Anime fans across social media are talking about a series called "Raikou of the Dragons," but not everyone is hopping aboard the hype train.

The series is allegedly about a character named Sumiko Kuronami, and it blew up on TikTok this month as fans began posting cosplay based on its characters, edits of its scenes and memes about the show's lore.

But is Raikou of the Dragons even a real anime series, and how did it get so big so fast? Here's what you need to know.

What Is 'Raikou Of The Dragons?'

All the hype about Raikou of the Dragons started on July 16th, 2025, with a video by TikToker @ianburp. In the video, which gained over 15 million views a week after it was posted, the TikToker shares an idea. Their idea is to invent an anime series that exposes "posers" who pretend to like anime by baiting them.

The video encourages viewers to tell people that they watch "Raikou of the Dragons," a made-up anime series, to see if that person also claims to have seen it, therefore exposing them as a poser.

At the end of the video, the TikToker encourages viewers to play into the meme by making their own videos about Raikou of the Dragon.

Essentially, the videos are meant to make the anime series seem as real as possible in order to further trick people into believing that it's a real series.

@ianburp I think this would be really funny to see all the posers come out of hiding 👅👅 anyway uhh like the video!! #fyp #foryoupage #CapCut #Raikouofthedragons #ROTD #anime #animetiktok ♬ beans – yawn.

How Is 'Raikou Of The Dragons' Used In Memes?

Raikou of the Dragons took off on TikTok in the days following @ianburp's viral video on July 16th, 2025.

Following this, people began posting AI-generated art, scenes and edits supposedly from the show, as well as cosplay videos dressing as the made-up characters and creating lore explanation videos that detail fabricated arcs in the anime series.

These memes quickly spread from TikTok to sites like X / Twitter and Reddit as the prank continued to spread.

In just a week, there is now countless content about the fake anime series all over the internet. To those who don't know the backstory, it might seem like an actual anime series, which has caused a lot of confusion online.

Now, after seeing all the content, some people are starting to wish it actually were a real anime series.

@senpapi.gabe You need to get on this #senpapi #anime #manga #raikouofthedragons #rotd #dungeonmeshi #deliciousindungeon #frieren #fantasyanime #fantasy ♬ original sound – Senpapi.Gabe

What Are Some More 'Raikou Of The Dragons' Memes?

@nunii_cos AYAKA IS MY FAV &lt3 @🍜🐾 @bbno$ #raikouofthedragons #ROTD #cosplay #cosplayer #anime #animefyp #animetiktok #cosplayfyp #sumikokuronami #ayakayuugure #mizukiakiyama #ayanokawabata #abcxyz #fy ♬ 1-800 – bbno$ & Ironmouse

@raikou.of.thedragons what if we all js takenit as our profile pic???#raikouofthedragons #Anime #fyp #foryou #fyfyfyfyfyfyfyfyfyfyfyfyfyfyfyfyfyfy #foryoupagе #viral @escofuri enjoyer @Raikou Of The Dragons Official @RAIKOU OF THE DRAGONS #1 FAN @Raikou Of The Dragons Fanpage ♬ Originalton – Raikou of the dragons🏵️

@nick_4sure #edit #raikouofthedragons #thatoneraikouedit #anime #poser #trending #fyp #search #viral #likes #editwars ♬ original sound – Nxck_edits

@misterym4chine just finished rotd…. #raikouofthedragon #mizuki #sumiko #anime #rotd ♬ original sound – V★lentine

---

For the full history of Raikou Of The Dragons, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.