Long before short-form video feeds algorithmically fed us reaction gifs, internet humor relied on a rugged, experimental medium known as the YouTube Poop. Among the foundational relics of that era, one clip stands head and shoulders above the rest: the tyrannical warlord of Shadaloo throwing both fists into the air and screaming an unhinged, looping declaration of pure joy. The M Bison Yes clip remains an undisputed masterclass in early digital comedy, transforming a forgotten Saturday morning cartoon into an immortal digital reaction.
Understanding how a mid-1990s animation error and an obscure television broadcast morphed into a cornerstone of internet culture requires looking back at the collision between classic arcade fighters and early video-sharing platforms. Far from being a modern creation, the bit traces its lineage through broadcast television, early message boards, and a community of video editors who subverted corporate media long before meme culture went mainstream.
The Source: The 1995 Street Fighter Animated Series
The roots of the meme stretch back to December 16, 1995, when episode eight of the American Street Fighter animated series—titled "The Medium Is the Message"—aired on the USA Network. Produced by Graz Entertainment and USA Studios, the cartoon capitalized on the massive arcade success of Capcom's Street Fighter II and the concurrent 1994 live-action film starring Raúl Juliá.
In this specific episode, the villainous M. Bison monitors a battle via video monitor. He watches as his enhanced mutant combatants seemingly overwhelm heroic characters like Guile, Chun-Lí, and Blanka. Thrilled by the impending defeat of his sworn enemies, Bison leans back, grins widely, pumps his fists in rhythm, and cackles twice: "Yes! Yes!"
A triumphant, upbeat stock jingle plays underneath his theatrical outburst, creating a jarring juxtaposition with his usual stone-cold, menacing demeanor. The scene went largely unnoticed by mainstream audiences for over a decade. The cartoon itself was a typical 1990s adaptation that faded into syndication obscurity, remembered only by die-hard fans of the Capcom fighting game franchise.
The Spark: Shoryuken Forums and YouTube Poops
The transition from obscure cartoon footnote to internet icon happened in May 2007. A user named The Switcher on the prominent fighting game community forum Shoryuken.com started a thread discussing the eccentricities of the 1990s animated adaptation.
Catching wind of the thread, a pioneering YouTube Poop creator known as "Youpooper" (or Rioting Soul) decided to edit the scene. On May 6, 2007, they uploaded a video titled "Madness is delicious". The edit isolated the exact two-second burst of M. Bison celebrating, pitch-shifted the audio, looped the animation, and chained it alongside another classic Bison quote from the same episode: "This is delicious!"
Youpooper posted the video as a video response to other viral hits of the era, such as the ubiquitous "Over 9000!" meme. The edit struck a chord within niche editing circles. It offered creators a modular, highly expressive tool to register exaggerated triumph over minor or absurd inconveniences.
Mechanics of the Meme: Why the Clip Caught On
Early internet video remixes thrived on repetition, audio manipulation, and visual dissonance. The Bison clip possessed structural properties that made it irresistible to content editors:
- High Contrast Expression: M. Bison is canonically a ruthless, psychopathic dictator. Seeing him squeal with childlike glee over a petty tactical advantage creates instant comedic whiplash.
- The Loopable Animation: The physical motion of throwing both fists upward matches cleanly with audio repetition, allowing editors to extend the "Yes!" cadence indefinitely.
- Modular Audio: The sharp, nasally inflection of the voice acting cuts cleanly through audio layers, making it easy to splice into unrelated video game footage, movie trailers, or musical remixes.
As other creators adopted the asset, spin-off edits emerged. November 2007 saw the release of "THIS IS DELICIOUS!" by user Luioigi, which fused Bison's celebration with the iconic "This Is Sparta!" audio wave. The clip also found a comfortable home on YTMND (You're the Man Now, Dog), cementing its status across multiple cornerstones of early Web 2.0 culture.
Mainstream Recognition and Corporate Nodding
As the internet matured, meme culture frequently bled back into official media. Capcom, well aware of the western fanbase's obsession with their characters' localized oddities, began embedding nods to the community's favorite moments into modern releases.
In Street Fighter X Tekken, released in 2012, M. Bison’s win quotes explicitly reference his internet history. Defeating the character Hugo prompts Bison to shout, "Yes! This is delicious!"—a direct composite of the two viral lines from the 1995 cartoon.
Other titles followed suit. In Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition, characters like Evil Ryu mimic aggressive vocalizations during opening frames, and promotional rollouts for Street Fighter V leaned heavily into community injokes. Even outside of Capcom's ecosystem, Valve's Team Fortress 2 featured a community-designed hat modeled after Bison's military cap, with item descriptions making direct legal winks to the fanbase's favorite catchphrase.
Common Misconceptions About the Quote
Because internet culture often decouples media from its original context, several persistent myths surround the clip:
- The Arcade Origin: A common belief holds that the line originates from a game over screen or a victory quote in Street Fighter II. In reality, the arcade games of that era featured text-based dialogue boxes or simple grunts; fully voiced English cutscenes were absent until much later iterations.
- The Live-Action Movie Connection: Many fans confuse the animated series quote with Raúl Juliá’s legendary performance in the 1994 live-action adaptation. While Juliá delivered immortal lines like "For me, it was Tuesday," the fist-pumping celebration belongs strictly to the television cartoon.
- Current Relevance: While newer generations of gamers might view the edit as a vintage artifact rather than a daily feed staple, its DNA lives on in modern reaction GIFs and video essay culture, proving that genuine camp value never truly fades.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which episode of the Street Fighter cartoon features the clip?
The scene appears in episode eight, titled "The Medium Is the Message," which originally broadcast on December 16, 1995.
Who originally created the viral YouTube Poop edit?
A creator known as Youpooper (or Rioting Soul) published the foundational edit titled "Madness is delicious" on May 6, 2007.
Did Capcom ever acknowledge the meme officially?
Yes. Capcom incorporated direct references to the dialogue into subsequent franchise entries, including win quotes in Street Fighter X Tekken.
Why is M. Bison's hat referenced in Team Fortress 2?
Valve included a cosmetic item called the "Team Captain," modeled after Bison's distinct military cap, featuring item flavor text referencing the community's reaction catchphrase.
