Shinji Crank That Soulja Boy: The Meme That Defines A Generation's Reluctance
In the vast and often perplexing landscape of anime, few characters have left as indelible a mark as Shinji Ikari. The central character of Hideaki Anno's seminal work, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Shinji is not your typical hero. Far from the stoic, brave, or even cheerfully optimistic protagonists often found in mecha anime, Shinji captivates audiences with his raw, vulnerable portrayal of a teenager thrust into a world of unimaginable responsibility and existential dread. He's a deeply disturbed individual, often attempting to run from his problems, plagued by an inability to act and a desperate need for validation.
Yet, it is precisely this complex, often frustrating, and profoundly human character that the internet has embraced, twisted, and transformed into one of its most enduring and bizarre memes: "Shinji Crank That Soulja Boy." This isn't just a fleeting trend; it's a cultural touchstone that perfectly encapsulates the internet's unique ability to find humor, relatability, and even a strange form of catharsis in the most unexpected juxtapositions. So, how did the reluctant pilot of Evangelion Unit 01 become synonymous with a 2007 hip-hop dance craze? Let's dive in.
Understanding Shinji Ikari: The Reluctant Protagonist
Before we unravel the meme, it's crucial to understand the character at its heart. Shinji Ikari is a fictional character from the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise, created by Hideaki Anno. As the main protagonist of the series (and almost all of its spinoff works), Shinji's journey is a harrowing exploration of trauma, depression, and the crushing weight of expectation. He is the son of Gendo Ikari, the enigmatic commander of NERV, the organization tasked with defending humanity from mysterious entities known as Angels.
Anno himself has admitted that Shinji's flaws—his inability to act, his desperate need for validation, his constant struggle with self-worth—were born from Anno's own admissions of inadequacy. He faced them with courage and moulded them into a character who, despite his deep disturbances, possesses unusually high synch rates with Unit 01, making him humanity's most effective, albeit unwilling, weapon. Shinji is atypical in more ways than one, making him a fascinating subject for psychological analysis and, as it turns out, internet humor.
For those seeking more information about the character Shinji Ikari from Shinseiki Evangelion, platforms like MyAnimeList offer extensive details about his voice actors, animeography, pictures, and much more. The enduring popularity of the character and the series is evident in the massive online communities dedicated to it, including over 544k subscribers in the r/evangelion community and 269k subscribers in the r/evangelionmemes community, the latter being a fertile ground for creations like "Shinji Crank That Soulja Boy."
The Genesis of a Meme: Cranking That Soulja Boy
The "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" meme originated from the 2007 hit song "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" by Soulja Boy Tell'em, which featured a distinctive dance. The meme typically involves a character performing an action with a sense of reluctant, awkward, or even forced enthusiasm. Enter Shinji Ikari, a character whose entire being is defined by reluctance and awkwardness. The fit was, ironically, perfect.
The core of the meme is simple yet profound in its absurdity: taking a deeply troubled character from a highly philosophical and often depressing anime and forcing him to engage in a silly, energetic dance. Phrases like "Shinji cranks that soldier boy" became a shorthand for this bizarre juxtaposition. Reddit threads dedicated to the meme often echo the format: "Shinji cranks that soldier boy this thread is archived new comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast 11 comments best top new controversial q&a," highlighting its status as a shared, often ephemeral, internet experience.
The meme's versatility allowed for hilarious variations. One notable example, "Shinji, superman dat hoe or we'll make Rei do it," perfectly captures the immense pressure Shinji constantly faces, often from figures like Gendo or Misato, to perform actions he's deeply uncomfortable with. The threat of someone else (especially the stoic Rei Ayanami) taking over if he doesn't comply adds another layer of dark humor to his perpetual dilemma.
Perhaps the most brilliant evolution of the meme is its reversal: "Shinji, I changed my mind, Uncrank that Soulja Boy. Shinji winds it backwards, song plays in reverse." This variation not only showcases the meme's adaptability but also mirrors Shinji's own tendency to retreat, to undo actions, and to wish for things to return to how they were. It’s a meta-commentary on his character, reflecting his desire to escape responsibility and his often-paralyzing indecision.
Why This Meme Resonates with a Generation
The "Shinji Crank That Soulja Boy" meme isn't just funny; it resonates because it taps into several key aspects of modern internet culture and the human experience:
- Relatability Through Absurdity: Shinji's struggles—anxiety, self-doubt, the crushing weight of expectations—are universally relatable. By framing these profound issues through the lens of a ridiculous dance meme, the internet provides a coping mechanism. It's a way of saying, "Yes, life is hard, but sometimes you just gotta 'crank that Soulja Boy,' even if you don't want to."
- Juxtaposition as Comedy: The stark contrast between Evangelion's heavy themes (existentialism, trauma, human instrumentality) and the lightheartedness of a dance meme creates powerful comedic tension. It's the ultimate subversion of expectations.
- Community and Shared Experience: Memes are a form of shared cultural language. Engaging with "Shinji Crank That Soulja Boy" fosters a sense of community among fans, particularly within spaces like the r/evangelionmemes subreddit. The ability to comment, vote, and share these creations reinforces collective identity. Even in archived threads where "new comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast," the historical record of engagement remains, shaping the collective memory of the fandom. This kind of vibrant community interaction isn't unique to Evangelion; similar dynamics can be observed in other dedicated fan bases, such as the Reddit community for the games Payday: The Heist, Payday 2, and Payday 3 by Overkill Software.
- Meta-Humor and Gamification: Some iterations of the meme even add layers of meta-humor, such as "Shinji crank [advanced] (45|89 difficulty rating) <23 skill points required>." This playful gamification turns the meme into a challenge, a skill to be mastered or appreciated, highlighting the internet's self-awareness and its tendency to create intricate, layered jokes.
Conclusion
From the twisted imagination of Hideaki Anno, Shinji Ikari of Neon Genesis Evangelion and End of Evangelion has journeyed from a deeply complex and vulnerable character to an unlikely internet sensation. The "Shinji Crank That Soulja Boy" meme is more than just a fleeting viral moment; it's a testament to the enduring power of characters who resonate deeply with audiences, and the internet's unique ability to reinterpret, satirize, and celebrate them in ways the original creators could never have foreseen.
It’s a bizarre, hilarious, and surprisingly poignant example of how even the most profound and disturbing narratives can be transformed into a source of shared humor and connection. In a world often filled with despair and uncertainty, perhaps the ability to laugh at our own reluctance, personified by a fictional anime pilot, is a comforting thought. And in that spirit, perhaps, "All's right with the world."
The "Shinji Crank That Soulja Boy" meme encapsulates the internet's unique ability to blend deep character analysis with absurd humor, transforming Shinji Ikari from a symbol of angst into a relatable figure of reluctant effort, fostering community, and providing a humorous lens through which to view life's pressures and our often-awkward attempts to cope.
Neon Genesis Evangelion Shinji
Shinji Ikari (neon genesis evangelion) | Evangelion shinji, Evangelion
Evangelion: 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Shinji
