The Death Note Coach meme about Hajime Moriyasu goes viral again at the 2026 World Cup

There was no shout, there was no uncontrolled celebration, there was not a single expression of surprise. After the historic 4-0 win by Japan about Tunisia In the 2026 World Cup, all eyes went to the bench, specifically to the impassive face of the coach Hajime Moriyasuwhich once again unleashed the anime fandom's favorite meme: the “Death Note Coach“.

What happened to Hajime Moriyasu during the match?

While the players of Japan They celebrated a resounding result, Moriyasu He stood with an absolute poker expression, showing no sign of surprise or euphoria. That reaction—or rather, that total lack of reaction—was enough for fans to immediately revive the meme that had already made it viral before: the comparison with Light Yagamithe protagonist of Death noteknown for his calculating expression and his ability to anticipate exactly how events would unfold.

According to the jokes that circulated on the networks, the coach did not seem surprised by the result, rather he seemed to be simply verifying that everything had gone as he had planned from the beginning.

Why was the victory against Tunisia so important?

Beyond the meme, the result itself had considerable weight within the tournament. Japan delivered a dominant performance in the historic 1,000th match in World Cup history, with Ayase Ueda scoring two goals, consolidating another important step for the team within the competition.

Why did anime fans connect so much with this moment?

For the anime fan community, the real story behind this match was not only the sporting result, but the reaction, or non-reaction, of Moriyasu. The comparison with the universe of Death note resonates particularly well because it captures something very specific to the original character's charisma: the sense that everything that happens was already calculated in advance, without the need for any visible sign of surprise or doubt.

These types of crossovers between anime culture and live sports have become increasingly common during the 2026 World Cup, where the fan community constantly finds parallels between tournament moments and anime characters or situations they already know well, generating a type of shared humor that connects two communities that normally do not intersect.

A meme that already has its own history

That the fandom has “brought back” the meme suggests that this is not the first time the expression of Moriyasu generates this type of comparison during the tournament. Every time the coach maintains that same unflappable attitude in the face of important results, the “Death Note Coach” joke seems to be reactivated with renewed force among fans who follow both football and anime.