I AM ERROR

About

I Am Error is a quote said by character Error in the English version of the 1987 video game Zelda II: The Adventures of Link. The phrase has often been misinterpreted as bug or a mistranslation. The quote became an early internet meme around 2000, and has since been referenced in other video games and popular culture in general.

Origin

On January 14th, 1987, action role-playing video game Zelda II: The Adventure of Link was released in Japan,^[1] with the English version of the game released the following year on September 26th. In the game a villager apparently named Error^[2][3] (jap. Erā) can be found in Ruto Town. In the the game, upon interaction, the character introduces himself, saying "I AM ERROR" (jap. Ore no na wa Erā da…).

The name of the character is likely a part of the two-part joke about software bugs, with a similar character named Bagu, which translates to English as "bug," found in another location (shown below, right). However, due to Bagu's name not being translated in the English version of the game, the joke is less obvious than in the Japanese version.

An incorrect fan theory states that "Error" could be a Japanese mistranslation of the name Errol.^[4] Despite not being a mistranslation, "I AM ERROR" was widely considered "one of the biggest mistranslations of early NES games" by the general public.^[4]

Spread

The catchphrase "I AM ERROR" achieved meme recognition approximately in 2000,^[5] following the spread of the similar meme All your base are belong to us which inspired the trend of Engrish memes such as A Winner Is You.

Since 2000, the phrase has been referenced in multiple memes and referenced in popular culture. References in video games include Super Paper Mario (2007), The Binding of Isaac (2011; shown below), Guacamelee! (2013), Splatoon 2 (2017) and others.

In 2005, nintendocore band iamerror formed,^[6] disbanding in 2009.

I AM ERROR has been extensively covered in the media. In 2009, GamesRadar+^[8] included the "I AM ERROR" in its list of 40 most repeated game quotes. In 2010, VideoGamer^[9] included Error in its list of oddest character names in games, writing that Error is "possibly one of the most well known minor characters of all time."

Prior to January 30th, 2010, a YTMND page^[7] for the meme was created by an unknown user.

From approximately 2012 to 2015, the 404 page of nintendo.co.uk^[3] displayed the character and the message "I AM ERROR.'

Various Example

Search Interest

External References