About
You Are Already Dead (Japanese: お前はもう死んでいる; Omae Wa Mou Shindeiru) is an expression from the manga and anime series Fist of the North Star (Japanese: 北斗の拳; Hokuto no Ken). The catchphrase is often combined with an image of the lead character Kenshiro pointing at viewer, which has gained usage as a reaction image in arguments on image boards and discussion forums.
Origin
Originally premiered in Japan in 1983, the series Fist of the North Star centered around the protagonist Kenshiro, a master of the martial art style Hokuto Shinken. Unlike other martial art styles, Kenshiro’s Hokuto Shinken attacked the opponent’s body through pressure points. Upon unleashing his attack, including his signature move Hokuto Hyakuretsu-ken, his victims would be told that they were “already dead” before their bodies would erupt from the inside.
Spread
On August 5th, 2010, a page titled “You Are Already Dead” was created on TV Tropes,[1] describing it as a martial arts trope involving finishing moves that have a delayed effect, including diagonal sword cuts, pressure point and ki attacks. On August 8th, DeviantArt user inui submitted an illustration of Kenshiro with the caption “You are already dead” (shown below).
On June 11th, 2011, NeoGAF Forums[4] member Nekofrog submitted a thread asking other members what memes they were getting tired of, citing “you are already dead” as a meme that is sometimes used inappropriately. On August 16th, 2012, YouTuber UrbanSLUG uploaded an animation in which Kenshiro pokes a man and says “you are already dead,” causing the man’s head to explode (shown below).
Notable Examples
Additional examples can be found on Tumblr under the tag “#you are already dead.”[2]
Search Interest
External References
[1]TvTropes – You Are Already Dead
[2]Tumblr – #you are already dead
[3]DeviantArt – You Are Already Dead
[4]Neo GAF– What memes youre getting tired of