{{msgbox
| class = msgbox-red
| title = Despite being frequently referred to by [[Mojang Studios]], Herobrine has <u>never</u> appeared in ''[[Minecraft]]''.
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[[File:Herobrine.png|thumb|x300px|Herobrine's bearded design.]]
'''Herobrine''' is the subject of a community-made [[wikipedia:creepypasta|creepypasta]]. Despite being absent from all versions of the game, he is widely regarded as one of the major community icons of ''[[Minecraft]]''.

The first stories and images ever posted about Herobrine, as well as the Brocraft streams, are regarded as canonical, as they were fundamental to the creation and popularization of the character. Any portrayals of the character created after these events are considered fan-made adaptations and variations.

== Existence disclaimer ==
Herobrine does '''not''' exist in any official versions of ''Minecraft'', and never has. There are no references to him at all in the game's source code, and there is no code to allow for any [[entity]] to act like Herobrine. It is not possible for Herobrine to have ever existed in any unmodified [[client]]s or [[server]]s. Any appearances of Herobrine are caused by either [[mods|unofficial modifications]] being installed, or because of another [[player]] using a customized [[skin]] texture to resemble the character.
<gallery widths="300" heights="200" mode="nolines">
Herobrine Email.png|Notch's automatic reply to any email containing the word "Herobrine".
</gallery>

== History ==
[[File:White Eyes.png|thumb|The original screenshot which inspired the "White Eyes" story, from July 30, 2010, with an enhanced excerpt below.]]
[[File:1283223082465.jpg|thumb|The popular story and screenshot detailing a Herobrine "encounter", posted on 4chan's /x/ board on August 31, 2010.]]
[[File:Edit of the original (2).png|thumb|100px|Zoomed-in excerpt of Herobrine in the original image.]]
=== "White Eyes" ===
On July 31, 2010, [[Minecraft Forum]] user Flaky posted a comment, supposedly copied from a post on 4chan's /v/ board, containing a story of a player encountering an entity with glowing white eyes after listening to the [[Music Disc 13|"13" music disc]].<ref>{{citation|url=https://www.minecraftforum.net/forums/archive/alpha/alpha-survival-single-player/814622-13-ogg-a-work-of-fiction-updated-nov-7-twice?page=3#c54|title=(Note: Copied from /v/, I didn't write this and the poster was Anonymous)|website=Minecraft Forum|author=Flaky|date=July 31, 2010}}</ref> One supposed instance of these eyes was linked in the comment, which was a YouTube upload of "13" posted the previous day (the same day that the disc was added to the game), showing a [[screenshot]] of a dark [[cave]] with two white eyes edited into the bottom left corner.<ref>{{ytl|2cFpTSQDyzo|Minecraft "music" - 13.ogg|Curchack Curchack|July 30, 2010.}}</ref> This story is the first known instance of the concept of a creepypasta regarding a white-eyed paranormal being in ''Minecraft''.

The following day, Forum user Endorphine posted a thread recounting a myth surrounding the [[ambient sounds]] added to caves in [[Java Edition Alpha v1.0.3|Alpha v1.0.3]], in which "a pair of white pixels" would appear whenever these sounds would play.<ref>{{citation|url=https://www.minecraftforum.net/forums/minecraft-java-edition/discussion/114746-i-cannot-take-it-anymore|title=I cannot take it anymore.|website=Minecraft Forum|author=Endorphine|date=August 1, 2010}}</ref> The same video was linked as an example of an appearance of these white pixels. The phenomenon was attributed to "White Eyes", a female creature who would stalk the player from afar with no visible traits other than her blank white eyes.<ref>{{citation|url=https://www.minecraftforum.net/forums/minecraft-java-edition/discussion/114746-i-cannot-take-it-anymore?comment=8|title=No, You're wrong. It's "White Eyes" as we named her.|website=Minecraft Forum|author=Endorphine|date=August 1, 2010}}</ref>

=== Herobrine creepypasta ===
The "White Eyes" story began spreading through the Minecraft Forum, either stemming from or being popularized by the aforementioned thread. On August 24, a modified version of the story appeared, in which "White Eyes" was now a default player model with whited out eyes.<ref>{{citation|url=https://www.minecraftforum.net/forums/minecraft-java-edition/discussion/115039-horror-in-minecraft|title=Horror in minecraft|website=Minecraft Forum|author=Goatie|date=August 24, 2010}}</ref>

At some point before August 19,<ref>{{citation|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221118014621/https://twitter.com/TacticsNNiblics/status/21587389080|title=@xnotch Hey, someone made a story about your brother Herobrine! You remember him, right? *tap tap* You should TOTALLY add him to minecraft!}} - {{tweet|TacticsAndNiblics}}, August 19, 2010</ref> a similar altered version of the story surfaced: "White Eyes" gained the name "Herobrine", and was now described as the deceased brother of [[Notch]] (in reality, Notch has never had a brother<ref>{{tweet|notch|23849639551700992|Herobrine isn't real in any way, no. I never had a brother (well, there's a half brother I never meet..), and he's not in the game.|Jan 8, 2011}}</ref>), taking the form of a [[human]] entity with white eyes. The exact origin of this version of the story is unknown, with the earliest known instances of it being from a blog post from August 22, 2010,<ref>{{citation|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101204220637/https://inuscreepystuff.blogspot.com/2010/08/minecraft.html|title=Minecraft|website=Creepy + Pasta|author=Inunah|date=August 22, 2010}}</ref> a comment in a Minecraft Forum thread on August 30,<ref>{{citation|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100903055441/http://www.minecraftforum.net/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=29828&start=30|title=How about he's in the game BUT doesn't exist in any of the code, At all.... /rant|website=Minecraft Forum|author=TheCameraWorks|date=August 30, 2010}}</ref> and a now-deleted image posted on 4chan's paranormal /x/ board on August 31.<ref>[http://images.4chan.org/x/src/1283223082465.jpg Original defunct link] to the earliest known post containing the Herobrine story. The filename "1283223082465.jpg" is a [[Wikipedia:Unix time|Unix timestamp]] which points to this image being posted on August 31, 2010, at 02:51:22 GMT.</ref>

The story details an encounter in ''Minecraft'' with a nameless human entity in a single-player [[world]] who displayed strange behavior such as stalking the player from afar, creating unnatural constructions such as [[sand]] pyramids in the [[ocean]] and long 2×2 tunnels, and removing [[leaves]] from [[tree]]s. The writer then attempted to start a topic about the encounter on the Minecraft Forum, only to have it be repeatedly deleted, followed by a private message from a seemingly nonexistent user named "Herobrine" telling them to stop. The 4chan post also contained a screenshot of the encounter, showing Herobrine in the distance amidst the [[fog]].

=== Brocraft streams ===
:''For more detailed information regarding the Brocraft events, see [[Herobrine/StreamFAQ|the Minecraft Wiki's interview with Copeland]] and [[Herobrine/StreamStory|his recounting of the events]].''
Brocraft streamer Copeland came across the Herobrine story on 4chan's /v/ board and took a liking to it. He edited Herobrine into several screenshots to show to his chat and, after getting largely good reactions, decided to stage a hoax; he changed the [[texture]] of a [[painting]] to display Herobrine and put it in a work-in-progress house in his world, planning to show it on a livestream. On August 30, Copeland started a livestream and played through the world as a normal player would, deliberately avoiding the work-in-progress room he had set up for the hoax. He talked about the "ghost" in his screenshots throughout the stream, asserting that it was real and referring to it as "Him", which would later become another nickname for the character.<ref>{{citation|url=https://www.minecraftforum.net/forums/archive/alpha/alpha-survival-single-player/802277-the-white-eyes-him-dead-notch-explained|title=The "White Eyes", "Him", "Dead notch" explained.|website=Minecraft Forum|author=bobsbees|date=August 30, 2010}}</ref> At about 20 minutes and 45 seconds in, Copeland entered the room and saw the re-textured painting, then screamed and ran out, promptly ending the stream. He pretended to be shaken up in the chat and later posted a message onto the forums, linking to the video to spread it around in the hopes of getting similar reactions.<ref>{{citation|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160324021021/https://www.minecraftforum.net/forums/show-your-creation/fan-art/other-fan-art/1582915-video-proof-of-him|title=Video Proof of "him"|website=Minecraft Forum|author=Copeland|date=August 30, 2010}}</ref> Other users in the thread began debating whether Copeland's sighting was real and started posting their own screenshots with Herobrine edited into them.<ref name=who>{{ytl|clElrb1mBmw|Who is Herobrine?|Jamook|November 25, 2010}}</ref> After a while, Copeland removed the painting and reverted to normal textures, then proceeded to stream further, pretending to be scared. He announced that he would delete the world to never meet Herobrine again.

<gallery>
Screenshotttt.png|The image edited by Copeland, which led to him starting the hoax stream.
Herobrine Copeland.png|Zoomed-in excerpt of Herobrine in Copeland's image.
1286120683579.png|Herobrine's first video "sighting" in Copeland's stream.
1286120683579-REMASTERED.png|A high-quality recreation of Copeland's sighting.
</gallery>

Later on, fellow streamer Patimuss made a stream showing Herobrine near a user-made [[lava]] pool. This Herobrine was free-standing, unlike in the previous stream, indicating that he was a retextured [[door]]. The livestream went down after Patimuss ran away and saved his game, only to resume ten minutes later, where Herobrine had supposedly disappeared. Afterward, during the second stream, Patimuss could be heard talking to his wife, stating he was trolling, which flooded the livestream chat with outrage. He then faked a game [[crash]] and the stream proceeded later with no further Herobrine sightings. Copeland disliked that Patimuss outed Herobrine as a fake.

[[File:HerobrineBrocastCreepyPage.gif|thumb|200px|The image in the "Him" website, linked to Brocraft viewers after the Herobrine stream.]]

Around the time of Patimuss' stream, Copeland posted links in chat leading to the website [http://web.archive.org/web/20130710001351/http://ghostinthestream.net/him.html http://ghostinthestream.net/him.html]. The page featured [[Steve]]'s face, but with his original eyes made pitch black and replaced with real, frantically rolling eyes. Below the face, there was a jumble of characters and letters. After removing all non-alphabet characters, the text is revealed to be a slightly edited version of another creepypasta entitled "Wake Up?", which is written as a note to the reader explaining that they have retreated to a "fantasy world" due to suffering from torture (specified as rape in the original text) and that they need to "wake up".<ref>[https://www.creepypasta.com/wake-up/ Wake Up?] – Creepypasta.com, October 21, 2008</ref>

{{Q|It has been  reported  that some victims of torture,  during  the act, would retreat  into  a fantasy world from which they could not WAKE UP. In this  catatonic state, the victim lived in a world just like their normal one, except they weren't being tortured. The only way that they realized they needed to WAKE UP  was a note they found in their fantasy world. It would tell them about their condition, and tell them to WAKE UP. Even then, it would often take months until they were ready to discard their fantasy world and PLEASE WAKE UP.}}

=== Increase in popularity ===
[[File:Herobrine.jpg|thumb|A typical Herobrine "sighting".]]
Following these events, the popularity of the character began to increase, propelling Herobrine to meme status and making him an icon of the community. Numerous screenshots, animations, pieces of artwork, constructions, and videos of Herobrine were created, with the earliest among them being created on the same day as the original livestreams.<ref>{{ytl|rVfiw7ltJeg|Minecraft alpha "Him" apparition|KnukN|August 30, 2010.}}</ref>

Not long after the Brocraft streams propelled Herobrine into popularity, all of the Brocraft streams in which he was featured were deleted, and not archived elsewhere. Before [[#Streams recovered|the streams' recovery]] on July 15, 2024, only a few screenshots and written descriptions of the contents of the livestreams still existed, despite many intensive and thorough search efforts. Copeland continued to adamantly state Herobrine was real for about a year onward.

Notch learned about the story of a "white eye miner" and stated on IRC, "there's no white eyed creepy mob like that - but I TOTALLY should add one now". He also joked about adding entire villages of white eyed humans.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/Minecraft-IRCLogs Minecraft IRC Logs], Adura.7z, 2010-08-30_#minecraft.log</ref> At [[MINECON 2010]], the day after Herobrine's popularity boost from the livestreams, Notch confirmed Herobrine was a hoax, but jokingly alluded to the possibility that he might not be.<ref>{{ytl|7vjhooRq3Ek|MinecraftCon 2010|Miles Smith|September 1, 2010}}</ref> The next day, Notch posted on Twitter about the subject of Herobrine: in reply to a tweet asking if Herobrine was a real entity in-game, Notch replied saying that he was not, but that he "might be soon".<ref>{{tweet|notch|22623080852|It's not real. <nowiki>=</nowiki>) But it might be soon!|September 1, 2010}}</ref> This further confirmed there was no Herobrine, but again suggested the possibility that Notch planned to add him at a later date.

In October 2010, due to increased drama surrounding the [[Minecraft Wiki (website)|Minecraft Wiki's]] page on Herobrine, a wiki administrator asked Notch over [[wikipedia:Internet Relay Chat|IRC]] if he would ever be added, to which Notch replied "i{{sic}} have no plans of adding herobrine as is, but I do like the rumors, haha".{{cn}} This showed Notch had decided against adding Herobrine, but the use of the wording "as is" suggested that something like Herobrine may be added, further fueling beliefs that he would be implemented. Once again, the same user asked for clarification, saying that the ''Minecraft'' community was "getting frustrated by the hero-spam", to which Notch replied that he had no plans for adding Herobrine into the game.<ref>{{tweet|notch|27871748827|@Kizzycocoa i have no plans of adding herobrine.|October 19, 2010}}</ref>

=== Modded versions ===
[[File:Herobrine Shrine.png|thumb|An altar used to summon Herobrine in several mods, including the earliest known plugin.]]
On December 10, 2010, hMod Forums user tkelly released the earliest known Herobrine mod, a server plugin called "iLoveYou".<ref>{{citation|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720002711/http://topica-rp.com/hmod/forum/showthread3b9b.html|title=<nowiki>[MISC] Herobrine v0.3.1 [133]</nowiki>|website=hMod Forums|author=tkelly|date=December 10, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{reddit|ekq34||Herobrine plugin for hMod|Flandoo|December 12, 2010}}</ref> In the plugin, Herobrine can be summoned by building an altar made of [[gold block]]s, [[netherrack]], [[redstone torch]]es and [[mossy cobblestone]], and igniting the netherrack on top.<ref name=summon>{{ytl|syTY4ctONGY|<nowiki>[How To] Summon HeroBrine[GER]</nowiki>|SakusLP|December 29, 2010}}</ref> The mod's version of Herobrine exhibits behaviors similar to those in the original creepypasta and livestreams, as well as new behaviors, such as placing redstone torches,<ref name=tkelly1>{{ytl|R1FvV9-UHHI|Herobrine|tkellyMC|December 10, 2010}}</ref> building underground dungeons,<ref name=tkelly2>{{ytl|u-5bjoj4ruM|Herobrine 0.2|tkellyMC|December 11, 2010}}</ref> teleporting behind players,<ref name=tkelly3>{{ytl|RLiYsHjRSxY|Herobrine 12-12|tkellyMC|December 12, 2010}}</ref> and luring players into traps.<ref name=trap>https://bukkit.org/threads/req-the-herobrine-plugin.19251/#post-351702</ref> Many YouTube videos from around the time of this plugin's release show players encountering or summoning this modded version of Herobrine on many different servers,<ref name=how>{{ytl|BeM7O25lcr8|Minecraft - How to summon Herobrine|Phaseout|December 31, 2010}}</ref><ref name=to>{{ytl|mGR4bAlt-Xo|Summoning Herobrine|BIJ|January 1, 2011}}</ref> indicating that the plugin was widespread enough to influence the playerbase's perception of Herobrine, and many of Herobrine's traits and abilities introduced in the mod became established in the community as part of the character. Updated versions of this plugin created by other users still exist on the Internet,<ref>{{citation|url=https://github.com/darkdiplomat/iLoveYou|title=iLoveYou|website=GitHub|author=darkdiplomat|date=March 22, 2013}}</ref><ref>https://archive.org/details/iloveyou_202211</ref> but the original plugin from the original creator is currently lost.

Later, on July 29, 2011, a more popular Herobrine mod was released by the Minecraft Forum user burnner.<ref>{{citation|url=https://www.minecraftforum.net/forums/mapping-and-modding-java-edition/minecraft-mods/1275595-the-herobrine-mod-official-3-6|title=The Herobrine Mod OFFICIAL 3.6|website=Minecraft Forums|author=burnner_|date=July 29, 2011}}</ref> This mod also lets players summon Herobrine by building and igniting an altar made of gold and netherrack, though the arrangement and composition of blocks is different, and a new "Herobrine Totem" block is required. This mod's version of Herobrine retains many of his abilities from the canon sources and original mod while gaining many new ones, such as using [[tool]]s, placing [[sign]]s, possessing [[animal]]s, and spawning [[undead mob]]s. Herobrine is much more hostile in this mod and regularly attacks players directly, unlike in the original mod where Herobrine is rarely encountered and less overtly hostile. Many subsequent Herobrine mods have been made since, many of them employing numerous concepts that originated in these early examples. Such mods are the only way Herobrine can actually exist in the game.

=== Later status ===
From 2011 onward, Herobrine's popularity continued to increase as more and more fan creations featuring the character were created. Many "sightings", modded gameplay videos, and animations featuring Herobrine would reach tens of millions of views on YouTube during the following years.<ref>{{ytl|I-sH53vXP2A|"Fallen Kingdom" - A Minecraft Parody of Coldplay's Viva la Vida (Music Video)|CaptainSparklez|April 1, 2012}}</ref><ref name=found>{{ytl|9-XH-CuBAY0|I FOUND herobrine Minecraft PE|SpaceWaffle|July 19, 2012}}</ref> Numerous imitation characters with varying levels of popularity were created with Herobrine as the main inspiration, but Herobrine would always remain by far the most popular.

As the role of lead developer of ''Minecraft'' was passed on from Notch to [[Jeb]], the chance of Herobrine appearing in an update became unclear. On August 22, 2012, [[Dinnerbone]], current joint developer of ''Minecraft'', tweeted "We have no plans at all to add herobrine. I doubt this will ever change."<ref>{{tweet|dinnerbone|238278012632707072|@Kizzycocoa We have no plans at all to add herobrine. I doubt this will ever change.|August 22, 2012}}</ref> This confirms that Herobrine is unlikely ever to appear in ''Minecraft'', and that any claims of "finding" Herobrine in vanilla ''Minecraft'' in future updates are completely unfounded.

=== Seed discovered ===
In Semptember 2020, the seed finding group [https://minecraftathome.com/projects/about.html Minecraft@Home] began a project to attempt to discover the [[world seed]] that the original Herobrine screenshot was taken on. The process involved building an exact recreation of the terrain visible in the screenshot and reverse engineering the specific world generation that would have produced the terrain, then attempting to locate seeds that generated the same terrain in the same version. Factors involved included the rotation of block top textures, the probable location of chunk borders, the placement and shape of the trees, and the fact that leaves on trees would sometimes decay during alpha due to a bug, creating a discrepancy between the originally generated terrain and the terrain visible in the screenshot. After several months, the seed was finally discovered in January 2021 to be {{cd|478868574082066804}}, with the player's position at the [[coordinates]] x=5.06, y=71, z=-298.54.<ref name=seed>{{citation|url=https://minecraftathome.com/herobrine|title=The World of Herobrine|website=Minecraft @ Home}}</ref>

=== Streams recovered ===
The original Brocraft streams were considered lost until they were rediscovered on July 15, 2024. A long-running project by Enderboss25 managed to locate both streams approximately 14 years after they were first broadcasted. The streams had been downloaded by the YouTube user @brutallillfjomp, who stated in a comment that "I had no idea this was lost media. I downloaded that stream back in the day. I've had it uploaded privately to my channel for years, thinking it was nothing special. l've made the two videos available on my channel now, as well as some Herobrine clip I download from YouTube back in the day".

He proceeded to upload both the Copeland stream,<ref name=stream>https://archive.org/details/copeland-lost-herobrine-stream</ref><ref>{{ytl|qRzX7CDxQsI|Live Show Procaster Mon Aug 30 2010 11 24 42 AM on Minecrafterryday live streaming video powere|brutallillfjomp|July 15, 2024}}</ref> and the Patimuss stream.<ref name=stream/><ref>{{ytl|-YNi0yE8Q5w|Live Show Procaster Mon Aug 30 2010 11 56 23 PM on Minecrafterryday live streaming video powere|brutallillfjomp|July 15, 2024}}</ref>

== Description ==
=== Canonical ===
[[File:Herobrine Sighting.png|thumb|Another early Herobrine image.]]
Herobrine is said to be Notch's deceased brother, somehow embedded into ''Minecraft'' as a human entity with the player skin of Steve, but with completely white eyes and no visible irises or pupils. His appearance differs between the canonical sources; in Copeland's livestream, he had the beard seen in Steve's original design, while in the original 4chan image and Copeland's edited screenshot, the beard appears to be absent.

Herobrine is able to build and destroy in the game. The original story states the player found long 2×2 tunnels, small pyramids in the middle of the ocean, and trees with no leaves. The full extent of his building capacity is unknown, but the given examples indicate Herobrine has awareness of shape, and can differentiate materials from each other. Herobrine shows a lot of characteristics of being a form of virus, such as manipulating game worlds, deleting Minecraft Forum topics and sending messages to forum users, and, according to Copeland's livestream, changing the skins of other players. He is not seen to communicate with players in-game, but does have the ability to communicate through the internet. Copeland also claimed at one point in his livestream that Herobrine was controlling his keyboard, though this was stated in a more joking manner.

Herobrine seems to solely target players. He did not seem to interact with any other [[mob]]s nearby in the Brocraft streams, some of which were [[spider]]s and [[zombie]]s. His canonical relation to further mobs added since he appeared is a complete mystery. His interactions with other mobs are not mentioned in the original image. While there is a [[chicken]] present in the image, Herobrine does not seem interested in it at all, and is solely focused on the player.

In both the original creepypasta and the Brocraft streams, Herobrine appears in the world without any apparent cause, and his presence is not implied to be due to a player's actions. In the creepypasta, he seems to avoid the player and appears to only be active in unexplored areas, whereas in the streams he seems to intentionally get close to players and appears mainly near player constructions.

=== Community ===
[[File:Herobrine Totem.png|thumb|A totem used to summon Herobrine in burnner's Herobrine mod, and several other mods.]]
The pronounciation of the name "Herobrine" is not specified in any of the canonical sources, leaving it as a subject of debate. Most pronounce the "Hero" part of the name as either /hɪɹəʊ/ (as in the word "hero") or /hɛɹoʊ/ ("Heh-roh"), while the "-brine" part is commonly pronounced as /bɹaɪn/ (as in the word "brine"), /bɹɪn/ ("brin"), or /bɹiːn/ ("breen").{{cn}}

Though his hands are usually empty, Herobrine is sometimes depicted holding tools, such as [[pickaxe]]s.<ref>{{ytl|UHzQhLQLLYM|Herobrine sighting - Minecraft 1.7.3|Albatross960|July 9, 2011}}</ref> This stems from the widespread community belief that Herobrine is a dead miner, killed long before the player's arrival.{{cn}} His appearance does not suggest this is the case, though with <i>Minecraft</i>'s [[mineshaft]]s and [[stronghold]]s, as well as mining being a large part of the game, the game itself has shaped public perception of the character to suit this persona. While he usually doesn't seem to have any home besides the underground tunnels and dungeons he builds, he sometimes has a large base of operations, such as a castle<ref>{{ytl|Kwwl9jiJ1A4|"Take Back the Night" - A Minecraft Original Music Video|CaptainSparklez|August 31, 2013}}
</ref> or mansion.<ref>{{citation|url=https://www.planetminecraft.com/project/herobrines-mansion-adventure-map|title=Herobrine's Mansion (Adventure Map)|website=Planet Minecraft|author=Hypixel|date=November 3, 2012}}</ref>

Herobrine occasionally interacts with other mobs. He is sometimes able to take control of passive animals, causing them to also exhibit his blank white eyes,<ref name=who/> and revive/spawn undead mobs.<ref>{{ytl|ZxU-h6JCq0M|Minecraft: Herobrine Mod (Herobrine, Notch, Evil Chickens and More!) Mod Showcase|MCFinest|December 14, 2013}}</ref> He seems capable of drastically changing his environments with no viable source of resources to do so. Most expansions to his abilities involve [[cobblestone]] placing,<ref>{{citation|url=https://www.planetminecraft.com/blog/herobrine-pyramid-on-singleplayer|title=Herobrine Pyramid On Singleplayer!!!!|website=Planet Minecraft|author=charman305|date=December 27, 2011}}</ref> dungeon building,<ref name=tkelly2/> using redstone torches<ref name=tkelly1/> and setting traps.<ref>{{ytl|RtnhaiLoNDU|Minecraft - him in my minecraft|DrFunkyStarcraft|November 12, 2010.}}</ref> He exhibits all the behaviors of a [[Creative]] mode player in the game. While he is usually mute, some interpretations have him communicating with players, typically by sending them ominous messages through signs<ref>{{ytl|gR4g_bDUURk|Herobrine SPOTTED hackforums RPS Minecraft|Zher0|November 4, 2010}}</ref> or [[chat]]<ref>{{ytl|usiQugqY80I|I SAW HEROBRINE OMG OMG OMG|Tempotuchable|December 30, 2010}}</ref> such as "Stop"<ref>{{ytl|RfQfzna2rrs|Minecraft - Communicating with HeroBrine (THIS IS REAL, ITS NOT FAKE THIS TIME)|Fanmakers|November 24, 2010}}</ref> or "Only God can save/help you now",<ref>{{ytl|DYC-n00pPKI|HeroBrine seen 2nd Time|SakusLP|December 28, 2010}}</ref> or by screaming as he jumpscares them.<ref>{{ytl|opuQmQy87x4|Him|SharpTH|October 11, 2010}}</ref> While he usually cannot be killed, in some interpretations he can be defeated, at least temporarily.<ref name=found/>

Herobrine's intentions vary, but they usually fall under two categories: the "stalker" variation, based on the original canonical events, and the "vengeful" variation, derived from community interpretation. In the "stalker" variation, he stalks the player, disappearing if approached. In the "vengeful" variation, he tries to ensnare the player in traps, presumably to steal their [[item]]s. He waits for people to enter his dungeons, then either seals them inside,<ref>{{ytl|bjFaRSSgF_o|Minecraft HeroBrine wurde gesichtet|SakusLP|December 27, 2010}}</ref> or teleports behind them,<ref name=tkelly3/> presumably killing them. Some rarer variations of the latter state he breaks the player's creations<ref>{{ytl|2B4KAsDsa9s|Herobrine sighting|Nombombs|November 3, 2010}}</ref> and steals their items from [[chest]]s.<ref>{{ytl|B2Vtcewizvc|minecraft : Herobrine in my house?!?!?!?!|TheKittyGamer|August 22, 2011}}</ref>

A popular idea in the community is that Herobrine can be "summoned" through the use of a special arrangement of [[block]]s; such a structure is usually referred to as a "Herobrine altar", "Herobrine shrine", "Herobrine totem" or "Herobrine spawner". Typically, this is a 3×3 horizontal square of gold blocks, with a block of netherrack placed on top and four redstone torches placed upright on each side.<ref name=summon/> The block beneath the netherrack varies between versions, with common choices being mossy cobblestone,<ref name=how/> [[soul sand]],<ref>{{citation|url=https://www.minecraftforum.net/forums/mapping-and-modding-java-edition/minecraft-mods/1275595-the-herobrine-mod-official-3-6?comment=241|title=If I may make a suggestion for the summoning: Make it a more expensive recipe. EXAMPLE:|website=Minecraft Forum|author=thumper10|date=August 3, 2011}}
</ref> more netherrack<ref>{{citation|url=https://www.theprogrammersworld.com/Herobrine/totem.php|title=Building Herobrine's Totem|website=The Programmer's World}}</ref> or more gold.<ref>https://bukkit.org/threads/inactive-page-15-fun-gen-mech-herobrine-v1-0_5-bringing-the-legend-back-1000-1060.29490/</ref> Another common design is a 1 block wide, 4 block tall pillar with 2 gold blocks on the bottom and 2 netherrack blocks on the top.<ref>{{citation|url=https://www.planetminecraft.com/project/herobrine-in-minecraft-3187559/|title=Herobrine in Minecraft! 1.8.9 version|website=Planet Minecraft|author=letsrum|date=December 28, 2014}}</ref> Some variations also include other blocks such as [[redstone dust]]<ref>{{ytl|pHAbFN0B_ik|How I Summoned Herobrine in Minecraft (Minecraft Tutorial)|Dark Corners|October 3, 2017}}</ref> or lava.<ref>{{citation|url=https://www.minecraftmods.com/the-legend-of-herobrine/|title=The Legend of Herobrine|website=MinecraftMods.com|author=AlexMacLean}}</ref> Igniting the netherrack is supposed to "activate" the structure, which then supposedly summons Herobrine into the world.<ref name=to/>

== Official cameos ==
Herobrine has appeared or been mentioned in official [[Mojang Studios|Mojang]] images and webpages as an inside joke. His first appearance in official Mojang images was with the [https://web.archive.org/web/20210221084148/https://notch.tumblr.com/post/8829997577/wedding-weekend Wedding Weekend] in August 2011, in which he was just behind Notch's ''Minecraft'' character. He then made several appearances in material related to [[MINECON 2011]]: firstly the website header, where he was just behind Notch yet again.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20110922104118/http://minecon.mojang.com/</ref> He then appeared in [http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=BE&v=-y2NACUlwmE the official MINECON 2011 trailer] created by Hat Films, at 3:11, after players were asked to submit skins to appear in the trailer.<ref>{{citation|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111030195746/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Pv9mzW1Cms|title=Minecraft Trailer Competition!|website=YouTube|author=HaatFilms|date=October 26, 2011}}</ref> In the convention itself, a Herobrine statue was present in the Xbox section, on the board behind the Xbox stations. During the closing of the convention, a user named Zaralith won the Herobrine statue by correctly answering the give-away question "How many Fable games are there?". Some users have pointed to this as proof of his future addition, however there is no proof he has been portrayed for anything other than baiting fans.

Herobrine then appeared in the instruction booklets of some of the first [[LEGO Minecraft]] sets, among other ''Minecraft'' [[character]]s. He also appeared in [https://www.facebook.com/minecraft ''Minecraft's'' Facebook page] on the cover photo in summer 2012,<ref>{{citation|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120726122129/http://www.facebook.com/minecraft|title=Minecraft|website=Facebook}}</ref> although the image was created by a fan for a competition with the theme of "summer picnic", hence his inclusion may not be fully intentional.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20120712190445/http://mojang.com/</ref>

In September 2013, developer [[Marc Watson]] created a series of skins for the [[head]] model. These skins were made to ensure a stable skin for various official entities could be used without fear that the skin could change. Herobrine is one of the skins that can be obtained through this system by using the command {{cmd|give @s player_head{SkullOwner:MHF_Herobrine} }} (with "MHF" standing for "Marc's Head Format"). The skin used to show Herobrine without a beard and was originally taken from the Herobrine account. It was changed in December 2017 to use the same beard that Steve and the [[Mob (entity)|mob]] had before the release of [[Survival Test]].<ref>{{citation|url=https://namemc.com/profile/MHF_Herobrine.1|title=MHF_Herobrine|website=NameMC}}</ref>

<gallery>
Tumblr lptis8PNzr1qzb7ox-Herobrine.png|Herobrine in the Wedding Weekend promo image.
MINECON-Herobrine.png|Herobrine in the MINECON 2011 header.
MINECON-is-a-go-20111118112241743-000.jpg|The Herobrine statue on the MINECON 2011 Xbox 360 stand.
Herobrine statue.jpg|The Herobrine statue from MINECON 2011, now owned by Zaralith.
Herobrine Micro World Forest.png|Herobrine in the LEGO Minecraft Micro World: The Forest booklet.
Herobrine Micro World Village.png|Herobrine in the LEGO Minecraft Micro World: The Village booklet.
Minecraft Facebook Cover Photo Herobrine.png|Herobrine in Mojang Studios' "summer picnic" Facebook cover photo.
MHF_Herobrine old.png|MHF_Herobrine, without the beard.
</gallery>

In the [[Java Edition 3D Shareware v1.34]] April Fools' update, "Removing Herobrine" is one of the episodes. On the ''[[Minecraft Earth]]'' FAQ site, Herobrine used to be mentioned in one of the frequently asked questions about the game; the question was "Is Herobrine in this game too?" and the answer given was "<REDACTED>".<ref>{{citation|url=https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/earth/faq|title=Minecraft Earth FAQ|website=Minecraft.net|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190725021053/https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/earth/faq}}</ref> This was later removed from the FAQ page. In the [https://discord.com/invite/minecraft Official Minecraft Discord], there is a sticker called "Him", which references the image in the "Him" website linked to Brocraft viewers after the Herobrine stream.

=== Legacy Console Editions ===
One of the in-game [[loading tips]] in the [[Legacy Console Edition]]s references Herobrine: "We think [[4J Studios]] has removed Herobrine from the [console] console game, but we're not too sure."

Herobrine is part of [[Skin Pack 1]] released on the Legacy Console Editions. Because of this addition, "sightings" rose drastically due to players using the skin. However, the skin was omitted from the [[Bedrock Edition]] version of the skin pack.<ref>{{Mcnet|moana-and-xbox-characters-come-minecraft|Moana and Xbox Characters Come to Minecraft!|January 30, 2018|Marsh Davies}}</ref> Herobrine then made more appearances as a "Zombie Herobrine" skin in [[Skin Pack 3]], a "Party Herobrine" skin in the [[1st Birthday Skin Pack]], and an "Xmas Herobrine" skin in the Festive [[Mash-up Pack]].

Shirts featuring Herobrine's face were available on [[Xbox 360 Edition|Xbox 360]] as paid {{Wikipedia|Avatar (Xbox)|avatar}} items. Gamer pictures featuring Herobrine were also included in the "Enemies", "Faces", and "Mobs in Suits 2" gamerpic packs.

<gallery>
Xbox 360 Herobrine Loading tip.png|The loading tip referencing Herobrine in ''Xbox 360 Edition''.
HerobrineSkinpack1.png|Herobrine from [[Skin Pack 1]].
SkinPack3.png|The Zombie Herobrine from [[Skin Pack 3]].
SP3 screenshot 8.jpg|The Zombie Herobrine from Skin Pack 3.
Zombie Herobrine.png|The Zombie Herobrine from Skin Pack 3.
1st Birthday Promo 3.jpg|The Party Herobrine from the [[1st Birthday Skin Pack]].
Minecraft1stBirthdaySP.jpg|The Party Herobrine from the 1st Birthday Skin Pack.
Party Herobrine.png|The Party Herobrine from the 1st Birthday Skin Pack.
Xbox-360-avatar-minecraft-herobrine-tshirt-f.png|The "Minecraft Herobrine T-shirt" avatar item (female).
Xbox-360-avatar-minecraft-herobrine-tshirt-m.png|The "Minecraft Herobrine T-shirt" avatar item (male).
Xbox-360-gamerpic-herobrine.png|Gamerpic from the "Enemies" pack.
Xbox-360-gamerpic-herobrine-face.png|Gamerpic from the "Faces" pack.
Xbox-360-gamerpic-herobrine-suit.png|Gamerpic from the "Mobs in Suits 2" pack.
</gallery>

=== Marketplace ===
In [[10 Years of Minecraft]], Herobrine is alluded to several times. While approaching The Academy, players use a codec credited to Herobrine, which can be used to translate the phrase "I have a spine, front and back but bones and teeth are what I lack, on me you can write your name but first craft me with 3 sugar-cane." Beneath the Mob Garden is a small labyrinth that concludes at a tunnel, lined with banners of Herobrine, with the reward of eleven [[Golden Apple|golden apples]].

In [[15 Year Journey]], the seed in the original screenshot is referenced at the beginning of the Alpha minigame. It can be seen should the player turn around at the very start of the game.<gallery>
File:Code Translator lore.png|The book credited to Herobrine in 10 Years of Minecraft.
File:Herobrine banners.png|The banners resembling Herobrine.
File:Familiar Fright.png|The recreated hill in 15 Year Journey.
</gallery>

=== Changelogs ===
[[File:1.7 changelist.png|thumb|A blurred changelog for Beta 1.7 that Notch posted on Twitter, with the words "Removed Herobrine" at the bottom.]]

Herobrine has been said to be removed from the game in numerous changelog entries. The first of these mentions was in [[Beta 1.6.6]], as a joke referring to the partial removal of the human mob's essential code, making it unspawnable within ''Minecraft''. An ulterior motive may have been to troll the community, as this was around the time Herobrine had gained memetic status. After that, most ''Minecraft'' update changelogs since then until [[Java Edition 1.16.2]] included the entry "Removed Herobrine" at least once every update cycle as a running gag, with an exception, [[Java Edition 1.1]]. This changed after Java Edition 1.16.2, where he was never mentioned in any changelogs up until [[Java Edition 1.20]], where he was once again removed. He was removed again in all subsequent changlogs.

{| class="wikitable" style="clear: left;" data-description="Removed Herobrine"
|+{{el|je}} changelogs mentioning Herobrine
! Version
! Notes
|-
| [[Java Edition Beta 1.6.6|Beta 1.6.6]] || Noted in [{{WON|6035819427}} The Word of Notch] and on the [https://mcupdate.tumblr.com/post/6035829636 Tumblr changelog].
|-
| [[Java Edition Beta 1.7|Beta 1.7]] || Noted in [{{WON|7080851021}} The Word of Notch] and on the [https://mcupdate.tumblr.com/post/7080876374/minecraft-beta-17 Tumblr changelog].
|-
| [[Java Edition Beta 1.8|Beta 1.8]] || Noted on the [https://mcupdate.tumblr.com/post/10199253666 Tumblr changelog].
|-
| [[Java Edition 1.0.0|1.0.0]] || Noted on the [https://mcupdate.tumblr.com/post/13198722495 Tumblr changelog].
|-
| ''[[Java Edition 1.1|1.1]]'' || ''Notably missing'' on the [https://mcupdate.tumblr.com/post/15724702913 Tumblr changelog].
|-
| [[Java Edition 1.2.1|1.2.1]] || Noted on the [https://mcupdate.tumblr.com/post/18550138324 Tumblr changelog].
|-
| [[Java Edition 1.2.5|1.2.5]] || Noted on the [https://web.archive.org/web/20120330210121/https://www.mojang.com/2012/03/minecraft-1-2-5-prerelease/ official ''Mojang'' blog] as removal of all "ghost entities under the command of Lord Herobrine."
|-
| [[Java Edition 1.3.1|1.3.1]] ||Noted on the [https://mcupdate.tumblr.com/post/28481708267 Tumblr changelog].
|-
| [[Java Edition 1.4.2|1.4.2]] || Noted on the [https://mcupdate.tumblr.com/post/34289020110 Tumblr changelog].
|-
| [[Java Edition 1.5|1.5-pre]] || Noted on the [https://web.archive.org/web/20130308092603/https://mojang.com/2013/03/minecraft-redstone-update-pre-release/ official ''Mojang'' blog].
|-
| [[Java Edition 1.5|1.5]] || Noted on the [https://mcupdate.tumblr.com/post/45267771887 Tumblr changelog].
|-
| [[Java Edition 1.6|1.6]] || Noted on the [https://web.archive.org/web/20130725150604/https://mojang.com/2013/06/minecraft-1-6-pre-release/ official ''Mojang'' blog].
|-
| [[Java Edition 1.6.1|1.6.1]] || Noted on the [https://mcupdate.tumblr.com/post/54337149404 Tumblr changelog].
|-
| [[Java Edition 1.7.2|1.7.2]] || Noted on the [https://mcupdate.tumblr.com/post/65040832258 Tumblr changelog].
|-
| [[Java Edition 1.8-pre1|1.8-pre1]] || Noted on the [https://web.archive.org/web/20140822113047/https://mojang.com/2014/08/minecraft-1-8-pre-release-the-bountiful-update/ official ''Mojang'' blog].
|-
| [[Java Edition 1.8|1.8]] || Noted on the [https://web.archive.org/web/20140822113047/https://mojang.com/2014/08/minecraft-1-8-pre-release-the-bountiful-update/ official ''Mojang'' blog] and the [https://mcupdate.tumblr.com/post/96439224994 Tumblr changelog].
|-
| [[Java Edition 16w03a|16w03a]] || Noted on the [https://web.archive.org/web/20160122184200/https://mojang.com/2016/01/minecraft-snapshot-16w03a/ official ''Mojang'' blog].
|-
| [[Java Edition 1.9|1.9]] || Noted on the [https://web.archive.org/web/20160229151348/https://mojang.com/2016/02/minecraft-19-combat-update/ official ''Mojang'' blog] and the [https://mcupdate.tumblr.com/post/140212919664 Tumblr changelog].
|-
| [[Java Edition 1.RV-Pre1|1.RV-Pre1]] || Noted on the [https://web.archive.org/web/20160331180101/https://www.mojang.com/2016/03/minecraft-1rv-the-trendy-update-pre-release-1/ official ''Mojang'' blog] as "Digitalized Herobrine" and "Removed Herobrine".
|-
| [[Java Edition 1.10|1.10]] || Noted on the [https://web.archive.org/web/20160608153158/https://mojang.com/2016/06/minecraft-110-an-update-of-fire-and-ice/ official ''Mojang'' blog] and the [https://mcupdate.tumblr.com/post/145610638294 Tumblr changelog].
|-
| [[16w39a]] || Noted on the [https://web.archive.org/web/20160928165830/https://mojang.com/2016/09/minecraft-snapshot-16w39a-the-exploration-update/ official ''Mojang'' blog].
|-
| [[Java Edition 1.11|1.11]] || Noted on the [https://mcupdate.tumblr.com/post/153295057254 Tumblr changelog].
|-
| [[Java Edition 1.12|1.12]] || Noted on the [{{Mcnet|world-color-released}} official ''Minecraft'' website].
|-
| [[Java Edition 1.13|1.13]] || Noted on the [{{Mcnet|update-aquatic-out-java}} official ''Minecraft'' website].
|-
| [[Java Edition 1.14|1.14]] || Noted on the [{{Mcnet|village---pillage-out-java-}} official ''Minecraft'' website].
|-
| [[Java Edition 1.15.1|1.15.1]] || Noted on the [{{Mcnet|minecraft-java-edition-1-15-1}} official ''Minecraft'' website].
|-
| [[Java Edition 1.16.2|1.16.2]] || Noted on the [{{Mcnet|minecraft-java-edition-1-16-2}} official ''Minecraft'' website].
|-
| [[Java Edition 1.20|1.20]] || Noted on the [{{Mcnet|trails-tales-update-out-today-java}} official ''Minecraft'' website].
|-
| [[Java Edition 1.20.2|1.20.2]] || Noted on the [{{Mcnet|minecraft-java-edition-1-20-2}} official ''Minecraft'' website].
|-
|[[Java Edition 24w09a|24w09a]]
|Noted on the [{{Mcnet|minecraft-snapshot-24w09a}} official ''Minecraft'' website] as an example of the [[data component format]].
|-
|[[Java Edition 1.20.5|1.20.5]]
|Noted on the [{{Mcnet|minecraft-java-edition-1-20-5}} official ''Minecraft'' website] as an example of the [[data component format]].
|-
| [[Java Edition 1.21|1.21]]
|Noted on the [{{Mcnet|minecraft-java-edition-1-21}} official ''Minecraft'' website].
|-
| [[Java Edition 1.21.4|1.21.4]]
|Noted on the [{{Mcnet|minecraft-java-edition-1-21-4}} official ''Minecraft'' website].
|}

In the changelog of [[Minecraft Launcher]] version [[Launcher 2.2.176x|2.2.176x]], released soon after the [[world seed]] of the original Herobrine screenshot was discovered, the developers said that they "removed Herobrine from [[Java Edition Alpha v1.0.16_02|Java Alpha 1.0.16_02]]", the version in which the screenshot was taken.

In an [https://web.archive.org/web/20120714105228/https://www.mojang.com/2012/07/minecraft-xbox-360-edition-update-is-out/ update for Xbox 360] on July 13, 2012 ([[Xbox 360 Edition TU3]]), Herobrine was stated to be removed from the [[Xbox 360 Edition]] of ''Minecraft'' for the first time. He was then removed again in [[Xbox 360 Edition TU5]].<ref>{{citation|url=https://www.minecraftforum.net/forums/minecraft-editions/minecraft-xbox-360-edition/mcx360-discussion/2064202-mcxbla-title-update-change-logs|title=MCXBLA Title Update change logs|website=Minecraft Forum|author=padware|date=June 8, 2012}}</ref>

In the changelog for version 0.103.0 of ''[[Scrolls]]'', another game by Mojang, Herobrine being removed was in the changelog's miscellaneous section.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20130905030046/https://scrolls.com/2013/08/scrolls-changelog-0-103-0-super-friendly-edition "Scrolls Changelog 0.103.0 – super friendly edition!"] by Owen – Scrolls.com, August 7, 2013</ref>

== Mojang reactions ==

Mojang has, albeit rarely, shared their views on Herobrine. Their reactions have varied from plainly stating that he does not exist to Notch saying he appears only when players ask him.

; Notch 

{{Q|Fine, Herobrine is real, and he gains spooky vengeance haunting power whenever you remind me of him. Only way to stop him is to ignore him.
|[[Notch]]|Herobrine<ref>{{citation|url=https://archive.is/FysAV|title=Fine, Herobrine is real, and he gains spooky vengeance haunting power whenever you remind me of him. Only way to stop him is to ignore him.}} – {{tweet|notch}}, July 6, 2014</ref>|Notchface-twitter.png}}

{{Q|Getting loads of tweets and emails about Herobrine again. I don't have a dead brother, and he never was in the game. Not real. Never was.|[[Notch]]|Herobrine<ref>{{tweet|notch|206375074608054273|Getting loads of tweets and emails about Herobrine again. I don't have a dead brother, and he never was in the game.|May 26, 2012}}</ref>|Notchface-twitter.png}}

{{Q|The Herobrine stuff is awesome and kind of scary at the same time. It really shows how little control a content producer has over the content.<br><br>I've publicly told people there's never been any such thing as Herobrine, and that I don't have any dead brothers, and that letting too many animals die in lava is a fool proof way to summon him but that you don't need to be afraid of him. He only means well, he's looking out for you, trying to warn you of the dangers you can't see. There certainly are NO physical manifestations of Herobrine that will sneak out of your computer if you leave ''Minecraft'' running at night, looming over you as you sleep with his pale eyes inches away from your face, as he tries to shout at you to wake up. Sometimes you wake up with a jolt, and he's gone, and all that lingers is the memory and faint echo of his wordless screaming. Of course it was just a dream. There's no way a morally dubious ghost with a god complex could at any point decide to haunt the children who play my game "for their own good", as there is NO SUCH THING. etc etc|[[Notch]]|Herobrine<ref>{{reddit|qqenq/minceraft_a_post_mortem|c3zmd7n|The Herobrine stuff is awesome and kind of scary at the same time. It really shows how little control a content producer has over the content.|xNotch|March 10, 2012}}</ref>|Notchface.png}}

{{Q|Every single thing in the game gets found out within minutes. People are decompiling the code, and there are even automated tools to do so. It should be obvious to everyone that there isn't a hidden herobrine in there, or it would've been found years ago.<br><br>Despite this, people keep spreading the rumor, posting fake stories and screenshots, and generally hyping it, so it seems to be something people WANT the game to contain. But the truth he certainly had never ever been in the game when I was working on it, and I absolutely, positively don't have a dead brother. But if people want to pretend it's true, who am I to stop them?<br><br>tl;dr: sure, why not|[[Notch]]|Herobrine<ref>{{reddit|u5xvz/this_has_gone_far_enough_notch|c4smuuu|Every single thing in the game gets found out within minutes. People are decompiling the code, and there are even automated tools to do so. It should be obvious to everyone that there isn't a hidden herobrine in there, or it would've been found years ago.|xNotch|May 26, 2012}}</ref>|Notchface.png}}

; Ezchili 

{{Q|It was fun to see the brocraft stream with herobrine back in the day, was well done. But then it's been overused & worn out.|[[Ez]]chili|Herobrine<ref>{{tweet|ez|220633988623118336|@Kizzycocoa It was fun to see the brocraft stream with herobrine back in the day, was well done. But then it's been overused & worn out.|July 4, 2012}}</ref>|Eztwitter.png}}

; Kappische

{{Q|Ok ok. To be honest, there has never existed a Herobrine. It was just a rumor started by some douche and then someone probably created a mod.|[[Kappische]]|Herobrine<ref>{{citation|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140502003926/https://twitter.com/Kappische/status/109153949017313280|title=Ok ok. To be honest, there has never existed a Herobrine. It was just a rumor started by some douche and then someone probably created a mod}} – {{tweet|kapp}}, August 31, 2011</ref>|Daniel Kaplan.png}}
When asked if he would like to update his stance, Kappische replied:
{{Q|yes..but he is watching me!|[[Kappische]]|Herobrine<ref>{{citation|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160603023836if_/https://twitter.com/Kappische/status/199831382942429184|title=@Kizzycocoa yes..but he is watching me!}} – {{tweet|kapp}}, May 8, 2012</ref>|Daniel Kaplan.png}}

; Mollstam

{{Q|Herobrine has, and always will be, our friend.|[[Mollstam]]|Herobrine<ref>{{tweet|moll|199621775632506880|@Kizzycocoa Herobrine has, and always will be, our friend.|May 7, 2012}}</ref>|Mollstam twitter.png}}

; JahKob 

{{Q|He has never existed.. Quote me if you want..|[[JahKob]]|Herobrine<ref>{{tweet|jakob|201053763451105280|@Kizzycocoa Sure i can.. He has never existed.. Quote me if you want..|May 11, 2012}}</ref>|Jakob Porser Square.png}}

; Carnalizer

{{Q|I don't always have an opinion about Herobrine, but when I do, it tends to end up on a wiki.|[[Carnalizer]]|Herobrine<ref>{{tweet|carn|199879138687983616|@Kizzycocoa I don't always have an opinion about Herobrine, but when I do, it tends to end up on a wiki.|May 8, 2012}}</ref>|Henrik mojavatar.jpg}}
{{Q|I don't have an opinion.|[[Carnalizer]]|Herobrine<ref>{{tweet|carn|199891201472733184|@Kizzycocoa I suggest you put that last tweet there. :) I don't have an opinion.|May 8. 2012}}</ref>|Henrik mojavatar.jpg}}

; EvilSeph 

{{Q|I can't comment on that, he might be watching...|[[EvilSeph]]|Herobrine (Via IRC)|EvilSeph.png}}

; C418

{{Q|Aand I finished the herobrine sound effects! And deleted them as quickly as possible.|[[C418]]|Herobrine<ref>{{citation|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221119075051/https://twitter.com/C418/status/88166084275998720|title=Aand I finished the herobrine sound effects! And deleted them as quickly as possible.}} – {{tweet|C418}}, July 5, 2011</ref>|C418-twitter.jpg}}

{{Q|You know how myths can be super awesome and creepy? Well, Herobrine isn’t. It’s silly and boring.|[[C418]]|Herobrine<ref>{{citation|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221119075048/https://twitter.com/C418/status/353021831416000512|title=You know how myths can be super awesome and creepy? Well, Herobrine isn’t. It’s silly and boring.}} – {{tweet|C418}}, July 5, 2013</ref>|C418-twitter.jpg}}

{{Q|Also Herobrine is the silliest name for a myth ever. How about Griddlebraf|[[C418]]|Herobrine<ref>{{citation|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221119075100/https://twitter.com/C418/status/353022664958427136|title=Also Herobrine is the silliest name for a myth ever. How about Griddlebraf}} – {{tweet|C418}}, July 5, 2013</ref>|C418-twitter.jpg}}

; Marc Watson

{{Q|Herobrine doesn't exist. He can't give you a virus. Your kid didn't see him. Why are you arguing this. Please don't argue. Staahp D:|[[Marc Watson]]|Herobrine<ref>{{tweet|Marc_IRL|568693682179837952|Herobrine doesn't exist. He can't give you a virus. Your kid didn't see him. Why are you arguing this. Please don't argue. Staahp D:|February 20, 2015}}</ref>|Mark IRL twitter.png}}

; Searge

{{Q|We didn't really remove Herobrine, because Herobrine doesn't exist. Believe it or not, but it's the truth. I can't prove it. It's a myth.|[[Searge]]|Herobrine<ref>{{tweet|Searge|689848766015275008|We didn't really remove Herobrine, because Herobrine doesn't exist. Believe it or not, but it's the truth. I can't prove it. It's a myth.|January 20, 2016}}</ref>|Searge twitter.png}}

; Slicedlime

{{Q|Herobrine has been removed.|[[Slicedlime]]|Herobrine<ref>{{tweet|Slicedlime|1758200283765633490|Herobrine has been removed.|February 15, 2024}}</ref>|Slicedlime_Twitter_avatar.jpg}}

== Stream archive ==
[[File:Herobrine Room.png|thumb|A screenshot posted by Copeland in his forum thread, showing the room where Herobrine appeared.]]
[[File:Herobrine House.jpg|thumb|A more recent screenshot by Copeland of the same house from his original Herobrine screenshot.]]

The original Herobrine livestream was located [https://www.livestream.com/minecrafterryday/video?clipId=pla_30d1b597-bc86-45c5-83d6-30527e2fd85e here]<ref>{{citation|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629073512/https://www.livestream.com/minecrafterryday/video?clipId=pla_30d1b597-bc86-45c5-83d6-30527e2fd85e|title=Live Show <nowiki>[Procaster]</nowiki> Mon Aug 30 2010 11:24:42 AM|website=Livestream.com|author=minecrafterryday}}</ref> and the second Herobrine livestream was located [https://www.livestream.com/minecrafterryday/video?clipId=pla_7c528f18-2c03-4cb2-9e14-9ee8e4e7d312 here].<ref>{{citation|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140313041117/https://www.livestream.com/minecrafterryday/video?clipId=pla_7c528f18-2c03-4cb2-9e14-9ee8e4e7d312|title=Live Show <nowiki>[Procaster]</nowiki> Mon Aug 30 2010 11:56:23 PM|website=Livestream.com|author=minecrafterryday}}</ref> Both livestreams were deleted at some point during the following months. Copeland, the Brocraft founder, and Livestream.com have all stated that they do not have a backup copy of these streams. The following streams were considered lost media until [[#Streams recovered|they were recovered]] on July 15, 2024.

{{yt|qRzX7CDxQsI}}
{{yt|-YNi0yE8Q5w}}

=== Stream recreation ===
A recreation made in collaboration with Copeland of the Herobrine scene from the first stream can be found below:
{{yt|WBC4gcklXNE}}

== Lost media ==
No known archive exists of the earliest 4chan thread containing the original Herobrine story, and it is not known where the earliest known image of the creepypasta originated.

The earliest known Herobrine plugin was located [http://taylorkelly.me/plugins/Herobrine/ here].<ref>{{Citation|url=http://taylorkelly.me/plugins/Herobrine/|title=Index of /plugins/Herobrine|website=taylorkelly.me|archive=https://web.archive.org/web/20110126140917/http://taylorkelly.me/plugins/Herobrine/|archive-time=January 26, 2011}}</ref> This was deleted at some point during the following months, and no known backups of any of the original versions of the plugin are available.

== Similar characters ==
Due to Herobrine's popularity, other stories regarding similar entities have since appeared.

The most popular example is "Entity 303", who supposedly behaves much like the common interpretation of Herobrine as being hostile, griefing builds and crashing players' games.<ref>{{ytl|Njg9T6won2Q|The New Herobrine (Minecraft Documentary) [MUST WATCH!!!&#93;|Thespeed179|December 17, 2013}}</ref> According to the legend, he is a hacker who planned to destroy ''Minecraft'' by 2014 or 2015.<ref name=":1">{{ytl|jinkhAov5Fs|Entity 303 Documentary Part 3 (The War)|Thespeed179|June 18, 2014}}</ref> Notch has acknowledged Entity 303, telling players to "go read a science, people! there are no ghosts!"<ref>{{tweet|notch|485842973171535873|oh god no entity 303 what is wrong with you people its just a game i cant deal with this. Go read a science, people! There are no ghosts!|July 6, 2014.}}</ref> Interestingly, this dismissal by Mojang and Notch has been incorporated into the creepypasta in order to increase the sense of urgency.<ref name=":1"/>

== Trivia ==
*When asked about audio player implementation on the wiki, and the limits of what could be uploaded, [[C418]] replied to Herobrine claims relating to [[Music Disc 11|disc 11]]. He stated that he cannot say a lot about 11, but that it has nothing to do with Herobrine.{{citation needed}}
*There is [https://namemc.com/profile/Herobrine.1 a user called Herobrine] registered on ''Minecraft'' servers. The account is a full account (meaning they have bought ''Minecraft'' after registering). They do not appear to have migrated their account or visited any [[MINECON]] events using the Herobrine username, due to their lack of a [[cape]]. Ex-Mojang employee [[Andrea Jörgensen]] stated that a friend of hers owns the Herobrine account.<ref>{{citation|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201004113029/https://twitter.com/AndiJorgensen/status/206397260626538497|title=@notch A friend of mine owns the Minecraft account named Herobrine... he gets plenty of password reset emails ever day.}} – {{tweet|AndiJorgensen}}, May 26, 2012</ref>
*The seed for the world used in the original screenshot is {{cd|478868574082066804}}, with the player's position at the coordinates x=5.06, y=71, z=-298.54. The screenshot was made using [[Java Edition Alpha v1.0.16 02|Alpha v1.0.16_02]].<ref name=seed/>
*The seed for the world used in the original livestream is {{cd|3609313613745973624}}. The livestream was made using [[Java Edition Alpha v1.0.17 04|Alpha v1.0.17_04]].
**Copeland eventually rediscovered the original world in which he had filmed the original Herobrine livestream, and made the world available to download [https://www.mediafire.com/file/tfyceqz5rsgshq1/Copeland%2527s_Herobrine_World.zip/file here].<ref>{{ytl|DA3cMLL4SYc|The Mystery of the Lost Herobrine Stream: Part 2 ~ Secrets Revealed|Enderboss25|August 2, 2021}}</ref>
*The [https://dokucraft.co.uk/ Dokucraft] texture pack was used in Copeland's original screenshot and livestream.
*The original creepypasta states that the author heard back from their informant about a month after taking a screenshot of Herobrine. However, while the creepypasta was created on August 19 at the latest, the screenshot was taken in the version Alpha v1.0.16_02, which was released on August 13, making it impossible for that much time to have elapsed.
*Vareide, the creator of several officially featured ''Minecraft'' trailers, also made a video about Herobrine<ref>{{YouTube link|uUZDHEpW5D0|Herobrine|This channel is not active|August 29, 2011|archive=1}}</ref>.
*The Herobrine altar was referenced in the video "[https://web.archive.org/web/20211215041724/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXY74kWderc One Trillion Minecraft Views on YouTube and Counting]", at 0:33.
*Based on Herobrine's popularity, from 2013 to 2017, author Mark Cheverton wrote the ''{{W|Gameknight999|newtab=1}}'' series of 24 novels in 6 trilogies, featuring Herobrine as the primary antagonist. The series is unofficially based on ''Minecraft''. The second novel of the series became a bestseller listed in ''Publisher's Weekly''<ref>{{citation |title=Bestsellers - Children's Frontlist Fiction |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/pw-bestsellers/kidsfiction/20141117.html |magazine=Publishers Weekly |date=17 November 2014 |access-date=5 June 2021 |archive-date=5 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210605040520/https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/pw-bestsellers/kidsfiction/20141117.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and ''The New York Times''.<ref>{{citation |title=Bestsellers - Children's Series |newspaper=The New York Times |date=8 February 2015 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/books/best-sellers/2015/02/08/series-books/ |access-date=6 July 2022 |archive-date=6 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220706162325/https://www.nytimes.com/books/best-sellers/2015/02/08/series-books/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
HerobrineInAlpha.jpg|The original screenshot featuring Herobrine.
Herobrine Hill.png|Another screenshot taken on the same seed from the same position.
Herobrine Enhanced.png|A stream screenshot posted in the forum thread, enhanced by a forum user.
Herobrine Contrast.jpg|Another enhanced stream screenshot posted in the forum thread.
Herobrine Decontrast.png|The previous screenshot de-enhanced.
Herobrine Eyes 1.png|Another enhanced screenshot from the forum thread.
Herobrine Eyes 2.jpg|An even more enhanced version.
Herobrine Stream 1 Thumbnail.jpg|Thumbnail image of Copeland's stream.
Herobrine Stream 2 Thumbnail.jpg|Thumbnail image of Patimuss's stream.
Herobrine Stream Screenshot 1.png|A screenshot of the original stream, found in a Facepunch thread.
Herobrine Stream Screenshot 2.png|Another screenshot from the same thread.
HIM!.jpg|A screenshot of Patimuss' stream.
Herobrine Sighting 1.png|The first fanmade "sighting" to appear in Copeland's thread.
Herobrine Sighting 2.png|The second sighting to appear in the thread.
Herobrine Sighting 3 Dark.png|The third sighting from the thread.
Herobrine Sighting 3 Bright.png|Brightened version.
Herobrine Sighting 4.jpg|The fourth sighting.
Herobrine Cave.png|Another sighting in a cave.
Herosheep.jpg|The first instance of an animal "possessed" by Herobrine.
Heroswine.png|A Herobrine pig.
Jesse-maccabe-minecraft-cabininteriordev.jpg|Herobrine in ''[[Minecraft: Story Mode]]'' concept art.
</gallery>

== See also ==
*Wikipedia article on ''[[wikipedia:Herobrine|Herobrine]]''
*[http://www.minecraftforum.net/forums/show-your-creation/fan-art/other-fan-art/1582915-video-proof-of-him  First Herobrine thread on the Minecraft Forums] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20100902163642/http://www.minecraftforum.net/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=29828 archive 1]) ([http://web.archive.org/web/20130117093546/http://www.minecraftforum.net/topic/27362-video-proof-of-him/ archive 2]) ([https://web.archive.org/web/20160126041538/https://www.minecraftforum.net/forums/show-your-creation/fan-art/other-fan-art/1582915-video-proof-of-him archive 3])
*Wikipedia article on ''[[wikipedia:Gameknight999|Gameknight999]]'', a best-selling series of unofficial ''Minecraft'' adventure novels featuring Herobrine.

== References ==
{{Reflist}}
== Navigation ==
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