The Real Origin of Chainsaw Man's "He Just Like Me Fr" Meme Explained
Chainsaw Man's "He just like me" meme is a common reaction to relatable content, but just what happened in the actual panel from the series?
Warning: contains light spoilers for the end of Chainsaw Man
Few manga have exploded in popularity lately like Chainsaw Man, so it's only natural that fans would create memes based on the hit series. With Chainsaw Man's second part about to debut alongside an anime adaptation, its memes are about to become more prominent than ever. One of the most pervasive sees the series' protagonist, Denji, crying with his face up against a TV as he declares "Oh.. He just like me... He just like me fr!!!!" Obviously, the panel's text is edited, so what is the real context for this relatable image?
Coming from the mind of Tatsuki Fujimoto, Chainsaw Man is somehow even wilder than its name implies. The series follows a young man named Denji who is trapped in poverty with his pet dog, the chainsaw devil named Pochita. When Pochita becomes Denji's heart though, the two transform into Chainsaw Man, a monstrous hero who is regarded as one of the series' most powerful supernatural entities. As Chainsaw Man, Denji works for public safety under the watchful eye of an incredibly powerful woman named Makima. Though the series is incredibly goofy and over the top in many places, it knows when to get serious. Many of the series' heroes meet tragic ends, resulting in Chainsaw Man being a gory deconstruction of Naruto. It's toward the end of the story where one of the series' most widely shared panels comes from.
In Chapter 93 of Chainsaw Man Denji should be arguably at his lowest point. Though Denji had just beaten a huge threat, many of his comrades fell, and the series' big bad revealed themself. As a result, Denji has bunkered up in a safe house to make sure he's not discovered. There, Denji sees a news broadcast covering reactions to Chainsaw Man's latest battle. Specifically, Denji sees girls his age praising Chainsaw Man and saying they'd like to go out with him. Being perpetually starved for affection, Denji can't help but cry at the thought of so many girls liking him, leading to the panel widely used as the basis for many memes.
One of the reasons Chainsaw Man is so beloved by manga readers is how effortlessly it blends comedy and tragedy to reveal more about its themes or characters. Despite the fangirls, Denji should be miserable by all rights. Even the priase itself actually makes Denji's situation considerably worse. In Chainsaw Man, devils get more powerful the more they are feared. With the public loving Chainsaw Man and viewing him as a hero, considerably fewer people are afraid of him, meaning he has less power going into his climactic battle with the series' true villain. However, the lack of affection and emotional security in Denji's life means all of this praise is a dream come true. Chainsaw Man can make a snowball fight heartbreaking, so this blending of conflicting emotions is quite common in the series.
It's no exaggeration to say that Chainsaw Man is one of the freshest shonen manga series to come out in some time. Even the memes based on Chainsaw Man are a testament to how truly masterful it is.
Next: Chainsaw Man Creator's First Manga Projects Collected In New Volumes
