The NPC meme character is based on Wojak, the bald, expressive internet cartoon also known as Feels Guy.
The NPC design keeps Wojak’s simple head shape and crude drawn style but changes the face into a gray, blank, emotionless character with a pointed nose. “NPC” means non-player character, a video-game character controlled by the computer rather than by a human player. The meme uses that idea to portray someone as repetitive, scripted, or unable to think independently.
An anonymous 4chan user introduced the NPC concept in July 2016. It became especially prominent in 2018 political internet culture, where it was frequently used by pro-Trump and other conservative users to mock perceived liberal conformity. Twitter later suspended more than 1,500 accounts presenting themselves as NPCs during the 2018 U.S. midterm-election period.
Wojak itself predates NPC by several years: the character appeared on Polish-language image boards around 2009–2010 and was initially associated with sadness, empathy, and phrases such as “I know that feel, bro.” NPC is therefore a Wojak variant, not a separate character derived from Trollface, Dolan, or Meme Man.