Friendship finishers first appeared in Mortal Kombat II in 1993, giving players a deliberately harmless alternative to the series' famous fatalities. Instead of a gruesome finish, the winning fighter would perform a friendly gesture, and the cheerful accompanying music underlined the joke. The idea returned in later Mortal Kombat games and became a fan favourite, partly because it mocked the controversy around video game violence. Today, gaming creators and meme editors reuse the jingle on its own to signal a sudden wholesome turn, even when viewers have never played the original arcade game.