With a Long Runner like the Trails Series, memes were bound to happen at some point.
Please add entries in the following format:
- The meme. [[labelnote:Explanation]]The explanation behind the meme, if necessary.[[/labelnote]] Explanation Like this.
- Further mutations and successor memes, if any.
Franchise-wide
- "Kondo hates fat guys!"Explanation Thanks to The Reveal of both Trails to Azure where it's revealed that Ian Grimwood being the guy who shot and killed Guy Bannings and Cold Steel III where George shot Angelica and rigged the Courageous with explosives and both characters are fat, the rallying cry for fat characters in this series ends up being this.
- Professors and secretaries, too. Explanation Professors and secretaries in the Trails series tends to turn out to be evil: Gilbert, Alba, Earnest, Joachim, Franz.
- "X female character is the Grandmaster!"Explanation The reveal in The 3rd is that the Grandmaster of Ouroboros has a female voice which leads people to believe that any female character could actually be the Grandmaster. After Cold Steel IV and Reverie revealed the Grandmaster's actual appearance, the theorizing got even more intense, with fans noting her similarities to Creha from The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails, or insisting that the Grandmaster is some kind of shapeshifter who uses another female character as a disguise outside of her Evil Lair.
- Dorothy is the Grandmaster! Explanation A meme exclusive to the English-speaking fanbase takes that a step further, as many players found her Genius Ditz tendencies and surprisingly convenient arrival in situations where she helps out the party to be a little suspect. This one was noticed in a fan interview with Kondo himself, where he seemed a little surprised at the reaction, as Japanese fans say the same about Towa.
- "Kondo": laughsExplanation Anytime the president of Falcom dodges a question with his laugh, many fans take it as a sign that it is a plot point and that it shouldn't be dismissed.
- "Holding Back"Explanation A phrase used very often in the series for characters who are not going all out with their abilities in situations where you'd expect them to. It gained even more traction during the Erebonia arc where it ends up being a stock phrase for almost every single character.
- "Stop Holding Back"Explanation An addendum to the statement above.
- Haha Explanation The series infamously attempts to avert Realistic Diction Is Unrealistic, with the casts pausing, mumbling, trailing off, grunting, and most memetically laughing, chortling, chuckling, and any variation there of. It's such a common site in the games with voice acting that characters have their own notable laughs, something the fandom delights in making fun of.
- "Where's Kevin?" Explanation Due to his lack of presence throughout the entire Erebonia arc, many start wondering where he's at considering he's one of the protagonists of the series. It doesn't help that more recent official artwork of the main protagonists together often exclude him and even Kondo doesn't seem to remember who he is.
- Alternatively, "Who's Kevin?"
- Among the Japanese fanbase - LOLICON DIVE!!!
- On /vg/, spamming "TITS SC WHEN" is this. Another variation is "TITS ON STEAM WHEN".
- GameFAQs seems to be fond of making fun of people who question Estelle's behavior towards Olivier.
- A portion of the fanbase also loves to make a lot of salt-related puns towards Weissmann. Amusingly enough, even Falcom's official Twitter account got in on the fun, posting pictures of Weissmann's face on Low-Salt Day.
Explanation (Spoilers!) In reference to getting impaled and turned to salt at the hands of Kevin in the end-game. - "Time for ul-tra-vi-o-lence!" Explanation Just before Estelle's about to lay a beatdown on Gilbert, she says this with an amazingly smug expression◊ that quickly grew popular when SC was released internationally.
- "By my Arts, you will make a new save on Normal." Explanation Kurt's Craft abilities have him announce "By my Arts, (insert simile here)," and he's such a notorious Wake-Up Call Boss for SC that players starting on Hard tend to restart on Normal.
- If a female character is from Crossbell and has a large chest, then fans claim that it's because of "Crossbell water."
- The Arc Words "Get over the barrier" have been repeated by the English fanbase in regards to the difficulties in translating the games. Fortunately, a Fan Translation of Zero was released by Geofront in 2020, with Azure releasing in 2021. Shortly after, the translations were officially licensed! Even the term "The Crossbell Problem" which describes the situation the titular state is in at the start of Zero is now used as an analogy for the translation issue.
- Arianrhod's helmet has its own HP. Explanation The sign that you can continue with the story in the SSS's fight against Arianrhod is her helmet cracking while she Turns Red and restores her HP to full, hence people joked the reduced HP is the helmet's. Actually beating her afterwards is how you get the bonus DP.
- Joachim Gunter is the first player of Azure. Explanation (Spoilers!) After effectively overdosing on Red Gnosis, he states that he was able to figure out how KeA was in the trunk during the Schwarz Auction, who killed Guy Bannings and the eventual fate of Crossbell. Jokes that he spoiled himself in the plot of Azure ran wild.
- The bruh bass. Explanation The Gluttonous Bass has a very distinctive and exploitable appearance◊ that quickly made the rounds in the fandom as a Twitch and Discord emote, and even a speedrun category. Became an Ascended Meme when Pin Box produced an official pin of the fish.
- "Haha..." "That's our Rean!" "holding back" "Rean-sama, I kneel!"Explanation The first three examples are phrases that pop up with alarming frequency throughout the series. Usually used to mock the series' writing or characterization with the last one being used to mock Rean's superiority and nature as a Chick Magnet instead.
- Gaius and his obsession with "muh wind!"
- Head patting can make people fall in love with somebody. Explanation While Rean does pat a lot of heads towards the girls, he also gets head patted by Crow which many fans explain why he's obsessed with him.
- Somebody stop this serial head-patter! Explanation Rean, especially in the second game, pats the heads of almost every female character in either optional or mandatory events, and almost every girl he pats the head of is noted to or seems to have feelings for him, leading many to jokingly accuse him of the above as if he was taking their virginity.
- Semi-confirmed in Cold Steel III. After all, why else would this happen?
- A pre-release screenshot from Cold Steel III showing Tio making the "ok" hand symbol with a hilariously deadpan expression on her face has already become the source of many memes.
- Cold Steel III only had a 15 second advertisement, yet the fans first impression of Juna is that she wants her Crossbell back.
- Ever since Mint was shown to be maintaining Valimar, fans made jokes that Valimar will be destroyed thanks to Mint's clumsiness.
- "That won't be necessary." Explanation The third game makes a Running Gag of other characters stopping Rean from summoning Valimar or using Spirit Unification with this phrase. See Interrupting Meme. Notably, even Japan and China caught on to the meme before the game got released in the West.
- The narm-tastic Engrish in the third game's Stinger ("Watch the Damn Fairy Tale until it has finished") became a meme almost immediately, often used in reference to the insane Cliffhanger ending. When the English-language version was released, it was localized as "Rest for now and rise once more... To see this wretched fairy tale to it's end."
- "It's gonna be alright!" Explanation (Spoilers!) A lyric from Cold Steel III's end credits theme, which became quite quotable among fans, due to being the only English line in the song, and because it couldn't be any further from the truth.
- Machias and Elliot are the Gunlord and Crimson Virtuoso Enforcers of Ouroboros while Karl Regnitz is the most powerful Anguis. Explanation The meme comes from the pre-release months of Cold Steel IV by Machias and Elliot fans who felt sorry that their characters and arcs are Demoted to Extra and felt they should have been elevated a bit more. Needless to say, the meme did die when Cold Steel IV came out but some fans do look back on it fondly.
- Musse wants you to join her and her Weissland Army! Explanation (Spoilers!) During the pre-release of Cold Steel IV, /fg/ users have posted that they wanted to join the Weissland Army after pre-release screenshots depict Musse as Osborne's equal in politics with Osborne declaring that Musse's a more Worthy Opponent than Olivert was. Needless to say, this meme did die in Cold Steel IV when Juna says one friendship speech about Musse needing to help them find their instructor Rean and Musse immediately joins them.
- Whenever Rean uses his final S-Craft in Cold Steel IV, players have a habit of playing the counting game, to sync with Rean showing off all the eight forms of the Eight Leaves One Blade style.
- Ayy Lmaos Explanation (Spoilers!) In Cold Steel IV, it's revealed that McBurn and Ishmelga are not from Zemuria but from a different world. The alien jokes wrote itself.
- Laura will make you get in the cave. Explanation Laura's first bonding event in Cold Steel IV has her lifting Rean up with one hand, pinning him against the wall, and kissing him passionately. This one stuck out with fans as the rest of the girls' bonding events are tame by comparison (barring Musse's 2nd event but it didn't stick out as much, mainly for the Squick factor of Musse kissing her teacher while he was off-guard).
- Flirting with Altina! Explanation An excerpt from an edgy snuff fic. It was spammed at such a high frequency that it quickly turned into a meme. Variations are now common (ie: Flirting with Shirley!, Studying with Rean!, etc) though they're far less squicky and generally more humorous than the original.
- Estelle unintentionally dabbing◊ has become one during the release of the game. Explanation It comes from when the group is putting a show in order to distract security while Rean and his group sneak in to Orchis Tower and disable the beam surrounding the barrier.
- Rean's Family Explanation Thanks to promotional material often featuring Rean together with Alisa and Altina, some end up referring to the trio as a family. With Cold Steel IV, one can add Crow to that mix as well.
- "Chicken clucking"Explanation Refers to "Flash your Fighting Spirit" because a few people think that the first part sounds like chicken clucking.
- C's from the Middle East. Explanation This is based off on the hakama DLC costume for C where, due to his red hoodie, he ends up looking like someone who hails from the Middle East. Even more hilarious is that Rufus is at Calvard in the next story arc because he's a Persona Non Grata in Erebonia and Crossbell and that one of Calvard's issues is the desertification of the east.
- The Albarea line is finished. Explanation A joke fans have due to Jusis and Millium having a huge Ship Tease in conjunction with Rufus and Lapis' growing friendship in the game.
- Shizuna is Reana/Female Rean Explanation Due to her status as a female Divine Blade, many fans perceived Shizuna as the closest thing that they're going get to a genderbent version of Rean. Her "Ransetsu" Craft looking like an icy version of Rean's "Helix" only further drove the point home.
- Shizuna is now motivated. Explanation Fans noticed that Shizuna has a few moves that look similar to Vergil's, most notably his "Judgement Cut".
- Van knows everyone. Explanation Due to the amount of people he's worked with, Van ends up knowing people especially from past games, but fans exaggerate it to where he knows everyone who's been in a Falcom game even when they're not even in the same franchise.
