Metal Slug began in 1996 as a run and gun arcade series developed by Nazca and published by SNK for the Neo Geo, known for detailed pixel art, heavy weapons and comic deaths. Its short voice clips and explosion effects were widely ripped as games were emulated and shared online, turning individual yells into standalone meme sounds. The fire scream survived because it is instantly readable even without gameplay footage, so creators reuse it far beyond Metal Slug videos for burns, fails and over the top eliminations in edits and streams.