in two months.

Spread

Jokes about Lobotomy Kaisen returning continued into late 2023 when the creators of the manga announced a three-week-long break from the manga's regular publishing schedule.^[5] On November 30th, 2023, Redditor^[6] /u/cultoftheinfected posted a Thousand Yard Stare meme with the caption, "I know we're on break next week but don't become lobotomy kaisen," gathering over 1,000 upvotes in a month.

Jokes about Lobotomy Kaisen continued into December 2023, with TikToker^[7] @_storm_breaker posting a video combining several JJK memes alongside the caption "lobotomy kaisen is back baby!" The post gathered over 2.4 million plays and 300,000 likes in a month (seen below, left). TikToker^[8] @nothankyou9048^[8] also posted a Lobotomy Kaisen meme compilation on December 4th, gathering over 200,000 plays and 20,000 likes in a month (seen below, right).

On December 14th, 2023, YouTuber^[9] MAG posted a video titled "LOBOTOMY KAISEN," documenting the JJK fandom's collective spiral into inane meme posting. The video attributed the trend to Gojo's death in late 2023 and gathered over 100,000 views in a month (seen below).