About

Japanese Soldier Who Kept Fighting 29 Years After WWII is a catchphrase and reaction image used to joke about fighting a losing war. The phrase comes from a viral article about Lieutenant Hiroo Onoda, a Japanese soldier who refused to leave his post on an island in the Philippines until he was given a direct order from his commanding officer. The meme made a resurgence on sports-related internet in 2024.

Origin

Hiroo Onoda was a Japanese second lieutenant tasked with carrying out guerilla warfare on Lubang Island in the Philippines. Refusing to believe flyers that proclaimed the war to be over, Onoda held his post until 1974, when he was relieved of duty by his former commander.

On October 27th, 2019, a post by YouTuber^[1] Saiful Islam Rubel appears to the the origin of the graphic often quoted in this meme. The graphic shows a photo of the soldier alongside highlighted yellow text that reads, "Japanese Solider Who Kept Fighting 29 Years After WWII."

Jokes about Onoda predate this post, with Twitter^[2] user @pixelatedboat tweeting, "I'm like the Japanese soldier who kept fighting WWII till the 70s but I'm still participating in a street-level marketing campaign for Ted 2" on November 12th, 2015, and gathering over 100 likes in nine years.

On June 3rd, 2023, Twitter^[3] user @abram_facts posted a screenshot of an iMessage conversation, writing, "amazed to see there are still 'haha and then what' guys in 2023. reminds me of that japanese soldier who kept fighting wwii until the 70s." The post gathered over 1,000 likes in a year.

Spread

On January 1st, 2024, X^[4] user @ArmandDoma posted a screenshot of COVID-conscious people criticizing Taylor Swift's "Eras Tour," writing, "These folks really are like that Japanese soldier who kept fighting WWII for years after it ended," and gathering over 1,000 likes in a year.

A May 23rd, 2024 tweet by @LadPsycho^[5] used the "Japanese solider kept fighting" thumbnail as a reaction meme to comment on Drake rapping on BBL Drizzy. The post gathered over 50,000 likes in seven months.

On September 18th, 2024, X^[6] user @EdwinRMFC reposted news about soccer player Ansu Fati recovering from an injury, gathering over 56,000 likes on a tweet that read, "japanese soldier who kept fighting 29 years after wwii."

On October 19th, X^[7] user @WhosBreezyUK reposted the catchphrase to respond to news that xQc's former fiance is suing him again, gathering over 3,000 likes in a month.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References