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Memes

What is the ‘State I Found Bro In’ meme? The ‘Tokyo Ghoul’ anime reference, explained

Bro is in a state.

Photo of Angela Andaloro

Angela Andaloro

state i found bro in meme

The State I Found Bro In memes show someone carrying another as though they’re emerging from battle. Inspired by anime series Tokyo Ghoul and brought to life by creators online, this meme is for the moments when you or your bro have been through it and need that support to make it to the end.

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Meme basics:

  • Meme Creator: @razorfuzze/TikTok
  • Meme Type: Exploitable, Macro, Catchphrase
  • First Appearance: Oct. 2023
  • Origin Source: TikTok
  • Peak Popularity: February 2024
the state i found bro in google trends
Google Trends
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Origin and context

Various movies and TV shows have drawn on moments where someone emerges triumphantly from a battle or an intense event carrying someone in their arms cradle-style (also known as bridal-style).

tokyo ghouls kaneki carries hide
Google Trends

A moment from a season two episode of the anime Tokyo Ghoul featuring Kaneki carrying a fatally injured Hide. It began being used in memes in October 2023.

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'me carrying bro's corpse after Randy shattered his spine'
@razorfuzze/TikTok

It became paired with a rising catchphrase, The State I Found Bro In. The phrase is meant to be paired with an image that depicts someone in a particular state relative to what they had been through or experienced.

The phrase’s earliest appearance seems to be from @krackedclub, in a tweet that reads, “‘Bro I can handle a severely mentally ill women’ the state I found bro in.”

tweet that reads ''Bro i can handle a severely mentally ill women' the state i found bro in'
@razorfuzze/TikTok
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Meme spread and variations

@vuwumy version

Because of its association with the Tokyo Ghoul moment, many people who recreate the moment for content do so in the snow to get the full effect.

'the state i found bro in after listening to frying pan asmr vid [it should have been me]'
@scalelessss/TikTok
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The meme received a viral boost in February 2024, when @vuwumy recreated the Tokyo Ghoul moment, with the same song in the background.

@vuwumy tokyo ghoul the state i found bro in tiktok
@scalelessss/TikTok

The since-deleted TikTok version went viral in and of itself, creating another variation of the meme.

'the state my mom found me in cuz lost in the cloud ended today'
@hajinonon/TikTok
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The State I Found Bro In: Sleepy Scrooge

Another popular variation of the meme pairs The State I Found Bro In with the sleepy Scrooge meme. The meme features a tired-looking man wearing an Ebenezer Scrooge Costume. He also holds a cable up, as if he is trying to see. The costume is a nightgown with an old-school nightcap.

"yeah i'll def hop on later, the state i found bro in"
@thickglue/Tenor

Meme examples

'the state i found bro in after i told him several times to not mess with that one bi girl who treated him like he was the love of her life'
@thickglue/Tenor
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the state i found bro in
@LLawdays/X
'the state bro found me in after listening to this song'
@LLawdays/X
'how i found bro after he refused to go home'
@LLawdays/X
' Bro she's just a goth girl, I'll be fine' Also the state I found bro in later
@CJDLuffy/X
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'the state i found bro in ultraman'
@CJDLuffy/X
'the state i found bro in after he used a fextralife build'
@CJDLuffy/X
'omw now bruh, the state i found bro in'
u/nevwel via Reddit
'The state i found bro in after dating a goth girl'
u/nevwel via Reddit
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'yeah i'll def hop on later, the state i found bro in later'
u/nevwel via Reddit
'the state i found bro in after dating the hello kitty girl'
@ember_d.goat/TikTok
'how i found bro after the girl he been playing since he met her finally leave him'
@ember_d.goat/TikTok

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