Why Everyone's Obsessed With This Anime Horse Game

Know Your Meme

Uma Musume: Pretty Derby is a racing simulator where anime girls are the reincarnations of real-life Japanese racehorses, and it just exploded in popularity. Originally launched as an anime and mobile game in Japan, it combines gacha mechanics, idol culture, and high-speed horse racing, with players training their favorite "horse girls" for victory. After finally releasing in English in June 2025, the game quickly went viral on TikTok and Twitch, spawning fan art, memes, and bizarre streamer moments—including one where a player spanks himself mid-race like a jockey. From "Skibidi Rizz" memes to VTubers galloping in real life, Uma Musume is the internet’s new obsession.  Check out our new MEME STORE: https://thememestore.com/  Subscribe to our channel to learn more about trending memes, hear interviews from meme personalities and more! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbrPqq29C9Q_TQP7OFFRzcw?sub_confirmation=1  #meme #anime #umamisume

Transcript

00:00How did this game about racing anime horse girls become a viral hit?

00:03Come on, Gold Ship! Put it into high gear!

00:06I need all you got right now!

00:08The Kentucky Derby's on the line!

00:11The game is called Uma Musume Pretty Derby,

00:14and it's been a popular multimedia franchise in Japan since 2018,

00:18when the first season of the Uma Musume anime aired.

00:20Uma Musume is about horse girls who are reincarnations of famous Japanese racehorses.

00:24The girls attend Trace and Academy to train as both racehorses and idols.

00:27The first season of the show focuses on Horse Girl Special Week,

00:30based on a real racehorse who won 10 of his 17 races.

00:33Although it started as an anime series, the video game is the most well-known piece of media.

00:38In the game, players are tasked with training their horse girls and competing in races.

00:41The game is built around a gacha mechanic,

00:44where hundreds of possible horse girls can be unlocked through pulls of a gacha machine.

00:48The game was released in Japan in 2021 and became a big hit.

00:52On June 26, 2025, the game was finally released in English,

00:55ushering in a whole new wave of fans and a massive boost in popularity in North America.

01:00Fan art and memes, based on the game's more popular horses,

01:03have been going viral across social media as players pick their favorite racers to idolize.

01:08Uma Musume has also become a massive hit with streamers and Let's Players,

01:12entering the list of the top 25 most-viewed games on Twitch in early July

01:15and inspiring more than a few viral clips.

01:18One popular clip from streamer Niko shows just how intense the races in Uma Musume can get

01:22as Niko yells at his horse and spanks himself with a roll of paper,

01:25mimicking a jockey using a crop on his horse.

01:27Several posts have gone viral, hoping that Uma Musume adds the racing horse,

01:31Skibidi Riz, to the game.

01:32Skibidi Riz is a real racehorse bred in Kentucky.

01:35He began his career in 2025 and raced six times between March and July 2025,

01:40although he won none of the races, with his highest placement being third.

01:43Uma Musume has become particularly popular with VTubers,

01:46who have been dedicating their streams to horse racing.

01:48In one wholesome viral clip, VTuber Cleo runs alongside her horse

01:52as she wins a race, leaving the other horses in the dust.

01:55There's also a meme going around where artists redraw photos of real horses

01:58as Uma Musume characters and depict Uma Musume girls doing things that horses might do,

02:04reminding everyone that these anime girls are, in fact, reincarnated racehorses.

02:09Ultimately, Uma Musume is proving to be many gamers' latest addiction

02:12as they work to hone their horse girl's stats, get those big wins,

02:15and maybe get a viral streaming clip out of it in the process.

02:18We'll see you next time.

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