Why Are We Still Here? Just To Suffer? | Know Your Meme

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About

"Why are we still here? Just to suffer?" is a quote from the 2015 video game Metal Gear Solid V: Phantom Pain. The line became a catchphrase frequently used in parody videos to express frustration and hopelessness, similar to Hello Darkness, My Old Friend.

Origin

On June 13th, 2013, the official Konami YouTube account uploaded the official, red band trailer for the video game Metal Gear Solid V: Phantom Pain. At the one-minute mark in the trailer, the character Kazuhira "Kaz" Miller says, "Why are we still here? Just to suffer?" The trailer (shown below, left) has been viewed more than 2.6 million times.[1]

Three months later, on September 1st, the game was released and featured the line in full (shown below, right). The game has sold more than 4 million copies as of July 2017.

The full quote:

"Why are we still here? Just to suffer? Every night, I can feel my leg… and my arm… even my fingers. The body I’ve lost… the comrades I’ve lost… won’t stop hurting… It’s like they’re all still there. You feel it, too, don’t you?"

Spread

On June 26th, 2015, YouTuber Lukidjano posted a parody video of the trailer featuring Big Man Tyrone reading the quote. Within two years, the video (shown below, left) has been viewed more than 52,000 times.[2] Tyrone later posted a video without the moments from the trailer (shown below, right) and received more than 100,000 views.

A year and a half later, on January 20th, 2017, YouTuber PewDiePie included a parody of the phrase in his video "IT'S TIME TO STRIKE BACK."[3] Within six months, the video (shown below) has been viewed more than 5 million times.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References

[1] YouTube – Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain E3 2013 RED BAND Trailer

[2] YouTube – Tyrone is Kaz