Who is Joel? The chat meme taking over The International

William Davis Published 23/10/2023

Dota 2 fans tuning in to watch The International 2023 may be surprised and confused by the chat’s celebration of someone, or something, named Joel.

The International always brings a new meta, new builds, and new memes for the Dota 2 community to enjoy. TI 2023 is no exception, and the chat memes are heating up in preparation for the final weekend. Between sarcastic questions about Shopify Rebellion and fake player biographies, viewers may have noticed a mysterious figure named Joel being celebrated in chat.

Joel is a BetterTTV emote that depicts a spinning fish. It was created by user Anibally in March of 2023. The fish itself appears to be a low-poly catfish, with small but visible whiskers. The animated emote depicts Joel, which is assumedly the fish’s name, spinning in a circle.

The large size of the emote combined with its absurdity has made Joel a popular subject of spam in both The International chat and many other streamers, notably Ryan “Northernlion” Letourneau.

The only way to see the actual Joel emote is to have the BetterTTV extension added to your browser, which allows users to create their own custom emotes on the platform. Without it, viewers just see the word “Joel.” This has led to mass confusion in chat, with mobile viewers especially estranged.

It seems Valve itself had enough of the spinning fish and decided to take action.

Joel emote banned from The International chat after spam

On October 22, 2023 during the final games before top eight of The International, the streamrunners decided to ban the Joel fish emote from chat. This has led to an arms race between Dota 2 fans and chat mods.

Shortly after the ban, the Joel spam has been replaced with several similar emotes of spinning fish. The most popular shows a skeletonized version of Joel calling for his reinstatement. It’s still not clear exactly why Dota 2 fans started spamming Joel in the first place, but they clearly want him back after the ban.

Read Also

Esports Betting

Here’s the complete Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 schedule Hannan Mundia The Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 has finally arrived, and here’s the complete schedule for the event to ensure you don’t miss anything. While it isn’t exactly the newest name in the esports scene, the EWC has quickly become a leading event for esports fans worldwide. It brings together professional players and fans from various games, combining them into one long event that everyone can enjoy. 2026’s Esports World Cup ...

Dota 2

Dota 2 at the EWC 2026 preview, details, predictions, and more Michael Hassall A titanic 24 teams are set to compete in Dota 2 at the Esports World Cup 2025 in one of the largest events of the competitive season. These two dozen organizations are set to take over the Paris Convention Center, filling it with top-tier competitive Dota 2 action. With a $2,000,000 USD prize pool, the largest on the Dota 2 calendar, there’s everything to play for in the final major ...

Dota 2

Top Dota 2 combos to boost your MMR fast Wasif Ahmed Dota 2 is a complex and interesting game that requires skill, strategy and teamwork to be successful. Having said that, one of the best ways to improve your MMR is by learning certain Dota 2 combos that have proven themselves over time. It’s worth knowing that there are not that many Dota 2 combos that have survived the test of time because every new patch changes the game’s meta. Nevertheless, ...

Dota 2

Dota 2 temporarily deletes popular hero before launching huge Dark Carnival update Michael Hassall If you were an Axe player in Dota 2 earlier this week, you’d have found yourself out of luck when you tried to pick the stalwart Oglodi warrior, as the hero was straight up removed from the game on June 23. The hero was completely missing from All-Pick and his hero model was replaced with a missing poster. Axe couldn’t even be demoed or picked in a custom game for ...

Dota 2

Team Yandex stop the magic, defeating LGD in BLAST Slam VII finals Michael Hassall Team Yandex have defeated LGD Gaming in the grand finals of BLAST Slam VII in a dramatic 3-1 series that saw both teams pushed to the limit, but ultimately Yandex come out on top. Concluding the last major tournament before teams head to the Esports World Cup and The International 2026 next month and in August, Yandex were able to counter the momentum of LGD that had brought them into ...

Dota 2

BLAST Slam VII Finals Predictions and Picks – Can LGD make it all the way? Michael Hassall LGD Gaming in the top three of a tournament!? What is this 2021? BLAST Slam VII has been one of the most surprising tournaments of the year, and has capped off the pre-EWC and TI season with some of the most thrilling gameplay we’ve seen in months. And the finals are set to be even more exciting. With just three teams left there’s a lot on the line, from the ...

Dota 2

Easiest Dota 2 Heroes for Beginners – Best Picks to Learn the Game Simon Day We can all agree that Dota 2 is a complex game, but starting with the right heroes can make the learning process much smoother. Choosing one of the best Dota 2 heroes for beginners is key to building your skills and enjoying your matches. That’s why it’s time to explore the heroes that are easy to understand, effective in the game and great for learning the fundamentals. Without going into ...