TRUCK KUN

TRUCK KUN: "Truck-kun" is a humorous trope in anime and manga where a character is hit by a truck, leading to their death or reincarnation in a fantasy or alternate world. This trope is often used as a plot device to start the character's journey in a new setting. 

It's a running joke in the anime and manga community, and several shows and series have featured instances of characters being hit by "Truck-kun."

Origins of the meme

TRUCK KUN: Early examples of discussion of the trope include a Reddit thread entitled "Trucks in Manga – RE: Marina" by user poloport from April 14, 2015. In the post, a page from the manga RE: Marina shows the central character Rinosuke being hit by a truck. 

The character is not killed, but the incident brings the main characters in the story together. This post resulted in further posts in which people pointed out examples of trucks running into the protagonists of manga, with isekai manga featuring heavily.

In 2017, an anime fan compiled a list of causes of death among isekai protagonists, which was updated in 2018. Deaths caused by "Traffic accident by truck" came third in the study with 37 cases, with general traffic accidents coming second with 38 cases, and unknown causes first with 102 cases.

List of character being as truck kun

TRUCK KUN: Certainly, here are a few examples of characters being hit by a truck ("Truck-kun") in anime and manga, along with a brief explanation of the scenes:

1. Subaru Natsuki - "Re:Zero - Starting Life in Another World"

TRUCK KUN: Subaru is a regular high school student who gets transported to a fantasy world. In the first episode, he is hit by a truck after leaving a convenience store. This incident leads to his death and his subsequent awakening in the new world. The truck hitting him serves as the catalyst for his journey in the fantasy realm.

2. Katarina Claes - "My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!"

TRUCK KUN: Katarina, a young girl who is obsessed with otome games, is hit by a truck in the real world and is reborn as the antagonist of the otome game she played. She realizes that her character is fated to meet a bad end in the game, and she sets out to change her destiny by avoiding the tragic events that lead to her demise.

3. Yuuji Kazami - "The Fruit of Grisaia"

TRUCK KUN: Yuuji, a mysterious and skilled assassin, is hit by a truck while saving a girl from being hit. This event leads him to transfer to Mihama Academy, a school for troubled students. The accident plays a role in his backstory and motivations throughout the series.

4. Misumi Makoto - "Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy"

TRUCK KUN: Makoto is a young man who is transported to another world by a goddess. However, instead of welcoming him, she casts him away in a remote wilderness. While trying to survive, Makoto is hit by a truck that was transported along with him, further emphasizing the absurdity of his situation.

5. Touya Mochizuki - "In Another World with my Smartphone"

TRUCK KUN: Touya dies in an unfortunate accident involving lightning, and as an apology, God reincarnates him into a fantasy world with his smartphone intact. The "truck-kun" moment here is more of an indirect reference, as his death is caused by a bolt of lightning instead of a physical truck.

6. Haruhiro - "Grimgar, Ashes and Illusions"

TRUCK KUN: In the opening moments of the series, Haruhiro awakens in a fantasy world with no memory of his past life. The show doesn't explicitly show a truck hitting him, but the sequence of being surrounded by darkness and then suddenly appearing in a new world is reminiscent of the trope.

7. Hikaru Suzuki - "Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest"

TRUCK KUN: While on a class field trip to a fantasy world, Hikaru falls into a dark abyss after encountering a monster. The series uses a variation of the "truck-kun" concept, but instead of a truck, it's a magical creature that transports him to another world.

8. Kanade Amakusa - "Trinity Seven"

TRUCK KUN: In this ecchi harem anime, Kanade gets caught in a magical explosion and ends up in a world of ruins. While the scene doesn't involve a truck, the concept of being suddenly transported to another world is present.

9. Keima Katsuragi - "The World God Only Knows"

TRUCK KUN: In an opening scene of the anime, Keima is playing a dating sim game when he is suddenly hit by a runaway motorcycle. This isn't exactly the "truck-kun" trope, but it's a playful nod to the concept of getting transported to another world in a comical way.

These scenes often serve as a starting point for the characters' adventures in new worlds or situations, and they are sometimes used to provide a humorous twist on the isekai (alternate world) genre in anime and manga.