The Story Behind Kappa, the Sarcasm Emote
Kappa has become a popular part of internet language, especially in online gaming communities. But what does it mean and where did it come from? Let’s dive into the origins and popularity of this iconic emote.
Origins
Kappa is actually a grayscale photo of Josh DeSeno, a former employee of Justin.tv, which eventually became the popular streaming website, Twitch. DeSeno added the photo to the chat client of Justin.tv, and it quickly gained popularity due to its catchy name and easy typing. The name “Kappa” was chosen by DeSeno because of his love for Japanese culture and the folklore behind the creature. In Japanese folklore, Kappa is a creature that teaches kids about the dangers of rivers and lakes.
How popular is Kappa?
Kappa is one of the most popular emotes on Twitch and is used over a million times every day in the site’s chats. Users often spam the emote to emphasize their sarcasm or irony. When you combine all the different variants of Kappa, it’s used about two million times daily.
What are the different variants of Kappa?
As Kappa gained popularity, artists and Twitch streamers created different variations of the emote. One of the most popular variants is KappaPride, a rainbow version created after the legalization of same-sex marriage. Another notable variant is KappaRoss, made in honor of Bob Ross’ birthday and the launch of the Creative Directory on Twitch. Other variants include Keepo for Dota 2 fans and the elusive Golden Kappa, gifted to a random Twitch user for 24 hours.
While new versions of Kappa are not allowed anymore, Twitch continues to be the home of this iconic emote.
Now that you know the story behind Kappa, feel free to spam those chatrooms with it!