bait used to be believable
Bait used to be believable is a mocking reply to a post so obviously made to provoke people that it does not work, meaning nice try, nobody is falling for that.
By Cal Hewitt, Gen X · Researched from public sources · ·
What it means
Bait, online, is a post or comment made to get a reaction: an argument, an angry reply, a pile of comments. The phrase says the bait in front of you is too clumsy to catch anyone. It is a joke; nobody saying it believes older internet bait was better made. Under someone's post it is a pointed accusation: you made this to get a reaction, and it did not work. Said about a post or account rather than to the person, it is less confrontational but still assigns a motive. Between friends in a group chat it can simply tease someone for posting something outrageous on purpose. What it targets is the attempt to provoke. Whether the post is true is a separate question. A post can be accurate and still get called bait if it was plainly written to start a fight. For the tactic itself, content designed to make people angry, see rage bait.
See the quick definition in the bait used to be believable dictionary entry.
How to use it
“"pineapple on pizza is a war crime" ok bait used to be believable”
Replying to a post written to start an argument. Nice try.
“this account posts the same hot take every day, bait used to be believable”
About an account rather than the person behind it. Accuses it of farming reactions.
“you sent that in the chat on purpose, bait used to be believable”
Between friends. Teasing, not an accusation.
Where it came from
The phrase took off as a reaction image. Know Your Meme records the earliest known use on April 29, 2023, when the X account @kamuii_e replied to a post about Markiplier filming a live-action adaptation of Iron Lung with the caption "Bait used to be believable" on an image of Vegito, the Dragon Ball fusion of Goku and Vegeta. The drawing is older: the DeviantArt artist GoddessMechanic2 posted it in 2014. Know Your Meme says the authorship of the reaction image itself is unconfirmed, so @kamuii_e is credited with the earliest known post, and nobody is credited with coining the words.
Redraws followed. An Optimus Prime version appeared on August 9, 2023, and a Hollow Knight Hornet version on September 14, 2023. In 2024 a new template spread from a viral version about Kali, The Red Mist, from the game Library of Ruina, where the speaker starts to dismiss the bait and gets interrupted: "Bait used to be, holy shit, is that" followed by a character they love.
No single person is credited, the origin is well-documented.
Where it's popular
Comment sections on X, Reddit, TikTok, YouTube and Instagram, especially gaming and fandom spaces.
How it caught on
- 2014DeviantArt artist GoddessMechanic2 posts the Vegito drawing later used for the reaction image.
- April 29, 2023The earliest known "Bait used to be believable" post, by the X account @kamuii_e, about Markiplier and Iron Lung.
- August 9, 2023The earliest known redraw, an Optimus Prime version, appears on DeviantArt.
- September 14, 2023A Hollow Knight Hornet version is posted to Reddit.
- 2024The interrupted "Bait used to be, holy shit, is that" template spreads from a Library of Ruina version about Kali, The Red Mist.
- September 20, 2026A streamer's clip captioned "Bait used to be believable" passes 14,000 views on TikTok and 12,000 on Instagram.
Common mix-ups
The phrase is not nostalgia. Read literally it sounds like a real complaint that internet posts used to be more convincing, and it is a quick joke that refuses to take a post seriously. It also does not mean "that's a lie": it calls out the attempt to provoke, and a true post can still get that reply.
Test yourself
Is that bait?
0/21. Someone replies "bait used to be believable" under your post. What are they saying?
2. Where does the original reaction image come from?
Related slang
Questions people ask
What does bait mean in slang?
A post or comment made to provoke a reaction, like an argument or an angry reply. It borrows from fishing: dangle something and see who bites. "Taking the bait" means responding the way the poster wanted.
What does bait mean in Gen Z slang?
The same thing: content made to get a reaction. Calling something bait says you see the trick and are not going to play along.
How did the "bait used to be believable" meme start?
Know Your Meme traces it to an X post by @kamuii_e on April 29, 2023, captioning an older Dragon Ball drawing of Vegito. Redraws and a 2024 "holy shit, is that" variant spread it further.
Is "bait used to be believable" rude?
It is a mild jab. Said under someone's post it publicly questions whether they posted in good faith, so it is out of place at work, where "this seems designed to start an argument" says the same thing plainly.
What is the difference between this and rage bait?
Rage bait is the content, made to make people angry. "Bait used to be believable" is a reply to content someone thinks is bait, saying the attempt is too obvious to work.
Can friends say it to each other?
Yes. In a group chat it often teases someone for posting something outrageous on purpose, without accusing them of anything serious.
The drawing in the original reaction image predates the catchphrase by about nine years.
- https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/bait-used-to-be-believable
- https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bait
- https://www.tiktok.com/@aramori__/video/7687349481372699935
- https://www.reddit.com/r/Silksong/comments/1awm6eg/
- https://www.reddit.com/r/Project_Moon/comments/1oc3iuy/from_where_does_the_bait_used_to_be_holy_shit_is_that/
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