A shrug from a cartoon ninja has become a full-blown internet phenomenon. Between September and October 2026, a video edit of Sasuke Uchiha from Naruto shrugging his shoulders to a drill remix of “Gangnam Style” inspired a wave of memes, dance videos, and a comedy bit about a nonexistent meal. The song, “Mandem Style,” by YouTuber and musician Luke Day, replaced the original lyrics with the phrase “ching dat mandem style,” and fans quickly turned it into a cultural moment.
The Song Behind The Shrug
Luke Day posted “Mandem Style” on May 21st, 2024. The song is a “Gangnam Style” drill parody, with heavily altered lyrics that repeat the phrase “Mandem style.” “Mandem” is a Caribbean Patois slang term for a group of men. The song gained over 112,000 views in two years, building a quiet following before it exploded online.
The song’s popularity grew steadily until September 2026, when a single video edit changed everything. That edit, posted by TikToker @youthflaw, set footage of Sasuke Uchiha shrugging his shoulders to the beat. The video gained over 2.3 million views in a week.
How The Shrug Went Viral
The edit’s success was immediate. Other creators jumped on the trend, posting their own versions of Sasuke shrugging to “Mandem Style.” The pattern held across the month: a video goes live, gathers hundreds of thousands of views, and spawns more edits within hours.
Here is the order in which the major entries appeared:
- @youthflaw posted the original Sasuke shrug edit on September 26th, 2026, with over 2.3 million views.
- @ackerknowledge posted another Sasuke edit on September 29th, 2026, with over 650,000 views. The video included an interpolated image of @youthflaw, noted in the caption as “(HEAVY IB: @youth).”
- @ilikeuncrider posted an accuracy reenactment of the Sasuke edit on October 1st, 2026, with over 230,000 views.
- @moteaeats posted a comedy bit about a nonexistent “ching dat mandem style” meal on October 2nd, 2026, with over 800,000 views.
Each post followed the same formula: take the original edit, add a small twist, and share it with the hashtag #chingdatmandemstyle. The hashtags #sasuke and #mandemstyle became the center of the trend, with users posting their own versions of the shrug. The formula worked because the original edit provided a clear template. A creator could record themselves shrugging to the beat, add a caption referencing the song’s catchphrase, and tag the relevant hashtags without reinventing the wheel.
Dance Videos And Accuracy Reenactments
The trend didn’t stop at shrugs. Dance videos and accuracy reenactments began appearing alongside the edit posts. One reenactment, posted by @ilikeuncrider, recreated the Sasuke video with the caption “This was the perfect accuracy.” The video gathered over 230,000 views in four days.
The reenactments were a natural fit for a song built on repetition. Fans could mimic the shrug, the rhythm, and the phrase “ching dat mandem style” without needing to understand the song’s origins. The phrase itself was part of the appeal: short, punchy, and easy to remember, it lent itself to imitation.
The Meal That Never Existed
One of the most memorable entries came from TikToker @moteaeats. On October 2nd, she posted a comedy video where she tried the “ching dat mandem style” meal, a non-existent meal. The video gained over 800,000 views in three days.
The joke worked because the phrase sounds like it could describe a real dish. The video’s caption, “Let’s try the ching dat mandem style meal,” made the absurdity explicit. Viewers laughed at the idea of a meal named after a drill remix of a pop hit.
What Made It Work
The success of “Mandem Style” can be traced to several factors. The song’s structure, built on repetition, made it easy to parody. The phrase “ching dat mandem style” is short, punchy, and easy to remember. And the Sasuke shrug is a universal image that anyone can recreate.
The trend’s longevity came from the way it spread. Each new edit pointed back to the original, creating a feedback loop where the song’s popularity fed the meme’s growth. The result was a wave of content that kept coming.
Comparing The Major Entries
| Creator | Post Date | Views | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| @youthflaw | September 26th, 2026 | Over 2.3 million | Original Sasuke shrug edit |
| @ackerknowledge | September 29th, 2026 | Over 650,000 | Sasuke edit with interpolated image of @youthflaw |
| @ilikeuncrider | October 1st, 2026 | Over 230,000 | Accuracy reenactment |
| @moteaeats | October 2nd, 2026 | Over 800,000 | Comedy bit about a nonexistent meal |
The success of “Mandem Style” is a reminder that humor travels fast online, and that a good edit can outlive the song it was built from. The “Mandem Style” trend showed that a simple edit can become a cultural moment, and that a shrug from a cartoon ninja can inspire a wave of memes.
See the video the story is built around at Know Your Meme.
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