Saints Row is a dialed-back experience compared to the last entry. Saints Row 4 involved The Boss becoming the President of the United States before it got taken over by aliens. Then humanity was put inside a Matrix-line prison and there were superpowers too. The DLC took The Saints to literal Hell and the list goes on.
There was little the team could do to outdo the outrageousness of Saints Row 4 which is why this game serves as a reboot. There is still plenty of weird stuff in Saints Row that is funny on its own or in the form of a meme though. There will be spoilers ahead for the whole game.
7 Same Energy
This is a play off of the classic “same energy” meme that has been around seemingly forever. The scene on the left involves The Boss and the Nahualli escaping an exploding train while on a hoverbike. The scene on the right is from Final Fantasy 7 Remake involving Cloud and Jessie escaping Shinra goons while on a mission.
This “same energy” meme goes beyond two parties riding motorcycles. Jessie’s English voice actor is Erica Lindbeck. She is also one of the female voice options for The Boss in Saints Row. That gives this meme a bit more comedic punch.
6 The Saints Of Time
“The Dustmoot” is one of the best missions in Saints Row. It involves Eli asking The Boss for help regarding a LARP group he is involved with. Eventually, Eli and The Boss storm an enemy stronghold and find some treasure at the end which turns out to be duct tape.
As the chest is glowing and the LARP setting has some RPG flair to it, it’s funny to imagine any number of items appearing from The Legend of Zelda series. The Ocarina appearing in this chest might be the funniest example as one could only imagine what mischief The Boss could get into involving time travel.
5 Waffle Woman
The appearance of Waffle Woman in Saints Row may be a deep cut for a younger generation. There was an episode of Ren and Stimpy involving Powdered Toast Man and his rival Waffle Woman. She’s an ordinary woman, Vicky Velcro, who transforms her body into batter, irons herself, and then emerges as this villain.
The waffle iron appearing in The Boss’ dream toward the end of the game created a perfect opportunity to bring up this long-forgotten 90s cartoon in a meme. The Internet is on top of all things pop culture. Nothing will ever truly die with a dedicated community out there.
4 Saints Row Redemption
The Nahualli looks a bit like Dutch Van der Linde from Red Dead Redemption 2. That’s where the immediate comparison in this meme comes into play. This scene, minus Dutch’s head over the Nahualli’s, is one of the last in the game.
The Nahualli has outed himself as a backstabber to The Boss involving a lot of chasing, explosions, and bullets. Their final confrontation has them duel each other as equals much like a battle in an Old West-style video game. It’s a classy way to end Saints Row and helped create a good meme opportunity too.
3 Microsoft Buys Sony
The scene in question is taken from the mission, “Aggressive Recruiting.” That’s one where The Boss ferries onto an island that acts like a Battle Royale experience. The goal is to have them be the last one standing. The more they kill, the better The Saints will look as a gang.
That’s why Kev, Neenah, and Eli look so shocked. It would be easy to put anything on that laptop screen to make a meme of. The idea of Microsoft buying Sony would be the biggest bombshell the gaming industry has ever seen. The second closest would be Disney buying Nintendo.
2 Shovel Knight Digs
The game opens up with a flash forward, showcasing The Saints coming out party. Unfortunately, this leads to The Boss getting betrayed and buried. Who backstabbed them is a mystery until the last series of missions.
In a video game that is full of references and parodies, it would have been funny to see Shovel Knight appear to save the day. Shovel Knight has made a cameo in tons of video games including Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night to name only two. The meme at least takes advantage of his digging abilities.
1 Need Food
One of the earlier missions sees Neenah and The Boss get fired from Marshalls and Los Panteros gangs. They are both depressed, moping around the apartment with seemingly nothing to do. The Boss can barely motivate themselves to make food. That’s where the meme audience comes in to have fun with the situation.
There is Nuka Cola from the Fallout series in the fridge along with a Sea Salt Ice Cream Bar in the freezer from the Kingdom Hearts series. Of the two franchises, Kingdom Hearts appearing in any form would make the least amount of sense. It would be funny to see Sora, Donald, and Goody experience the wild stuff The Saints get into though.
Saints Row was released on August 23, 2022 and is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.