Bro Fist

About

Bro Fist is a series of image macros and ASCII-based copypasta often used on imageboards and forums as a virtual fist bump, a popular method of male-to-male greeting that conveys mutual respect for the participating bros. While the act of fist-bumping itself has become a common practice through TV shows and films, the legitimacy of “Bro Fist” as an internet meme remains debatable, as it has been criticized by some as a forced meme or spam.

Origin

One of the first appearances of Bro Fist was on October 16th, 2008, when an Anon posted the following message with an ASCII art resembling a fist on the 4chan BBS.

………..
……………….__
…………./´¯/‘…’/´¯¯`·¸
………./‘/…/…./……./¨¯\
……..(’(…´…´…. ¯~/‘…’)
………\……………..‘…../
……….’’…\………. _.·´
…………\…………..(
BRO FIST

IF YOU DONT POST THIS TO 5 BROS THEN YOU ARENT A BRO

Development

The same Copypasta can be found in the following archived 4chan threads.

• /g/ “ITT: Tech Stories…” (10/16/08)
  

• /v/ “22K Battlebots GET” (10/28/08)
  

• /v/ “/v/ is Love” (12/07/08)
  

• And at least 246 more archived threads, mostly from /v/.
  

Google Insights For Search

Google search queries for “Bro Fist” began on October 16th, 2008; precisely the same day that the Bro Fist spam appeared on 4chan.

How To Fist Bump

1. Raise your fist with ease;
2. Bump the other bro’s fist by the knuckles;
3. Turn the fist, counter-clockwise at 90 degrees;
4. Supplement with “sup bro” for good measure (optional).