Before TikTok ruled short-form video, there was Vine, the chaotic, six-second playground where going viral meant being louder and weirder than everyone else. Vine rewarded pure goofiness. As beloved as it was, however, it wasn’t the end-all, be-all of internet culture like TikTok is today. While we were all quoting “Welcome to Chili’s” and “I could have dropped my croissant” at each other, photo trends were booming as well. And none captured the dorky energy of early 2010s internet better than Hadouken-ing.
Hadouken-ing, inspired by Ryu and Ken’s iconic move from Street Fighter, exploded online around 2013. The concept was beautifully dumb: one person posed mid-attack, palms outstretched, while everyone else in the frame launched themselves backward as if blasted by invisible energy. The more dramatic the “victims,” the better.
Everyone and their mother was Hadouken-ing all over the place. Social media feeds filled with frozen moments of fake destruction, guides were published informing people hoping to get in on the trend how to get that perfect motion blur. What started with a group of Japanese schoolgirls soon appeared on the profiles of everyone from office workers to celebrities.
As with all things early 2010s internet, part of the appeal was how low-effort it felt. You didn’t need editing skills or expensive gear, just a few friends willing to commit to the bit. Hadouken-ing is a snapshot of a very specific era of internet culture, when participation mattered more than polish and silliness was king.
Why Isn’t Anyone Hadouken-ing Anymore?
Like many early viral trends, Hadouken-ing thrived in a pre-algorithm world. Social media platforms rewarded goofy group participation rather than individual performance. As social media shifted toward video content, infinite scrolling, and mega-influencers, static photo memes fell out of vogue.
But Hadouken-ing also faded because it belonged to a particular internet mood, one where it felt as though the internet was made for being cringe together. (Don’t you miss it?)
Every few years, old trends resurface, and it might be Hadouken-ing’s time. Sure, it’s been 13 years, and the internet is a decidedly different place now. But that new Street Fighter movie is in post-production as we speak, which feels like the perfect opportunity to pretend really hard you just unleashed a devastating energy blast on your friends and post it for the world to see.
It only takes one viral post to start a movement. Go ahead and throw your hands out and yell Hadouken (just be sure to snap a photo while you do it).
The post We Should All Start Hadouken-ing Again. Maybe It Will Bring the Old Internet Back. appeared first on VICE.
