Why Foghorn Leghorn Is Gassing Up Your Favorite Anime And Game Characters

If you’ve been on social media the past few days, you’re probably wondering why Foghorn Leghorn, the boisterous rooster from Looney Tunes, is giving pep talks to your favorite anime and video game characters. It turns out the joke has roots going as far back as 2021, but has gained new life in the past few days.

One of the earliest examples of Foghorn’s anime coaching I found was from X (formerly Twitter) user @nflstreet4, who plopped our feathered friend into a scene from the anime Don’t Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro. Here, he’s seen telling protagonist Naoto Hachiouji to stand up for himself, and even if it’s just in text, the cadence of his southern accent is unmistakable.

BOY, I SAY BOY, WHAT'S THE SENSE OF LETTING THAT WOMAN OVER THERE PUSH YOU INTO THE RIVER AND GETTING YOUR SHIRT AND BRITCHES WET. BOY YOU OUTTA HAVE SOME SELF RESPECT–PICK YOUR HEAD UP BOY–AND TELL THAT NAGATORO THAT YOU AIN'T PUTTING UP WITH HER PERPOSTRIOUS BEHAVIOR ANYMORE pic.twitter.com/xJxT3NPq3Z

— ☆★ゆい★☆ (@nflstreet4) April 12, 2021

Different joke variations of Foghorn giving advice to other characters have sprouted up over the years, and it’s led to some incredible creations. This video of the rooster teaching proper nighttime pissing etiquette, which started as a text post, was dubbed by a voice actor and then animated by an artist in June of last year.

But the joke is gaining traction once again in 2024. Unfortunately, the springboard was an uncredited repost of the Miss Nagatoro joke on April 20, but a response to it requesting Foghorn ramble to more anime characters was the spark for hundreds of mockups of the classic character coaching other heroes and villains through their own shit.

NOW SEE HERE, BOY! WHATCHA GOTTA UNDERSTAND IS THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF ONE'S BIRTH ARE IRRELEVANT. SEE, YOU BEEN GIVIN' A GIFT, BOY. AND THAT GIFT IS CALLED LIFE. NOW, WHAT YOU DO WITH THAT GIFT? WELL THAT RIGHT THERE DETERMINES WHO YA ARE, BOY! https://t.co/QngVkmRQGO pic.twitter.com/Xx1fqSHNLO

— Il Neige (@ilneigeYT) April 23, 2024

https://twitter.com/embed/status/1782646001108394419

BOY I SAY BOY YA CAN'T KEEP GOIN' THROUGH LIFE THINKIN YA AIN'T WORTHY OF LOVE! PEOPLE ARE SOCIAL CREATURES, Y'SEE? YA GOTTA HAVE A LITTLE CONFIDENCE IN YERSELF, SHINJI! LEARN TO LET PEOPLE IN, YA HEAR? pic.twitter.com/rzbOZkcPIz

— Jesse Burgener (@Jesse_Burg) April 22, 2024

"DON'T TRUST 'IM, BOY! I SAID DON'T TRUST 'IM! YOU GONNA DO WHAT YOU SHOULDA DONE YEARS AGO? YOU'RE MORE THAN A ROBOT, BOY! I SAY, MORE THAN A ROBOT!! THAT MEANS *SHOOT*, SON! Y'GOTTA PULL THE TRIGGER, ELSE HE'S GONNA GO DO IT AGAIN!

Nice kid, just a little on the dumb side." pic.twitter.com/qRtezn8Gta

— The Mega Man Network (@themmnetwork) April 23, 2024

BOY, I SAY, BOY WHAT DID I TELL YOU? DO NOT LET CELL REACH HIS PERFECT FORM! LOOK AT YOU NOW BOY COVERED IN MORE DIRT THAN THE DESERT. YOUR BRUISES GOT BRUISES! BOY ABOUT AS SHARP AS A BOWLIN’ BALL. BOY JUST COULDN’T HELP HIMSELF, NOW THE BOY CAN’T HELP A FLY. https://t.co/yPbFTRAOFb pic.twitter.com/KGA1eFWK8m

— Aca Studios (@Aca_Studios) April 22, 2024

NOW YOUR HONOR, I SAY, YOUR HONOR THAT MAYA GIRL DONE HER SISTER IN. SHE TOOK THAT THERE STATUE AND CLOCKED HER LIKE SHE WAS HAMMERIN A BARN.
I SAY, I SAY THAT GIRL IS GUILTY. https://t.co/b7AtzhZOFO pic.twitter.com/KOzVrya6HL

— Rylade475 (@Rylade475) April 23, 2024

Now, listen here, boy, I’m talkin’ to you, Shadow! I hear you’re wrestling with some mighty big ideas ‘bout right and wrong. But remember, that sweet gal Maria—bless her soul—didn’t want all this ruckus and hullabaloo, no sir! She wanted happiness for them folks on Earth- pic.twitter.com/gHiX9VetqI

— Linkabel (abelmunizjr.bsky.social) (@AbelMunizJr) April 22, 2024

The trend has become so massive that it caught the attention of Foghorn’s current voice actor, Eric Bauza (who also voices several other characters in the franchise, like Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck). Bauza graciously voiced a fan-made interaction between the character and Dragon Ball’s Goku as he fights Frieza, one of the main villains of the franchise.

🐓 https://t.co/zNYhfkBkg5 pic.twitter.com/5M5JOJVnJX

— Eric Bauza (@bauzilla) April 23, 2024

Sometimes, the internet is a force for good, and I have been howling at some of these gags all morning. To be honest, I’d post even more of them here, but I fear my editors will tell me I’ve already put too many. [Go on, do one more -Ed] But you can find some of the good shit in the quote retweets on the original request for more. I’ve been given permission to include one more, so here’s an Evangelion mock-up for the road:

GIRL I SAY GIRL DID YOU REALLY THINK YOU CAN TAKE ON ALL THEM EVA SERIES IN THREE AND A HALF MINS? YA ALL TALK AND NEED TO THINK REALISTICALLY. THIS I SAY THIS OUGHTA TEACH YOU A LESSON GIRL. https://t.co/bjoP8UNqDb pic.twitter.com/213e69PRxO

— Emily Chen (@emichen88) April 23, 2024