Studio Ghibli memes flood the internet sfter OpenAI’s new ChatGPT image tool goes viral
Photo: X
Studio Ghibli, meet meme culture. The internet is having a field day after OpenAI released a powerful new image generation tool for ChatGPT—one that users are using almost exclusively to create Studio Ghibli-style versions of iconic pop culture moments and memes.
From a melancholic Ben Affleck puffing on a cigarette to Real Housewives drama and even political moments like JD Vance in anime form, everything is getting the Ghibli treatment. The images are generated using OpenAI’s new GPT-4o model, which the company described as “[their] most advanced image generator yet into GPT‑4o. The result—image generation that is not only beautiful, but useful.”
Still, as many users pointed out, the tool’s usefulness is up for debate. One user sarcastically asked, “Do you think Studio Ghibli memes are stupid?” while another joked, “I am once again asking you to share more Studio Ghibli memes.” Yet another user quipped, “Me waiting for a Ghibli prompt to finally work between timed-out requests and system errors,” with a meme showing pure exhaustion.
The memes have flooded timelines over the past 48 hours. One user declared, “It’s been 24 hours since OpenAI unexpectedly shook the AI image world with 4o image generation,” before dropping “14 of the most mindblowing examples so far (100% AI-generated).”
Meanwhile, others are taking it even further—recreating infamous historical events in Ghibli style. From the JFK assassination to Elon Musk flashing his belly at a Trump rally, users are clearly pushing the boundaries of taste and creativity. “Studio Ghibli was crazy for doing this,” one post joked alongside a controversial anime recreation.
Ok I think I’m in love with ChatGPT’s new image editing feature.
Can turn all my family photos into Ghibli portraits. pic.twitter.com/tZCbxPUA0D— Kamil Nicieja (@kamil) March 26, 2025
Ok I think I’m in love with ChatGPT’s new image editing feature.
Can turn all my family photos into Ghibli portraits. pic.twitter.com/tZCbxPUA0DThe internet’s obsession with the trend even led to Ghibli-style recreations of viral TikTok routines, including the now-iconic “Saratoga Water” video. One meme read: “Memelords after a long 48 hours of Saratoga water and Studio Ghibli memes,” paired with a dazed anime character slumped over.
But not everyone is thrilled. Back in 2016, Studio Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki criticized AI animation harshly, saying, “I am utterly disgusted. If you really want to make creepy stuff, you can go ahead and do it. I would never wish to incorporate this technology into my work at all.” He went so far as to call it “an insult to life itself.”
Now, users are questioning whether OpenAI used Ghibli works in training the model without permission, raising potential legal issues. As one post dryly stated: “There has officially been so many Studio Ghibli memes on people’s social media timelines that users are now posting memes about the OpenAI bot being ‘over’ the whole trend.”
Still, it’s clear that fans are enjoying the ride—for now. Whether OpenAI faces backlash for artistic appropriation or copyright concerns remains to be seen. But one thing is certain: the Ghibli-meme machine is showing no signs of slowing down.