Have you ever heard somewhere a friend, video or meme screaming omae wa mou shindeiru followed by some strange noise and a nani? In this article we will understand the meaning of this expression and the origin of this meme.
Since 2017, there have been countless videos and memes with this phrase on the internet. Those who know Japanese must have already understood the meaning, but what is the motive and explanation behind the scenes and the words?
What does "omae wa mou shindeiru... nani?" mean?
This phrase that became a meme some time ago is an expression from the manga and anime Hokuto no Ken. The expression omae wa mou shindeiru [お前はもう死んでいる] means you are already dead and is often used by the main character.
The nani present in the memes is just the reaction of the villains saying “What?”. The anime premiered in Japan in 1983 and focuses on the character of Kenshiro, a martial arts master called Hokuto Shinken.
This art causes the protagonist to attack the opponent's pressure points, killing a little later through an eruption inside the body. On that occasion the protagonist lets out this beautiful phrase:
お前はもう死んでいる - omae wa mou shindeiru
- お前 - You (rude/literally: in front of me);
- もう - already, soon, now;
- 死んでいる - to die;
Omae it's a rude way of saying you, where these ideograms literally mean front, ie, you in front of me. The expression mou it gives an idea that it's gone, too late, now, soon, you're already dead, nothing can be done.
Despite having become popular in Brazil recently. This ironic phrase has been around for many, many years. To give you an idea, on December 6, 2003, an antivirus was launched in Japan by the company E-Frontier, an antivirus called VirusKiller.
This antivirus has the theme of Hokuto no Ken. The program, when removing the virus or a malicious file, brought the character Kenshiro on the screen pronouncing Omae wa mou shindeiru (You are already morto).
What is the origin of "Omae wa mou shindeiru... Nani?"
On August 5, 2010, a page named “You Are Already Dead” on TV Tropes. The page describes the martial art involving movements with a retarding effect.
In 2011 on a NeoGAF forum, a member named Nekofrog started a discussion about memes until this video appeared that started to generate the fame of this meme:
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This meme became even more popular when meme videos and anime remixes started to be successful on YouTube. Currently, several memes have been created using this expression. To end the article we will leave a compiled below:
What is the Hokuto no Ken anime about?
The 1983 anime behind the meme is called hokuto no ken [北斗の拳] which literally means Fist of Ursa Major. The story takes place in a post-apocalyptic future, after a nuclear war sometime in the 1990s.
The world is now full of lawless thieves and Mohicans who prey on the weak and innocent. Our muscular hero is named Kenshiro, who wanders from town to town looking for his bride. Yuria (who was kidnapped by her rival Shin).
During his journey he helps those he encounters. Fortunately Kenshiro, is the successor to the Hokuto Shinken ("Divine Fist of Ursa Major") martial arts school, a legendary assassination art that utilizes the human body's keiraku hiko pressure points to make them literally explode from within.
After his fight and conclusion with Shin, Fist of the North Star gradually shifts his focus to Kenshiro's battle against Raoh, the eldest of his foster brothers, and a possible world conqueror who was also trained in the ways of Hokuto Shinken by his siblings. companions.
As the Hokuto Shinken law only allows the style to be passed from one master to a single student, it becomes Kenshiro's duty to prevent Raoh from using the style to fulfill his own ambitions.
The article is still halfway through, but we recommend also reading:
Anime that used the Hokuto Shinken technique
This was one of the first anime that used the idea of attacks that explode after a while on the person hit. After that some anime that were probably inspired by the same idea, came up with a similar ability.
Another famous manga called Battle Angel Alita has an anti-cyborg martial art from Panzer Kunst which consists of eliminating the opponent up to a month after being attacked. Will it be a coincidence?
In Black Bullet, Kisara Tendo has to fight her treacherous brother in a duel. When she cuts off his leg, he panics, begs for mercy, and confesses that he was the one who arranged the death of his parents. Satisfied, she walks away. Rentaro praises her for showing mercy. She asks what he's talking about, because behind them, her brother suddenly splits in half.
Many other anime showed similar abilities. Some even repeated Kenshiro's lines omae wa mou shindeiru like Luck Stars, Death Note, Dragon Ball and many others.
