Why Are People Claiming To Be Navy SEALs Online? The Classic Navy Seal Copypasta Explained

So you’ve just posted a reply that might be a little controversial, and then, within seconds, the following wall of text appears:

What the fuck did you just fucking say about me, you little bitch? I'll have you know I graduated top of my class in the Navy Seals, and I've been involved in numerous secret raids on Al-Quaeda, and I have over 300 confirmed kills. I am trained in gorilla warfare and I'm the top sniper in the entire US armed forces. You are nothing to me but just another target.

Wow, this poster really seems to know what they’re talking about. Sitting at your parent’s desktop computer, you begin to sweat heavily and shiver. He’s coming for you.

In reality, while the iconic Navy Seal Copypasta might seem worrisome, it's really just a tried-and-true joke that's been copied and pasted around the internet in droves for over a decade.

In case you're still unaware of this meme, here's what you need to know.

Where Does The Navy SEAL Copypasta Come From?

The copypasta originally started out on a 4chan military and weapons enthusiast imageboard sometime in 2010. The earliest archived version is from November 11th of that year.

In April 2012, the meme then hopped to Reddit where a user shared a screenshot of the copypasta on a YouTube comments section to /r/funny, and from there, the copypasta spread like wildfire.

It has since appeared in comment sections across the internet, as well as earning an Urban Dictionary definition and a Genius post describing its literary qualities.

How Is The Navy Seal Copypasta Used?

It is generally used sarcastically as a parody of hypermasculinity and overly aggressive rhetoric on the internet. It has, however, vaulted to international headlines a few times.

Back in 2013, a Mexican-Spanish translation of the copypasta, posted by 10-year-old Richi Phelps, went viral in Mexico with many mocking the boy’s grandiose claims. Major news networks even picked up on the story before realizing it was a simple meme.

In a darker turn, the copypasta infamously featured in the 4chan-influenced manifesto of the Christchurch, New Zealand mosque shooter in 2019, in response to imagined accusations of racism and homophobia.

Despite its dark association with that event, the meme has lived on for more than a decade and many have adapted the copypasta to fit different contexts, from piracy to swagging.

What in Davy Jones’ locker did ye just bark at me, ye scurvy bilgerat? I’ll have ye know I be the meanest cutthroat on the seven seas, and I’ve led numerous raids on fishing villages, and raped over 300 wenches. I be trained in hit-and-run pillaging and be the deadliest with a pistol of all the captains on the high seas. Ye be nothing to me but another source o’ swag. I’ll have yer guts for garters and keel haul ye like never been done before, hear me true. You think ye can hide behind your newfangled computing device? Think twice on that, scallywag. As we parley I be contacting my secret network o’ pirates across the sea and yer port is being tracked right now so ye better prepare for the typhoon, weevil. The kind o’ monsoon that’ll wipe ye off the map. You’re sharkbait, fool. I can sail anywhere, in any waters, and can kill ye in o’er seven hundred ways, and that be just with me hook and fist. Not only do I be top o’ the line with a cutlass, but I have an entire pirate fleet at my beck and call and I’ll damned sure use it all to wipe yer arse off o’ the world, ye dog. If only ye had had the foresight to know what devilish wrath your jibe was about to incur, ye might have belayed the comment. But ye couldn’t, ye didn’t, and now ye’ll pay the ultimate toll, you buffoon. I’ll shit fury all over ye and ye’ll drown in the depths o’ it. You’re fish food now.

What the swag did you just fucking yolo about me, you little wayne? I’ll have you know I graduated top of my class in the SwagFags, and I’ve been involved in numerous Obey Records , and I have over 300 confirmed Swaggers. I am trained in wearing snapbacks and I’m the top poser in the entire Swagfag Army. You are nothing to me but just another No swag. I will swag you the fuck out with swagger the likes of which has never been seen before on this Earth, mark my fucking hashtags. You think you can get away with not taking pictures in the mirror over the Internet? Think again, fucker. As we speak I am contacting my mom, she has alot of swag, and your ratchet ass is being traced right now so you better prepare for the yolo, nikka. The yolo that wipes out the pathetic little thing you call your swag. You’re fucking dead, nikka. I can swag anywhere, anytime, and I can swag in over seven hundred ways, and that’s just with my baggy skinny jeans. Not only am I extensively trained in having plugs and snake bites, but I have access to the entire Hollister store. and I will use it to its full swaggness to wipe your miserable swag off the face of tumblr, you little Non trend follower. I will swag yolo all over you and you will swag in it. You’re fucking dead, nikka.

Wait, What Is a Copypasta Again?

If you're still confused about this particular aspect of the meme, a copypasta is essentially text that you “copy” and then “paste” into a text field online. Usually, people do this with just the original, but it can also be adapted to new topics and the results are often humorous and irreverent.

For the full history of the Navy Seal Copypasta be sure to check out our entry for more information.