Call of Duty Zombies may have a relatively niche fan base in comparison to the large crowds that focus on multiplayer, but those who play the mode truly adore it. Call of Duty Zombies tier lists, trivia games, guides, and lore videos can be found across the internet, with Custom Zombies maps keeping the mode alive between official Treyarch releases. Alongside all of this fan content, as well as replicas and artwork, many memes have been shared.
Though the campaigns of the Call of Duty series have provided some quality jokes like Press F to Pay Respects and the Ghost stare, Zombies fans have their own memes to appreciate. Outside of niche jokes like the NoahJ456 fire bow tutorial, which references the YouTuber’s lack of a video on the topic, many other memes have taken on a prominent place within the community. For Call of Duty Zombies fans searching for a better understanding of the community’s best jokes, it can be worth taking a closer look at a few of the standouts.
Last-Gen Richtofen
Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 marked the final cross-gen Call of Duty game for the PS3/Xbox 360 era, and for good reason. Not only was the game clunkier than its PS4 and Xbox One counterpart, but the Beenox-developed title featured some horrible visuals in all of its core modes. The outdated hardware simply could not keep up with the visuals of the newer Call of Duty games, resulting in a visually ugly product. While the maps were an eyesore, it is the last-gen version of the Call of Duty Zombies character Edward Richtofen that highlighted all the issues with these versions of the game. The character model featured an odd, lumpy face that looked nothing like the Richtofen fans loved. With Treyarch itself poking fun at this design and turning Last-Gen Richtofen into a jump scare on Classified, this meme will likely be remembered forever.
M14 Gang vs. Olympia Gang
When hopping into a Call of Duty Zombies match in a majority of the Black Ops 1 and Black Ops 2 maps, players had a choice between two early wall weapons. The Olympia shotgun constantly needed to be reloaded and quickly became weak, but for taking down targets one at a time, it could be effective. Shotguns are always fun to use, too, which likely added to its popularity. Alternatively, there was the M14, which rewarded accurate players with solid headshot damage. With headshots getting players more points, the M14 is often seen as the “better” choice. However, this has not stopped a debate from raging on for years, with players usually being loyal to one of the two guns and fiercely defending it on social media.
“Revive Me Bro I Have a Ray Gun”
This classic phrase has faded in and out of relevancy like the Ray Gun itself, as it is tied directly to the strength of the original Wonder Weapon. In some games, like Black Ops 1 and Black Ops Cold War, the Ray Gun is the best weapon that players can obtain. In others, like Black Ops 2 and Black Ops 3, its splash damage makes it more of a hindrance than anything else. While it can be subbed out for whatever the best Wonder Weapon is for each map, the notion of players begging to be revived when they go down with a Wonder Weapon remains the same. Memes about this trend will see players falling and crawling as if they were downed in real life, adding the revive symbol to unrelated images, or simply repeating the iconic line whenever they are in need of a revive.
Other Classic CoD Zombies Memes
Obviously, there are more than three great Call of Duty Zombies memes, even if those listed above are among the best of the best. Old school fans will surely remember fake tricks to get guaranteed high quality loot from the mystery box, or the lie that the Kino Der Toten walkway could be reached. Rumors of a Zombie Hitler boss fight at high rounds also became widespread, eventually becoming a meme. The Richtofen line “I don’t speak Japanese” has been used often, the song “I’m on Der Riese” was very popular for a time, and a recent trend has seen United States presidents playing Zombies using deepfake technology. With Call of Duty Zombies set to make a big return with Treyarch’s next game in 2024, perhaps even more memes will start to appear.