Introduction

The Surprised Pikachu meme features an iconic image of Pikachu from the Pokémon anime, showcasing its shocked expression. This meme is widely used to express surprise in response to predictable outcomes.

Background

Surprised Pikachu, also referred to as Shocked Pikachu, is a reaction image that captures Pikachu with its mouth open in astonishment. The image gained traction as a reaction meme in late 2018, typically accompanied by captions that set up a scenario leading to an expected yet surprising result.

How It Began

The Surprised Pikachu image originates from Season 1, Episode 10 of the Pokémon anime, titled "Bulbasaur and the Hidden Village," which aired in 1997. The first known meme using this image was posted on Tumblr by user popokko on September 26, 2018, where it gained significant traction, accumulating over 223,000 notes.

Meme Evolution

Following its initial popularity, the Surprised Pikachu meme spread rapidly across various platforms. It appeared on the subreddit /r/MemeEconomy on September 30, 2018, amassing 880 points. On October 2, it was featured on the Facebook page Meme Extreme, garnering over 3,900 likes and 4,000 shares. The meme format became especially prevalent on Reddit, with notable posts on /r/me_irl, including one that received over 3,900 points on October 14, and another, edited for humor regarding computer use, that gained over 6,200 points on October 24. It also crossed into other subreddits, including a post on /r/freefolk that garnered over 20,000 points.

Twitter Controversy

In March 2019, a controversy arose when Twitter users reported that posting the Surprised Pikachu image could lead to account suspensions for sharing gratuitous imagery. This issue was confirmed by multiple users. However, by March 18, reports indicated that the posting of the image no longer resulted in suspensions. Discussions about this topic gained traction on Reddit, with a post on /r/OutOfTheLoop receiving over 700 upvotes, sparking speculation regarding the mass reporting of the image as the potential cause behind the suspension issues.