# NYC Rats AI: A Rat Gang Stands Up and Fights You in a New York Alley > From one photo of you (or your pet), you take a shortcut through a dark New York alley, the rats at your feet stand up on two legs like a street gang, and the boss rat kicks and boxes its way at the camera: the viral "never take the shortcut in NYC" AI clip, starring you. - URL: https://soracai.com/ai-nyc-rats - Canonical: https://soracai.com/ai-nyc-rats - Model: Google Nano Banana 2 (Gemini image model) builds the start frame, then Google Gemini Omni Flash 1.1 (reference images to video with sound) - Type: video effect - Category: Transform (https://soracai.com/effects/transform) - Cost: 140 credits per run (packs from $0.99; pricing: https://soracai.com/pricing.md) - Inputs: Your photo (or your pet) – One adult, from the knees up or full body, face clear. A dog or cat photo works too: your pet walks into the alley instead. - Time: 1–3 minutes - Watermark: none - Example result: https://soracai.com/media/templates/ai-nyc-rats/poster.avif - Updated: 2026-11-13 ## What is the NYC Rats AI: A Rat Gang Stands Up and Fights You in a New York Alley? "Never take the shortcut in NYC." Shaky night phone footage of a dirty alley: the rats on the ground stand up on two legs, line up like a street gang, and the boss rat kicks, boxes and finally swats at the lens. Millions of people tagged a friend under it, and half the comments asked if it was real. Upload one photo and this template walks you into that alley. The clip was posted on Instagram on 10 November 2026 by @aliaboutine, a creator who makes AI rat videos, and the caption says it was made with an AI tool. In two days it passed 4.5 million likes and 85,000 comments, on top of a rat reputation New York has filmed for years: #nycrats on TikTok holds more than 200 million views. AI video template sites added the scene the same week, with the rats squaring up to a person who uploads their photo. The template runs in two steps: an image model puts you in the night alley with the rat gang standing up at your feet, then a video model plays 8 seconds of the stand-off, the kicks and the swat at the camera, with alley sound and an original beat. It is comedy: nobody is hurt. The trend video on this page is credited to its creator; the poster image is AI-generated. ## What happens in the video 0-2 s: you walk into a dark alley. 2-4 s: five rats stand up on two legs in front of you. 4-6 s: the boss rat bounces like a boxer and throws a high kick while you back off. 6-8 s: it jumps at the camera and swats the lens, and you laugh. ## Is the original video real? No. The original clip by @aliaboutine is AI-made, and so is the one this template makes. Real New York rats do not box, as far as anyone knows. ## Which photo to use One adult, from the knees up or full body, face clear. Use your own photo or one of someone who said yes, never a celebrity, a stranger or a child. A clear photo of your dog or cat works too. ## How to use it 1. Open https://soracai.com/ai-nyc-rats and upload a photo (Your photo (or your pet)). 2. Press Generate (140 credits, shown on the button before you run it). 3. Wait one to three minutes; the result is also saved to My Creations. 4. Download the MP4 without a watermark. Failed runs are refunded automatically. ## Examples - Example result: https://soracai.com/media/templates/ai-nyc-rats/poster.avif ## This trend on Instagram & TikTok - @aliaboutine (Trend video), Instagram, 2026-11-10: “Never take the shortcut in NYC”: 4.5M likes. 4,500,676 likes. Original: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DfkBc8-RoOL/ ## Tips - Use a photo from the knees up or full body, face clear and in good light. - Casual street clothes fit the alley best. - Caption it "never take the shortcut in NYC" and tag the friend who always does. - Add the trending sound in TikTok when you post; the clip comes with its own alley sound and beat. - Try it with your dog: a pup facing down a rat gang is its own meme. ## Use cases - Putting yourself in the viral NYC rats alley clip. - A joke for the friend who always takes shortcuts at night. - New York city content, travel accounts and pet accounts riding the rat trend. ## FAQ ### How do I make the NYC rats AI video? Upload one photo and press Generate. You get an 8-second vertical night phone clip of a rat gang standing up and fighting you in a New York alley. ### Is it free? Video templates use paid credits. New accounts get free credits for photo templates only. The exact cost is shown on the Generate button before you confirm. ### Does anyone get hurt? No. The rats bounce, kick the air and swat at the camera, and you laugh. There is no injury and no blood. ### Can I use my dog or cat? Yes. If your photo shows a pet, your pet walks into the alley and faces the rat gang instead. ### Is this affiliated with the creators of the trend? No. Soracai is not affiliated with @aliaboutine, Instagram, TikTok or any creator shown on this page. "NYC rats" is the name of the trend, used because that is what people search for. ### Is there a watermark? No watermark is added to the video. ### Where is my photo stored? Uploads are stored in Firebase Storage (Google Cloud) under your account so the run can happen and the result appears in Creations. They are not public, and you can email support to request deletion. To run the effect, a copy is sent to our AI model provider (kie.ai); result files are kept for 14 days, so download what you want to keep. ## Related effects - [CCTV Tiger Fight AI: You Wrestle a Tiger on Security Camera Footage](https://soracai.com/ai-cctv-tiger-fight): From one photo of you, a grainy black-and-white security camera catches you walking a forest path with a wine gourd when a tiger steps out, and you wrestle it to the ground with your bare hands: the viral CCTV tiger fight AI trend, starring you. - [Chased by Hyenas AI Trend: Outrun the Pack on the Savanna](https://soracai.com/ai-chased-by-hyenas): From one full-body photo, you sprint flat out across a dusty African savanna with a whole pack of spotted wild dogs right at your heels: the viral "chased by hyenas" AI clip, with your own face. - [Dog Grooming Time AI: Your Dog Fights the Groomer Like an Action Hero](https://soracai.com/ai-dog-grooming-time): From one photo of your dog (or cat), your pet stands up on the grooming table, swats the clippers away, kung-fu kicks the groomer across the salon and ends up holding the clippers itself: the viral "my dog when it's grooming time" clip, starring your own pet. - [Misanthropy Meme AI: Turn Your Photo Into the Side-Eye Animation](https://soracai.com/ai-misanthropy-meme): From one photo, you become a hand-drawn 2D character with small horns who glances left, glances right, then grins as the screen floods red: the viral "misanthropy is when…" animation meme, drawn from your own face. - [Giant Cat AI Video: Your Cat as Big as a Subway Train](https://soracai.com/ai-giant-cat-video): From one photo of your cat (or dog), it becomes a giant as big as a train car: it pulls into the subway station instead of the train, lies down at the platform while commuters film it, then lets them climb on its back. The viral giant cat AI video, starring your own pet. - [AI Lion Friend Video](https://soracai.com/ai-lion-friend): At night by your car, a big lion walks out of the dark and greets you like an old friend. - [Tricycle Crash AI: Ride a Tiny Tricycle Down a Hill Into a Tree](https://soracai.com/ai-tricycle-crash): From one photo of you, you squeeze onto a tiny kids' tricycle, race down a steep rocky hill, fly off a bump and crash into a tree, laughing the whole way: the viral AI tricycle crash ("triciclo mini choca contra árbol") clip, starring you. - [AI Kung Fu Cat Trend Video](https://soracai.com/ai-kung-fu-cat): Your cat sits upright on a lap like a martial arts master, blocks, strikes and karate-chops a paper tissue clean in half: the viral kung fu cat from one photo of your own cat. Canonical page: https://soracai.com/ai-nyc-rats · All effects: https://soracai.com/effects.md · Pricing: https://soracai.com/pricing.md