Pepe

4chan

Nexo

Chainlink

The LINK Marines are the most committed holders and supporters of&nbsp;<a style="text-decoration:none" href="https://bsc.news/post/what-is-chainlink" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Chainlink</a>’s LINK token. The group took shape on 4chan’s /biz/ board around 2017. It is known for Pepe the Frog profile pictures, the motto “Didn’t Read, Not Selling,” and a habit of defending Chainlink loudly against critics. Today the community mostly tracks Chainlink’s work with banks and market infrastructure. LINK traded at $12.87 on October 14, 2026.
<h2 id="span-span-where-did-the-link-marines-come-from-span-span">Where Did The LINK Marines Come From?</h2>
The community began on /biz/, 4chan’s anonymous business and finance board. In 2017, a figure called “Assblaster” claimed insider knowledge of Chainlink and posted tips there, then disappeared, Decrypt and Cointelegraph reported.
Chainlink and the frog meme soon became linked. “A lot of people that posted about Chainlink would post with Pepe the Frog,” Sanctum CEO Tyler Ward told Cointelegraph. He said Chainlink’s rise became “this cultish prophecy of 4chan.”
Chainlink is an oracle network. An oracle feeds outside data, such as asset prices, into blockchains so smart contracts can use it. The Marines bet early that this would become core infrastructure.
<h2 id="span-span-what-makes-someone-a-link-marine-span-span">What Makes Someone A LINK Marine?</h2>
Membership is informal, but the culture has clear habits.
<h3 id="span-span-the-culture-span-span">The Culture</h3>
Decrypt’s 2020 profile of the group described these traits:
<ul>
 <li>Pepe avatars: Members use frog profile pictures as a shared identity.</li>
 <li>“Didn’t Read, Not Selling”: The unofficial motto, applied to any criticism of LINK.</li>
 <li>Military ranks: Joke ranks from private to corporal are tied to how much LINK a member holds.</li>
 <li>Research: Members dig through code and metadata in Telegram groups, looking for signs of new partnerships.</li>
</ul>
Co-founder Sergey Nazarov holds the joke title of “Five-Star General.”
<h3 id="span-span-the-best-known-marine-span-span">The Best-Known Marine</h3>
The most famous Marine posted under the name ChainLinkGod. In 2020, he described himself as “the glue between Chainlink and the Marines.” He also said: “anyone who says they’re not in it for the money is lying.”
He later revealed himself as Zach Rynes. He now works in Chainlink’s Strategy Initiatives team, according to his X profile.&nbsp;
<h2 id="span-span-why-did-the-marines-make-headlines-in-2020-span-span">Why Did The Marines Make Headlines In 2020?</h2>
LINK’s 2020 rally put the community in the spotlight. The token rose from $1.80 at the start of that year to $16.64 on August 12, 2020.
That summer, short-seller Zeus Capital published “The Chainlink Fraud Exposed.” It called Chainlink “Crypto’s Wirecard” and disclosed that it was betting against LINK. A second Zeus report on August 6, 2020, claimed the Marines were paid supporters who coordinated attacks on critics.
The Marines pushed back hard. They accused Zeus of working with Nexo, a Chainlink partner at the time, which Nexo denied. Decrypt also reported that critics, including a Nexo researcher, were harassed online. The episode left the Marines with a reputation for both loyalty and aggression.
<h2 id="span-span-what-are-the-marines-watching-now-span-span">What Are The Marines Watching Now?</h2>
Recent Chainlink news is mostly about traditional finance:
<ul>
 <li>CCIP 2.0: On September 28, Chainlink upgraded its Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol. It added optional extra verification layers and tools for screening transactions against sanctions lists.</li>
 <li>Swift: The same day, Chainlink released a framework that lets banks connect to Swift’s blockchain ledger. Swift opened that ledger in July for a tokenized deposit pilot with 17 banks, including HSBC, Citi, UBS, and Wells Fargo.</li>
 <li>Fulcrum: On September 30, Chainlink launched a cross-chain repo tool that lets institutions borrow and lend against tokenized assets.</li>
 <li>DTCC: At Sibos 2026, DTCC’s Dan Doney and Nazarov presented DTCC’s Collateral AppChain, which will use the Chainlink Runtime Environment. DTCC first announced the plan in May and has targeted a fourth-quarter 2026 launch.</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="span-span-conclusion-span-span">Conclusion</h2>
The LINK Marines grew from a 4chan board into one of crypto’s most recognizable fan bases. They are known for frog memes, holding through criticism, and close study of Chainlink’s partnerships. Today they follow a project that runs cross-chain messaging, connects banks to Swift’s ledger, and supplies tools for DTCC’s collateral platform.
<h2 id="span-span-resources-span-span">Resources</h2>
<ol>
 <li><a style="text-decoration:none" href="https://decrypt.co/38324/shill-metal-jacket-who-are-the-link-marines" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Report by Decrypt</a>: Shill Metal Jacket: Who are the Link Marines?</li>
 <li><a style="text-decoration:none" href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/4chan-rises-from-the-dead-how-the-imageboard-moves-crypto-markets" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Report by Cointelegraph</a>: 4chan rises from the dead: How the imageboard moves crypto markets</li>
 <li><a style="text-decoration:none" href="https://zeus-capital.com/news/chainlink-toxic-community-marines/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Zeus Capital</a>: The Dedicated Army of Paid LINK Marines</li>
 <li><a style="text-decoration:none" href="https://x.com/chainlink/status/1769755971146903654" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Chainlink on X</a>: Meet Zach Rynes, the person behind ChainLinkGod</li>
 <li><a style="text-decoration:none" href="https://247wallst.com/investing/cryptocurrency/2026/10/02/chainlink-surges-18-in-2026-while-bitcoin-falls-3-what-makes-link-stand-out/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Report by 24/7 Wall St.</a>: Chainlink Surges 18% in 2026 While Bitcoin Falls 3%</li>
 <li><a style="text-decoration:none" href="https://www.theblock.co/news/ecosystems/2026-07-09-swift-launches-blockchain-ledger-for-tokenized-deposit-pilot-with-17-banks-407687" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Report by The Block</a>: Swift launches blockchain ledger for tokenized deposit pilot with 17 banks</li>
 <li><a style="text-decoration:none" href="https://www.kucoin.com/news/flash/chainlink-launches-connectivity-framework-for-swift-blockchain-ledger-with-17-banks-preparing-pilot" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">KuCoin News</a>: Chainlink Launches Connectivity Framework for SWIFT Blockchain Ledger</li>
 <li><a style="text-decoration:none" href="https://cryptobriefing.com/chainlink-launches-fulcrum-collateral-platform/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Report by Crypto Briefing</a>: Chainlink launches Fulcrum, a cross-chain collateral platform for institutional finance</li>
 <li><a style="text-decoration:none" href="https://x.com/chainlink/status/2104688261855867121" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Chainlink on X</a>: DTCC and Chainlink at Sibos 2026</li>
 <li><a style="text-decoration:none" href="https://www.cryptopolitan.com/dtcc-chainlink-power-collateral-appchain-q4/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Report by Cryptopolitan</a>: DTCC picks Chainlink to power its collateral appchain, targets Q4 2026 launch</li>
 <li><a style="text-decoration:none" href="https://beincrypto.com/pi-network-chainlink-integration-price-rises/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Report by BeInCrypto</a>: Pi Coin Sees Double-Digit Rise After Chainlink Integration</li>
</ol>

Who Are The “LINK Marines”? Inside Chainlink’s Fan Base

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