*Blocks Your Path*

About

Blocks Your Path or X Blocks Your Path, What Do You Do? is a catchphrase most often used in memes alongside images of threatening or ironically threatening characters or creatures, suggesting they've blocked your path and want to fight. Also applied to attractive characters, the phrase is presumably derived from Pokemon video games where at one point a large Pokemon called Snorlax blocks the player's path and displays a similar message. It has been used in memes, primarily image macros, since as early as 2011, with the specific "*blocks your path*" variant being popularized on 4chan in 2016. The meme is often combined with the Nothing Personal Kid format.

Origin

The phrase "blocks your path" was first used online in memes in relation to the Pokemon series, where as early as the first game, Pokemon Blue/Red, there is an instance where a Snorlax blocks you from moving on the path until you get a Pokeflute, displaying a similar message. For example, on August 10th, 2010, DeviantArt user Inyuo^[1] posted a comic about the section of the game using the phrase, garnering over 157,000 views in 12 years (shown below, left). The phrase was used in this context in a 2011 Bear Grylls / Better Drink My Own Piss meme, uploaded to Know Your Meme^[2] that year (shown below, right).

On June 21st, 2016, an anonymous user of 4chan's^[3] /pol/ board posted an image of a neckbeard brandishing a katana captioned, "*blocks your path*" (shown below). This is the first known instance of the specific "blocks your path" meme.

Spread

The meme became increasingly popularized on 4chan^[4][5] in the following months of 2016 as anons attached new images to the caption (examples shown below).

On June 6th, 2021, a Redditor shared a 4chan post to /r/greentext^[6] using the meme, garnering over 738 upvotes in a year (shown below, left). On October 15th, a Redditor shared a 4chan post to /r/greentext^[7] using the phrase, garnering over 1,700 upvotes in a year (shown below, right).

On September 5th, 2021, a Redditor posted a version of the meme to /r/HalfLife^[8] using artwork of a soldier, garnering over 4,300 upvotes in a year (shown below). The meme continued to see regular use on 4chan throughout 2022, with a 4plebs^[9] search for the term "blocks your path" resulting in over 47,000 results as of November 2022.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References