*Teleports Behind You* Nothing Personal, Kid meme

7 images

The iconic Shiba Inu 'teleports behind you' image that popularized the 'Nothing personal, kid' catchphrase across social media.
A manga panel exemplifying the 'teleports behind you' anime trope that inspired the meme's parody format.
A widely-shared version of the Shiba Inu 'Nothing personal, kid' image showing the full-body framing.
A checklist meme incorporating the 'teleports behind you' line as one of several weeaboo stereotypes.
A user-submitted variation of the meme hosted on Imgur.
The archetypal 'katana weeaboo' photograph frequently paired with the 'teleports behind you' catchphrase.
An animal-themed remix of the meme, replacing the swordsman with a knife-wielding cat behind an oblivious dog.

History

Teleports Behind You Nothing Personal, Kid is a copypasta used to caption photos of young men wielding katanas or other bladed weapons, mocking fedora-and-anime edgelord posturing. The phrase fused a 2013 Coldsteel the Hedgeheg illustration with a classic anime speed-blitz trope, then caught on across Facebook, YouTube, and Reddit throughout late 2016.

Origin

The 'nothing personal, kid' tagline traces to an illustration of Coldsteel the Hedgeheg, a parody OC character. Its earliest known Twitter posting dates to May 29, 2013, by user @Laxoongarfl[1]. The teleport-behind-you gag is older, catalogued on TV Tropes under 'No, I Am Behind You'[2] with roots in the Dragon Ball Rapid Movement technique[8].

The two threads merged into the katana-swinging neckbeard format in late 2016, first appearing prominently on the Facebook page 'Bork Bork You are Doing Me A Frighten'[4].

Platform: Facebook / Reddit (viral spread)
Creator: Unknown
Date: 2016

Overview

The joke pairs two beats: a narrated action ('teleports behind you') and a smug one-liner ('nothing personal, kid'), stapled to a photo of someone posing with a katana or knife, often in a fedora or trench coat[3]. Fans intentionally misspell 'personal' as 'personnel' or 'personel' as part of the ironic tone. The reference points at anime speed-blitzes, notably the Rapid Movement technique from Dragon Ball[8], with the bladed-weapon spin sometimes traced back to Bleach.

A parallel visual thread came from a May 2007 WikiHow article on surviving a public shooting, whose illustration titled 'a man surprising a shooter from behind' became a Photoshop target that fed the Teleports Behind You Nothing Personal, Kid format[9].

How to Use

The template typically pairs a photo of someone posing with a bladed weapon, often in a fedora or trench coat, with the two-part caption narrating a supernatural sneak attack. Common convention includes misspelling 'personal' as 'personnel' or 'personel' and wrapping stage directions in asterisks, as in 'teleports behind you.'

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Teleports Behind You Nothing Personal, Kid?

It is a copypasta used to caption photos of young men holding katanas or knives, often with 'personal' intentionally misspelled as 'personnel' or 'personel'[3].

Where did Teleports Behind You Nothing Personal, Kid come from?

The 'nothing personal, kid' tagline comes from a Coldsteel the Hedgeheg illustration first posted to Twitter by @Laxoongarfl on May 29, 2013[1], while the teleport gag echoes anime speed-blitzes such as Dragon Ball's Rapid Movement technique[8].

What does Teleports Behind You Nothing Personal, Kid mean?

It mocks fedora-and-katana edgelords who fantasize about speed-blitzing an opponent with a blade, a running joke on subreddits like /r/justneckbeardthings[6].

How do you use Teleports Behind You Nothing Personal, Kid?

Caption a photo of a person posing with a sword or knife with 'teleports behind you nothing personal, kid,' and misspell 'personal' as 'personnel' for extra effect[7].