AboutWhat does the meme depict?

"Is this a pigeon?" meme features a still shot from the 1990s anime 'The Brave Fighter of Sun Fighbird' where the humanoid android protagonist, Yutaro Katori, mistakes a butterfly for a pigeon. In the image, Katori, dressed in a simple blue outfit, extends his hand towards a butterfly while a puzzled expression adorns his face. The text overlay, originally transcribed from Japanese, reads 'Is this a pigeon?', highlighting his confusion between the two distinctly different creatures.

OriginWho did it first?

The image used in the "Is this a pigeon?" meme originates from an episode of the Japanese anime series 'The Brave Fighter of Sun Fighbird,' specifically Season 1, Episode 3, which aired in February 1991. The character in the meme, Yutaro Katori, an android studying Earth's nature, notably mistakes a butterfly for a pigeon in this particular scene. The meme gained popularity for its humorous depiction of misidentification and was adapted into various memes on social media platforms such as Tumblr. The direct translation of Katori's line resulted in the humorous phrase that lead to widespread use of the image online. For more details on the episode, a clip can be viewed on YouTube.^[1]

Origin: 1991