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Rule 34 Meaning, Origin, and Memes

If you’ve been on the internet for long enough, you’ve probably come across “Rule 34” before.

It is a rule/axiom of the internet that was created in the early 2000s.

There are comments, memes, and videos about it on social media platforms and other websites.

As you might have guessed, rule 34 is just one of many rules of the internet that were created by 4chan users.

It’s meant as a guide for those who identify themselves as part of Anonymous, a hacker group.

This article contains the rule 34 meaning or definition, its origin, and memes of it.

Rule 34 meaning

Rule 34 meaning

Rule 34 means if something exists, there is p*rn of it.

The rule usually comprises NSFW art of cartoon and video game characters.

There are several variations of it, but the original contains the “No exceptions” phrase.

Those who spend a lot of time on the web will agree with the rule due to its prominence.

Rule 35 was created as an extension of the rule—which explains that if there isn’t p*rn of something, it will eventually be created.

Rule 34 is popular on blogs, YouTube, Twitter, and other social networking sites.

Its search interest has been consistently increasing throughout the years—peaking in May 2021 and Jan 2022.

On Reddit, there is a dedicated subreddit/community (r/rule34) for it where users share their art.

The subreddit has over 2.3 million members and was created on 28 July 2008.

If you go down the rabbit hole, you can find tens of thousands of rule 34 categories.

NSFW artists are the ones behind these fanart and animations.

It’s a lucrative form of art because people are willing to pay to see lewd drawings and animations.

They monetize their art by selling it or charging people to view them.

They also make money from commissions.

Platforms that they use include Patreon, Gumroad, Redbubble, and more.

The origin of rule 34

Rule 34 origin

The origin of rule 34 is from a webcomic titled, “Rule #34 There is p*rn of it. No exceptions”.

The comic was made by TangoStari in 2003 to express how shocked he was to see Calvin and Hobbes getting s*xualized.

In 2007, a list of 50 rules called “Rules of the internet” was shared on 4chan.

The rules are meant as a guide for the hacker group called “Anonymous”.

In the Encyclopedia Dramatica (a troll archive), the list contains only 47 rules.

Since its creation, rule 34 has changed multiple times—but it’s still agreed upon by many internet communities.

Multiple definitions of it can be found on Urban Dictionary, an online dictionary containing user-submitted words.

The majority of the definitions are similar, with the most liked one being, “A generally accepted internet rule that states that p*rnography exists for any conceivable subject”.

Since its creation on March 30, 2006, the definition received over 22k likes.

Rule 34 memes

Rule 34 artists meme

The meme above is a popular rule 34 meme template.

The top of the meme contains 3D models of dragons while the bottom of it is a picture of Mr. Incredibles saying “It’s showtime”.

This suggests that rule 34 artists are definitely going to s*xualise the 3D models.

The concept of the meme is to make fun of Rule 34 artists because they are able to s*xualise anything.

You can replace the top of the meme with almost anything and it’ll still be relevant.

Rule 34 meme

In early 2021, the Samsung mascot, Samantha Samsung was announced.

The mascot surged in popularity because many people find her attractive.

This led to a rise in rule 34 fanart of the mascot.

A subreddit dedicated to it was even created—r/SamsungGirlr34.

It was created on May 31, 2021, and has over 185k members.

Reddit is one of the more popular social networking sites that allows rule 34 art.

Many artists use it to promote their work because it has a huge variety of subreddits/communities.

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About the author

Lim How Wei

Lim How Wei is the founder of followchain.org, with 8+ years of experience in Social Media Marketing and 4+ years of experience as an active investor in stocks and cryptocurrencies. He has researched, tested, and written thousands of articles ranging from social media platforms to messaging apps.

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