Original Nyan Cat Video Gets Taken Down From YouTube Creating Controversy Online

The original Nyan Cat YouTube video, a prominent piece of internet meme history that racked up over 200 million views since 2011, has been moved to a new channel.

While it's currently unknown what the exact reasons behind this move are, many online are speculating that it stems from a dispute between Chris Torres, the artist who created the feline-pastry hybrid as an animated illustration on April 2nd, 2011, and saraj00n, the YouTuber who first combined the "Nyanyanyanyanyanyanya!" song with the animation and uploaded it on April 5th, 2011.

For 12 years, the saraj00on YouTube channel on which the remixed Nyan Cat video existed posted little else. But on November 6th, saraj00n suddenly revived the channel to post a video in support of the Palestinian cause, calling for a ceasefire in the 2023 Israel-Hamas Conflict.

In the following days, some pro-Palestine posters online applauded this move, and the video has since accumulated over 181,000 views in 11 days.

Then on November 10th, Torres (who is notably the copyright holder of Nyan Cat) made a post on X and stated that the video was "moved to an official YouTube page," linking to his video that was uploaded on April 12th, 2011, which also includes the song.

Around this time, saraj00n subsequently changed the description of their channel, informing fans that Nyan Cat had been moved and "forcibly displaced by the copyright holder Chris Torres," with the original becoming private.

In later posts on X, Torres commented on the negative reactions toward saraj00n's recent video, arguing that they were "using my likeness against my will" and that he'd been trying to "resolve this since it was uploaded."

Many online appeared to initially assume that Torres held the pro-Palestine views advocated by saraj00n, not knowing they were two separate people or channels.

The controversy then opened up a bit of a viral debate in meme culture as it unfolded over the following days.

Some argued that while Torres created the art on which Nyan Cat is based, it was saraj00n's addition of the signature "Nyanyanyanyanyanyanya!" song that made it into a famous meme. Others claimed that the meme no longer belonged to him and that it was "the internet's."

The debate has continued throughout the week as to who "made" Nyan Cat and who gets to determine for what purposes (political, commercial or personal) the meme gets used. Legally, however, Torres holds the copyright, so it is his right to move the meme to a new channel.

While not the very "first," the Nyan Cat video is still up on the Nyan Cat (Official) channel for those who would like to revisit a golden age in meme culture:

In an e-mailed comment, Chris Torres told Know Your Meme,

Regarding the video, in recent years the owner of the channel chose to license out their page to studios unrelated to Nyan Cat. This resulted in a number of unrelated videos appearing on the channel since 2011, causing confusion among fans. To stay true to the original Nyan Cat spirit, we've recently established an official Nyan Cat YouTube page. This step is aimed at making it simpler for fans to locate and enjoy authentic Nyan Cat content. The classic video has found a new home on its official Youtube page.

Know Your Meme has also reached out to saraj00n for comment on this story and will update if we hear back.

CORRECTION: This post previously stated that saraj00n had "never" posted another video on their channel, but in the decade since 2011 there were at least two others posted and then deleted.