Lev Punch Edits
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Warning: this entry contains minor spoilers for the 2020 video game The Last of Us Part II
About
Lev Punch Edits refers to a series of edits of a scene from the 2020 video game The Last of Us Part II in which the character Lev is punched by an unnamed male member of the Rattlers gang known as Fat Geralt.
Origin
On June 19th, 2020, adventure video game The Last of Us Part II was released by the American video game company Naughty Dog. Towards the end of the game, the characters Abby and Lev are ambushed by a gang of bandits called the Rattlers. While Abby is attacked by two Rattlers, Lev shoots one of the bandits with an arrow before a large unnamed male Rattler in sunglasses punches Lev, knocking him to the ground (shown below).
On June 18th, 2020, the scene was leaked to Twitter by user @Swol_Radguy,[1] where it received over 32,000 views, 3,200 likes, and 500 retweets in four days (shown below). Within one hour, on June 19th, an anonymous 4chan user posted a WebM of the scene to a /v/ board thread, with the post accumulating 84 replies before the thread was archived.[2]
He fucking sent him to the shadow realm. pic.twitter.com/auq2s4GxVg
— 『Whats my name? DunkaKino』#BLM (@Swol_Radguy) June 19, 2020
Spread
Half an hour after the Lev punch WebM was first posted to /v/, an anonymous user replied[3] with the first known use of scene as an exploitable image, with a KO symbol from the Street Fighter series (shown below, left) superimposed over a still image from the scene. Later on June 19th, another /v/ user used a still from the scene to make an object-labeling meme about role-playing video games (shown below, center).[4] Other /v/ users made edits of the scene,[5][6][7] with one user posting an object labeling template for the scene (shown below, right).[8]
At 8:33 pm EST on June 19th, an anonymous user made a thread on /v/, posting a blank exploitable of the Lev punch scene showing the unnamed Rattler punching Lev’s head, with Abby’s legs visible in the foreground (shown below, left).[9] The first edit was posted 25 minutes after the thread began with an image of the Heavy from the video game Team Fortress 2 punching a Scout (shown below, center).[10] The second edit depicted cartoon character Arthur punching D.W. (shown below, right).[11]
The editing fad led to several threads dedicated to Lev Punch edits. An anonymous user collecting Abby edits archived over 400 Lev punch edits in less than three days.[12]
Related Memes
Abby Choke Edits
The Lev punch edits are preceded by Abby Choke Edits, or Chokeposting, which refer to a series of edits of a leaked scene from The Last of Us Part II in which Abby chokes the The Last of Us character Ellie. The choke edits originate from 4chan's /v/ board in early May 2020. The edits reference characters and memes from various franchises. The format of Abby choke edits set a precedent for the creation of Abby Bite Edits, Abby Buttsex Edits, and eventually Lev punch edits.
Abby Bite Edits
Abby Bite Edits or Biteposting refers to a series of memes in which characters from various franchises are edited as if their fingers is being bitten. The format is based on a still image of Abby biting Ellie's fingers. The format originated on 4chan's /v/ board on June 17th, 2020, gaining a major spread on the board.
Abby Buttsex Edits
Abby Buttsex Edits refers to a series of memes in which characters from various franchises are edited as if they are having sex from behind, with the format based on a leaked scene of Abby engaging in intercourse. The format originated on 4chan's /v/ board in mid-June 2020 following the similar Abby choke edits and bite edits.
Various Examples
Template
