Friday Night Funkin'

About

Friday Night Funkin' is a rhythm-based battle rap video game, similar to Dance Dance Revolution and PaRappa the Rapper, released on itch.io and Newgrounds in 2020. The game features programming by ninja_muffin99, art by PhantomArcade3k and evilsk8r, and music by kawaisprite, all frequent Newgrounds collaborators.

History

On October 5th, 2020, programmer ninja_muffin99 tweeted^[1] a short preview of Friday Night Funkin' for the first time, saying, "been programming since Friday, rhythm game WIP (@PhantomArcade3K & evilsk8r doing art, @kawaisprite doing music)" (shown below). The post received over 7,000 likes and 1,500 retweets in just under 3 months, with many commenters expressing excitement over the project.

In the comments section, ninja_muffin99 confirmed that the game would be available for free on Newgrounds,^[2] and that it started as a "weekend project for the Ludum Dare game jam."^[3] Later that day, ninja_muffin99 tweeted^[4] a link to download and play the game on itch.io,^[5] where you can also download the game's full source code, as well as a link to vote for it in the Ludum Dare competition. The game was ultimately awarded 314th place overall, taking 15th place in the audio category specifically.

On November 15th, Newgrounds posted a teaser for the game to YouTube,^[21] garnering over 934,000 views in just over a month. On November 24th, Kawai Sprite uploaded the main menu track for the game, "Gettin' Freaky" to YouTube^[20] (shown below) followed by the rest of the OST on later dates to a playlist titled "Friday Night Funkin' OST."^[22]

"Weekly" Updates

Since the game's release, the development team has released six updates, each titled "Week X," 'X' being the relevant update number. As of April 2021, six updates have been released, each including new stages. Notably, these updates have not been released weekly.

Week 1

Week 1, aka the "Daddy Dearest" update and the initial state of the game, includes the songs "Fresh," "Dad Battle" and "Bopeebo," which are fought between Boyfriend and Daddy Dearest (example shown below).

Week 2

Week 2, aka the "Spooky Month" update, adds the songs "South" and "Spookeez," fought against the characters Skid and Pump ("Spookeez" shown below).

Week 3

Week 3, aka the "Pico" update,^[18] add the songs "Blammed," "Pico" and "Philly Nice" to the game, fought against Pico ("Pico" shown below).

Week 4

Week 4, aka the "Mommy Must Murder" update, adds the songs "Satin Panties," "M.I.L.F." and "High" to the game, fought against The Mom, wife of Daddy Dearest ("Satin Panties" shown below)

Week 5

Week 5, aka the "Red Snow" update, adds the songs "Eggnog," "Winter Horrorrland" and "Cocoa" to the game, which are fought against both of Girlfriend's parents and Monster in Christmas-themed levels ("Winter Horrorland" shown below).

Week 6

Week 6 added the songs "Thorns," "Senpai" and "Roses," in which Boyfriend and Girlfriend are transported into a dating simulator and must rap battle a character named "Senpai" to escape ("Senpai" shown below).

Week 7 & Kickstarter Campaign

Week 7, aka the "Tankman" update, released on April 18th, 2021, and added the songs "Ugh," "Guns" and "Stress" to the game. It features three new stages played against antagonist and Newgrounds mascot Tankman (shown below). The update is a timed exclusive for Newgrounds.com.

Shortly after the Twitter^[27] announcement of the Week 7 update, Newgrounds crashed due to a massive increase in traffic. This led the devs to make the game unavailable temporarily, still unplayable by April 20th.

On the same day, the official Kickstarter^[28] page for Friday Night Funkin': The Full-Ass Game, meant to fund a full version of the game and with a total goal of $60,000, was posted. A trailer was also released teasing what was to come, including playable characters, a custom song charter and 20 more playable weeks (shown below). The campaign received a massive response, raising over $765,000 in two days with over 18,000 backers. On April 19th, Polygon^[29] reported on the success of the campaign.

The Week 7 update resulted in a large influx of fan art and posts to Twitter showing excitement over the new update dropping (examples shown below, left and right).

Notable Characters

Boyfriend

Boyfriend (shown below) is the protagonist of FNF. His main goal in the game is to win the approval of Girlfriend's dad, Daddy Dearest. To do so he must rap battle against a variety of characters (often hired by Daddy Dearest) that stand in his way, as well as against Daddy Dearest himself.

Girlfriend

Girlfriend (shown below) is the protagonists' girlfriend and the daughter of Daddy Dearest, despite looking human whereas her father appears as a demon. Her character gives the tutorial in the game, can often be seen sitting on top of an amplifier bopping along to the music, and keeps track of combos.

Daddy Dearest

Daddy Dearest is Girlfriend's father and the primary antagonist of FNF Week 1. Daddy Dearest used to be a rockstar but is now retired. He does not approve of Boyfriend's relationship with his daughter and will go to any means to end it. He appears in at least five tracks in the game.

Senpai

Senpai is the antagonist of Week 6. He is a dating sim character, notable for having an entirely different art style than the other characters.

Monster / Lemon Demon

Monster, also known as Lemon Demon (shown below) for having a head shaped like a lemon, is the secondary antagonist of the Week 5 update. His body is made up of black scribbles and his teeth are bloodstained, appearing to be a demon of some sort.

Pico

Pico (shown below) is one of Newgrounds' mascots, first appearing in the 1999 Flash video game Pico's School. Pico was added to FNF in December 2021 as a new antagonist, hired by Daddy Dearest to kill Boyfriend. Instead, they decide to have a rap battle as Pico and Boyfriend used to know each other.

Since his inclusion, Pico has become a fan favorite and is often shipped with Boyfriend. A rumor, seemingly supported by Ninja Muffin, persists in the community that Pico and Boyfriend used to date before the events of FNF, but this was revealed to be a joke.

Tankman

Tankman (shown below) is one of Newgrounds' mascots, and can be seen in the site's logo. Most notably, Tankman can be seen in the JohnnyUtah Flash animation series Tankmen.^[30] Tankman was added to the game in the Week 7 update alongside three new tracks.

Online Presence

Fan Art

Since it was first announced, Friday Night Funkin' has inspired a strong fan art community. Some of the earliest fan art can be found in the comments section of ninja_muffin99's tweets announcing the game, such as a sketch by Twitter user AlexTG33^[6] (shown below, left) and another by Ronanech^[7] (shown below, right).

Fan art for the game became particularly popular on Newgrounds.^[11] On November 2nd, 2020, MiistNiight posted an original piece of fan art to the site,^[12] garnering over 11,000 views and a 4.69-star vote of 5 in just under two months (shown below, left). On November 11th, nikkinacks uploaded another original piece of art^[13] garnering over 4,000 views and a 4.68-star rating in a comparable span of time (shown below, right).

Friday Night Funkin' fan art is also popular on Instagram. On December 19th, for example, eyebaus uploaded a piece of fan art to Instagram^[14] garnering over 1,700 likes in 10 days (shown below, left). On December 22nd, hotlegs101_art posted a piece of original fan art to Instagram,^[15] garnering over 3,200 likes in a week (shown below, right).

Modding Community

Friday Night Funkin' inspired a large modding community, which takes place primarily on Game Banana.^[8] There is a range of mods available from the game, primarily new skins and songs. On December 10th, bendyjw uploaded a video to YouTube^[9] showcasing various mods, including one that gives the main character a TrollFace garnering over 670,000 views in 19 days (shown below, left). On December 28th, SonKosen uploaded a video to YouTube^[10] showcasing various mods, including a Sonic skin, an Among Us Impostor skin, and a Sans skin (shown below, right).

On February 26th, 2021, YouTuber^[31] Nathaniel Bandy uploaded a tier list video ranking various FNF mods, garnering over 214,000 views in just under two months (shown below).

TikTok

One of the most popular spaces for FNF fan content is TikTok.^[19][24][25] As of April 2021, videos under the hashtags #FridayNightFunkin and #FNF have collected over 1.5 billion and 825 million views respectively. Videos include showcases of various mods, skits and memes, cosplay and fan art (most viewed examples shown below).

Related Memes

People began making memes using Friday Night Funkin' art and themes, particularly on Twitter, as the game increased in popularity towards the end of 2020. On December 25th, Goggle_ posted a Thank You For Changing My Life meme to Twitter^[16] featuring characters from Friday Night Funkin', garnering over 1,200 likes in 4 days (shown below, left). On December 28th, indigo_idiot tweeted^[17] a Myth of "Consensual" Sex meme, garnering over 1,000 likes and 150 retweets in a day (shown below, right).

Rap Battle Edits

One of the most popular FNF memes sees users edit various video clips or make original animations mimicking the style of the in-game rap battles (popular examples shown below, left and right).

On February 23rd, 2021, YouTuber^[26] Damn Seconds uploaded an original animation in which a mini Crewmate from the video game Among Us kills characters from FNF mimicking the rap battle style, garnering over 30 million views in a month (shown below).

Lemon Demon Ain't Got No iPhone

On March 29th, 2021 Twitter^[23] user @BassettFilms, a Newgrounds creator who frequently creates songs and animations for one of the antagonists of Friday Night Funkin' named Monster, or Lemon Head by fans, uploaded an animation featuring a drawing of the game's antagonist Monster, aka Lemon Head, performing a FNF-style version of the 2009 song I Got No iPhone plays (shown below).

This began a trend among fans of the game, particularly on YouTube, in which they create and upload original animations, lyric videos, and memes featuring the song and Lemon Demon (example shown below, left). Multiple fans of the game also modded the song into FNF (example shown below, right).

Senpai On Judge Judy

On May 20th, 2019, Season 23 Episode 206 of Judge Judy, titled "Coin-Throwing Road Rage Stunt!," aired on television. The case focuses on a man who allegedly threw coins at a girl's car, causing damage. Ultimately, he is found guilty and accuses the trial of being "unfair," acting poorly about the situation. During the episode credits, he is shown crying on a bench, and says, "They're going to make me look horrible on TV." (shown below). The video was uploaded to YouTube^[32] that day, garnering over 5.7 million views in two years.

On March 1st, 2021, a number of Redditors on the /r/FridayNightFunkin^[33][34] subreddit shared screenshots of the accused from the Judge Judy episode, noting his resemblance to Week 6 antagonist Senpai, as well as his similar personality. On the same date, Twitter^[35] user @BigNickTheThicc posted a side-by-side comparison of the two, garnering over 19,700 likes and 2,300 retweets in two months (shown below). Later that day, FNF programmer Ninja Muffin retweeted^[36] it, garnering over 5,600 likes.

Over the course of the month, FNF fans began posting about the "Judge Judy Senpai." On March 11th, YouTuber JovialEclipse^[37] uploaded a higher quality version of the original titled, "FNF' Senpai on Judge Judy (HD)" garnering over 260,000 views in just over a month. On March 13th, YouTuber^[38] Senpai Simp uploaded an rap-battle edit of the video, garnering over 1.5 million views in just under two months (reupload shown below).

The video also inspired memes, including a post on March 20th to /r/FridayNightFunkin^[42] by Redditor u/ImA_NormalPerson987 (shown below).

On April 2nd, Youtuber^[39] datarxz posted a video showcasing a full mod of Week 6 they made replacing Girlfriend with Judge Judy, and Senpai with real life Senpai, including a download link in the description (shown below). The video gained over 1.3 million views in a month (shown below).

The resemblance also inspired various pieces of fan art depicting the accused as Senpai in a more stylized way. For example, on April 10th, Twitter^[40] user @BlitzarMouse posted fan art depicting the scene with the accused crying on the bench as Senpai and the girl as Girlfriend (shown below, left). On April 27th, Twitter^[41] user @lucky44star posted a series of redraws from the episode (example shown below, right).

Tiky

Tiky refers to a series of memes, including image macros and fan animations, parodying the ironic Amogus trend with FNF and Madness character Tricky the Clown. In May 2021, Redditors began posting a parody image of the original Amogus x Stonetoss image featuring a Madness Combat character calling Tricky "tiky" (shown below). Users quickly took off with the meme, making further animations and edits referencing Tricky as Tiky.

Notable Mods

See the Friday Night Funkin' Mods entry for more.

Carol & Carol V2

On December 14th, 2020, Game Banana^[51] modder bbpanzu released an FNF mod that replaces Girlfriend with a new character called Carol, a Black woman who performs the same actions as Girlfriend. The mod received over 13,000 downloads in five months (shown below).

On February 15th, 2021, bbpanzu and GENOX released "Carol V2,"^[52] a full week mod adding Carol as an antagonist (shown below). The mod was downloaded over 210,000 times in three months.

Vs. Whitty

On February 1st, 2021, Game Banana^[48] modder KadeDeveloper released the "V.S. Whitty" Full Week mod, adding three new songs against a new protagonist named "Whitty" to the game. Whitty is depicted as a humanoid in a hoodie with a bomb for a head. The mod is notable for its high quality, including cutscenes between each song, and its high difficulty, often considered one of the hardest FNF mods.

The mod was downloaded over 2.1 million times in three months, becoming one of the most popular for the game. Whitty's popularity has found him the subject of numerous fan animations and pieces of art (examples shown below).^[49][50]

Whitty is often shipped with fellow mod character Carol, a relationship that is often depicted in fan content. For example, on April 9th, 2021, YouTuber Kiffy uploaded a fan animation depicting Whitty and Carol falling in love, garnering over 9.6 million views in a month (shown below).

Hatsune Miku Mod

On March 13th, 2021, Game Banana^[53] users Genox and evdial posted a full week mod adding virtual popstar Hatsune Miku as an antagonist, along with four original tracks (shown below). The mod was downloaded over 842,000 times in two months.

The Tricky Mod

On March 16th, 2021, Game Banana^[12] user Banbuds posted a full week mod adding Madness Combat character Tricky the Clown as an antagonist (shown below). The mod has since become one of the most popular for its high quality, garnering over 1.2 million downloads in two months.

The popularity of the mod increased Tricky and the Madness series' popularity in general, resulting in Tricky being the subject of a large amount of fan art and media (example shown below).

Smoke 'Em Out Struggle Vs. Garcello

On May 3rd, 2021, modder atsuover posted a full week mod for FNF to Game Banana^[43] featuring three stages set to original songs against a new character named Garcello, a heavy smoker shrouded in shadows who tries to peer pressure Boyfriend and Girlfriend into smoking a strange cigarette. On that same date, YouTuber Gegcoin posted a video showcasing the mod, garnering over 3.8 million views in a week (shown below). The mod was heavily praised for its high quality in animation and songs.

Garcello quickly became a fan-favorite character, resulting in numerous works of fan art depicting him (examples from Twitter^[44][45] shown below).

On May 6th, Redditor u/SugarRatio posted an original animation to /r/FridayNightFunkin^[46] and Twitter^[47] of Garcello lip-dubbing to the Stop Posting About Among Us video, garnering over 2,900 upvotes in five days. The tweet gained over 1,400 likes and 390 retweets in the same span of time (shown below).

Reception

Friday Night Funkin' received high praise for its soundtrack, gameplay, and art. On November 13th, okUrsus posted a positive review of the game to YouTube, highlighting his favorite tracks and garnering over 530,000 views in a month (shown below, left). InfiniteKhaos posted a review of the game to YouTube on December 8th, 2020, giving particular praise to the soundtrack by KawaiSprite and garnering over 47,000 views in 20 days (shown below, right).

Search Interest

External References