He shouts it in a crowded train.
He doesn’t explain why.
And for some reason, the internet never forgot it.
Welcome to one of Japan’s strangest, most persistent, and surprisingly emotional internet memes:
“Tōdai Igakubu wa Atama Warui!!”
“The University of Tokyo Medical School is stupid!!”
- 🚉 The Scene: A Man Yells in a Train
- 📸 The Meme Emerges
- 🎥 How the Video Feels
- 🎙️ Who Was He Talking About?
- 📲 Meme Format and Usage
- 📚 Fan Commentary and Deep Cuts
- 🧠 Cultural Commentary: Why Did This Meme Resonate?
- 📣 How the Meme Was Reused and Reimagined
- 🧪 Meme Mechanics: Why It Worked So Well
- 🧠 Cultural Insight: What Does It Say About Society?
- 📚 Critical and Fan Reflections
- 🏁 Final Thoughts: From Breakdown to Beloved Meme
- 🔗 Sources & References
🚉 The Scene: A Man Yells in a Train
The original video surfaced around 2018.
Location: Musashino Line, JR East – New Misato Station
Setting: A relatively quiet train car
Event:
A middle-aged man stands up and suddenly yells:
“東大医学部は頭悪い！！（Todai Igakubu wa Atama Warui!!）”
Then he continues:
“正しい根拠を言え！！”
“State a correct reason!!”
The other passengers freeze. Some engage. Some record.
This odd, aggressive burst becomes known online as “Kongyo Ojisan” (コンギョおじさん), or “Todai Med School Guy.”
📸 The Meme Emerges
The video quickly spread to:
- Niconico Douga
- YouTube
- Twitter (now X)
- TikTok
Short remixes, audio edits, and parody reenactments exploded. His voice became a punchline, used like a meme sound effect.
Some popular tags:
- #東大医学部は頭悪い
- #コンギョおじさん
- #ネットミーム
- #発狂
🎥 How the Video Feels
What makes this meme so enduring isn’t just the absurdity—it’s the emotional tension. As described in an essay on note.com:
“The man’s rage was so bizarre, yet so earnest… The moment felt like a total breakdown of logic and communication.”
Other riders stay silent. One tries to calm him. Another seems to film. The man doubles down.
It’s comedy, yes—but also a little terrifying. Public meltdown meets political theater.
🎙️ Who Was He Talking About?
This has never been fully confirmed.
But speculation includes:
- A personal grudge against Todai Medical School
- Delusions or untreated mental illness
- Symbolic rebellion against academic elitism
He never explains himself.
And that ambiguity is what made the meme live on.
📲 Meme Format and Usage
The phrase has since become a meme on its own.
Used when:
- Someone says something obviously smart
→ You reply: “東大医学部は頭悪い!!” ironically. - Making fun of academic elitism
→ Use it in TikTok skits or X posts. - You just want to be loud and weird
Short-form video editors cut his voice into soundboard apps.
Streamers play it for comedic effect.
Cosplayers even reenact it at cons.
📚 Fan Commentary and Deep Cuts
A YouTube Short (2024):
“No matter how many times I hear it, this line slaps.”
— YouTube Link
A TikTok parody (2023):
“I can’t recreate this level of unhinged genius. But I want to.”
A blog on note.com:
“It’s like watching a man explode—intellectually. There’s meaning buried under nonsense.”
🧠 Cultural Commentary: Why Did This Meme Resonate?
Let’s analyze. Why did this moment—this man shouting in a train—hit so hard?
🔍 1. Japan’s Relationship with Elite Institutions
Todai (Tokyo University) is often referred to as Japan’s Harvard + MIT + Oxford.
Medical school? Even more exclusive.
By shouting that Todai Med School is “stupid,” the man becomes a freak protestor against institutional supremacy.
It’s absurd. But it also strikes a nerve with people exhausted by societal pressure and entrance exam hell.
🔍 2. The Comedy of Collapse
There’s a special kind of humor in watching someone completely lose it—especially in Japan’s usually restrained public spaces.
This was:
- Unexpected
- Inappropriate
- Loud
- Pointless
… and all the more meme-worthy because of it.
🔍 3. Soundbite Virality
The phrase is:
- Short
- Easy to remember
- Shouted with immense passion
It became perfect meme audio bait—looped, remixed, re-sampled, and inserted into thousands of shorts.
📣 How the Meme Was Reused and Reimagined
Once the video became popular, the internet didn’t just watch it—they remixed it, re-enacted it, and ritualized it.
🎬 Reenactments
- Comedians acted out their own “angry uncle” versions on TikTok and YouTube.
- University students made parody videos with real lab coats and mock train sets.
- Cosplayers performed the scene at conventions, shouting “Todai Igakubu wa Atama Warui!!” to confused but amused onlookers.
🎧 Audio MADs and Meme Soundboards
The man’s voice became part of:
- Soundboards for streamers
- MAD (music-anime-douga) remixes
- Karaoke challenges
His delivery—forceful, sudden, oddly rhythmic—made the phrase work in beat edits and audio collages.
🧵 X (Twitter) and Threads
Users on X (formerly Twitter) used the phrase:
- Ironically (“Just failed a test. Todai Igakubu wa Atama Warui!”)
- Satirically (“Todai students can’t cook rice. Confirmed.”)
- Playfully (“Got rejected from Todai. Maybe they ARE stupid.”)
It became a template for expressing frustrated logic with no justification.
🧪 Meme Mechanics: Why It Worked So Well
Let’s break it down.
| Meme Element | Description |
|---|---|
| Shock | Loud scream in a quiet place |
| Absurdity | The insult makes no logical sense |
| Iconic phrase | Easy to remember and repeat |
| Social tension | Challenges Japan’s conformity norms |
| Reuse potential | Works as a clip, soundbite, or parody |
| Emotional charge | The man sounds like he means it |
This is meme gold.
🧠 Cultural Insight: What Does It Say About Society?
1. Breaking Silence in a Quiet Society
Japan is known for emotional restraint in public.
So a random man yelling nonsense logic in a packed train is both horrifying and exhilarating.
People laugh not just at the man—but at what he represents:
Unfiltered frustration in a culture that filters everything.
2. Anti-Elitism with No Facts Needed
This meme taps into a growing public fatigue with meritocracy.
Even if irrational, yelling “Todai Med School is stupid!” feels like sticking it to the top 1%.
It’s not political commentary—it’s emotional catharsis.
3. Viral Tragedy as Folk Theater
Like The Room in Western culture, this meme reflects how meltdown becomes performance online.
He’s not a villain.
He’s not a hero.
He’s a symbol of breakdown, raw and imperfect—and the internet gave him eternal life.
📚 Critical and Fan Reflections
From note.com:
“A moment of collapse that felt like theater… He became a character against his will.”
From TikTok parody:
“This is unironically me in a group project.”
From YouTube comments:
“I play this when I need to feel something.”
🏁 Final Thoughts: From Breakdown to Beloved Meme
He never gave his name.
He gave no reason.
He gave no resolution.
Yet the phrase “東大医学部は頭悪い!!” lives on—not because it’s smart, but because it’s emotionally raw.
It’s funny.
It’s chaotic.
It’s true, even when it’s false.
And that, in meme culture, is perfection.
