Talk:Polandball

The following is a closed discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. Editors desiring to contest the closing decision should consider a move review after discussing it on the closer's talk page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

The result of the move request was: moved. Consensus is that Polandball is the WP:COMMONNAME. (closed by non-admin page mover) Iseult ^Δx talk to me 16:42, 19 April 2026 (UTC)

Countryballs → Polandball – 1. When this article was originally created, and at every stage in its history (save for the change in September 2021), the term "Polandball" was Presumed due to significant coverage with reliable sources, while the term "Countryballs" is a term primarily used by fandoms to refer to the characters included in Polandball comics and animations. Even now, when the Google search term "Polandball" is used, the Wikipedia article for "Countryballs" is the only search result not using that term, although Google clearly and inextricably connects the two terms.

2. The term "Polandball" has more Significant Coverage than the term "Countryballs." Even this article's own references section contains more hits for "Polandball" than for "Countryballs." Furthermore, of the 3 references listed that employ the term "Countryballs," two of them are about games, while the secondary sources referring to "Polandball" vastly outnumber the sources using the term "Countryballs."

3. On the subject of Reliable Sources Independent of the Subject, as I mentioned in point 2, the secondary sources cited by this article that refer to the term "Polandball" are all reliable sources that are independent of the subject.

For all of these listed reasons, it should be reasonable for this article to be titled "Polandball." That said, as is currently the inverse on the article, the term "Countryballs" should be included as an alternate name.

(this text is copied from the topic before this, just so it will say on the page that this discussion is happening) Finnfrog99 (talk) 10:53, 8 March 2026 (UTC) — Relisting. TarnishedPath^talk 08:24, 2 April 2026 (UTC) — Relisting. TarnishedPath^talk 09:34, 9 April 2026 (UTC)

Comment - Per Google Trends, while the term "Polandball" seemed to be more popular in the 2010s, the terms "Countryballs" and "countryball" seems to be more popular during the last years. Oakchris1955 (talk) 11:25, 8 March 2026 (UTC)

I think we should continue the conversation in the previous topic where it started Finnfrog99 (talk) 11:26, 8 March 2026 (UTC)

No I still say it as that so I don’t care ~2026-15826-88 (talk) 11:41, 17 March 2026 (UTC)

Support - According to WP:THREE, the General Notability Guidelines, and WP:COMMONNAME, the term "Polandball" is the better name for this article. The term "Countryballs" is a later development that was retroactively applied to describe the medium.

1. The following resources employ the term "Polandball" more frequently to describe the medium: Polandball - A Case Study, Polandball is of Reddit: How r/polandball Transcends Memes through Carefully Curated Geopolitical Satire, and Deciphering Linguistic Stereotypes in Polandball Comics: A Qualitative Analysis of 'Engrish' and Cultural Representation. A fourth article (Cohesive Aspects of Humor in Internet Memes on Facebook: a Multimodal Sociolinguistic Analysis) employs the term "Countryballs" more frequently than "Polandball," however it still supports the argument that "Polandball" is an equally strong name to describe the wider phenomenon.

2. While I recognize that the terms are sometimes considered interchangeable (as seen in the citations I have included for my rationale), the term "Countryballs" does not meet notability guidelines outside of the context of the term "Polandball." The term "countryballs" more frequently refers to the figures/characters featured in Polandball comics, as seen in the cited resources, while the term "Polandball" generally refers to overall genre of comics.

3. The Common Name principle is the only point where Google Analytics results should be considered, but this is not a strong enough case on its own for the name of the article to be "Countryballs." ChickenScuttleMonkey (talk) 17:23, 8 March 2026 (UTC)

• Support. The current title is a solution to a problem no one needed solving. Yes, haha, it's funny that it's called Polandball even when it's not mostly about Poland. And it was funny when MTV was no longer about music videos, but nobody suggested renaming MTV. Use the common name. Red Slash 17:51, 9 March 2026 (UTC)
• Oppose. While GS does show Polandball wins at 2:1 (92 to 46 for "Countryball"), if we add "Countryballs" count at 70, WP:COMMONNAME becomes 50/50. And the article is more than just abount Polandball. It's about other-country-balls too. I prefer to have this under the name that makes the content of this clear. --_{Piotr Konieczny aka Prokonsul Piotrus| reply here} 01:04, 10 March 2026 (UTC)

  @Piotrus Polandball isn't just Poland, it refers to every character. This is a common misconception Finnfrog99 (talk) 01:12, 10 March 2026 (UTC)

  Exactly. The only reason it is named Polandball is because it originated from a Polish website and because Poland is drawn upside down. Oakchris1955 (talk) 14:38, 10 March 2026 (UTC)

  WP:PRECISION: "Usually, titles should unambiguously define the topical scope of the article". Polandball does not do this. Countryball does. _{Piotr Konieczny aka Prokonsul Piotrus| reply here} 14:51, 10 March 2026 (UTC)

  @Piotrus The more I read this page concerning an article's title, the more frustrating it is to me that this article's title was ever changed at all, especially since that move discussion had not reached consensus. You, yourself, admitted then that the "controversy" associated with the original title had petered out by the time the discussion was occurring.

  Furthermore, one opposing voice cites the very same precision principle you are referring to with the conclusion that "'countryballs' lacks the precision part, and is rather oblique and wide-ranging."

  That said, this argument is the only argument I've come across in this whole conversation that is compelling to me. The author of the research cited for this argument published their doctoral thesis employing "countryballs" as the primary term to describe the meme, however, in a footnote they make this concession:

  Countryball fans usually refer to the meme as ‘Polandball’; however, to avoid confusion with the actual character in the comics, the more general term Countryballs and the like will be used when addressing the meme in general.

  The second phrase I have highlighted has been my greatest point of contention throughout these conversations: "Polandball" is not the name of the character, but the name of the meme. The topic immediately following the closed move request brings up the point that in the cited journal article, the author consistently seems to have the exact same misunderstanding that I have been harping about regarding the name "Polandball."

  This author, Ondrej Prochazka, frequently employs the term "Countryballs" in their research, and it is only their research that has been cited as the strongest reason to make the original move from "Countryballs" to "Polandball," but they also consistently make the concession that the names are considered interchangeable by the wider community - somehow this is always glossed over by people who prefer the term "Countryballs," or by people who believe that "Polandball" is the name of the character.

  When the dust settles on this discussion, and the move request is closed one way or the other, I do believe this article needs to be heavily edited in order to accurately reflect the research done on this topic. The notability and relevance of "Countryballs" as a meme is inextricably linked to the popularity of geopolitical satire content created under the name "Polandball." All the research supports this conclusion; the Wikipedia article should also reflect this, and it currently does not, regardless of the title. ChickenScuttleMonkey (talk) 20:32, 26 March 2026 (UTC)

  The name "Polandball" is not about the characters included in the comics, and this is always the point that people preferring the term "Countryballs" seem to miss when discussing the name. Yes, the name is rooted in the earliest comics' subject matter - a Polish user on Krautchan named Wojak - but the genre of geopolitical satire comics employing "countryballs" retained the name Polandball at every stage in the meme's evolution until, arbitrarily in 2021, people thought the name "Countryballs" was more inclusive and changed this article's name to reflect that.

  The rise of the name "Countryballs" to describe the meme is primarily related to a specific YouTuber who was not significantly connected to any Polandball-oriented community, but until somebody publishes original research that can be cited in this article, we have to keep having this debate based on the available research. I still maintain that, based on the available research, "Polandball" better fits the genre of geopolitical satire employing countryballs, while the term "countryballs" merely refers to the characters employed in these comics and other internet content.

  I recognize that the article - as it currently exists - is merely about the figures, themselves. However, countryballs as figures primarily exist to satirize geopolitical relationships and national stereotypes, and there is a name for that genre of internet content: Polandball. That is what I believe the existing research supports, and why I believe the article should be renamed. "Countryballs" are not notable outside of their connection to the genre of Polandball comics, while Polandball as a genre of geopolitical commentary and satire is the phenomenon that was notable enough to warrant an article on Wikipedia in the first place. ~2026-15311-59 (talk) 15:06, 10 March 2026 (UTC)

  There is a reason this was moved from Polandball to Countryballs in the first place,it is not just about the name popularity but also because the article name should be more neutral/less controversial too,the controversy petered out years ago anyway as this shifted from making fun of one country(Poland) to making fun of all them...(some of the text was copied from the old discussion)

  After all,like @Oakchris1955 said,the only reason it was named ¨Polandball¨ was because they where first drawn on a Polish website and because the meme was first originated from The 2009 ¨Cyberwar¨,a webcomic series designed to troll a Polish user,with the main character being a ball representing Poland.^[1] Darrrrmilk (talk) 20:54, 13 March 2026 (UTC)

  Fandom is unreliable, its like citing wikipedia on wikipedia. Anyone can change it Finnfrog99 (talk) 20:58, 13 March 2026 (UTC)

  thanks for telling me that @Finnfrog99 I didnt see it was from Fandom Darrrrmilk (talk) 21:00, 13 March 2026 (UTC)

  And, errr, you ignore the gist of my argument... _{Piotr Konieczny aka Prokonsul Piotrus| reply here} 12:59, 22 March 2026 (UTC)

  Im not Darrrrmilk (talk) 03:17, 25 March 2026 (UTC)

  I wasn't taking to you. _{Piotr Konieczny aka Prokonsul Piotrus| reply here} 10:57, 25 March 2026 (UTC)

  Ew ~2026-15826-88 (talk) 11:42, 17 March 2026 (UTC)

  Are you employing "Polandball" here to refer to the character? If so, this reflects the fundamental misunderstanding of the genre that led to the rise of the term "Countryballs," which we have established does not have appropriate relevance outside of the wider genre of Polandball comics. One of the core conventions established in the comics is that neither the characters nor the comic artists refer to the characters as "-ball." I think it's deeply unfortunate that the "wider phenomenon" reflects this misunderstanding, and that people are arguing for the term "Countryballs" based on it, when the name "Polandball" is a much better term (based on the research) to describe the genre of geopolitical satire employing countryballs. ChickenScuttleMonkey (talk) 13:33, 22 March 2026 (UTC)

  Also, I feel that this debate is ultimately about whether "countryballs" as a phenomenon are more relevant and worthy of an article than the genre of geopolitical satire that employs them. If we're judging merely by the number of hits in search results, or the frequency of the term in the research, instead of how these terms have historically been employed, then we're essentially naming a forest based on the most frequently appearing tree instead of through a more relevant cultural marker. ChickenScuttleMonkey (talk) 13:45, 22 March 2026 (UTC)

  @ChickenScuttleMonkey its highly important to consider the popularity of these terms because if most people refer to the context as "Countryballs" then they are likely to be searching for that on Wikipedia other than "Polandball" this can help them find it easier. I also recommend you see the above comments as well before you speak because in the recent years "Countryballs" because per Google Trends, while the term "Polandball" seemed to be more popular in the 2010s, the terms "Countryballs" and "countryball" seems to be more popular during the last years. Showing that this is what the general "modern world" REFERS to it as. So naming this article to Countryballs makes it easier for most people. Also Countryballs sound much more general.

  Another thing I want to point out to what you said is," One of the core conventions established in the comics is that neither the characters nor the comic artists refer to the characters as "-ball." This is untrue because if you see the Polandball Wiki they actually do refer to the characters as balls to make I fit with the humor and Polandball community itself. Instead of saying "USA" for example they refer to it as "USAball" Darrrrmilk (talk) 03:32, 25 March 2026 (UTC)

  I'm familiar with the Google search trends, but this article will appear regardless of what you type in Google or Wikipedia because the names are largely considered interchangeable. It also doesn't help your case when you refer to the "Polandball community" and mention the "Polandball wiki" to make the argument that "Countryballs" is the better name for this article. If anything, you are solidifying the argument that these terms are equally relevant to the medium and genre of geopolitical satire content. The Polandball wiki is not considered a reliable source by Wikipedia's standards, anyway. ChickenScuttleMonkey (talk) 04:21, 25 March 2026 (UTC)

  I used the Polandball wiki to show you that they do indeed refer to the characters with "-ball" at the end which you said otherwise. I didn't use it to give info,if that was the case then you are right but that is not the case here. Darrrrmilk (talk) 04:24, 25 March 2026 (UTC)

  The Official Polandball Tutorial says not to append "-ball" when referring to countries, and this is the primary source that most of the reliable research refers to when discussing the conventions associated with "countryballs" content. ChickenScuttleMonkey (talk) 04:31, 25 March 2026 (UTC)

  So you are saying Reddit is a reliable source? Darrrrmilk (talk) 04:33, 25 March 2026 (UTC)

  Read my words carefully: the Official Polandball Tutorial is referred to by reliable secondary sources that were used to construct this article. ChickenScuttleMonkey (talk) 04:37, 25 March 2026 (UTC)

  Ok but it's also about what the community likes to call it. But what is wrong with saying "-ball" after a country's name. Darrrrmilk (talk) 04:40, 25 March 2026 (UTC)

  There's nothing "wrong" with it; it just sounds silly and makes the figures seem more like cartoon characters rather than representations of geopolitical entities. I believe that some of the secondary sources mention that the Reddit-based community, in particular, avoids appending "-ball" for this specific reason, while it's true that outside of Reddit, appending "-ball" is more common. ChickenScuttleMonkey (talk) 04:47, 25 March 2026 (UTC)

  Im in no way saying that reddit is a reliable source, but it should be noted that that subreddit is more related and linked to this topic than most subreddits are. Finnfrog99 (talk) 14:08, 25 March 2026 (UTC)

Oppose - nobody uses that name. OMGShay 92 (talk) 11:15, 22 March 2026 (UTC)

This is verifiably untrue, and this argument is based on your own opinion. ChickenScuttleMonkey (talk) 12:40, 22 March 2026 (UTC)

It is all technically opinions here when you think about it. Like you want the article to be called "Polandball" but I think the name should remain. We are debating on what we think and giving evidence and facts that's all. But also I will agree that it is untrue to straight up say "nobody uses that name." when people do still use it and that is a fact. Darrrrmilk (talk) 03:34, 25 March 2026 (UTC)

It feels like an understatement to say "people still use that name" when arguably the largest active Countryballs communities operate under the name "Polandball." There is a case to be made that these terms are interchangeable, but what I am arguing is that the name "countryballs" is insufficient to accurately describe the meme when that term primarily applies to the figures employed within the content, while the name "Polandball" has historically referred to the genre of geopolitical satire content employing countryballs. ChickenScuttleMonkey (talk) 04:26, 25 March 2026 (UTC)

Actually from my understanding it is the exact opposite, since the term "Polandball" refers to the characters within the genre while "Countryballs" is more general and also less controversial since the name is not solely being from a country it was first intended to. Darrrrmilk (talk) 04:32, 25 March 2026 (UTC)

I would like to see research suggesting that the name "Polandball" is more controversial. It's anecdotal that the term "Countryballs" is less controversial, though it can be argued that it's more general. What I'm arguing is that the name "Polandball" is a better name for the genre of geopolitical satire. "Countryballs" is too broad, and more accurately refers to the figures used in this content, while "Polandball" - according to the research - involves the traditions of making deliberate artistic decisions to poke fun at countries.

Also, regardless of what you want to call the genre, the content itself has always been controversial and the research supports this. Trying to be more "inclusive" or less controversial with the name undercuts the intent of this content, which is to satirize national stereotypes and geopolitical relationships.

"Polandball" is a precise name with established traditions encapsulating the genre; the term "Countryballs" in the earliest research merely referred to the figures themselves, and it's only been recently that the term has been inappropriately applied to the whole genre in the interest of "inclusivity" and "generality." ChickenScuttleMonkey (talk) 11:56, 25 March 2026 (UTC)

The term "Countryballs" is indeed broad that is why it became the name of this article. You may or may not know that there was a previous discussion where they decided to name this article from "Polandball" to "Countryball" and that is the reason,because the term Countryballs is more general making it a better article name in my opinion. Darrrrmilk (talk) 19:14, 25 March 2026 (UTC)

actually, the previous discussion was no consensus, probably shouldntve been moved. Finnfrog99 (talk) 19:33, 25 March 2026 (UTC)

I've read the previous discussion, and as Finnfrog99 and SnowFire have pointed out, there was no consensus reached, and the article should not have been moved in the first place. I believe this has also given the false impression that "Countryballs" is the more accurate term for the meme, when the debate on this talk page - and the research cited to construct this article - shows that the two names are interchangeable at the very least.

The arguments in favor of "Countryballs" all seem to boil down to "more people use it," and "it's more general." I have to be fine with the raw data regarding the use of the term "Countryballs," however I disagree that this name precisely or accurately describes this genre of geopolitical satire. The very name "Polandball" encapsulates the irreverence that characterizes the comics, and the largest fan communities all have the name "Polandball," even if the term "countryballs" is used more to search up the content. ChickenScuttleMonkey (talk) 20:01, 25 March 2026 (UTC)

Support, looking at the article content, it’s mostly describing the rules and conventions of Polandball, not countryballs, which is more of a general term for content regarding that topic. The name should reflect the article content, so Polandball is the proper term. MessageApp (talk) 19:05, 2 April 2026 (UTC)

Support per WP:COMMONNAME. Toast of Fate ♡ talk to me! 09:09, 3 April 2026 (UTC)

• Oppose move to Polandball or Countryball. Featured article on Russian Wikipedia with 130~~ sources uses the name countryballs, also many reliable English sources which appeared in late 10's use more often countryballs than polandball, see for example book from 2017 vs Dawid2009 (talk) 04:39, 14 March 2026 (UTC)

  The reliable sources provided for this article suggest that the name "Polandball" and "Countryballs" are interchangeable when discussing the meme/phenomenon, but within these same sources, the name "Polandball" generally describes the genre of geopolitical satire, while the term "Countryballs" refers to the characters and figures used in Polandball comics. The debate over this article's title seems to be whether the genre of geopolitical satire better describes the meme, or whether the figures, themselves, are the main focus. I have long argued that the term "countryballs" has little notability outside of its connection to the genre of Polandball, and the research supports this argument. ChickenScuttleMonkey (talk) 03:35, 20 March 2026 (UTC)

• Support. The older RM to move this away from "Polandball" was a textbook no consensus that I'm not sure why it was closed as move. The Google evidence provided was very suspicious at the time as well. Polandball remains the most famous of the set and the best title for the article. SnowFire (talk) 15:26, 23 March 2026 (UTC)

As the author of the featured article on Russian Wikipedia (Countryballs), I can say with all confidence that when I was working on the article, I just found trite more sources on the topic of Countryballs than on Polandball. And as a former Countryballs 2D mapper and animator with five years of experience, I can say with all confidence that the name Countryballs has prevailed in recent years. Roman Kubanskiy (talk) 18:17, 26 March 2026 (UTC)

@Roman Kubanskiy I am a bit confused. Your argument above seems to favor Countryballs, but you are supporting a move to Polandball? _{Piotr Konieczny aka Prokonsul Piotrus| reply here} 01:49, 4 April 2026 (UTC)

Note: WikiProject Comedy, WikiProject Internet culture, and WikiProject Comics have been notified of this discussion. TarnishedPath^talk 08:25, 2 April 2026 (UTC)

I favor Countryballs and I don't support a move to Polandball. It's a classical name of the genre, but in recent years it is more famous as Countryballs. Roman Kubanskiy (talk) 08:45, 4 April 2026 (UTC)

@Roman Kubanskiy In this case you should change your vote from support to oppose. _{Piotr Konieczny aka Prokonsul Piotrus| reply here} 12:04, 4 April 2026 (UTC)

@Piotrus: Are you reading my "Support" as Roman Kubanskiy's? Because I'm not changing my !vote. He's just disagreeing with me, which is fine. But to me the overarching topic is "Polandball" and "Countryballs" is the equivalent of "Characters of Polandball." But I will freely admit I've studied the topic less deeply than Roman K. SnowFire (talk) 05:05, 6 April 2026 (UTC)

@SnowFire My bad, I missed your signature and thought he contradicted himself, due to the fact he didn't bold his comment as comment or a vote. _{Piotr Konieczny aka Prokonsul Piotrus| reply here} 14:21, 6 April 2026 (UTC)

"Countryballs" may be a more popular name, but its major weakness is a lack of precision.

The term "countryballs" unambiguously refers to the type of characters employed within online content, but when applied to the content itself, it lacks the precision and clarity that the term "Polandball" historically has had. "Polandball" comics have always been understood (and verified by the research) as geopolitical satire, whether the name "Polandball" is mistakenly applied to the character, or to the genre of comics. Countryballs are generally used in content that satirizes geopolitical relationships, but simply from the term itself, it is unclear that this is the intent of the content. The irreverence of the name "Polandball" clarifies this intent, and as a result, is a much more accurate and precise name for the genre as a whole. ChickenScuttleMonkey (talk) 15:30, 4 April 2026 (UTC)

I see it the other way around. Polandball refers to just the, well, Polandball, and not to the wider phenomena. It would be like referring to, ummm, Monkey D. Luffy instead of One Piece, or Luke Skywalker instead of Star Wars. _{Piotr Konieczny aka Prokonsul Piotrus| reply here} 16:03, 10 April 2026 (UTC)

@Piotrus

Polandball refers to just the, well, Polandball, and not to the wider phenomena.

This is precisely the issue I have been addressing. It is true that some of the research refers to Poland's appearance in the comics this way (specifically the research conducted by Ondrej Procházka), however the wider community is verifiably divided on what the proper name of the medium is or should be. I am making the case that despite some researchers' use of the term "Polandball" to refer to a character, the name "Polandball" better describes the medium of geopolitical satire involving Countryballs.

It would be like referring to, ummm, Monkey D. Luffy instead of One Piece, or Luke Skywalker instead of Star Wars.

The issue I have with your analogy is that in the case of Polandball, the WP:COMMONNAME argument for Countryballs either comes down to "but the Google trends," or relies on a lack of understanding or familiarity with the medium and its community. Speaking from 13 years of anecdotal experience with the medium as a comic artist and r/Polandball moderator, many of r/Polandball's conventions have informed the way people discuss these comics, including the way countries are referred to both in the comics and in discussions.

As I have familiarized myself with the scholarly research conducted on the topic (much of which ultimately supports my experience as a prominent member of the community), I feel more confident saying that it is not the majority of users who refer to the characters within the comics as "(country name)-ball," but rather by the country's name (and Sal Hagen's research adheres to this convention except when naming communities that sprung up around other countryballs, before communities under the name "Polandball" became the central hubs, which Ondrej Procházka also confirms).

In short, to assume that "Polandball" refers primarily to the character within the comics reflects a lack of familiarity with the topic and with the wider community.

The only compelling argument I have heard in favor of "Countryballs" is that Polandball comics employ countryballs as the central characters, but interestingly enough, I am the only one who has actually made that argument in these conversations. I do believe it is a compelling counterargument to my claims that Polandball is the better name for the medium, but that's why I began by discussing WP:NOTABILITY. Countryballs would not have notability without the guiding context of communities centered around the name Polandball -- and by this I mean "Polandball" as the name for the genre.

Nobody seems to be debating that the research suggests that "Polandball" and "Countryballs" are interchangeable names for the medium because we all seem to agree that these terms are inextricably linked, but I have been making the case that "Polandball" easily satisfies WP:NOTABILITY, WP:COMMONNAME, while the term "Countryballs" struggles to achieve Notability on its own, and nearly every argument concerning Common Name seem to rely on Google Search trends and a misunderstanding of what "Polandball" even means. ChickenScuttleMonkey (talk) 17:11, 10 April 2026 (UTC)

"In short, to assume that "Polandball" refers primarily to the character within the comics reflects a lack of familiarity with the topic". For the fans, this may be clear, but for most people, who don't know much about this, WP:PRECISION is important. And the bottom line is that Wikipedia is describing not just Polandball, but all Countryballs and the larger phenomenon. _{Piotr Konieczny aka Prokonsul Piotrus| reply here} 00:22, 11 April 2026 (UTC)

@Piotrus

There have been other arguments in this thread addressing WP:PRECISION, but to summarize them here: "countryballs" lacks precision because it is too general, and does not specify or clarify anything about the medium the same way "Polandball" does. Any confusion an unfamiliar reader may have would be clarified within the first sentence of the article "Polandball, also called Countryballs,..."

I will say, the English language article in its current state does not adequately address the medium; the Russian language article is much closer to what the research (and my lived experience) suggests about the medium. For what it's worth, their Wikipedia also has an article about r/Polandball, and both of these articles go out of their way to explain that "Polandball," when used to describe the entire medium, is considered interchangeable with "Countryballs." ChickenScuttleMonkey (talk) 00:48, 11 April 2026 (UTC)

The ru wiki Featured article is at ru:Countryballs. I can't wrap my mind how you can mention ru wiki yet keep ignoring that little detail. Polandball is discussed at ru:Polandball_(персонаж). _{Piotr Konieczny aka Prokonsul Piotrus| reply here} 05:40, 11 April 2026 (UTC)

The point I am making here is the same point I have been making: "Countryballs" is widely considered interchangeable with "Polandball." I don't know why they have a separate article, but I'll read it to try to understand although I wholeheartedly disagree with your preferred naming convention. ChickenScuttleMonkey (talk) 13:31, 11 April 2026 (UTC)

After reading a machine translated version of their Polandball article, it suffers from exactly the same issues I have been arguing about: "Polandball" is not the name of the character. Using the name this way cheapens the satirical origin and intent of this genre of comics.

As it stands, there is one researcher I'm aware of who refers to Poland's representation in the comics in this manner, whom I have referred to in other comments, while other researchers and the wider community prefer to refer to countries featured in these comics by their actual names. Basing this article's title off of Google search trends and one researcher's opinion does not seem like scholarly due diligence to me.

The other issue is that the English Wikipedia's article's name was changed without a clear consensus, and with arguably flimsy reasoning, but we're running into another no consensus argument, only this time it's unlikely that the name will be changed.

Any decent Wikipedia article on this subject will have to spend time explaining the Polandball-Countryballs interchangeability, anyway, so maybe at the end of the day the article title doesn't matter, but I have not seen any overwhelmingly compelling arguments that "Countryballs" is the better name. ChickenScuttleMonkey (talk) 14:19, 11 April 2026 (UTC)

And yes, I am all for translating ru wiki article here and improving this article to FA status. And changing the name is certainly not a step in the right direction. _{Piotr Konieczny aka Prokonsul Piotrus| reply here} 05:41, 11 April 2026 (UTC)

• Oppose move to Polandball; hasn't the genre advanced that there's enough notability and material to support pages for both? BBQboffin^{grill me} 04:54, 6 April 2026 (UTC)

  No, they're only notable together. Like WP:BFDI, popularity doesnt translate to notability Finnfrog99 (talk) 11:06, 6 April 2026 (UTC)

  i oppose ~2026-21336-90 (talk) 03:23, 10 April 2026 (UTC)

• Support. I'm shocked that the page is at its current title already instead of the proposed one; "Polandball" is absolutely the WP:COMMONNAME. - The Bushranger _{One ping only} 09:32, 10 April 2026 (UTC)
• Support per WP:COMMONNAME. A reminder this article is written for the general public, not for fanbases. Walrasiad (talk) 15:13, 11 April 2026 (UTC)

  @Walrasiad It's the fanbase who prefers Polandball... as for commonname, see the examples below. _{Piotr Konieczny aka Prokonsul Piotrus| reply here} 23:55, 11 April 2026 (UTC)

  ^[2] @ChickenScuttleMonkey Pls don't move the page when the discussion closes, becuase "Countryballs" has MORE SIGNIFICANT COVERAGE than "Polandball" in recent years. ~2026-21899-58 (talk) 06:28, 12 April 2026 (UTC)

  Dear IP. Please note that votes by IP users are unofficially not weighted seriously. If you want to participate in Wikipedia discussions, please consider creating an account. _{Piotr Konieczny aka Prokonsul Piotrus| reply here} 07:19, 12 April 2026 (UTC)

  This IP user has been blocked from editing Finnfrog99 (talk) 10:34, 12 April 2026 (UTC)

  This IP, that IP... IPs are dynamic. Some IP user that shared an IP with the user that commented here was blocked. Another reason for any constructive user to use accounts. _{Piotr Konieczny aka Prokonsul Piotrus| reply here} 11:19, 12 April 2026 (UTC)

  The significant coverage is almost exactly equivalent because any adequate discussion of "Countryballs" recognizes that the genre is also still popularly referred to as "Polandball," which was clearly the common name up until 2021, when the English Wikipedia article title was changed after a discussion that had not reached consensus.

  Candidly, what frustrates me about these conversations is that the term "Countryballs" has always been preferred by people who know very little about the genre. Speaking as someone who has contributed to and moderated the community where many of the most famous conventions originated, for 13 years I have watched people who have never made comics or contributed to that community in any way try to decide what the medium should be called, all while subscribing to conventions and rules established by that community.

  Let's be frank: r/Polandball has produced the best countryballs content on the internet -- show me a popular countryballs YouTuber, and I'll find you the r/Polandball comics they ripped off to create some of their best videos.

  But because of Wikipedia's guidelines, I have to make all of my arguments about the title based on research written mostly by other people who have nothing to do with the community that made their area of study worth studying in the first place. I don't remember what study it was, but there is scholarly research supporting exactly what the r/Polandball moderators believed would happen without tight regulation: the Facebook Polandball community very quickly deviated from the original conventions established on krautchan and eventually devolved into simply posting political/history memes.

  There is enough existing research to support the claim that without the influence of r/Polandball, the meme people are calling "countryballs" would not be notable enough for a Wikipedia article in the first place, but I can't put that line in the Wikipedia article until somebody published scholarly research making that claim. Fortunately, many of these researchers do make the admission that "Polandball" and "Countryballs" are at least considered equivalent, so that has been the basis of my argument, and so far I have not seen anybody challenge that except with the argument about "Polandball" being the name of the character.

  At the end of the day, this article's title ultimately comes down to preference. When this discussion is closed, I will be content that I have at least made this argument publicly. ChickenScuttleMonkey (talk) 16:37, 12 April 2026 (UTC)

• Support - per WP:COMMONNAME. ^NeoSyria\Freedoxm (talk · contribs) 04:52, 18 April 2026 (UTC)