Wojak
| Wojak | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||
| Vital statistics | ||||||
| Names | Wojak, Feels Guy, Oomer, Chad, Trad | |||||
| Gender | Varies | |||||
| Race | Human | |||||
| Occupation | Varies, Most commonly Crypto Trader | |||||
| Origin | Vichan image board (Unknown) Sad and Useless (December 16, 2009) | |||||
| Alignment | Neutral | |||||
| Age | Varies | |||||
| Created By | Unknown | |||||
| Height | Varies | |||||
| Weight | Varies | |||||
Wojak (from the Polish wojak [ˈvɔjak], meaning "soldier" or "fighter"), also known as Feels Guy, is an Internet meme that originated as a simple, black-outlined cartoon drawing of a bald man with a melancholic or wistful expression.
The character gained traction on 4chan, where it became linked to expressions like "I know that feel, bro," "that feel," or "that feel when" (commonly abbreviated as tfw or >tfw).
History
Wojak first appeared on the Polish imageboard Vichan under the filename ciepłatwarz.jpg (warmface.jpg). Its earliest archived appearance dates back to December 16, 2009, on the meme-sharing website Sad and Useless.
According to Intelligencer, Wojak's expression is described as "pained but dealing with it." By 2011, the image gained widespread popularity on 4chan, particularly in variations like two Wojaks hugging with the caption "I know that feel bro."
On February 2, 2012, Redditor Voyack submitted an AMA to the /r/datfeel subreddit, claiming to be the originator of Wojak from Krautchan. On October 3, 2013, the news site Bustle published an article exploring the origins of Feels Guy.
On November 19, 2013, a Facebook page titled "Feels Guy" was launched, accumulating over 6,400 likes within two years. On May 22, 2014, YouTuber ReluctantMisc uploaded an animated video titled "A day in the life of 'that feel when' guy."
Additionally, on April 2, 2014, a page for Feels Guy was added to the Internet culture wiki Encyclopedia Dramatica. On March 14, 2015, the /r/Wojak subreddit was created to showcase photoshopped variations of the Feels Guy meme.
The meme's evolution also involved adaptations like pairing Wojak with the phrase "that feel when" or variants thereof. In some cases, Wojak was juxtaposed with Pepe the Frog, whose catchphrases included "feels good man" and "feels bad man." As described by Feldman, this pairing created a kind of "platonic romance within the memescape."
Wojak Comics emerged around 2020, and saw the broad popularization of explicitly female Wojak characters. They linked various Wojak modifications with other famous meme characters, such as Yes Chad.
Variants
Oomer Wojaks, or Oomers, are a subset of Wojak characters representing various human personality types. These characters are often used either to satirize specific groups or to identify with them. The term originates from the 30 Year Old Boomer meme, which first appeared on 4chan's /biz/ board in April 2018. Oomer Wojaks gained widespread popularity in the latter half of 2019 and have been compared to Rage Comics due to their diverse variations and versatile applications across online platforms.
NPC
A Wojak variation with a gray face, pointy nose, and blank, emotionless expression, "NPC Wojak" became prominent in October 2018 as a representation of individuals perceived as incapable of independent thought, likened to non-player characters (NPCs) in video games. The meme garnered significant media attention from outlets like Kotaku and The New York Times for its use in parodying the alleged herd mentality of American liberals, often attributed to supporters of Donald Trump. Around 1,500 Twitter accounts using NPC Wojak as profile pictures were suspended for spreading misinformation about the 2018 U.S. elections. In January 2019, a conservative art group called "The Faction" replaced a Real Time with Bill Maher billboard with an image of NPC Wojak.
Coomer
The "Coomer" Wojak gained traction in November 2019 during the "No Nut November" trend. Depicted with unkempt hair, red eyes, a scruffy beard, and a frail frame, Coomer represents someone with a pornography addiction. The meme's popularity grew alongside the "Coomer Pledge," a viral challenge encouraging participants to abstain from masturbation for November, with those failing required to change their profile picture to the Coomer.
Doomer
Emerging on 4chan’s /r9k/ board in September 2018, the Doomer Wojak wears a black hoodie and beanie, smokes a cigarette, and displays dark circles under his eyes. The character embodies nihilism, depression, and existential despair, often paired with beliefs about impending global collapse. A related format, "Doomer Girl," appeared in January 2020 and spread to platforms like Reddit and Tumblr. Featuring a black-haired woman with sad eyes and alternative styling, this version is linked to e-girl and alternative subcultures, often interacting with the original Doomer character in comics.
Soyjak
Combining Wojak's outline with exaggerated traits such as a gaping grin, stubble, glasses, and a balding head, "Soyjak" parodies the "soy boy" stereotype. Frequently paired with the Gigachad meme, Soyjak gained its own dedicated website in September 2020, serving as a hub for variations and related memes.
Big Brain
The Big Brain Wojak exaggerates intelligence with an enlarged head and prominent brain wrinkles. In its most extreme form, the Wojak sits atop its oversized head. Initially used on 4chan to mock pretentiousness or overconfidence in one's intellect, its counterpart, the Brainlet Wojak, depicts a small head with a tiny brain, satirizing self-proclaimed intellectuals.
Tradwife and Wifejak
The "Tradwife" Wojak features a blonde woman in a blue daisy-patterned dress and represents traditional gender roles, conservative values, and homemaking. The "Wifejak" variation depicts a red-haired woman who humorously embodies stereotypical "wife behaviors," often delivering exaggerated or parodied statements like "I'm cold" or "I just threw 30 cardboard boxes into the garage."
Doomer
Boomer
Zoomer
Coomer
NPC
Big Brain
Brainlet
Soyjak
Chad
Tradwife
.png)
Powers and Statistics
Tier: At Least Low 2-C | 2-B | likely 1-A
Powers and Abilities: Superhuman Physical Characteristics, Higher-Dimensional Existence and Higher-Dimensional Manipulation, Incorporeality and Intangibility (Wojak isn't bound to one true form), Abstract Existence and Conceptual Manipulation (Is the concept of melancholy and loneliness), Regeneration: Mid-Godly likely True Godly(Came back eventually after being erased by Pepe), Immortality (type 1, 3, 8 reliant on the internet and 9, likely 10) Is merely an abstraction created by groups on the internet to personify themselves through images, thus he will always exist in one form or another) Reality Warping, Space-Time Manipulation and Corruption Type 3 (His existence alone corrupts and warps images to his flow), Black Hole Creation (Created a black hole out of thin air), Duplication (Can create copies of himself), Shapeshifting and Reactive Evolution (Wojak can adapt any fictional character into himself), Body Control (Mostly through his brain), Avatar Creation (Wojak can materialize new aspects of himself through drawing on a canvas ), Mathematics Manipulation and Physics Manipulation (Can apply complex mathematics to manipulate his imagesand breaks the laws of physics regularly), Dimensional Travel, Summoning (Usually Pepe the Frog), Afterimage Creation, Logic and Chaos Manipulation (Through his nature), possibly Mind Manipulation and Soul Manipulation through NPC Wojak, Large Size (Type 11), Size Manipulation, possibly way more
Attack Potency: At least Universe Level+ (Is atleast a 4th Dimensional being as he demonstrated by changing his brain into a Tesseract , can manifest a Space-Time Continuum in himself ,should be comparable to Pepe who is the Universe itself) | Multiverse Level (Powerscaling off of Pepe) | likely Outerverse Level (Transcended temporal spatial dimensions entirely)
Speed: Infinite, likely irrelevant
Lifting Strength: Immeasurable, likely Irrelevant
Striking Strength: Atleast Universal+ |Multiversal | likely Outerversal
Durability: Atleast Universe level+ |Multiverse Level| likely Outerverse level
Stamina: Infinite, likely Irrelevant
Range: Universal | Multiversal | likely Outerversal
Standard Equipment: Guns, Soylent and a Flamethrower
Intelligence: Varies, though has been more often than not portrayed as an extraordinary genius as his brain was the size of a whole city and was winning a chess match against one of his brain constructs
Weaknesses: Extreme Mood Swings
